As went the infamous tag line of Royd Audio, whose loudspeakers were an underrated gem of the British Hi-Fi industry. Each pair was hand built by Joe Ackroyd in Telford, UK from the early ’80s until the start of the 21st Century. Over this time, Joe produced many unique and exceptional loudspeakers, all of which captured the hearts of their owners. Regret only came to those who sold them on prior to a misjudged upgrade…
Royd Audio Minstrels
Within this site you can find a mass of information and resources about these legendary and cult loudspeakers. For new users just stumbling on their first Royds’ and long time audiophile addicts wishing to reminisce over all the models; I hope that you will enjoy them for many years to come.
Please note: although www.roydaudio.com was originally the official UK Royd company website, this is no longer the case. This site has no affiliation with Royd Loudspeaker Co. Ltd and is now simple run and contributed by fans, for fans of Royd Audio loudspeakers.
Front page
Here is an amp worth checking out. Its the Ion System Obelisk 100 integrated amp. Highly regarded back in the ’90s and a favourite of Joe Akroyd. Apparently Joe used one for testing all the Royd’s he built. Its class A/B, with a single rail architecture, rated at 60W output. It was designed by Richard Hay, who started out at Radfords, then later went on to Nytech / Ion Systems and recently helped start Heed Audio in Hungry.
The sound is often likened to that of Naim and Exposure, and should not be dismissed. These amp’s rarely come up, especially this later, higher rated model.
Technical data:
Audio output: 60 watts (8 ohms), 90 watts (4 ohms)
TDH (ref 1 kHz – 10 dB): <0.1%
S/N Ratio Line: 90 dBA
Line Output: 100 mV 47 k
Phono output: 3 mV 47 k
Tape output: 100 mV 47 k
Inputs: Phono, CD, Aux, Tuner, Tape 1, Tape 2
Outputs: Tape 1, Tape 2
Speaker Outputs: 2 x Mains, 2 x Auxiliary
Weight: 7.2 kg
Finish: Black
ebay
Here’s an interesting auction; A Dynatron Goldring G101 belt driven turntable with integrated 4-channel Quadrophonic amp and a pair of Royd A14 speakers. I’m struggling to find much information on this setup. However the Vinyl Engine site does list the G101 deck on its own, and describes it as an ‘elegant unit with the Goldring insistence on precision and quality, and is very economical.’ Either way, it could be worth a punt.
ebay
These speakers are very rare and hardly ever hit the second hand market. However here is a pair, on ebay right now, go check them out and snap them up!
ebay
If you’re looking for a Royd standmount speaker from high up the range, now is a great time. Two rare examples are currently for sale on ebay; the Merlin and Sorcerer, both great performing 7 ltr speakers.
ebay
I’ve added a page with information on what speakers cables work well with Royd speakers. Check out the page here: Recommended Speaker Cables
Additional Content
Spotted this pair of Royd Sapphire’s on ebay in Denmark. The seller is offering worldwide postage, so definitely worth checking out.
ebay
I’ve finally found a review of the Royd Topaz, from What Hi-Fi? April 1994. The Topaz was a budget 7 ltr stand mount speaker, that never gained a huge popularity, despite its respectable performance. Read the full review here.
Additional Content
I have been busy over the last few months developing a new Hi-Fi website; www.HiFiHunter.com – Second Hand Search Engine. This new website aims to be a one stop shop search engine for hunting down second hand and ex-demo Hi-Fi and home cinema gear. It covers a multitude of classifieds sites, forums, ebay, and dealer websites.
Please pop by and check it out, it should be useful for finding Royd speakers across the second hand market.
Promotions
Just added a review of the Royd Eden’s from Hi-Fi Choice, January 1989. The Eden’s are a strange small speaker, that are incredible heavy and polarised the reviewer opinions. Check out the full review here.
Additional Content
v8BOePzRSSPw~~_1.JPG?set_id=8800005007 "Royd Merlin Speakers + Gale 3 foot stand")
