Goodmans Havant SL loudspeakers

Incredibly popular with the "British invasion" period, brands like Celestion, Goodmans etc. were first mass marketing guitar speakers and full range speakers for radios.

With the rising taste for high fidelity at home, and capable engineering resources, Goodmans produced in the seventies a range of very interesting speakers, and we are happy to showcase today the bookshelf model, the 1974 Havant SL.

All the qualities of the British sound is here, and despite the bookshelf size, the bass available from low volume levels is no ridiculous at all, well served by the bass reflex. This well-educated speaker will suit smaller and comfy rooms, matched with a period amplifier. Do not take into account the maximum power of 20 watts RMS, the rendition is not weak at all.

The walnut veneer of this pair is still very good for a nearly 50 years old speaker, the more incredible being the original grilles that still present the factory vintage Goodmans fabric, the original badges are present and intact as well. They accept a pair of banana jacks, a sign of modernity while some competitors were still offering just 2 screws.

Warm, singing and a little bright, these nice speakers are in confidence with jazz, vocals, blues, piano; but not only. We took our listening session a bit out of the beaten path with some punchy electro and they did succeed in building a nice, twisty stereo stage and a good image.