It was love at first sight 
When I first saw the Autograph's enclosure at http://users.bigpond.com/tunnelgap/Tannoy/autograph.html
it really made my juices flow. Then, when I began to understand the principle behind (and before) them, I simply was captivated. I had to make them mine!
And now I built my first Autograph:
When I first saw the Autograph's enclosure at http://users.bigpond.com/tunnelgap/Tannoy/autograph.html
it really made my juices flow. Then, when I began to understand the principle behind (and before) them, I simply was captivated. I had to make them mine!
And now I built my first Autograph:
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
And another...
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
And another, showing internal labyrinth...
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
And finally, a view of my main system:
Do you see them???
Sorry, I couldn't resist!
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Do you see them???
Sorry, I couldn't resist!
Now seriously, I made these 35 cm tall Autograph's with a 8 cm AIWA driver that I had here, to practice the building and verifie if dimensions on plans were good.
They are.
In fact, I'm waiting for a pair of Beyma 15'' coaxials that I bought for the real sized enclosures. I couldn't afford true Tannoy Dual-concentric's
The good news is that the tinny 1:4 Autograph sounds unbelievable good for its size! I'm not joking now.
Obviously, with that enclosure and driver size and the low quality of the later it cannot do extreme HF and bass and it's not too clean sounding.
But what they can do is more interesting:
1) the soundstage is amazing (they totally disapear ) with excellent performer's placement and tall, wide and deep image.
2) the rythmic quality of the front and rear loaded enclosure is alarming (no boxed sound).
3) midrange is warm and detailed (considering driver quality)
4) midbass is full, fast and articulated.
Voices are charming, round, colorful and ample. I just listened to Wagner's Parsifal (Knapperstbush; live) and Hans Hotter's voice was rendered without any complaint in all his glorious beauty.
It doesn't matter that it lacks extreme LF because what it does it does with great coherence. All frequencies are created equal
The bad news is that I spent 7 days making these dwarfs. Imagine for the real ones
But it was all fun, I must say.
For the future:
A.- Building of the real Autograph's with Beyma 15'' coaxials and puting them on my "active" system. I think they will be around 100db/W/m sensitive
I will need a better active crossover. another project.
B.- Building of a 1:2 down-scaled, filterless replica with a Fostex 206E or a Audio Nirvana "super 8". A little "full-range".
Both with chilean oak plywood (very hard and heavy)
Well, I hope these projects interest some DIYers. I feel once more that we were cheated (can I say that?) with conventional speakers.
I love this forum
Mauricio
They are.
In fact, I'm waiting for a pair of Beyma 15'' coaxials that I bought for the real sized enclosures. I couldn't afford true Tannoy Dual-concentric's
The good news is that the tinny 1:4 Autograph sounds unbelievable good for its size! I'm not joking now.
Obviously, with that enclosure and driver size and the low quality of the later it cannot do extreme HF and bass and it's not too clean sounding.
But what they can do is more interesting:
1) the soundstage is amazing (they totally disapear
) with excellent performer's placement and tall, wide and deep image.2) the rythmic quality of the front and rear loaded enclosure is alarming (no boxed sound).
3) midrange is warm and detailed (considering driver quality)
4) midbass is full, fast and articulated.
Voices are charming, round, colorful and ample. I just listened to Wagner's Parsifal (Knapperstbush; live) and Hans Hotter's voice was rendered without any complaint in all his glorious beauty.
It doesn't matter that it lacks extreme LF because what it does it does with great coherence. All frequencies are created equal
The bad news is that I spent 7 days making these dwarfs. Imagine for the real ones
But it was all fun, I must say.
For the future:
A.- Building of the real Autograph's with Beyma 15'' coaxials and puting them on my "active" system. I think they will be around 100db/W/m sensitive
I will need a better active crossover.
another project.B.- Building of a 1:2 down-scaled, filterless replica with a Fostex 206E or a Audio Nirvana "super 8". A little "full-range".
Both with chilean oak plywood (very hard and heavy)
Well, I hope these projects interest some DIYers. I feel once more that we were cheated (can I say that?) with conventional speakers.
I love this forum
Mauricio
Interesting excercise.... Untill I realised that that Driver is Headphone Size!
