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Tannoy HPD 12" best amplifier option to preserve the British sound

F456gtm

F456gtm

pfm Member
Hi Chaps,

I recently purchased a pair of HPD 12" speakers. I am looking for recommendations for an amplifier that will preserve the "British sound". Nothing expensive please.

Cheers,

Horacio
 
Quad.

I've had my Tannoy Devons for about 10 years now and only recently found a good amp match with a Quad 44/405.

Mike
 
Alternatives to quad 303/405 are valves. Usual suspects, and the Chinese equivalents. These have risen in price, the days of picking up a Chinese EL34 for loose change seem to have gone.
 
Shameless plug but I have a KT90 in the classifieds that will work well. Happy for a serious haggle too.....
 
F456gtm said:
Hi Chaps,

I recently purchased a pair of HPD 12" speakers. I am looking for recommendations for an amplifier that will preserve the "British sound". Nothing expensive please.

Cheers,

Horacio
Click to expand...

Audio Innovations Alto.

I started a thread here on affordable amps, there will be some informed suggestions there. Ion amps, or various receivers by Armstrong with good amps built in.

That problem with these old amps is that, although they may look like bargains, they’re old and so more inclined to need maintenance, I’ve learned to factor that it . . . chances are you’ll be lucky for a while, but maybe not.

Emporium Hifi has a Dada modified Quad 303. Tony likes these amps.
 
mandryka said:
Audio Innovations Alto.

I started a thread here on affordable amps, there will be some informed suggestions there. Ion amps, or various receivers by Armstrong with good amps built in.

That problem with these old amps is that, although they may look like bargains, they’re old and so more inclined to need maintenance, I’ve learned to factor that it . . . chances are you’ll be lucky for a while, but maybe not.

Emporium Hifi has a Dada modified Quad 303. Tony likes these amps.
Click to expand...

How much power does the Alto give out? I’ve heard nothing but good things about it.

The 303 would certainly work nicely with Golds, but would it be sufficient for HPDs? Perhaps this would depend on room context and listening volume, or whether you chose an active or passive preamp.
 
About 30 Watts I think. It’s true that I don’t know how power hungry the Tannoys are. In my experience there is, unfortunately, only one way to find out whether an amp will work with a pair of speakers.
 
F456gtm said:
Hi Chaps,

I recently purchased a pair of HPD 12" speakers. I am looking for recommendations for an amplifier that will preserve the "British sound". Nothing expensive please.

Cheers,

Horacio
Click to expand...
The Quad Va One is fantastic amp to use or the Quad Artera
 
Minimum 25w of tube push-pull power - EL 34, KT88, KT90, KT120 - ideally something like a Radford STA25, if not then there are many options.

If going solid state, the new Quad amps are better IMO than the old ones, pound for pound: Quad Veena great VFM second hand, the Artera is even better though.
 
montesquieu said:
If going solid state, the new Quad amps are better IMO than the old ones, pound for pound: Quad Veena great VFM second hand, the Artera is even better though.
Click to expand...
Another shameless plug ... I have an absolutely immaculate Quad Vena I'm looking to part with if you do decide on that route.
ML
 
Damned odd question - for me, I'd want what I liked the sound of the best, but hey, maybe that's a damned odd approach....
 
I've got a Quad 405 and to me it sounds brilliant on my Tannoys, I love it. 10" HPD's and 12"s I will echo what Mandryka said though, buying an old amp will quite possibly come with other costs such as servicing, especially buying off ebay. A later version of the 405-2 would be better as it will have RCA sockets and better l/s terminals. If you're in to dicking around with old amps, thats fine. If not, maybe try and find one from someone on this forum who's already modded it and can vouch for it. Or have a look at the newer Quad Artera Stereo.
 
I have had several 405-2, the last one totally rebuilt but I was not satisfied using it with my ex-ESL=63s. An acquaintance is selling a Sugden A21 Signature, not SE, it delivers 23W/Ch in class A but it needs a phono stage which will make me go over my budget - £1.300 - and I cannot do that.
 
What exactly are you meaning by "British sound"


F456gtm said:
Hi Chaps,

I recently purchased a pair of HPD 12" speakers. I am looking for recommendations for an amplifier that will preserve the "British sound". Nothing expensive please.

Cheers,

Horacio
Click to expand...
 
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