Types of Tannoy Arden's...

[donmarrese]

I'll there are couple of tannoy Ardens on eBay at the moment..
One is about to end .. peculiar that they both have different shapes speaker driver.. because one is totally round and the other is Square ish..shape?
Which is the preferred version?


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[donmarrese]

Square drivers look like this...https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190401/93fe70201b049fd8cf0ecf455ea524b4.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190401/e0e4687eec42fe2502b020a1b34d7e4e.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190401/b898e38d7f630fcd3d6b1917a6585549.jpg

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[Roy S]

I’ve never heard the round ones (mark 1s) but I rather like my square ones (mark 2s)

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190401/8af54f3a161985322b079e46002b83f0.jpg


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[walpurgis]

They're not "square". I spoke with Tannoy many years ago and they told me that driver chassis with that particular shape were "quartic". Made sense. :)

[donmarrese]

I stand corrected...I should have gone to spec savers. .
None the less, what's the better out of the two.....?

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[Roy S]

They're not "square". I spoke with Tannoy many years ago and they told me that driver chassis with that particular shape were "quartic". Made sense. :)

I rather like my quartic ones then.. (even though that word doesn't appear in the dictionary in relation to a shape only as some maths term?)

[walpurgis]

I've owned the original Cheviots and Devons with the round 12" HPD alnico drivers and currently have the Cheviot Mk.II with the 'quartic' 12" 3128 units with the ceramic magnets. I find the Mk.II sounds better.

I also had the earlier and similar sized Chatsworths with 12 Monitor Gold (rubber surround type) and although they were preferable to the HPD, they weren't as good as the 3128 Cheviot Mk.II.

[Roy S]

The 'buy it now' price for the ones in Wales (that look like they need a refoam) is very optimistic.

[donmarrese]

Any preferences...?
Does the ceramics have time delay crossovers?

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[donmarrese]

The 'buy it now' price for the ones in Wales (that look like they need a refoam) is very optimistic.Roy, how much would you pay for them?

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[Roy S]

I paid slightly more than half that for mine & the cone surrounds had been replaced.

[Macca]

Buy some drivers and crossovers and get the cabs built. Works out cheaper. Think Cooky might still have a set and they are ready to go, already re-foamed.

[donmarrese]

Buy some drivers and crossovers and get the cabs built. Works out cheaper. Think Cooky might still have a set and they are ready to go, already re-foamed.Good shout....cooky's Aos name pls?

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[Macca]

Cooky.

[Roy S]

Cooky.

He doesn't appear to have logged on to the forum since November last year. I messaged him with a question about the drivers he still had last month but nothing heard. Are you in touch with him via other methods Martin?

[Macca]

I'll see if I still have his e-mail. He is on PFM still I think.

[Roy S]

I'll see if I still have his e-mail. He is on PFM still I think.

Thanks Martin.

[montesquieu]

I've owned the original Cheviots and Devons with the round 12" HPD alnico drivers and currently have the Cheviot Mk.II with the 'quartic' 12" 3128 units with the ceramic magnets. I find the Mk.II sounds better.

I also had the earlier and similar sized Chatsworths with 12 Monitor Gold (rubber surround type) and although they were preferable to the HPD, they weren't as good as the 3128 Cheviot Mk.II.


I think 'good' here is entirely dependent on the cabinet the drive units are in and the age/quality of the crossovers deployed. I don't think there are any absolutes here.

[ToTo Man]

I think 'good' here is entirely dependent on the cabinet the drive units are in and the age/quality of the crossovers deployed. I don't think there are any absolutes here.

Also, IME individual Tannoy drivers from the same stable can vary so much in performance that it's impossible to categorically state which variant is objectively superior let alone subjectively superior. I've owned multiple pairs of MG15, MG12, HPD315, etc, over the years and there were 'good' and 'not-so-good' examples amongst all of these models. I think a lot of it is to do with the condition and alignment of the DC throat and HF diaphragm. Not so long ago I bought a pair of minty MG12s with brand new HF units fitted from a reputed Tannoy seller on eBay, and the frequency response and left-right pair matching was far inferior to that of my incumbent MGs.

[Magna Audio]

It's can be tricky, rarely such a thing as a matched pair the farther back you go.

My take on the history is :-

After Golds the HPD with 8 mounting hole basket was next. Same buff colour 2 box XO.
Then came a 4 hole basket and a single black sandwich XO unit.
Arden's and Berkeleys had these.
Some may have had 8 hole baskets too.

After the move to Scotland some of the peppar pot tweeter drillings were not very good. These are quite rare though..

The 'quartic' drivers came next with 3238 or 3228 numbering (can't remember which came first or exact deployment). These had the black sandwich type XO.
Arden's and Berkeleys also had these installed.
I had a pair of Berkeleys with these and also a pair of 8 hole HPDs (bought from Cooky if memory serves) :)

I since had Golds & Reds too, some with various aftermarket XOs.
Even a pair of BTH 18" dual concentrics with double square horn tweeter. They were special!

Great drivers all of them.

As Montesquieu says, cab construction makes or breaks.

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