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lonergan2468
08-06-2009, 15:44
I am seriously considering these two monoblocks to push my Martin Logan Quest Z. Any opinion? They have 75 Wt op/ and 35 in triode or ultra linier or something like that. I can get them for £1,200

Primalsea
09-06-2009, 11:39
Hi Tim,

If it were me I would go for a World Designs WD88 (Oh year, I did!!).
Other than that you could try a Icon Audio amp using KT88's or a second hand Audio Research amp like a Classic 60.:confused:

speakers-1989
09-06-2009, 15:29
It's to late for that, he has now bought the Consonance Reference.

Marco
09-06-2009, 15:57
Do you guys know each other, like? :)

Marco.

lonergan2468
09-06-2009, 16:17
Yes , very much. I was there when he was born. I changed his nappies.Fed him. Took him to school. Bought him his first hifi when he was around sixish, and that was a Samsung midi, no interest what so ever.Then again he was brought up listening to a good system like I was. He has now confessed to playing a Linn LP 12 I had back in 1995 when I was not there; but I had a strange feeling that he was playing my hifi when I was at work. His Roksan Xerxes came to day, and we will try ity on my system with his Quad monoblocks as his preamp is away for upgrade. This will be an interesting comparision with my project RPM10.

Yes I ordered two Consonance M800 which are the SE version. I managed to get them for £1200 near mint. Hope these will sound good as I heard that they do drive Martin Logans good.

speakers-1989
09-06-2009, 18:29
:o

lonergan2468
12-06-2009, 09:11
Amps came. Sound really good and pushing the Martin ls very well indeed.

jandl100
15-06-2009, 09:23
I've just bought an Opera Consonance M100S Plus push pull parallel 300B integrated amp. 22wpc.

http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii114/jandl100/ConsonanceM100s300B.jpg

Bought it last night on fleaBay ... from the guy who bought it from me back in Nov 07. Small world! Fab amp - I only sold it as I had acquired a pair of wicked-load Thiel CS2.3 speakers that needed a solid state heavyweight to drive them properly.

Nice kit, well made ... I think it looks quite similar to one of your monoblocks?

Could be heaven with my Leema Xaviers! :smoking:

Should get it by next weekend. :)

speakers-1989
15-06-2009, 09:57
I've just bought an Opera Consonance M100S Plus push pull parallel 300B integrated amp. 22wpc.

http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii114/jandl100/ConsonanceM100s300B.jpg

Bought it last night on fleaBay ... from the guy who bought it from me back in Nov 07. Small world! Fab amp - I only sold it as I had acquired a pair of wicked-load Thiel CS2.3 speakers that needed a solid state heavyweight to drive them properly.

Nice kit, well made ... I think it looks quite similar to one of your monoblocks?

Could be heaven with my Leema Xaviers! :smoking:

Should get it by next weekend. :)



Good luck:)

speakers-1989
15-06-2009, 10:03
I'm starting to get interested in Vintage Tannoy speakers, like the 12'' monitor golds and Reds. Never heard them though, but always see pics of them with valve amplification.

I like this youtube video of these Tannoy speakers in action. I must say this man is using a good camera filming this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zI8GKhPWJWk

jandl100
15-06-2009, 10:12
Vintage Tannoys? Lots of folks love them (Hi Marco :wave:) but personally I can never get on with their horn-loaded tweeters which I always find a bit shouty.

Have a listen - that's the best way! :)

speakers-1989
15-06-2009, 10:15
Whats so good about these Tannoy speakers? Is it their midrange?

jandl100
15-06-2009, 10:22
Personally, I don't hear anything good about vintage Tannoys! The mids sound a bit grainy and shouty to me. The treble shrieks a bit. But as I say, others undoubtedly love them. :) I must be deaf, I reckon.

Marco
15-06-2009, 11:02
Vintage Tannoys? Lots of folks love them (Hi Marco :wave:) but personally I can never get on with their horn-loaded tweeters which I always find a bit shouty.

Have a listen - that's the best way!

Indeed - good advice. Afternoon, Jerry :)

What vintage Tannoys have you heard, Monitor Blacks, Silvers, Reds, Golds or HPDs, and in which cabinets?

I know exactly what you mean about the 'shouty' nature of some horn-loaded tweeters in Tannoys because that was also my experience before I heard my mate's Canterburys.

It turned out that my opinion was flawed because what I'd heard was based only on the sonic signature of certain models within the Tannoy range, namely the stuff at the lower end of their product portfolio. With Tannoys it only starts to 'happen', IMO, when you get to the Prestige range, and then only depending on vintage.

