Been a busy evening of scanning through old magazines, but I’m pleased to let you know there are fresh reviews for the site from What Hi-Fi? magazines dating back to the early 1990s. There are reviews for the A7 II, Sapphire II and Merlin. What Hi-Fi? always praised the Royd speakers for their speed and timing, but their overall preference often lied elsewhere.
A7 II Review, What Hi-Fi? Nov 1991
Merlin Review, What Hi-Fi? Dec 1994
Sapphire II Review, What Hi-Fi? August 1993
I’d say What Hi-Fi always tended to favour certain flavours of the month (for whatever reason, and I’ve heard a few ‘theories’ on that one!) until the next flavour of the month came along!
At the time I fell into the trap of believing their reviews and not looking much further than their main recommendations, now I’ve had the chance to listen to Royd speakers I realise quite how misguided I was at the time and how much greater my listening pleasure might have been at the time!