In 1980, Celestion’s continued investment in technology bore fruit behind the scenes of loudspeaker design. An instrument was developed which uses laser light to scan a diaphragm and produce moving ‘microscope’ pictures on a computer screen. This system taught Celestion’s designers hitherto unknown subtleties of loudspeaker design, many of which remain trade secrets to this day.

    One of the first loudspeakers designed with the aid of the laser was the SL6, a compact two-way loudspeaker launched at the 1981 Harrogate Audio Fair. This system contained revolutionary designs for both drive units - the bass unit was a PVC cone with an integral moulded dustcap and the tweeter was a one piece copper dome.

    The Hadleigh Road site had been closed down in the early 1980s and resources concentrated at Foxhall Road, which remains the international headquarters of the Celestion operation.

    In 1983 the revolution was completed by the addition of an aluminium honeycomb cabinet which provided a remarkably high stiffness/weight ratio. The SL600 set new standards at the audiophile end of the market, selling particularly well in Japan, and winning numerous awards around the world.

    In 1984 the Sidewinder range of guitar speakers were unveiled. These were endowed with a special edgewound aluminium voice coil - a process developed to maximise the ratio of motor strength to mass which resulted in very high efficiency designs.

    In 1986 Celestion produced the System 6000, a unique, patented, double-dipole subwoofer system with active crossover, designed to complement and enhance the SL600. Public Address systems benefited from Celestion’s new double suspension B15 and B18 range, which offered power ratings up to 1000W. These were followed in 1987 by the SR series of Sound Reinforcement loudspeakers. The original (SR1) driver incorporated an integral aluminium dome to provide high-frequency output. The SR1 operated with an electronic controller which dynamically adjusted the low-frequency output to optimise bass levels and longevity.

    When the Celestion 3 was launched in 1989 it set new performance standards for low-cost hi-fi loudspeakers. One of the first of the genre to incorporate a metal dome tweeter, the Celestion 3 was highly acclaimed by both public and critics. The Mark II model was awarded ‘1994/95 European Loudspeaker of the Year’ by the European Imaging and Sound Association.
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