Hoopsontoast
pfm Member
I have had the Stirling TWW and HE, found both liked to be a little away from the rear walls for best performance, even with the slots closed. Cheviots many years ago were happy up against rear walls.
Confused about Tannoy
- Thread starter Geoffreybombom
- Start date
Robert
Tapehead
The port tuning seems quite gentle which helps. Plus you have 2 ports so you can use the supplied bungs in one only without turning it into a closed box and messing with the mids.
Tony L
Administrator
I think so, their website in the SOS article is certainly dead.
PS The provenance I really want for these Lockwood cabs is Cine-Tele Sound (CTS) studios in Bayswater London who were apparently the first owners and would have bought them in the early-60s. I haven’t got a picture, but that would place them at the heart of much of the UK film industry, e.g. the sound for all the early James Bond films; Shirley Bassey’s Goldfinger, plus Sinatra In London, some Henry Mancini etc was very likely done with these. I’d love to find a picture as it would add so much value to them! I bought them empty and fitted my 15” Monitor Golds. They were originally have been fitted with 15” Reds. I’d buy a good pair of Reds at the right price if they came up as I’d love to restore these speakers back to how they originally were (I’d go to say £4k, but I’d want a very nice clean matched pair for that). Sadly vintage Tannoys only move upwards in value! They are all in Japan and South Korea now.
Do the ports/slots appear on the Turnberry range? If so I've never seen them or used them on mine.
Hoopsontoast
pfm Member
I don't know I'm afraid, I've only had the two Stirling models.
Cheers Rob, I've done a bit of digging and nothing has come up so I'm guessing maybe not.
Locheeboy
pfm Member
Nah, Turnberry don’t have ports…
They've got the front facing 'oles but they aren't adjustable. Just went down to see if I could adjust them - big nope.Nah, Turnberry don’t have ports…
Robert M
pfm Member
Love my fyne audio f300
Steven Toy
Accuphase newbie
I have earlier Kensington GRs built at Coatbridge in 2015. They are still in production.
Dan Raggett recently supplied me some new shipping cartons for them.
To me, 'Vintage Tannoy' is 15 inch drivers, and a slightly stodgy sound. I prefer the pre-Uli modern stuff. It is more engaging.
The adjustable ports disappeared after the tw/he range. The prestige se was the next iteration. A fixed multi vented port which looked much the same.
I found closing one side of the adjustable port on the TW Stirling was a happy medium, made the bass much more precise when the speaker was between 3-400mm from the rear wall in my room
I found closing one side of the adjustable port on the TW Stirling was a happy medium, made the bass much more precise when the speaker was between 3-400mm from the rear wall in my room
Locheeboy
pfm Member
Aye, they have "vents" , on both sides, running the length of the front panel...
yuckyamson
pfm Member
I maintain that the pepperpot waveguide was part of the overall effect of the vintage Gold Monitors. I don't think the tulip waveguide has the same overall compression "effect"--it just sounds less dynamic even if more accurate.
Tony L
Administrator
The other thing with Tannoys is the cone size makes a huge difference. The small ones (10” and less) have more midrange punch and presence as the crossover region can be higher and small cones are stiffer/lighter, arguably more clarity too, though they lack the weight, scale and ease, and to my ears realism of the big ones (12”, 15”). I’m obviously in the latter camp, but I do like all of them. There is no right answer here, just go with your ears.
Another thing to point out is vintage Tannoys don’t sound like generic modern hi-fi speakers, and once you get used to them other stuff starts to sound very wrong indeed. It is no secret I think most modern speakers are absolutely terrible. All those high-mass MDF cabs with multiple bass units, a mid and a metal tweeter lined-up on a tall baffle send me running from the room, yet this seems to be the high-end consensus in the 21st century. I can’t stand it. Give me proper vintage Tannoys, Quad ESLs or BBC monitors every time (I’d add big JBLs/Altecs and some Klipsch too, but my room isn’t big enough). As such read everything I say with a pinch of salt as my view is domestic high-end hi-fi took a wrong turn decades ago.
Another thing to point out is vintage Tannoys don’t sound like generic modern hi-fi speakers, and once you get used to them other stuff starts to sound very wrong indeed. It is no secret I think most modern speakers are absolutely terrible. All those high-mass MDF cabs with multiple bass units, a mid and a metal tweeter lined-up on a tall baffle send me running from the room, yet this seems to be the high-end consensus in the 21st century. I can’t stand it. Give me proper vintage Tannoys, Quad ESLs or BBC monitors every time (I’d add big JBLs/Altecs and some Klipsch too, but my room isn’t big enough). As such read everything I say with a pinch of salt as my view is domestic high-end hi-fi took a wrong turn decades ago.
Tony L
Administrator
Having not heard vintage nor current Legacy Tannoys- the cult of Tannoy really is fascinating.
You should definitely hear them. They are amongst the most historically significant loudspeakers. Given the age demographic of this site you’l likely find about a third or more of your music collection was recorded and mastered through them! They were the standard monitors at EMI, Decca and the vast majority of independent studios in the UK right through to the late-1980. Many studios still use them to this day.
Every hi-fi journey should hear the classics; Tannoy, Quad ESLs, BBC monitors, JBL, Altec, Klipsch, AR, Magnepan, Apogee etc. Without understanding the historic reference points it is impossible to assess the current state of the industry IMHO.
PS Here’s a pair of Lancasters at Abbey Rd in the 1970s. If you want to know how DSOTM was intended to sound that’s what you need! Note the Quad amp on the floor (either a 303 or 50E):
ToTo Man
the band not the dog
Based on my limited experience of tulips I'd argue the opposite. The tulip in my Autograph Mini sounds (and measures!) much smoother and open throughout its range and extends higher than any pepperpot I've ever heard. Probably not a fair comparison though given the smaller size of the HF diaphragm and waveguide in the Mini.
Tarzan
pfm Member
You should definitely hear them. They are amongst the most historically significant loudspeakers. Given the age demographic of this site you’l likely find about a third or more of your music collection was recorded and mastered through them! They were the standard monitors at EMI, Decca and the vast majority of independent studios in the UK right through to the late-1980. Many studios still use them to this day.
Every hi-fi journey should hear the classics; Tannoy, Quad ESLs, BBC monitors, JBL, Altec, Klipsch, AR, Magnepan, Apogee etc. Without understanding the historic reference points it is impossible to assess the current state of the industry IMHO.
PS Here’s a pair of Lancasters at Abbey Rd in the 1970s. If you want to know how DSOTM was intended to sound that’s what you need! Note the Quad amp on the floor (either a 303 or 50E):
If DSOTM were monitored on Tannoy's that is goof enough for me
- that said do hear the nay sayers speak of the 'peaky' treble and 'wooly' sound, should one day go and listen to a pair l suppose- as you said above Tony it is a right of passage.....