May be a Xerox reduction of a Tannoy Autograph Plan drawing,
but that ..Ain't No Tannoy..
by any stretch of an overactive imagination
The Autograph uses a 15" driver that crosses over at 1000hz then at 300hz on the Horn.. Wonder if that thing even makes the 1000hz range.
May be a Xerox reduction of a Tannoy Autograph Plan drawing,
but that ..Ain't No Tannoy..
by any stretch of an overactive imagination
The Autograph uses a 15" driver that crosses over at 1000hz then at 300hz on the Horn.. Wonder if that thing even makes the 1000hz range.
for the "real" ones.
Sorry for the delay, I was at the lake
http://www.fotosdechile.cl/fotosdechile/fotos/foto1.htm?foto=llanquihue4
I'm glad my little excercise received some attention.
Actually, 8 cm if we count the surround!
Not at all Herr Hotter's voice must reach easilly 80hz, I guess. If you prolong lateral wall by mounting on the corner or putting some books, as I did, the sound becomes even fuller.
Dear Moderator:
And they still lack appropriate finish...
The plans are from the exact link that I gave above
I cleaned and edited some, if someone wants a copy...
I'm glad you liked them.
As I said, making an inference from these speakers' behaviour I bet a pair of 1;2 Autograph's with Fostex' FE206E will make the delices of a chamber music lover, like yours trully...
Any comment about Audio Nirvana' "super 8"?
Best regards
Mauricio
http://www.fotosdechile.cl/fotosdechile/fotos/foto1.htm?foto=llanquihue4
I'm glad my little excercise received some attention.
Actually, 8 cm if we count the surround!
Not at all
Herr Hotter's voice must reach easilly 80hz, I guess. If you prolong lateral wall by mounting on the corner or putting some books, as I did, the sound becomes even fuller.Dear Moderator:
And they still lack appropriate finish...
The plans are from the exact link that I gave above
I cleaned and edited some, if someone wants a copy...
I'm glad you liked them.
As I said, making an inference from these speakers' behaviour I bet a pair of 1;2 Autograph's with Fostex' FE206E will make the delices of a chamber music lover, like yours trully...
Any comment about Audio Nirvana' "super 8"?
Best regards
Mauricio
I report the birth of my, now full size, first Tannoy Autograph enclosure.
After four months the Beyma KX 15" coaxials arrived from USA (surface shipment). After 4 weeks of cutting and building I completed a functioning unit that is now playing for the first time.
I expect the second unit will be faster to build because all parts are cut and I learnt from my mistakes (the front horn is a real nightmare)
It goes on my activelly biamped "secondary" system, with a cheap Behringer crossover (no preamp) and two stereo Hypex' UCD180ST.
I'm listening monophonic: Bartok's second violin concerto with Menuhin and Furtwängler (EMI reissue) very good recording!
First impressions: the Beyma tweeter is very good! ... and sensitive(I will have to add ASAP a preamp to lower the volume)...and tough ( I don't dare to confess what terrible task I obliged him to perform )
About the woofers, I will wait burning-in (used units but with more than six month unused) to give an opinion. Maybe I will have to tweak them a little, like putting some natural barnish on it to make it more rigid.
As a whole unit I can say they sound "vibrant", you know something is going on the listening room, it's not just "another big speaker". The sound is ample and fast. I will have to move them to the corners and get longer IC's. They need to be corner mounted to get balanced sound.
They are huge I didn't realize how big they are from the photos. I have it without the 10cm platform, wich will make them even bigger.
I promise some picks soon
Regards
M
After four months the Beyma KX 15" coaxials arrived from USA (surface shipment). After 4 weeks of cutting and building I completed a functioning unit that is now playing for the first time.
I expect the second unit will be faster to build because all parts are cut and I learnt from my mistakes
(the front horn is a real nightmare)It goes on my activelly biamped "secondary" system, with a cheap Behringer crossover (no preamp) and two stereo Hypex' UCD180ST.
I'm listening monophonic: Bartok's second violin concerto with Menuhin and Furtwängler (EMI reissue) very good recording!
First impressions: the Beyma tweeter is very good!
