i think ive just been ripped off.

ok guys,
ive just come home from collecting my celestion ditton 15 speakers.
the dittons ive only ever seen have had a tweeter , mid/base and a passive speaker below right?
these dont , just a tweeter and mid.
one of the mids is making a funny crackling sound so i have to investigate further.
i took the cloth grill off and the home made frame just disintegrated in my hand , the baffles supporting the cones look to be home made with glue everywhare and holes where badly fitted fixing screws used to be.
what should i do guys?

 

Oh dear, that doesn't sound good, would explain why he didn't offer the pictures

This is what they should look like:
http://home.tiscali.nl/~audiofriends/archief/Eigen afbeeldingen/Celestion Ditton 15 zonder doek.JPG

Can you take a picture of yours for us to look at?

Only thing I can think for the crackling would be that the rubber is coming away from the bass cone and rattling a bit??

You say you collected, what was the seller like, do you think he will refund as they aren't as described?

 

Rob, what you describe is not the Celestion Ditton 15 shown on my brochure. The photo from andrew1810 is.

Sorry to hear of this - suggest you contact seller asap and ask for refund on delivery/return, and notify ebay.

 

You could search ebay for Celestion Ditton and see if you just have a different model. Otherwise I think a return is the only option as they are not as described and not really fit for purpose.

 

hi guys,
they say ditton 15 on the back. but i cant find any referance to a ditton without the passive speaker.
ive had a look inside and they do seem to be celestions , the cones defo are , from the ditton factory.
the crossovers are a massive red capacitor and two huge copper wire coils.
the tweeters are defo celestions , enclosed etc
also they are rated at 15 watts rms as stated on the back binding post....

the same tweeters as these ,

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=3276&item=5724050450&rd=1

its my guess that perhaps these used to be ditton 15s and they have been put into new cabinates although they do seem to be made for the cabinate.
its just the front baffle that dosent look factory fit.
im going to investigate further but i recon a refund would be the best option.

the guy who sold me them looked like he wouldent know the difference between a ditton 15 and a vw golf to be honest.

 

If those are the tweeters, you could always sell the tweeters, bass drivers and cabinets seperately, the tweeters would give you a straight profit anyway!!

 

the celestion ditton 15s are 30 watts DIN. the only 15 in their specs is the 15kHz upper in their frequency response. Mine have Celestion 15 badge at the front, and declares 4-8 ohms on the binding post area.

 

What I suspect you have, judging from your description, is a pair of Ditton 15s that someone has “modified†by ditching the ABR. In the early 80s ABRs became as unfashionable as pink flowery flares, and I suspect a few people attempted to update / butcher their 15s. It certainly sounds like you have the correct cabs, the correct tweeters and bass drivers, but no ABRs and a home made baffle.

I would definitely try and get your cash back – these speakers are unquestionably not stock 15s or 15XRs (the only two versions) as the design always had a ABR (it had a white ring on the XR). They are not a rare speaker, so if you want a pair I'd stick a wanted ad up on hififorsale.com and I'm sure some will turn up. If you want the best of the 70s retro Celestion sound I'd personally try and track down a nice pair of Ditton 44s, they will cost you a bit more, but are a good retro 3 way design.

Tony.

 

Here are some other 15's:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=14993&item=5724579800&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

 

i think your right tony,
although the binding posts are round as opposed to the square on the ditton 15's and it states that they are 15 watts rms and 4 ohms. it also says celestion studio series made in england.

http://i6.ebayimg.com/01/i/02/90/f8/a6_1_b.JPG

the cones are red magnets and say themes ditton on them.
the cabs defo look right (i think the walnut veneer was added but its hard to tell) but the baffle dosent.

i might break them and sell the tweeters as they might be worth more to me this way.

 

seems a sad end to beloved dittons, and the pic of the binding post looks just like mine. ** mine do not have that nice walnut veneer so it looks as thoough they have been given a Jaguar upgrade!!

glad you have a way out though.

 

The 15 had a very long product lifespan indeed – IIRC they were designed in the late 60s and were in production right through the 70s. I'm not sure when exactly the uprated XR version came out, but it was pretty late on. I'd expect some small detail revisions over that amount of time simply due to component supply issues - things like binding posts are usually bought in from other manufacturers so changes are pretty inevitable.

I haven't heard a pair for many years, though a friend had some way back in 79 (I had a pair of JR149s at the time). One stupid thing we discovered is that, depending on stand, they often sound better upside down!

Tony.

 

funny you should say that tony , the cones in these are upside down.
aww well , you lose some you win some.
im defo going to break and sell the tweeters , the rest may well end up in the bin. its a pity really but i can always get another pair with the money i make off the tweeters.
although if i cant sell them im going for a refund.

cheers guys,

Rob.

 

I would probably look at selling the crossover, working bass unit and the tweeters as these will all get you extra money.

Could also consider selling the cabinets as they looked decent enough and could house other drivers

Might as well get as much money as you can out of them!!

 

jees,
the tweeters went for 57 quid.

defo breaking them now.


cheers,

Rob.

 

Every cloud...

Think about the extra money you can now spend on a new set of speakers!!

 

innit just,
ive contacted the person who got outbid to see if their interested in my tweeters , you never know , if not il just auction them.

my gran always said i could fall in a puddle of sh*t and come out smelling like roses.

just lucky i recon.

 

just had a proper listening test today.
i can see what all the fuss is with these tweeters , they sound fantastic.
joss stone , i nearly had a conversation with her , thought she was in the same room.
the bass cones are a load of old though.
probably because they arnt ported in any way and with the abr (?) missing i guess this isent helping.

right , ive got some Celestion HF-1300 Tweeters for sale , perfect working order.
offers?

 

rob , how much did you pay for these speakers ?
I,m just wondering if your doing the right thing here .
If you didn,t pay much for them and your still set on getting some dittons . Wouldn,t it be a wise man who kept the tweeters as spares for the next set?
just a thought .

 

thats not a bad idea kermit.
i only payed 26 quid for them.
although im not the richest man in the world but im following an auction on e bay for some dittons (not sure if i trust e bay anymore) so il see how much they go for before i decide , it may be il have to sell the tweeters to pay for a new set.
cheers,
Rob.