I'm just a primary school teacher and I need help :(

[walpurgis]

The Tannoy DMT15 II has higher power handling and sensitivity than the Ardens, so would be better suited to high sound output levels and at 98db sensitivity will go very loud!! Probably more than enough for a barn. I wouldn't mix speaker types and paralleling 8 ohm speakers by using two pairs will give a nominal 4 ohm load and it may be unwise to go below that.

Rather than use a Krell KSA 100, I'd save money and get a big Quad amp like a 909 or QSP, which have bags of power and sound just fine at high outputs, they have output protection too. The Krell may not be too happy delivering sustained high levels the Quads are likely to be more robust. The Quads sound very good with Tannoys.

[Pharos]

Generally it is not a good idea to wire speakers in series because they are reactive and produce irregularities in behaviour affecting each other, and also the damping factor is ruined. But the current drawn reduces so that the possibility of amplifier damage is reduced.

Putting them in parallel is better by far, but this reduces the impedance to half the nominal value and places stress on an amplifier's ability to deliver current without damaging itself.

It is more likely that a SS amp will tolerate these higher demands, but bear in mind that some speakers have serious dips in their impedance and this also further stresses an amplifier.

I used to run Tannoy Gold 15" Lancasters with a Nelson Jones 10+10W amp which gave me 103dB, and was loud, and I would guess that your proposed speakers will be of a similar sensitivity, and so a 20 to 50W amp would do for domestic use.

In the barn is another matter, large rooms need filling, and much more so when there are lots of people because they soak up sound. When I put the above setup on the patio in the garden it was lost, especially at the bass end.

[AJSki2fly]

Arthur, not sure how you are getting along, but thought this might be one for you depending on finances https://theartofsound.net/forum/show...ighlight=krell

[tornpower]

Hi Arthur,

I think you need to have a read about resistance and ohms, I cannot at the moment remember it myself, but I think if you put two 4 ohm speakers in the resulting load is 8ohms, if you put then in series see https://geoffthegreygeek.com/calcula...s-in-parallel/

So if the Krell can handle up to 16 ohms then you can arrange your speakers up to this load, beyond that and you will overload the amp. I am not sure if there are other issues?

I am sure others can advise.

At the end of the day, if an amp can drive the speakers and if it is good and does not distort when under its specified load then it should sound good.

Cheers

Adrian

Thanks Adrian. I think I am going to do some research and educate myself in the basic principles of amplification. Right now as far as I am concerned it is just a box that helps make speakers make noise. Given that I am planning on spending more money than I have on anything but a car, I think I should give the technology some respect!

[tornpower]

The Tannoy DMT15 II has higher power handling and sensitivity than the Ardens, so would be better suited to high sound output levels and at 98db sensitivity will go very loud!! Probably more than enough for a barn. I wouldn't mix speaker types and paralleling 8 ohm speakers by using two pairs will give a nominal 4 ohm load and it may be unwise to go below that.

Rather than use a Krell KSA 100, I'd save money and get a big Quad amp like a 909 or QSP, which have bags of power and sound just fine at high outputs, they have output protection too. The Krell may not be too happy delivering sustained high levels the Quads are likely to be more robust. The Quads sound very good with Tannoys.

Thanks for this Walpurgis. For sure then I will be looking out for the DMTII 15s rather than the Ardens. Is there something that the Ardens make up for in warmth or something? In an absolute ideal would I string eight DMTIIs together - assuming the right amplification - to get the biggest best sound. Or at taht point would it be better to spend 15-20k on one set of speakers?

Have been assured that the Sansui amp that I am buying for now will be sufficient to play the Tannoys... There has been some debate over Quads and their playback of reggae?

[tornpower]

Generally it is not a good idea to wire speakers in series because they are reactive and produce irregularities in behaviour affecting each other, and also the damping factor is ruined. But the current drawn reduces so that the possibility of amplifier damage is reduced.

Putting them in parallel is better by far, but this reduces the impedance to half the nominal value and places stress on an amplifier's ability to deliver current without damaging itself.

It is more likely that a SS amp will tolerate these higher demands, but bear in mind that some speakers have serious dips in their impedance and this also further stresses an amplifier.

I used to run Tannoy Gold 15" Lancasters with a Nelson Jones 10+10W amp which gave me 103dB, and was loud, and I would guess that your proposed speakers will be of a similar sensitivity, and so a 20 to 50W amp would do for domestic use.

In the barn is another matter, large rooms need filling, and much more so when there are lots of people because they soak up sound. When I put the above setup on the patio in the garden it was lost, especially at the bass end.

Do Jamican Sound Systems follow this model of putting them in parallel do you think? Ive now been told that potentially the Tannoys would produce potentially poor sound in a small domestic room because of sound waves as they actually move so much air. Could they also not be great for a barn because they are not quite big enough and would want some middle range room. What would you recommend for either scale? For the barn does one need to line it with that foam?

[tornpower]

Arthur, not sure how you are getting along, but thought this might be one for you depending on finances https://theartofsound.net/forum/show...ighlight=krell

Sincerely appreciate this Adrian. I have discussed at length and for now am going to buy Sansui AU-919 - so that I can concentrate finances on saving up for the Tannoys - and then think about upgrading to Krell or equivalent in the future. thanks for thinking of me though

[AJSki2fly]

Hi

That sounds like a good plan, you may find the Samsun does a great job anyway,

Keep us up to date on progress.

[shahsy]

I do recall some London Sound Systems that used to use the Tannoy Wildcat series (Lynx, Jaguar, Puma etc) for mid and tops purposes but NOT for bass. Bass was driven by Celestion or Goodmans 18's four face reflex wardrobes or scoops or twin reflex or horn loaded bins.

The drivers were either 12's or 15's and can't be that much different to the domestic/monitor 12's and 15's.

These could satisfy your home and barn perhaps?

Have a read here on the Wildcats https://www.hilberink.nl/codehans/tannoy52.htm

Jah Tubbys quad's https://images.app.goo.gl/birFdSxPcqzvFuwD7

Metro used to build the valve amps https://daily.redbullmusicacademy.co...soundman-metro

[Pharos]

Do Jamican Sound Systems follow this model of putting them in parallel do you think? Ive now been told that potentially the Tannoys would produce potentially poor sound in a small domestic room because of sound waves as they actually move so much air. Could they also not be great for a barn because they are not quite big enough and would want some middle range room. What would you recommend for either scale? For the barn does one need to line it with that foam?

I am not someone to answer wrt the Jamaica sound systems, and have always followed the Hi-Fi edict of trying to get a system to be good at all sound reproduction rather than specialising it towards any given genre, and I am also not familiar with what they may do, but suspect from my Brixton haunting years ago that they do love bass and top.

Whether they are used in series or parallel I have no idea, and I would never do either by choice, and only in parallel for a special need to cope with a difficult situation.

Tannoys producing a poor sound in a small room> Not my experience, the previously referred to situation was in a small bedsit, and everybody loved it, they used to come round with records loads of times a week.

The bass and mid will be your main concern, but the dual concentric is less prone to room problems IMO than most other drivers.

I think they would be fine in a barn, but be warned about how sound will get absorbed as mentioned in my last post. I remember a demo at Bromley College of technology of a pair of Lowther Acoustas on the stage.
They were lost in the hall and the demonstrator was amazed. I also have just remembered that in that same hall my Tannoys were used with a Quad 303, (50+50W) for a dance BA show, and they were not doing much better than the Lowthers sound pressure wise even verging on clipping.

So your problem is; filling a large room volume, and the sound being absorbed by bodies, which are very good absorbers.