... and sensitive(I will have to add ASAP a preamp to lower the volume)...and tough ( I don't dare to confess what terrible task I obliged him to perform )About the woofers, I will wait burning-in (used units but with more than six month unused) to give an opinion. Maybe I will have to tweak them a little, like putting some natural barnish on it to make it more rigid.
As a whole unit I can say they sound "vibrant", you know something is going on the listening room, it's not just "another big speaker". The sound is ample and fast. I will have to move them to the corners and get longer IC's. They need to be corner mounted to get balanced sound.
They are huge
I didn't realize how big they are from the photos. I have it without the 10cm platform, wich will make them even bigger.I promise some picks soon
Regards
M
Thanks my friends
I wrote late at night and forgot to make a link from "the other" thread, sorry.
Yes, I saw the little Tannoy's. I heard they cost around GBP 500!
If my forces ever return I pretend to make a 2:3 replica: good for a 10" coaxial or an 8" fullranger
I found a place to buy more Beymas, new.
I really liked the tweeter...as you mentioned the sound of these big Tannoys is a little frightening: the sound jump at you with a certain violence, very well defined. Tonight I will build a preamp from the guys at twisteadpearaudio.com to get listenable SPL.
I consider myself a little one. Perhaps after this Odisea I will grow up in your consideration
I expect the first photos soon (taken with my daughters mobile). We lack the cable to load them.
Cheers
Mauricio.
Autographolic
I wrote late at night and forgot to make a link from "the other" thread, sorry.
Some...what I got instead is a terrible case of bilateral "carpal tunel syndrome" from using the drill and sander
Yes, I saw the little Tannoy's. I heard they cost around GBP 500!
If my forces ever return I pretend to make a 2:3 replica: good for a 10" coaxial or an 8" fullranger
I found a place to buy more Beymas, new.
I really liked the tweeter...as you mentioned the sound of these big Tannoys is a little frightening: the sound jump at you with a certain violence, very well defined. Tonight I will build a preamp from the guys at twisteadpearaudio.com to get listenable SPL.
C'mon, we are all brothers here...big and little brothers
I consider myself a little one. Perhaps after this Odisea I will grow up in your consideration
I expect the first photos soon (taken with my daughters mobile). We lack the cable to load them.
Cheers
Mauricio.
Autographolic
Well, photography is not my strong point
I mannaged to post (at least I hope it) a pick of my first unit as it were two weeks ago...unfinished but functional.
http://img216.imageshack.us/my.php?image=autographfoto19hx.jpg
As I said, front horn was difficult and I got scared and put many, many screws on the front, everywhere. They doesn't look pretty.
I will search for a method to conceil them or take some away.
The pick does not do justice to the plywood: it is a soft pink wood with tiger like dark stripes. I can wait to sander it and apply varnish (wich also will tighten the wood).
I took one week rest (it is a way of saying it, as I finished one preamp and modded unsuccessfully a DAC ) from the built and now I'm on the fourth day of construction of the second unit. I'm going much faster now. Maybe next week I'll have both ready
How does it sound? Mmmmh...It is hard to go back to other speakers (probably "proud papa syndrome"...if there is a "proud grand-papa syndrome", because my Dad loves it and he didn't help me at all ). Even on monoaural listening it fills my 5*6.4*2.7m room effortlesly. I'm listening again my historic recordings. Mainly opera from the golden age. These speakers were created by GR Fountain to listen to Wagner, I'm sure of that!
I got to go...
I promise more picks, but don't know when...
M
I mannaged to post (at least I hope it) a pick of my first unit as it were two weeks ago...unfinished but functional.
http://img216.imageshack.us/my.php?image=autographfoto19hx.jpg
As I said, front horn was difficult and I got scared and put many, many screws on the front, everywhere. They doesn't look pretty.
I will search for a method to conceil them or take some away.
The pick does not do justice to the plywood: it is a soft pink wood with tiger like dark stripes. I can wait to sander it and apply varnish (wich also will tighten the wood).
I took one week rest (it is a way of saying it, as I finished one preamp and modded unsuccessfully a DAC
) from the built and now I'm on the fourth day of construction of the second unit. I'm going much faster now. Maybe next week I'll have both ready How does it sound? Mmmmh...It is hard to go back to other speakers (probably "proud papa syndrome"...if there is a "proud grand-papa syndrome", because my Dad loves it and he didn't help me at all
). Even on monoaural listening it fills my 5*6.4*2.7m room effortlesly. I'm listening again my historic recordings. Mainly opera from the golden age. These speakers were created by GR Fountain to listen to Wagner, I'm sure of that! I got to go...
I promise more picks, but don't know when...
M
Wow, incredible work! I've been wanting to build a pair of similar horns for my vintage 15" Tannoys for a while, but haven't had the guts to go beyond the dreaming stage. About how many hours of work would you say it took you to build that first cabinet?
As to the Autograph Minis that were referred to earlier, they only look like models of the horns, but aren't. I managed to see a pair in person a few weeks ago and was gravely disappointed when I saw that they're not horn loaded, but merely ported in the back of the cabs.
I look forward to hearing your impressions once you get your pair together.
- JP
As to the Autograph Minis that were referred to earlier, they only look like models of the horns, but aren't. I managed to see a pair in person a few weeks ago and was gravely disappointed when I saw that they're not horn loaded, but merely ported in the back of the cabs.
I look forward to hearing your impressions once you get your pair together.
- JP
Hi JP
Thanks for the kind words.
In fact It's only regular quality work, although it's my second speaker's project only (if we does not count the micro Tannoy above ). If you want to see really good woodwork goto Rick's page:
http://users.on.net/~richard.norrish/Autograph/
I sacrifized my median nerves
If you are like me, that is, an obsessive-compulsive builder, you got to accumulate energies, take a deep breath and go for it!
IF, you have a big room for them...
The worst that could happend could be that you don't like them at the end
Talking about sound: they are not your everyday HIFI speaker; that means they are not diplomatic; they throw you what there is, at more than 100dB/W/m, raw music. I run them in my system Nº2, activelly biamped. You have to get used to the scale of the sound, both in terms of soundstage size and also, and more importantly, the dinamics of it. It is sometimes scarry, even with my historic recordings, when there is a crescendo in the score and you know the SPL will go up into the climax, but it all stays controlled. They doesn't distort at high SPL... and you hear the articulated and fast bass that is like a warm desert wind...
I can hear each stroke of the big drums (I think they are called kettledrum? in english) in, for example, Beethoven's ninth, fourth mouvement. Normally you get all this mixed up.
I have the impression that they "breathe" the music. It is hard to describe it...sorry. I think they couple with the room, so you feel the room is part of the box, maybe.
Now I've spent +/-16hrs in the second one and it's very advanced.
Then my micro-Autographs are better!
I wonder how much can I ask for them???
Regards
M
Autographolic
Thanks for the kind words.
In fact It's only regular quality work, although it's my second speaker's project only (if we does not count the micro Tannoy above
). If you want to see really good woodwork goto Rick's page:http://users.on.net/~richard.norrish/Autograph/
It's hard work but great fun. That's the truth
I sacrifized my median nerves
If you are like me, that is, an obsessive-compulsive builder, you got to accumulate energies, take a deep breath and go for it!
IF, you have a big room for them...
The worst that could happend could be that you don't like them at the end
Talking about sound: they are not your everyday HIFI speaker; that means they are not diplomatic; they throw you what there is, at more than 100dB/W/m, raw music. I run them in my system Nº2, activelly biamped. You have to get used to the scale of the sound, both in terms of soundstage size and also, and more importantly, the dinamics of it. It is sometimes scarry, even with my historic recordings, when there is a crescendo in the score and you know the SPL will go up into the climax, but it all stays controlled. They doesn't distort at high SPL... and you hear the articulated and fast bass that is like a warm desert wind...
I can hear each stroke of the big drums (I think they are called kettledrum? in english) in, for example, Beethoven's ninth, fourth mouvement. Normally you get all this mixed up.
I have the impression that they "breathe" the music. It is hard to describe it...sorry. I think they couple with the room, so you feel the room is part of the box, maybe.
Difficult to answer. More than 40 hours of continous assembly work, without considering cutting the pieces. If you are handy at woodworking (not my case) or you have good woodworkers near, the thing gets much easier.
Now I've spent +/-16hrs in the second one and it's very advanced.
Then my micro-Autographs are better!
I wonder how much can I ask for them???
Regards
M
Autographolic
