Tboooe, yes I don't know how they do it. I know this sounds corny but I listened to the Einstein in a couple of different systems and in each system it was like an extra layer of sound was sort of revealed. I don't know if this is because it is so quiet ? maybe. But the bass seemed to go so much lower ( but still tight) and the highs more extended ( but smooth ). It's a bit of a conundrum. The mids were balanced and very natural. I liked it a lot. If only I could afford one :-).
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Came across a thread on upgrading the 'inferior components' within the latest tannoy westminister se and the author claimed to have obtained no official response from the maker but had shared the full procedures online - and the v positive results after swapping out the 'cheap' components - thereby totally eliminating the muffled sound...
Am trying to google for the above ... |
Art80342 if you check out Jeff Days blog. http://jeffsplace.me/
You will find the link to that and also a more up-to-date, crossover upgrade project that he's going through with Duelund cast caps. Looks amazing. It is a gold mine of information for everything WRSE. Have fun. |
After much wailing and gnashing of SET's . I have come to the conclusion that the Westminsters love big power. The Sophia electric 300b's didn't work for me, and the parallel mono block 845's didn't work very well either. Right now however they are sounding fabulous. With a Plinius sa250 in class A/B mode. Sounds much nicer than when in class A. Seems odd to me. I will qualify this by saying I've moved house and have the Wests in a better room so they sound very different anyway. So if anyone was to ask my advice in driving these speakers in the future I'd be recommending bigger amps. Just based on my personal findings. Thanks all. |
I've never had Tannoys any larger than twelve inch, but in 45 years (off and on) of using them, I have concluded that they are an un-fussy speaker to drive.
I have used an Aragon 300 Wpc SS, Plinius SA 100 MKIII, a factory-upgraded Assemblage Audio SET 300B, a Class D Audio CDA 254L (the last two amps are currently in use), and, to start it all off 45 years ago, a 45 Wpc Kenwood integrated, with 12" Monitor Golds.
In every case the speaker sounded good. Now, with much better ancillary equipment, my current custon HPD 315"s (converted to Hard Edge surrounds, in massive 150 liter, bass-reflex enclosures), are a speaker I happily live with every day, and will do so until my time is up here.
I listen every day for 3-6 hours, without listener fatigue (just old man falling-asleep fatigue).
Tannoys do repond very well with high power, or, in the right circumstances, with quite low power. They are just plain great speakers.
Regards,
Dan
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We found that our little amp with 30 watts sounded fine on them but our next amplifier up with 60 watts did the job a whole lot better. I am really of the opinion that the speaker is a lot happier with a little power behind it. Most SETs IMO just don't have the power. |
Borg, as per my earlier postings I concur with yours and Atma's recent findings.
In my case, it was SS FM Acoustics 611 (250w class A), or if tube, the mid powered VTL90s (4 x WE300Bs/side) 90w P/P triode that did the job best w/my old TWRs.
Must've been a long winding and road (frustrating at times I know), glad you're finally 'there' with your preference--well at least for now.. ;) Enjoy! |
*typo : long and winding road ;p |
Yes I am enjoying them much more now,
Thanks all for your contributions to this thread. Its been fascinating.
Just for info I've just ordered a pair of Devore Fidelity Orangutan 96's it'll be another interesting journey finding my way around them. Hence my renewed interest in SET amps. maybe I'll end up with Shidno like everyone else ;-). But I'm not going there straight away. At least I don't think I will.
More fun and frustration to come I'm sure.
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Dear borg7x9,
I am a very recent owner of the Westminster GR, and was looking out for amplifier matching from experimented owners.
Don't know if you are still active on this forum, but if so, would like to hear from you, what have you come up with, and which amps have given the best results.
Thanks.
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Hddg, sorry I've been away a long time ( not for any criminal reason :-). ).
my personal, overall findings were that the Wests just liked being driven by beefy amps. The plinius sa250 with Einstein pre amp worked the best for me. I didn't try any super amps, but none of the tube power amps I tried worked very well. If I were to have my time with them again, I'd probably try the pass labs xa30.8 or further up that line if I had large pockets. Together with the best tube pre I could find. Others still love them with SETs. But that's what is so great about out interest isn't it. We all find beauty in different things. It's been almost a year since you asked your question..... what are your findings ?? Sorry for my late reply.
Myron. |
I have had Tannoy Yorkminster's, Tannoy golds, Tannoy Sterling and Tannoy 383 sixes. The best amp I found for them out of the ones I've tried is Sophia 845. I found 300 B to be short on power on all but the 3836s as they are 99 DB efficient. I have found Tubes to be a must however. I think atmospheres OTL's would be a great match as well! If I tried solid-state I found them to be a little too edgy |
I’m still driving my Tannoy Canterbury with 275 Watts/ch push-pull tube power (Rogue Apollo Dark monoblocks), and have absolutely no regrets! Amazing sound; highly dynamic and "live" sounding, while perfectly maintaining a neutral/natural balance across the spectrum. It has touches of warmth/sweetness just where it’s needed, without drawing attention to itself. I recently upgraded from Canterbury SE to GR, and that was a huge improvement across the board. I would’ve gone for the Westminster GR too, if I had the room.
And I can be content that 275 Watts here is already way more than ample for this application, and I don't need to entertain silly upgrade ideas of bi-amping, bridging (2 upgraded Zeus amps), etc.
Certainly, there will be other great options, especially with the extra efficiency of the Westies. But I’m very happy with my arrangement! |
I have the Westminster GR version, and played high power 211 tube amps on them with great satisfaction - small SET amps wont do on these - they are big dynamic speakers and you want to hear that!!! Now I have opted for big, powerful classA amps, they surpass the tubes by quite a bit. In your budget, I would get a second hand Pass (XA60.8 or similar), or a Sugden could be just excellent on these.. |
I am using monoblocks SE-833 with TW
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