Any experience with Tannoy loudspeakers?

A different take on the question is what I did-built my own. I couldn't afford any of the models that would meet my needs, so looked on Ebay UK, and found reasonably priced HPD 315's (12" Dual Concentric from 1975), with crossovers.

I then built very heavy 150 liter enclosures, eventually new crossovers, new woofer cones converted to hard edge surrounds, etc. They produce outstanding bass, a very deep soundstage, and considering their size, they do a fine disappearing act. They are innately musical, and can be driven very well with a wide array of amplifiers in my large room (34' X 16.5'  w/cathedral ceilings.

I will not be looking to change speakers for the remainder of my lifetime.

Regards,
Dan

Mulvening hit the nail on the head. In my large room, at times I have to check to see if I'm actually listening to surround sound, the soundstage is that large. They image like crazy, and don't care what kind of music I listen to.

Dan

Mulvening, I have to be honest with you, I didn't actually build them myself. At the time I started the build, I didn't have the necessary space, or the tools and skills to make them. Frank Wyatt of Wyatt Woodworking built them for me.

I have, since then, sanded and polished the finish (Frank attempted his first high gloss finish, which he had much trouble getting right). There was orange-peel, and a few runs as well. They still looked nice, I but I wanted them better. I replaced the woofers with ones that Lockwood converted to hard edge surrounds for me. I also built the crossovers, and wired the speakers.

My woodworking skills have improved, which is evident on my plinth for the Garrard 401.

The SET 300B amp is an Audio Assemblage which was built by Sonic Frontiers, which was sold in kit form. This particular amp had been built for a reviewer, with all the available upgrades. After I purchased it, I sent it back to them, and had the caps and resistors upgraded, and bought EML XLS 300B tubes to run in it, which made the amp sound very nice indeed. The amp has a set of quite large transformers, which has a great deal to do with why it can drive the Tannoys to very satisfying levels.

I apologize if you feel mislead about the speaker enclosures, I feel, after having spent years working on them, including the fact they were built to my specifications, that I feel I had a great deal to do with the outcome of what they are today.

I have admired your system for years now, and I know how much you must enjoy it. The fact that you are able to listen to the music you do shows what Tannoys are capable of. They are what I would call agnostic regarding what music they will play well.

Best regards,
Dan

cd318,

I would have loved to buy a brand-spanking new pair of Westminster Royals or Canterburys, but they were way out of my league financially. I had purchased a demo pair of Dynaudio Contour 5.4's years earlier (with beautiful Rosewood cabinets), and I thought I really loved them. As time went on, however, I was itching to have a go at tube amps, and I knew the 5.4's had to go.

My first pair of Tannoys were 12" Gold MG's, which I bought in 1971. They were in some very poorly self-constructed cabinets. I knew, at the time I started my current Tannoy build, that I had unfinished business with Tannoy. I realized they were capable of much more than I had been able to get from them the first time around.

So I bought on Ebay UK my 12" HPD's. I knew how special they were going to be when I set them up temporarily, (just the crossovers, with the drivers propped up), on the floor next to the Dynaudios. They blew the Dyn's away in every way you care to mention. It was shortly after that I sold the Dyn's, and got started on the HPD's. I found as much info as I could find on appropriate enclosures, which wasn't very much, but I decided 150 liter bass-reflex cabs were the way to go. I knew I wanted them to be massive, so I had them built of 3/4" MDF inside, laminated to 1 1/8" MDF outside. They turned out to be 192 lbs. each, without crossovers and drivers.

I didn't want them to have the typically wide Tannoy baffles, so I had the outside dimensions made 17" W X 20" D X 48" H. Front of the cabs are beveled 45 degrees. Room dimensions are 16.5' X 34' w/cathedral ceilings, and they are toed in so the centers intersect just a bit behind the listening position.

Regards,
Dan  

I'm surprised this thread is still running. Ralph is absolutely right. The only thing my HPD's won't play well are the lowest pipe organ notes. All else is fair game.

I recently had my old Assemblage Audio SET 300B worked on by Paul Birkeland, the designer for Bottlehead. He replaced some bad Blackgate caps, and adjusted the filament voltage to the ideal for use with my EML XLS 300B tubes. He was surprised to learn the output transformers are Magnaquest, which partially explains why it sounds so good. It's been about three weeks since the recap, and now the bass is the best it has ever been, except when using an 845 amp hooked up to the system. That amp is now being overhauled by Paul, that will be an eye/ear opener when it's done.

Music is now better than at any time in my 45 year involvement with audio. I remember when I started getting serious about having a system that would really do it for me (when I was nearing retirement). I never dreamed it would be this good, and not a single bit of it over $5000. It can be done, especially with some DIY. 

Best regards to all you Tannoy lovers, and to the rest of you as well.

Regards,
Dan