No worries, but I was thinking purely in terms of the sound. What difference has the change you've implemented made in that respect?
Marco.
No worries, but I was thinking purely in terms of the sound. What difference has the change you've implemented made in that respect?
Marco.
Main System
Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.
Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.
Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.
CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.
Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.
Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.
Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.
Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.
Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.
Protect your HUMAN RIGHTS and REFUSE ANY *MANDATORY* VACCINE FOR COVID-19!
Also **SAY NO** to unjust 'vaccine passports' or certificates, which are totally incompatible with a FREE society!!!
Location: Goa, India
Posts: 143
I'm Denzil.
Very briefly, after taking off the aperiodic shelf (and effectively turning them into straightforward bass reflex ported enclosures), the quality of sound changed completely. They sounded as though they were being played in a hollow room with lots of reflections etc. (I'll give more details in my full report later). So I put the aperiodic shelf back but this time with half the thickness of rock wool (using your photo as a guide). It was better but still not great. I then added half a layer more of rock wool. Now they sound better than your Lockwood cabinets
I really will do a full report in a couple of days but it's clear to me that aperiodic, if done properly, with trial and error (there's no other way) is far better than ported for Monitor Gold 15's.
Denzil
Last edited by Denzil; 08-07-2020 at 18:43.
https://www.instagram.com/elsewheregoa
Location: cheltenham
Posts: 746
I'm matt.
There's a chance you could be right, but I think It's an unfair comparison because ported speakers are very difficult to get right. Enclosure size, port diameter and length, port position, and stuffing can all 'make or break' a speaker (especially enclosure size). I'm confident I could make Monitor Gold 15s sound great in a ported enclosure, as I have with my own diy speakers (tight, deep and no boom). Obviously, I'd use measuring gear and simulations to model the low frequencies, build the enclosure, and then design the crossover (as all speakers should be designed).
I'm not saying to keep trying - I'm just saying, don't dismiss ported for the Monitor Gold, just because you couldn't get it to work. Without measuring gear and modelling, you're just guessing and there are so many variables, that the chances of getting it right are slim.
Anyway, glad to hear you've got them sounding nice and looking forward to the full report.
Location: Goa, India
Posts: 143
I'm Denzil.
Location: cheltenham
Posts: 746
I'm matt.
You could reverse the question and ask - Why did Tannoy bother to make ported if aperiodic is supposed to sound better? Tannoy still produce ported speakers to this day.
I'm sure I read a thread recently where people couldn't understand why recording studios had replaced Tannoys with something inferior.
Location: Goa, India
Posts: 143
I'm Denzil.
Yes, apparently some or one studio later switched to JBL's because, from what I understand they were "more accurate".
Tannoy were providing designs for ported and for aperiodic in those early days. They still make ported, horned and aperiodic even today. Not sure why three different designs.
From the Lockwood website :
"Lockwood monitors took their place in musical history, being used during the recording of some of the greatest albums of all time. Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Queen, The Who all recorded with Lockwood monitors. The Rolling Stones even installed them in their innovative mobile recording studio".
What to make of this I'm not sure. It amounts to all these great musicians and their sound engineers using Lockwoods on a whim. That seems odd to me.
Regards,
Denzil
https://www.instagram.com/elsewheregoa
Location: cheltenham
Posts: 746
I'm matt.
I didn't know Tannoy make aperiodic. Had a quick look through their speaker catalogue but could only find horn and ported.
Yup, but remember that "sound better" is entirely subjective [I reckon it does, as I've yet to hear 15" MGs sound better in any other cabinets, Tannoy's own or bespoke/DIY builds, and I've heard plenty]. Plus even more importantly, what's touted by Tannoy, or anyone else, as 'better' or an 'improvement' isn't necessarily always the case, as is the notion of the 'latest and greatest' new loudspeaker design automatically always being better than that which preceded it...
Marketing and fashion/costs often dictate the decisions of any company, in terms of what they promote as 'better', not necessarily sound quality. In that respect, for me, the ported approach is a case in point. That's not to say though that the results aren't good, just that the aperiodic way may not have been superseded solely for reasons of inferior sound quality. Other factors, such as mentioned, may have been responsible for that decision
In the end, always let your own ears decide, as there is no 'perfect' way to make anything!
Marco.
Main System
Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.
Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.
Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.
CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.
Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.
Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.
Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.
Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.
Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.
Protect your HUMAN RIGHTS and REFUSE ANY *MANDATORY* VACCINE FOR COVID-19!
Also **SAY NO** to unjust 'vaccine passports' or certificates, which are totally incompatible with a FREE society!!!
Main System
Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.
Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.
Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.
CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.
Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.
Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.
Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.
Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.
Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.
Protect your HUMAN RIGHTS and REFUSE ANY *MANDATORY* VACCINE FOR COVID-19!
Also **SAY NO** to unjust 'vaccine passports' or certificates, which are totally incompatible with a FREE society!!!
Location: cheltenham
Posts: 746
I'm matt.
I honestly think it's because even Tannoy don't, or at least didn't know how to do ported. I used to own Tannoy system 10 DMT studio monitors - The cabinets were a work of art, large rounded edges to reduce diffraction, super strong but with a lot of attention to removing cabinet vibrations by using visco elastic substances in selected places. They'd obviously put a lot of thought and effort into those speakers, and yet they had the dreaded ported sound.
I agree about letting your ears decide. Obviously choose what sounds best to you, just don't assume you've heard the best.