The other thing with the design of Tannoys is that they're ruthlessly revealing of any shortcomings in source or amplifier quality, so they really need to be partnered with the best equipment possible, preferably a nice 'meaty' valve amp, like a good KT88 P/P design (or a sweet-sounding SET amp, depending on the results you're after), and a top-notch vinyl source. They will only too readily reveal the nastiness of some digital media.

It's easy to fall into the trap of basing your opinion of something on one or two negative experiences and then coming to a conclusion which doesn't actually reflect reality. I've done this too in the past with Tannoys and a number of other things, such as valve gear, before I knew better.

Trust me, If you heard Ian Walker's Canterburys or my 15" Monitor Red Lockwoods in our respective systems, the last thing you'd say was that they were "shouty" ;)

You are more than welcome anytime to come for a listen and judge for yourself.

Marco.

Marco
15-06-2009, 11:11
I'm starting to get interested in Vintage Tannoy speakers, like the 12'' monitor golds and Reds. Never heard them though, but always see pics of them with valve amplification.


Shane, if there's anything you want to know - fire away! :)

Marco.

jandl100
15-06-2009, 11:27
What vintage Tannoys have you heard, Monitor Blacks, Silvers, Reds, Golds or HPDs, and in which cabinets?

.

Oh lord - I dunno. The GRFs (?) they had at the Heathrow Show in Feb weren't exactly low in the range, and the treble on those wasn't acceptable to me. It wasn't 'awful' but every now and then the damn treble horn squawked and put me right off.

And I've had various friends with Tannoys which I didn't like - but I can't honestly say which ones they were now. And heard lots at various Shows. The point here, is that my view of the Tannoy sound has remained consistent throughout my listening experiences, to one degree or another.

Did you get to hear Pete's (I Should Coco) Tannoy knock-offs at the HiPie Show? I literally couldn't bear to stay in the same room with them - that's an extreme example of what Tannoys sound like to me. Others at the Show reckoned them the best speakers they had ever heard. So, it's just my opinion I'm putting forward here.




The other thing with the design of Tannoys is that they're ruthlessly revealing of any shortcomings in source or amplifier quality,

.

Aha - the old 'blame the rest of the kit' gambit! :) Well, maybe.

To be perfectly frank, Frank, I mean Marco :) - deep down inside I think Tannoys are preferred by headbangers who like their music balls-to-the-wall and actually enjoy a mid/treble shout as it makes it seem more like a 20 foot high PA rig. :lol: Or maybe old geezers with fading hearing who suddenly hear a bit of 'pep' put back in their music!

I've never heard a Tannoy that didn't do that to some extent. No I've not heard yours, but I did get a sample of your preferred listening at the HiPie Show, and it wasn't for me! .... ;) We may well just be talking about different preferences here. You cannot prove a negative, so there might well be a Tannoy rig out there I'd be prepared to hear my music through, but I've not heard it yet.

Don't get me wrong, I've nothing against Tannoys as a name, and a Box Swapper like me isn't going to get defensive just because I don't have them - if I thought I'd like Tannoys I'd just buy some. :)




You are more than welcome anytime to come for a listen and judge for yourself.

Marco.

I'd like that very much. Perhaps we can arrange a get-together sometime.

Marco
15-06-2009, 11:46
Hi Jerry,

We'll definitely need to do that sometime. Just pop me a PM when you fancy it :)

I hear what you're saying, but I note that you haven't yet heard a good vintage pair of Tannoys at home in your own system, in a familiar listening environment... Therefore although you can try, it's difficult to factor out the effect of different rooms and equipment to form a genuine opinion.

I think that what you say about old geezers needing a bit of "pep" put back in their music is in some cases true, but that most certainly doesn't apply to me or what I value from recorded music.


I've never heard a Tannoy that didn't do that to some extent. No I've not heard yours, but I did get a sample of your preferred listening at the HiPie Show, and it wasn't for me! ....


Hahahaha... Remember that was at a show, where there was a certain element of 'let's see how loud the system can go' for the benefit of our (largely appreciative) audience, playing music that wasn't to your taste. It was fun (for us!), but in reality, uncomfortably too loud.

It would be very interesting to see what you thought of my own Tannoys at home playing music which you like and are intimately familiar with, at a proper volume. Yes, I'd suffer some bloody classical malarkey just for you!! :ner: :cool:

Marco.

jandl100
15-06-2009, 11:48
:)

speakers-1989
15-06-2009, 15:18
Shane, if there's anything you want to know - fire away! :)

Marco.



Yes, lend me yours:eyebrows::lol:

One day it will be very nice to hear a pair of moded/restored vintage Tannoy's. Tannoy and TDL are my fav speakers. Because of their good vocal and midrange.