This afternoon an old business acquaintance of my father spoke to me about selling some of his old audio gear. Amongst all the gear he mentioned, my ears sharpened when he mentioned "some old Tannoy 15" Monitors" from the studio where he used to work. Now I know that some people swear by these and when I asked him about their colour he mentioned something about Gold which has me very enthusiastic.
Now before I go about spending a lot of money on these, I would like to know what to look for in these older units. They have had their surrounds replaced and their voice coil has had to be replaced as well so I don't know what awaits me.
Hopeful for a couple of useful pointers
Now before I go about spending a lot of money on these, I would like to know what to look for in these older units. They have had their surrounds replaced and their voice coil has had to be replaced as well so I don't know what awaits me.
Hopeful for a couple of useful pointers
Visit the website pinkmoose has linked, and look at an article by Peter Campbell detailling the mods he made to his 3808 drivers (ceramic magnet, post HPD series, but similar), xovers and enclosures. Then, at the bottom of the page is a link to Hans Hiberink's site which has a ton more info.
I've personally owned two pairs of 15" Tannoys, Golds and HPDs and they are really excellent speakers more than capable of hacking it with the overhyped audiophile crap out there, <i>when they're set up properly</i>. The original enclosures are usually junk, big resonant boxes, but when in decent cabs, they sing. Lots of music. The owners of both my pairs were the original purchasers and had been used domestically in the same home for 20+ years, whilst all the other gear around them changed.
If you can get them at a good price, snap them up.
Last point, is the foam surrounds must be Tannoy, or they sound quite poor. These are available from www.speakerbits.com.au for very reasonable money, and just the surrounds and instructions can be purchased so a competent speaker repaired can do them in SA.
Good luck, and let us know what you find.
PS: I just remembered this review of the Churchill, a modern Tannoy with a driver similar to the older Golds, which the newer ones aren't (differnt magnets and HF driver design)
http://www.stereophile.com/showarchives.cgi?317
I've personally owned two pairs of 15" Tannoys, Golds and HPDs and they are really excellent speakers more than capable of hacking it with the overhyped audiophile crap out there, <i>when they're set up properly</i>. The original enclosures are usually junk, big resonant boxes, but when in decent cabs, they sing. Lots of music. The owners of both my pairs were the original purchasers and had been used domestically in the same home for 20+ years, whilst all the other gear around them changed.
If you can get them at a good price, snap them up.
Last point, is the foam surrounds must be Tannoy, or they sound quite poor. These are available from www.speakerbits.com.au for very reasonable money, and just the surrounds and instructions can be purchased so a competent speaker repaired can do them in SA.
Good luck, and let us know what you find.
PS: I just remembered this review of the Churchill, a modern Tannoy with a driver similar to the older Golds, which the newer ones aren't (differnt magnets and HF driver design)
http://www.stereophile.com/showarchives.cgi?317
Thank you guys
That is actually a fair bit of money for a surround, but then again these speakers aren't your run of the mill 15" PA woofers either. I think I might actually get a good deal on these as he is leaving for New Zealand and selling his house. Does the surround really make such a big difference? I suppose I could always get an original item at a later stage.
Funny how such deals pop up just shortly after I purchased a nice 4” mid and tweeter (Monacor MSH 116/4 and DT-28N) to build a more “conventional” three way speaker with an older KEF B200. So much to do… so little time.
I recon I would bi-amp these if I do get them to make the most of them. Seems like I may be lucky in finding a pair of these.
Really appreciate the replies
Martin Goedeke
That is actually a fair bit of money for a surround, but then again these speakers aren't your run of the mill 15" PA woofers either. I think I might actually get a good deal on these as he is leaving for New Zealand and selling his house. Does the surround really make such a big difference? I suppose I could always get an original item at a later stage.
Funny how such deals pop up just shortly after I purchased a nice 4” mid and tweeter (Monacor MSH 116/4 and DT-28N) to build a more “conventional” three way speaker with an older KEF B200. So much to do… so little time.
I recon I would bi-amp these if I do get them to make the most of them. Seems like I may be lucky in finding a pair of these.
Really appreciate the replies
Martin Goedeke
When they were replaced, the owner may have had original / factory surrounds installed, whether he specified it or not, ie depends who did it. And yes non-factory surrounds can make a substantial difference. Compared to what you can get for similar money, these speakers are a bargain, even if you need to tweak them. For what you'll probably get them for, if you like them, they could easily end up being a decades long investment.
Check ebay to get an idea on pricing, but a set of Alnico Gold 15" drivers and xovers get around $US1k, and Reds $3k+
<i>I recon I would bi-amp these if I do get them to make the most of them.</i>
I wouldn't, until after all the other suggested mods are done, esp the cabinet. Also be aware there is a passive shaping network in the xover to compensate for the falling response of the CD horn tweeter with increasing frequency, so that will need to be incorporated into an active xover. The factory unit is quite respectable, and I wouldn't do much more than cleaning all the connectors and switches to start with, and preferably remove it from the enclusure.
