Got these off eBay and paid a little more than usually on for as they were mint and came with all original packaging. On a bit of a Ruark phase at the moment and these are fabulous, sound is so clear and detailed with no hint of harshness. My advice is if you see any on eBay, don’t fanny about and buy them. They look really nice too, had plenty of speakers from Quads, Missions, B&W etc and the wife loves the look of these more than anything, the build quality is outstanding and once waxed they look amazing

At the price paid, a big fat no!

Got these off eBay and paid a little more than usually on for as they were mint and came with all original packaging. On a bit of a Ruark phase at the moment and these are fabulous, sound is so clear and detailed with no hint of harshness. My advice is if you see any on eBay, don’t fanny about and buy them. They look really nice too, had plenty of speakers from Quads, Missions, B&W etc and the wife loves the look of these more than anything, the build quality is outstanding and once waxed they look amazing

At the price paid, a big fat no!

Great speakers excellent sound separation, handle a lot of power and comfortable at low volume. I bought mine 2nd hand about 5 years ago, blonde wood casings perfect condition. 1 previous owner. They are used with my NSM cd wall jukebox and even with this sound fantastic, everyone has been impressed, I am definitely able to recommend.

Not aware of any . Oh very heavy.

Really great all rounder, easy to live with and very forgiving. Superb build quality - my pair have stood the test of time.

Some may prefer more clarity on high frequencies. The speaker requires plenty of power to perform at its best!

hello every one...i got these speakers at least 14 years ago...i had the croos over external and i mass loaded the lower end with a lead plate and spikes...i tryied 4 difrent pairs when i was buyieng,including b&w,caste,harberth and tl...when i first droped the ruarks in my system i was blown away instantly...and they havent missed a beat since...i have upgraded my system around them but the speakers always stay becouase they do everything right...you have to test positions for best results but when you get them in the right spot they will give amazing soundstage and literaly disapear..also remember to load them at base for the most amazing bass..its as deep as the rest of your system will permit,i have a very nice garrard 301 with thomas shick tonearm and you get a very precise sound image...clear as water on the whole frequency,top to bottom..honestly i can not recomend these speakers enough...if you have a room of small to medium size you will never want another speaker..

I baught these baby's off a friend for £100.00 in tip top condition i had them stood for a year with out play now ive set myself up with a good amp etc and there absolutly sweet perfect precision sound and they do make the window's rattle and they make any room look good.

Price Paid: £750 new from Sevenoaks HiFi.

I've now had my Talismans for about 9 years and I'm still in love with them. I have a large collection of CDs and LPs - somewhere in the region of about 5000, and have pretty broad taste. There's no doubt that to get the best from these speakers you need to be able to match the partnering equipment as carefully as you can - as other reveiwers have commented, these are speakers which just get better as you upgrade the rest of the system. I use Chord Odyssey bi-wired cabling with marble stands - the speakers carefully weighted with lead shot. I have a CD17ki front end but with various amps - usually opt for VDH interconnects. These speakers are more revealing than many give credit for and at this kind of money I believe are as transparent as any. These are speakers which I believe have been very carefully "voiced" for serious music lovers. Possibly in a side by side shootout with the Missions and TdLs of the world they might seem a little laidback, but for long term listening and eclectic music tastes they will rarely disappoint. They particularly excel on female vocals - from Maria Callas to Nina Simone - sounding wonderfully natural and lifelike.
Bass is just right - they play bass when they need to. Always better to hear a musical bass than a one note thud, however much that might initially impress.

Strengths:
Beautifully made. Sound natural and detailed - superb for acoustic and classical music. They don't exactly disappoint on rock music!

Weaknesses:
Limited headroom - as the volume climbs they will harden and shout unless driven by a decent amp. Not at their best with low powered amps, either solid state or valve. Not designed for drum'n'bass - they'll make a great job of playing 60s Ska tracks, but run out of steam with modern heavy bass lines.

Similar Products Used:
Ruark Templars, Mission 753s

dynamic , good soundstage , plenty of bass

at this price !! you must be joking

although i have only had the talismans a very short time ,i am growing to love them with each passing day.i have replaced my nordost flatline speaker cable with Naim nac a5 ,on the advice of a friend (former talisman owner) and found this a perfect match. the ruark's work a treat with my beard valve amps , giving an informative ,polite , yet exciting sound. i enjoyed my last 'speakers (dali) for 12 years and i hope i get the same'mileage' from the talismans

Similar Products Used:

ruark templars

Excellent With Jazz, Vocals, & Strings. you would Have to spend 2000 plus to get a speaker that sounds this good.

Tunful bass but not too deep. You cant have every thing

I have owned these tallys for a few years now & i would never part with them, they are just awesome with acoustic guitar & vocals, The bass is a little light but only in large rooms with rock And classical music, my system is Audiolab 8000Q & two 8000P amps Arcam CD92T CD player linked up with Chord company Chorus x3 & QED silver anniversary I might change This for some Chord company odyssey. I have heard it gives better seperation.

Similar Products Used:

monitor audio, B&W, Castle,

Neutral, Vocal ability, Engaging, All round ability.

Slighty light in the deep bass

As with all the other reviews here, it is the amazing ability with vocals (any) that win you over. So simple and uncomplicated is the delivery that you sit and stare, Not at the speakers but the vast space that they are projected in. These speakers can image very well (although not with ultimate precision), including outside the boundaries of the room. Almost seamless integration from top to bottom leave no obvious holes in this well accomplished all round performer. It is a speaker that appears to have a knowledge of just what is important. Again as with the other reviews here, deep bass reproduction is under question. However I feel that the speaker does reach down quite well, it is hampered (?) by being crisp clean and very articulate. Choosing a trade off with your room boundaries for quantity and weight versus precision and dexterity are the only difficulty in setting this speaker up. Do load the lower chamber to add weight to the bass. These are a small floorstanding loudspeaker (especially for you in the USA). With just two modest drive units per cabinet ultimate volume levels are limited. I have yet to exceed their ability under normal listening conditions. Do not under-estimate their ability, they will catch you out time and time again. I have since listened to other speakers in the Ruark range and they too have this quality I desire. It is unfortunate that like a lot of people I cannot afford the £4500.00 for the smaller reference model 'Solstice'. If vocals, acoustic instuments are you bag, then this is your speaker.

Similar Products Used:

mission 782