Herald Review, What Hi-Fi? April 1997

Extract from Super Test of many speakers at around the £200 mark, from What Hi-Fi? April 1997. For conciseness, I’ve just included just an extract on what was written about the Royd Herald here.

Royd The Herald

Price £198
For: Bags of detail and airiness
Against: Can sound rough and overbright; cosmetics not on a par with others here
Verdict: 3/5 stars
Different design sets the Herald apart, but its uncompromising, upfront sound won’t suit all tastes

Believers in the limited number of ways in which a cat can be deprived of its fur will find plenty of supporting evidence here, for most speakers in this test are very similar.
The 3lcm-tall Heralds however, differ from the others here in that their metal tweeters are offset above the doped woofer. Furthermore, these speakers have unusual side-venting ports, so that the speakers are a left-handed and right-handed pair.
With the ports firing inward (and the tweeters thus offset outwards) the Heralds deliver their tightest, most expansive sound. Swap the speakers round and you boost the bass, and enjoy a smaller but more focused soundstage. Experimentation is required, but the common factors are that the Heralds are best on solid stands standing clear of the rear wall. They’re demanding when it comes to amp power, due to 86dB/W/m sensitivity and 8ohm impedance. But with most amps in the £200-300 price band this shouldn’t be a problem.
The Royd’s sound is at odds with the rest of the group, Rather like the Revolvers, they grab you with an open, zestful treble and midband, but they back it up with a useful dollop of bass. They sound too upfront with dance and rock, but with classical and other acoustic recordings they deliver good instrumental timbre and character, as well as a persuasive impression of scale. This uncompromising character can be enticing, but it also precludes unqualified recommendation. If you do fancy an audition, be quick, as the Herald will be evolving into a new model after April.

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