Tannoy Lancasters

Don't give up yet, Hugo! I don't think that it's necessarily a cabinet size thing....

Sounds like your Golds are a bit like mine were when I got them, before I upgraded the crossovers, which totally transformed them. There's no way I could've lived with them as standard, as they sounded rather 'tubby' and euphonically old-fashioned, so there's LOADS more to come yet!! :)

I'd recommend using the circuit diagram I linked to earlier - I can advise on components if necessary.

One other major sonic advantage I found, which can be done at the same time as a crossover upgrade, was removing the treble controls and hard-wiring the drive units directly in the 'flat' position, thereby doing away with not only the associated switches and extra contacts the audio signal has to navigate, but (in my experience) the sonically degrading plugs, connecting the crossovers to the drive units.

You have to remove the gold back caps to get at the bits you need, in order to carry out this mod.

Here's what my MGs look like, hard-wired with high quality VDH cable (CS-14 Hybrid):

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/8247/img0261gq.jpg

Marco.

Hi Hugo, have you removed the panels that cover the ports? in my experience
they Breathe better once this is done

Paul

No, I haven't done anything yet, so I'll try that since it seems to be a matter of simply unscrewing the blanking panel covering the port. I want to take the drive units out for an inspection anyway.

I've been looking at the various Monitor Gold web resources and a plan is coming together to make up some completely new crossovers, in order to leave the existing ones original and unmolested. I was pleased to see that Falcon Acoustics are very much still trading, and good quality inductors and capacitors need not cost the earth. Most of the crossover mods seem to retain the treble section transformer, but I see from Marco's picture that his bespoke crossovers have done away with it - if anyone can help with recommended component values for the treble section, I'd be grateful.

Hi Hugo,

I didn't experiment with retaining the transformers, as when I heard the veritable 'night & day' difference between the bespoke crossovers I had made, compared to the original ones, I simply 'binned' the latter (returned them to Chris at Big Ears), transformers included.

Therefore, there may be some mileage in retaining the transformers, and indeed possibly sonic advantages in doing so. Of course, the opposite could also be true - it's simply a matter of 'suck it and see'....

Good luck, anyway! I shall follow your experiments with interest :)

Marco.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Shuggie

Paul

No, I haven't done anything yet, so I'll try that since it seems to be a matter of simply unscrewing the blanking panel covering the port. I want to take the drive units out for an inspection anyway.

I've been looking at the various Monitor Gold web resources and a plan is coming together to make up some completely new crossovers, in order to leave the existing ones original and unmolested. I was pleased to see that Falcon Acoustics are very much still trading, and good quality inductors and capacitors need not cost the earth. Most of the crossover mods seem to retain the treble section transformer, but I see from Marco's picture that his bespoke crossovers have done away with it - if anyone can help with recommended component values for the treble section, I'd be grateful.

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Hello Shuggie,

I would be very interested in your "experiments" as I might also decided to do some modifications if the difference is that big.
I will follow this thread but I would be very grateful if you could inform me in a PM about anything you find out during your experiments.

Thanks in advance!
Vencel

Here are some pictures of the Monitor Gold drivers, which are in perfect nick:

http://i51.tinypic.com/sxhqc3.jpg

http://i56.tinypic.com/2aj6na9.jpg

http://i55.tinypic.com/2lwkqap.jpg

http://i55.tinypic.com/11i08hw.jpg

The bit of plywood blocking the aperiodic vent has been glued in place, so I cannot remove it, which is a shame. Similarly, the grille cloth cannot be removed without destroying it - I do reckon replacing it with something rather more acoustically transparent would be beneficial, but I'm not going to butcher the cabinets.

Hugo, the vent boards come off easily, just lever them off with a chisel or
screwdriver, you wont be sorry

Nice speakers :-) I was shocked when I saw mine after getting them. I knew they are big but in reality they are bigger :-)

I have to get a new went board because the original owner driller in them a hole for an additional tweeter. I don't know why, he must be some strange guy. He placed a Philips tweeter but did not connect it to the crossover. He connected it to the speaker terminals with a separate wire.

May I ask how can anyone decide it the Golds have original cones or if they'd been reconed?

Regards,
Vencel

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tannoy man

Hugo, the vent boards come off easily, just lever them off with a chisel or
screwdriver, you wont be sorry

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I have removed the blanking boards, but they will be going straight back on! The bass is really soggy and bloated without them in place and the Lancasters are pretty much unlistenable in that state.

For the last 2 days I've been listening to the Avalons and it's rather a shock to revisit the Tannoys whose top end is really rather splashy in comparison. I'm thinking that aged components in the crossover are probably to blame for the splashiness, since neither Marco's nor Tom's Tannoys can be described as splashy.

I do wonder if there is too much damping in the Lancaster enclosure - the thick pillows of wool do take up quite a bit of cabinet volume, and I'm wondering if stiffening the cabinet with internal bracing and applying rather less overall damping would be beneficial. The Lancaster enclosure is probably just too small for 15" Monitor Golds, so liberating several litres of extra volume should be an improvement, methinks.

I have found that the Lancasters are not really good for the 15" golds. Apparently (and this is just what I've heard) the fitting of the 15" Golds to the Lancaster cabinets is what gave the Lancs a bad name. Tannoy then made the 12" Golds, fitted them in the Lancs and opened up the front as a reflex and bobs ya uncle, a wonderfully sounding speaker (I can vouch for this).

So basically the 15 is too much of a bigger speaker for the Lancs cabs so they say.

To brace up a Lancaster box I would have some granite cut and drilled, attach it to the bottom. Again a slab on the top. For the back I am struggling to think of what to do here because of the sheer size of the back board. No matter what you put here I think that it will still flex. Some more granite... YEAH! LOL...