Which Tannoys, folks?

[Reffc]

Look similar to the link I just posted for the HPDs Geoff!

[Reffc]

Here it is as a jpg:

[DSJR]

Which idiot told you that Tannoy DC tweeters roll off? Certainly wasn't me!!!!! If anything, a super-tweeter (the early Tannoy models being nothing of the sort!) may just possibly tame the ripples in the pepperpot design, which are measurable if not directly audible. Somewhere out there, there are modern plots taken of the more recently tweaked Tannoy drivers, and they're MUCH smoother right through the treble..

I don't want to start this all off again, but the Turnberry SE's I heard were actually very smooth and almost sweet in a "BBC Derived" kind of way - and I mean this as a compliment. No lack of treble, just a lack of ringing or nasty tinselly peaks!

[Reffc]

Great point David RE the super tweeters. I hadn't considered the smoothing effects of the super tweeter.

Must admit that the treble on the Turnberrys is one of the things I like about them! Where they are fussy is around the crossover point and their behaviour depends largely on what amp is driving them. As Tom has alluded to, get the amp wrong and one can be forgiven for coming away with a poor first impression but get it right and its a different story entirely. Very amp dependant IMHO and worth putting the mileage in to get the right amp match.

I may try some refurbed quads (33/303) with the HPDs out of curiosity as these were often matched with them originally.

[DSJR]

An original 44/405 drove Cheviots superbly I remember and of course the 33/303 was a classic Top End match to Lancasters/Chatsworths and Yorks et al from the early 70's. Not sure about the stock 33 in modern times (I love the looks and feel though) but a well fettled and set up 303 is a rather lovely thing IMO and absolutely perfect for driving the Tannoy approx 11 ohm load of this period

[Marco]

Here's a publicity sheet for the Monitor Gold with response graphs.



There is significant but slightly reduced output beyond 20kHz and I believe the treble output actually extends to around 30kHz, but is dropping steeply by that point.

I think that shows pretty clearly what's going on. Has anyone got response graphs for Celestion 66 Studio Monitors?

Audibly, I'm sure that the combination/crossover points of the midrange units and tweeters results in the 66s having a more extended high-frequency response than any Tannoy DCs. I'd like to see some measurements to prove that what I'm hearing is right

Btw, I loved this bit from the ad:

Change should be made for improvement - not for just the sake of change...

If only that principle were universally true of audio equipment these days!!

Marco.

[DSJR]

The early Tannoy "super-tweeter" only went to 28kHz in any case and rolled in at around 9kHz as I remember..

Marco, the HF2000 tweet should be good for 30kHz I reckon although all the plots I ever saw only went up to 20khz. The main issue for this one, the Coles equivalent and the KEF T27 was actually lower down, where they needed a fairly high crossover point to integrate well. Your 66's will be fine I think since the mid dome "should" work up to this frequency better than the cone driver in the 44's for instance.

[walpurgis]

Has anyone got response graphs for Celestion 66 Studio Monitors?

I'll have a rummage. No promises, but I may come up with something.

[Marco]

Cool. I'd appreciate that, Geoff

Marco.

[walpurgis]

Look similar to the link I just posted for the HPDs Geoff!

Yes, you posted yours while I was still posting mine. I didn't know we'd be nearly duplicating. Still, it all adds to the equation.

The mention of a super tweeter smoothing effect may well have some merit and I'd tend to go along with that to an extent until it's proved wrong.

However, having done a lot of experimentation with 'supertweeters' (as such), I have found that the best type of tweeter to use with Tannoys is a high quality horn tweeter, maybe the tonal characteristics blend in with the output from the Tannoy horn unit better, or deliver a similarly shaped wavefront, I don't know, but it seems to be the case. My favourite was a pair of hefty 8 ohm Isophon horns (which I still have) with good output to about 23khz. These were rolled in very high using a 0.22 microfarad cap, using an 'L' pad to adjust.

Regardless of top end extension 'supertweeters' definitely seem to enhance the subjective impression one gets from some speakers.

By the way, I believe Celestion used to quote an upper limit of 40kHz for the HF2000 (KEF quoted 30kHz for their T27).