Am I mad? JPW Mini Monitors instead of Mission 761s?

uglymusicuglymusic
edited January 2011 in Loudspeakers
I now have the little NVA AP20 integrated warmed up and in the office system. It sounds very nice. Much better than the Pioneer. No surprise there, then!

I joked with @Jim the other day that I now needed to find a pair of little Royds for my desk. But you know how rare they are these days.

I looked on eBay and found these babies instead. Now, the received wisdom is that NVA and JPW go together well, but surely they won't knock the socks off the much more expensive Missions?

Or what would you put on your desk?


Comments

  • JimJim
    Do you dislike the Missions?  Or are you hoping for an upgrade?
  • JimJim
    Oh, and Ivor Cutler now Dave eh :)
  • uglymusicuglymusic
    Do you dislike the Missions?  Or are you hoping for an upgrade?
    Hoping for something that's a more obvious match for the NVA, so yes, I guess an upgrade.

    Clue: I don't really think the JPWs are what I want, but I may be open to persuasion.
  • uglymusicuglymusic
    Oh, and Ivor Cutler now Dave eh :)
    Oh yes! Now, did you have to Google it?
  • uglymusicuglymusic
    I love Ivor Cutler. A truly great man.
  • JimJim
    Oh, and Ivor Cutler now Dave eh :)
    Oh yes! Now, did you have to Google it?

    Yup, I'm afraid I did :(  I'm not that familiar with him - but what I do know is interesting IMV
  • uglymusicuglymusic
    Glad to know I'm stretching your knowledge of our great musical undergrowth  :)
  • JimJim
    Do you dislike the Missions?  Or are you hoping for an upgrade?
    Hoping for something that's a more obvious match for the NVA, so yes, I guess an upgrade.

    Clue: I don't really think the JPWs are what I want, but I may be open to persuasion.

    I'm not sure why the perception is that JPW will "match" the NVA any better than the Missions?
  • uglymusicuglymusic
    Online conversations. I don't think I've ever heard a pair.

    Certainly I'd be happier with a pair of Royds than the Missions.
  • AlanAlan
    I have heard little JPWs a few times & they are great - worth a try at about £25 or so. The minims are reputed to be good at any price. I suppose the difficulty is getting anything to worth so close to you on the desk. They're probably too large but I like old AR 18s, even the cheaper BX version.

    Tatty Royd Edens seem to be cheapish at the moment - this is definitely h best time of year to pick gear up.


  • uglymusicuglymusic
    I don't think the near-field business is as much a problem as people set it out to be - 'bookshelf' speakers are probably OK.

    Do you know of any Edens on sale ATM?
  • AlanAlan
    These tatty old things may be Edens:

    http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ROYD-LOUD-SPEAKERS-20-60WATT-SERIAL-25597-/320647006662?pt=UK_AudioVideoElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_HiFiSpeakers&hash=item4aa80d09c6

    These are not cheap:

    http://www.uberphon.co.uk/offers3.htm  Hmmmm - be giving those a miss then!
  • uglymusicuglymusic
    Thanks. Had seen the former and am attempting not to see the latter  ;-)
  • MervynMervyn
    Totem Mites - v good with NVA but probably too expensive and hard to find s/hand.
  • uglymusicuglymusic
    Never heard of them Mervyn. Shall Google.
  • uglymusicuglymusic
    Yep. They will be miles over budget at £700+ new.


    I thought John Blue JB3s were expensive for desktop monitors. Maybe Mark will move the decimal point one place to the left for me 
    :-"
  • uglymusicuglymusic
    And here's an excellent value pair of Royds here on eBay. 

    Now, where's the emoticon for 'I think they're taking the piss'?
  • JimJim
    They are special edition ones though
    ;-)
  • uglymusicuglymusic
    Yeah. They have the custom scratched finish, too  :-D
  • JimJim
    Very rare, snap 'em up quick!
  • MervynMervyn

    These of any interest ?

    http://www.pinkfishmedia.net/forum/showthread.php?t=93201

    Not sure how new Diamonds compare to the older/originals ones.

