Any experience with Tannoy loudspeakers?

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 just ordered the new legacy tannoy Ardens...... can’t wait. Have a 3 week holiday coming up so will leave them playing when I’m away- few hundred hours should do it.

My Legacy Eatons place the performers right in my living room and provide a sense of presence and engagement like few other speakers I've ever heard and none anywhere near them in price.  Powered by a Luxman L-550AXII the bass is both ample and physical.

Tannoy's recommendation regarding toe-in is spot on here.  I started with no toe-in, gradually moved them in roughly 5-degree increments, and they sound their best when crossing 10-15cm in front of my nose when I sit in my listening chair.

@ dan, you're a braver man than me and no doubt more knowledgeable in these matters.

Still, I hope you don't mind a few suggestions, that might be worth bearing in mind. The original Tannoy's all used chipboard as cabinet material, and to a large extent it works really well. With MDF I believe it is possible to get good results, but more care may be needed to keep those nasty resonances away from the midrange. 

Secondly, as is being appreciated more and more, the driver/cabinet coupling is all important, so it's well worth experimenting with the tightness of the driver bolts. I strongly believe that no more than finger tightness is required (for any large heavy Tannoy DC drivers). 

So it might be worth playing around with that too. Best of luck.