Price Paid:  $1500.00 from Audiogon

Summary:
I have known Celestion for more than 15 years. My first Celestion was SL6S, I acquired when I was still in college. For the last 3 months, after being apart from audio industry for 15 years, I started to be interested again into acquiring a new sound system. Therefore, I started to read and talk to people about stereo system. Finally, I narrowed my selection of monitor loudspeakers that are under 2K into two, B&W and Dynaudio. I went to a dealer carrying these two brands. The first one that I listened was B&W 805, within seconds, I eliminated this one right away. It was annoyingly bright. Music does not sound like that. Then I tried Dynaudio Contour 1.3 and Audience 52, I was hoping that Contour will sound just a little bit better than Audience 52 so that I can live without Contour. It was not the case!! Contour is very smooth and has a very deep bass extension for a small speaker. The price, however, 3.5K. I remember that Celestion has very similar sound as that of Contour 1.3SE. After searching tirelessly, I finally found SL700SE that still sounds and looks good. I have to honestly say that this old 12 year old SL700SE sounds as beautiful as a 3.5K Contour 1.3SE, especially in the imaging and sound stage as well as control. Considering the monies that I spent, I believe I made an excellent decision eventhough the price was kind of high. If you are searching for a pair of monitor speakers, you should try Celestion SL series. The SL6 or SL6Si sound pretty good, but they do not have good control as SL700SE's or SL600's.

Strengths:
very transparent, smooth, imaging, sound stage is incredible, better than Dynaudio Contour 1.3 SE, Audience, B&W, and Thiel 1.6. Bass very precise and tight.

Weaknesses:
I wish the bass a little bit deeper.

Similar Products Used:
Dynaudio Contour 1.3 SE, Audience, B&W, Thiel 1.6, Celestion SL6, SL6S, SL600

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
Very goods speaker. In my little room is good the estreme low bass!! The soundstage is fantastic.

Strengths:
Focus, soundstage..

Weaknesses:
Only 82 db!!

Price Paid:  $400.00 from Pesolo

Summary:
I think that this speaker is very natural with all kind of sources.It is very important to choose a good amplifier, i use it with a Pioneer Cz-Mz and is fantastic.
If the amplifier isn't top of line, the sound is poor and the definition too.
I use this speaker with a single ended 2A3, a single ended EL 34 and 6BM8 Amplifier. Ther'is a good affinity with valve state amplifier. The basses are rich and full,like a speaker of another dimension.
The sondstage is real and great.
The cabinet is very well built.

Strengths:
Celestion are the best speaker in that range of product.

Weaknesses:
none

Similar Products Used:
sl6s, Dl4 ii and other.

Summary:
I started out many years ago with a pair of NHT SuperZeros, loved them, and have gradually moved upward from them, but nevery being truly happy. The NHT 1.3a's were nice but impossible to position, the Genesis IM-5200 incredibly smooth and sweet but no bass, the PSB Stratus Mini's a good all around performer but not refined enough. I heard some Vandersteins (sp?) and they were alright, a little bit clinical.. and some Aerius 10Ts later on (but I can't remember it having anything over the Celestions). I went to some high end audio stores but nothing really struck my fancy, except for some Apogee Centaurs but those things are humongous. I'm more of a smaller speaker type of person, I don't like big speakers filling up my room.

Then i got a pair of Celestion 3s, and I liked it's overall sound..and eventually ended up with a pair of SL6's, which I liked a lot also.. then came the SL600si, which are amazing (and I still own them).. and finally the 700's, and I haven't looked for another pair of speakers since. The 700s extend all the virtues of the 600s and give you enough bass extension to complete the picture.

Like all other refined audio components, the Celestions do not match well against poor electronics. I don't claim to have a 'golden' ear, but I've matched this against different components and I was stunned at the difference in bass response and extension that it was capable of performing with a SimAudio Celeste and even a Acurus DIA-100, espeically given the size of these speakers.

Enough with the bass response.. the Celestions are simply a great all around speaker. They seem to have great extension in the HF ranges, an incredibly sweet midrange, great musicality, and good bass. Matched with the YBA Integre, the wow factor was simplly amazing.

Once in a while you will see criticisms that this speaker can sound 'muddy' in complex movements. I can say for a fact that it will sound muddy period if you don't use good electronics with it. I suspect it's because it's a difficult woofer to drive correctly and so it needs good power behind it. The Celestion SL6 and SL600si sounded a bit muddy when I tried driving them with a NAD 304, a Creek 4140, and Musical Fidelity B200.
The 700s still might be a tad congested compared to other expensive speakers (I haven't heard this congestion with good amplification), but the other virtues of these speakers is more than enough to sell me.

Throw in some piano music, vocals, some classical and pop, it seems to like it all. Home theater usage is a little more tricky.. you have to match it with the right components (Stargate sounded great with the Simaudio Celeste)

Incredible sounstaging and imaging and musicality will make you listen for hours at end and late for work and sleep.

Bottom line is that these speakers are simply a bargain *if* you can find them used. I have swapped alot of equipment around and it's been fun.. but once I got the 700s that's been it for me! (as far as speakers go)
Hook it up with a YBA Integre DT, and prepare for some serious music reproduction! Hook up bad components and the speakers can sound muddy and dry.

Strengths:
Extreme transparency and musicality, superb imaging, accurate bass reproduction, revealling, wonderful to listen to!

Weaknesses:
Will sound a bit muddy and bass reproduction will be weak with mediocre electronics

Similar Products Used:
Celestion 3, SL6si, SL600si

Price Paid:  $1600.00 from Signals Hifi, England

Summary:
A truelly fabulous speaker.

Strengths:
They have an acoustically accurate presentation with fine dynamics and quite astonishing realism. These speakers have exceptional bass abilities considering cabinet size and give and they impress down to their lowest note. With the addition of a good subwoofer they become part of a bargain full range audiophile system on many music styles. Midrange is exceptionally revealing and natural.

Weaknesses:
Not much.. lack of extreme low end. I listen to many styles of music and they play from Radiohead to Drum and bass with equal ability.

Similar Products Used:
I've never heard anything quite like them. Hard to put you finger on it really. Better than my B&w 802's and they made my Linn Isobariks sound terible in every respect apart from in the bass region where the Isobariks are true masters of control.