     

  • uglymusicuglymusic
    Thanks for that, Mervyn. 

    I think I'm looking for something that's not at the budget end of the market when new, but isn't fantastically expensive when secondhand. Oh, and sounds fantastic :-)
  • RobHoltRobHolt
    edited January 2011
    A desk position is going to lift bass and lower mids so I'd definitely want something designed with wall proximity use in mid.

    Favourite bargain bucket models would be the original Mission 780, aka Cyrus 780 with a nicer veneer, the Rega Kyte, Ara or the later R1. If you can re-foam the drivers a pair of good AR18s will slaughter the lot.
    I've a nice pair of AR18s and AR8s that I've refurbished with new driver surrounds and love them.

    Lots of studios used 18s as their near-field monitor and it isn't difficult to hear why.

  • uglymusicuglymusic
    edited January 2011
    The second vote for AR18s. Interesting.

    Pardon my ignorance, Rob, but what's involved in refoaming the drivers?

    Edit: Now fully read up on refoaming. Looks simple enough, so that's another possibility.
  • AlanAlan
    If the 18bx's are an option, I've a spare pair in the loft.


  • uglymusicuglymusic
    Ooh! Let's have a go, then.

    No hurry. Probably after my op.
  • AlanAlan
    That's fine - you let me know. I didn't suggest them before as I thought they were a bit big for a desk, but I haven't seen the Missions.
  • uglymusicuglymusic
    How big are they? The Missions are roughly RR3-sized.
  • AlanAlan
    About 10" across, 7" back & 18" tall, 6" bass driver.
  • uglymusicuglymusic
    Gawd. They are large chaps...

    Let's try them out once I'm up and running again.
  • AlanAlan
    They don't go anywhere near as low as the Royds though! When's the Op?
  • uglymusicuglymusic
    Weds 9 Feb, with two weeks pencilled for recovery - ie sitting around making silly jokes here  :)
  • AlanAlan
    Ah - I can take some time off then!
  • JimJim
    That's the rota sorted for a fortnight, who's up after that?
  • GromitGromit
    And here's an excellent value pair of Royds here on eBay. 

    Now, where's the emoticon for 'I think they're taking the piss'?
    Trouble is, I'm almost tempted by them! The SE's were very nice little things (my Merlins are pretty much simplified Sorcerors) with real wood veneers - although these clearly have the nice 'weathered' look finish. :D

    If I could get around £200 for my Merlins and Minskies I'd snap these up as apart from the cabs looking a bit tatty in places, the drivers look A1. Slight worry though is that some Sorcerors came with a 'cone' on the centre pole piece where these don't seem to have one. The people selling them off a 14 day no-quibble money back guarantee though.
  • uglymusicuglymusic
    They're a bit too specialised a taste for me, Richard.

    How's your woodwork?
  • GromitGromit
    I've got 'O' level woodwork, Dave - and I'm a dab hand with an angle grinder and an impact driver too. :)
  • uglymusicuglymusic
    I've got 'O' level woodwork, Dave - and I'm a dab hand with an angle grinder and an impact driver too. :)
    Oh dear. I'd better be more polite to you in the future :-)
  • AlanAlan
    You need these:

    http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Royd-Audio-Sapphire-II-Bi-wireable-Speakers-Rare-/250765893887?pt=UK_AudioVideoElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_HiFiSpeakers&hash=item3a62cfe0ff
  • GromitGromit
    You need these:

    http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Royd-Audio-Sapphire-II-Bi-wireable-Speakers-Rare-/250765893887?pt=UK_AudioVideoElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_HiFiSpeakers&hash=item3a62cfe0ff
    Sweet. :)

    Only thing which would worry me possibly is the foam driver surrounds on the Sapphire. Who makes replacements for them?

    Those Sorcerors still look strangely tempting despite their 'in need of attention' looks. Fixing cabs up isn't a problem, if the drivers are ok then they'd be a cracking little speaker. :)
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