Going Back in Time

[hermit]

Impressive - those stands look the biz.

Cheers Jerry. I'm really pleased with them. I can't speak too highly of Les. I'm not the easiest person to deal with and he was really great with me.

Your system had pretty good bass before. Mind you I'm a bit behind - it was before the new Yam kit too.
You must be well pleased!
And looks just great too.
Look forward to hearing it and having an afternoon of chunes again.

Thanks Nial. I gather that you had a good Scalford. I read some very positive comments about your system. It'll be good to see you next time you're up this way.

Yes. Stands make a big difference with larger Tannoys. My Cheviot II Tannoys were much better once I got them 9" off the deck. I swear the ceramic magnet speakers sound better than the Alnico items. Dunno why though. I had the HPD Cheviots and definitely find the Mk.II better. Have you compared your Berkeley IIs to the HPD type Paul?

You're right Geoff. The stands have made a significant difference. I wish I'd bought them months ago but I kept on getting distracted by shiny boxes I'm sorry to report that I've not heard any other large Tannoys. My Berkeleys are well sorted now: crossovers checked, dynamat lined, pots bypassed. They seem to gel well with my room and amps so I'm hopeful they'll be around for the long haul. Maybe if I heard other big Tannoys I might get twitchy but I love the sound that these Berkeleys produce even at very moderate listening levels.

What a fantastic looking setup, I wouldn't change a thing. Bet it sounds fantastic too, those stands are the business. Congrats

Thanks Nick. I've no plans to change any major components now other than rotate in the silver kit periodically. Up next is the refurb of the TD125. How are you getting on with the Revox B780 receiver?

[enbee23]

Slowly! I know it works, is about as far as I've got. Am having a major re-organisation of my kit and am struggling to fit the various boxes in my rack so that they have enough ventilation etc. I will get there though.

Like an idiot, I am now wondering about the matching tape deck and a period-correct CDP. I already have a tape deck though so am not going to spend £££ on a B-710 just so it matches. And there was no CDP in that generation of Revox kit so I'd have to find something that complements the U-Boot surplus look of the Revox. Might be easier to find a wee DAC box and hide it... Anyhow, I'm rambling on your thread, sorry!

[walpurgis]

Maybe if I heard other big Tannoys I might get twitchy but I love the sound that these Berkeleys produce even at very moderate listening levels.

I doubt it. Yours are getting towards as good as it gets. I suspect the Berkeley cabinets may benefit from a bit of sensible extra internal bracing. But not much else. The mid and top on these Mk.II drivers is superb. Same compression horn in mine as yours, just different magnet and bass cone sizes. I run my Cheviot IIs with SS Class A amplification at the moment and it's honestly difficult to know how the system could sound better.

[hermit]

I doubt it. Yours are getting towards as good as it gets. I suspect the Berkeley cabinets may benefit from a bit of sensible extra internal bracing. But not much else. The mid and top on these Mk.II drivers is superb. Same compression horn in mine as yours, just different magnet and bass cone sizes. I run my Cheviot IIs with SS Class A amplification at the moment and it's honestly difficult to know how the system could sound better.

Thanks Geoff. Your comments echo my own feelings. With regard to additional bracing, I'm not convinced that the Berkeley II requires it. I was pleasantly surprised by the substantial front to back brace between the crossover and driver that runs 2/3rd the width of the cabinet. I'm not sure if this is present on the mark I but the brace had a factory date stamp so was not done by the previous owner who partly lined the cab with dynamat.

[struth]

Dynamat or equ is an excellent upgrade for many cabs. I have been experimenting with it over last couple years

[walpurgis]

With regard to additional bracing, I'm not convinced that the Berkeley II requires it. I was pleasantly surprised by the substantial front to back brace between the crossover and driver that runs 2/3rd the width of the cabinet.

Yes the Cheviot II has the stiff brace and the cabinet is very inert. I wasn't sure if the Berkeley II had the same.

The II series that followed the HPDs are pretty rare. I know that mine were only sold in limited numbers and were apparently on the market for a mere 11 months.

[hermit]

A temperamental phono selector switch has forced the early retirement of the Yamaha system. The good news is that I get to play with this lot and it's sounding rather good

[Justjon]

That Kenwood is a thing of pure beauty
Just magnificent!

[jandl100]

Love all that vintage gear.

[brian2957]

Fantastic looking system Paul . I'm sure it sounds as good as it looks .

Love the stands . I didn't know SDS did this kind of thing . Were they a special order ?