Tannoy question

[petrat]

Hi Tom, tweeters are at the correct height and as they are second hand (and mint) they don't need break in.

Spent last night listening to a wide range of music. I realise there is better further up the food chain (depending on system etc) so I'm not going to say they are the 'perfect' speaker. But in contrast to the similarly priced Ane's there simply isn't any comparison in any respect.

Being fed with the class A Hiraga they sing and are way more resolving than the audio notes. Detail in percussion is amazing with new details emerging on favourite tracks across the audible spectrum. Bass is in another league - deep, clean and articulate. Presence is astonishing - but not bright - images aren't pushed out into the room which can happen if there's an artificial lift in the mid.

But it's the soundstage that truly suprises. It really is like listening to a different technology compared to the Ane's - it's actually shocking.

I haven't felt the need to fiddle with the level controls - they're at 'level' and in my room that is perfect.

Do I have plans to take them further?
Yes - ive already spoken to Paul at RFC about better external crossovers - and will be adding a supertweeter. But not yet. Right now I'm in love and enjoying the romance.

Yes, what you are hearing over much of the mid-range and above, is a good compression horn speaker, capable of startling detail and realism at times. I've yet to reach the limits of mine ... for instance, every amplifier change is instantly noticeable.

Do the Ks have sliding ports on the front, like the Canterburys? After much trail and error, I prefer all settings to be 'flat', which also meant one port open and one closed on each speaker. Having both closed restricted dynamics, soundstage and realism.

On your last point, I think that the biggest improvement I've heard in Tom's system was when he got Paul to custom-build some crossovers to perfectly match his cabinets/amp/room. Not a trivial exercise though, as I understand it. OTOH, the Prestige models had much improved crossovers, I believe, compared to previous models ... certainly better internal wiring and components ... so maybe not so many gains to be had, compared to the 'vintage' models? It'll be interesting to see how you get on.

[anthonyTD]

Exactly Geoff,
Which is why I quoted not all Tannoy Dual concentric's are made equal.
The large 15" cone, and the tulip waveguide never seemed to intergrate properly at all.
The smaller 10" driver with the tulip waveguide used in the Turnberry is a diffrent animal altogether, in that it works very well indeed.

The Glenair employs a Tulip Waveguide drive tweeter, not a compression driver. That makes a big difference.

The dual concentric in the Kensington, is a descendant of the excellent HPD 295 design.

[montesquieu]

Cheers, Tom. I can get to the main cities pretty easily due to having free rail travel so let's see what opens up!

I'm 5 min walk from a station on the Reading-Redhill line. Pretty sure there's a direct train Wolverhampton to Reading.

[walpurgis]

for instance, every amplifier change is instantly noticeable.

And even the effects of cable changes are clearly heard. Very noticeable on my system.

[walpurgis]

Exactly Geoff,
Which is why I quoted not all Tannoy Dual concentric's are made equal.
The large 15" cone, and the tulip waveguide never seemed to intergrate properly at all.
The smaller 10" driver with the tulip waveguide used in the Turnberry is a diffrent animal altogether, in that it works very well indeed.

Yes. The Tulip Waveguide horn can work well. It does in the System 600, System 800 and System 1000 nearfield monitors (which I've owned). The ultimate lucidity and transparency of the pepperpot compression driver is not quite matched though.

The worst dual concentric Tannoys I've heard have to be the DC200. They were flat, coloured and boring. Horrible. Those had an early iteration of the Tulip Waveguide ten inch driver.

[Dauntless]

I've heard so many positive comments regarding Tannoy speakers ( the posh ones ). I did have the opportunity to hear some at the Wam a few years back. A guy had a smaller pair driven by valves and someone else was showing a pair of Westminsters in a massive space. Both set ups left me cold I have to say! Later on I was hoping to hear a pair on a visit to London but sadly that never happened. I know it is difficult to set up a system in a strange room when time is limited so maybe that was the case with the Tannoys? I did here some good sounds at that show, one based on a Kronos Turntable caught my ears in particular.

[Bigman80]

I'm 5 min walk from a station on the Reading-Redhill line. Pretty sure there's a direct train Wolverhampton to Reading.

That's slightly out of my "free travel" area but not an insurmountable cost or distance. Leave it with me, Tom and I'll PM you.

Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk

[pgarrish]

My system is not at tom's level but you're more than welcome. 30 min bus ride from preston.

[Jazid]

Well I don't want to spoil the fun but I've seen three pairs of HPDs and MG Tannoys come and go and all have been shown a very clean pair of heels by my AN-Es. Yes Tannoy 12 and especially 15" do scale, have heft, and altogether better (but not deeper) bass. But to me there are insurmountable integration issues between the two different types of driver, and the low crossover frequency puts the problem right in the middle of the music. I really wanted to like them, paid a lot and tried hard it's only my tuppence worth, but I'd say enjoy your experience and in a couple of months or more switch back to your AN-Es to see how you feel. For me, each time it's like coming home.

Sent from my GT-I9195 using Tapatalk

[Bigman80]

My system is not at tom's level but you're more than welcome. 30 min bus ride from preston.

Cheers Paul, hopefully someone a little nearer will pipe up.

Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk