Valve amp for Tannoy Kensington GR

[opt817]

Hello audio friends,

I'm looking for a good valve amplifier from a local second hand market which is good and reliable.
My speakers are Tannoy Kensington GR in medium size room 22 sq. meters.

I'm listening to jazz and blues music on medium sound level, not too loud.

Locally I have 2 possibilities:

1. QUAD II MONO AMPLIFIER, 2x KT66 per channel, 2x15W
2. Conrad Johnson MV-55, push-pull 4xEL34 valve, 2x45W

Which would better drive my speakers?

[Barry]

The Tannoys have a sensitivity of 93dB/watt (presumably at a distance of 1 metre), so with the Quad II at 15W, the maximum SPL will be 105dB, and with the Conrad Johnson the maximum SPL will be 110dB. Not much of a difference and either level is LOUD (the equivalent of a motor mower/ power saw at 1 metre).

Whilst The Quad II has it's fans (I have owned a couple of sets) over the years, I suspect the CJ is the better sounding amp.

[hifinutt]

the BEST valve amp i have heard with tannoys is the thrax enyo . simply stunning . they are made in Bulgaria and i wonder if you can get them where you are

https://www.thraxaudio.com/enyo

[Heinz R]

I listened to my Tannoy Canterbury for years with my Mcintosh MC2102. Later on with an MC275. I prefer the sound of the MC275 a tad but the MC2102 could drive them more effortless in the bass. The Canterbury is another animal and current hungry regardless of high sensitivity. I have restored pairs of Quad2 amps since 27 years, they are good amps, very mighty 15 watts but not the very last word in dynamic lifelike performance, more a little bit sober. Just for fun I bought a used Quad 306 this spring because I had it 35 years ago, together with a Quad 34. I only recapped them and I must say that my curiosity was rewarded. I was so overwhelmed that they are still running since 9 months. TBH I prefer the sound of the 306 signifcantly in comparison to the Quad2. I only once listened to a Kensington SE long ago in a shop and I liked them very much…best of the range with the exeption of the Canterbury and the Westminster. May be they remind me that I had HPD295 in my youth with fantastic sound and revealing intelligibility .
In other words, your Kensington are great sounding speakers and they are not so current demanding like the bigger Tannoy ported bins. So you have more freedom of choice but only because of this, not because they have high sensitivity. People sometimes confuse loudness with demands of impedance. Nevertheless I would feed Tannoys (all but the old Red, Gold, Black) with enough watts and if tubes, I would not use weak SET with your Kensington. Some people like it but for me this is a „girl with guitar“ system. So the Mcintosh are a good choice but the Quad 306 could perhaps impress you. It is not what you are looking for and it is only my personal view. In the seventies Tannoys were often paired qwith Quad solit state amps even at Abbey Road Studios.

[opt817]

Thanks for input.
Your proposition for Quad 306 amplifier is very interesting, because I'm not limited to valve amplifiers only.
Good sounding SS amplifiers which work with Tannoys are also desirable.

[walpurgis]

Thanks for input.
Your proposition for Quad 306 amplifier is very interesting, because I'm not limited to valve amplifiers only.
Good sounding SS amplifiers which work with Tannoys are also desirable.

The Quad 306 may surprise you, it sounds very good indeed. It's a better match to Tannoys than the larger 909, 606 and related models.

[opt817]

I'm very much interested in Quad 306 amplifier.
Can anybody explain me difference between old power amp 303 and newer 306? Intended use new Tannoy Kensington GR loudspeaker.

[walpurgis]

Both have around the same power, the 303 is a much older design and Class AB. The 306 is a 'current dumping' type and not an AB design, it employs a Class A first stage which drives the Class B output stage. A similar idea to the 606 etc.

I've compared the 303 and 306 and my preference is the 306, but the 303 is a decent amp.

[opt817]

Hello Geoff, thanks for your explanation.

[Jac Hawk]

At NEBO last year we had a pair of Tannoy Cheviots running from my Primaluna Evo400i, the sound was fantastic and was what we listened to for most of the day which says something, as most of the time at bakeoffs kit is getting swapped out quite quickly. The Primaluna has way more power available on tap than the amps already discussed and did a great job with the Tannoys, bass was full and very well controlled, overall the combo was very enjoyable, we must have had them playing together for 8 or 9 hours and when we did swap them out we always came back to this pairing which in my opinion shows how well they were matched.

[hifinutt]

nice .. was this the new range of cheviots ?

[Jac Hawk]

nice .. was this the new range of cheviots ?

Nope the originals, though i would imagine the results would be much the same on the new ones