If I hadn't fallen in love with horns, I would never have sold mine.
Check ebay to get an idea on pricing, but a set of Alnico Gold 15" drivers and xovers get around $US1k, and Reds $3k+
<i>I recon I would bi-amp these if I do get them to make the most of them.</i>
I wouldn't, until after all the other suggested mods are done, esp the cabinet. Also be aware there is a passive shaping network in the xover to compensate for the falling response of the CD horn tweeter with increasing frequency, so that will need to be incorporated into an active xover. The factory unit is quite respectable, and I wouldn't do much more than cleaning all the connectors and switches to start with, and preferably remove it from the enclusure.
If I hadn't fallen in love with horns, I would never have sold mine.
Strike whilst the iron is hot they say
I had a look at them today and at first I must say that they do sound very neutral and revealed MPEG encoding artefacts of Digital Radio with ease(to the extent that the BBC broadcast was irritating), so I suppose they are good enough. The enclosures are build out of oak, but are much too resonant and will have to be redone.
The cones seem in fairly good condition, but there are some problems. On the one speaker, the original surround has been replaced by a generic rubber surround (heresy). On the outside of the cone there seems to be a 3mm tear and a glue stain on another spot, but in all they seemed to be in a fair condition. Will this tear grow with time?
The other speaker still had it’s original surround, but it is torn and will have to be replaced (the vc is rubbing) They have been well looked after and might only still need a touch of paint on the baskets (in front) which show slight signs of scratching. These are by far the most solidly constructed drive units I have ever encountered and even in their state impressed me tremendously. I must say I am tempted.
The owner initially expected R5000 ($600) for the pair, but was prepared to sell them off at R3000 ($375) for the pair. However, I only have R2000 readily available at the moment and it would be rather difficult to get the means to pay for these. On top of their price, I would have to have the surrounds replaced. Are these speakers that good to warrant a fair bit of trouble, or should I just let them go :-( ?
Lastly, I was wondering what sort of linear excursion can one expect from the woofer (I was bargaining on 4-5mm) and whether a different surround had any effect other than on bass?
Eagerly anticipating a reply
Martin
I had a look at them today and at first I must say that they do sound very neutral and revealed MPEG encoding artefacts of Digital Radio with ease(to the extent that the BBC broadcast was irritating), so I suppose they are good enough. The enclosures are build out of oak, but are much too resonant and will have to be redone.
The cones seem in fairly good condition, but there are some problems. On the one speaker, the original surround has been replaced by a generic rubber surround (heresy). On the outside of the cone there seems to be a 3mm tear and a glue stain on another spot, but in all they seemed to be in a fair condition. Will this tear grow with time?
The other speaker still had it’s original surround, but it is torn and will have to be replaced (the vc is rubbing) They have been well looked after and might only still need a touch of paint on the baskets (in front) which show slight signs of scratching. These are by far the most solidly constructed drive units I have ever encountered and even in their state impressed me tremendously. I must say I am tempted.
The owner initially expected R5000 ($600) for the pair, but was prepared to sell them off at R3000 ($375) for the pair. However, I only have R2000 readily available at the moment and it would be rather difficult to get the means to pay for these. On top of their price, I would have to have the surrounds replaced. Are these speakers that good to warrant a fair bit of trouble, or should I just let them go :-( ?
Lastly, I was wondering what sort of linear excursion can one expect from the woofer (I was bargaining on 4-5mm) and whether a different surround had any effect other than on bass?
Eagerly anticipating a reply
Martin
pinkmouse said:
Ditto.
If they were in excellent condition with good and correct surrounds, maybe I'd take them if they were ceramic 38xx series with the saltshaker HF horn for $US500 or so. Otherwise, let them go. You could end up spendong a lot of $ on them only to be unhappy with the performance. Better IMO to try to find some in EX+
People who abuse Vintage speakers should be shot
I have had a closer look at the units and one of them had about 1-2mm of its cone amputated around the edge to make space for the rubber surround. I suppose this is not the end of the world, but taking this rough treatment into consideration, I am thinking of getting the speaker re-coned to get them into completely original condition. I absolutely love the sound coming out of these units so I recon they might be worth the effort and the money I don’t really have
I think I should demand a re-cone at the expense of the repairperson who did such unspeakable things to this speaker. BTW the crack/tear mentioned earlier stems from the rough work done in making the rubber surround fit the cone and there is obviously pressure put on the cone as the angle just before the cone meets up with the surround is not uniform going around the cone’s edge like the other speaker which is in good condition, save the surround starting to disintegrate.
Lastly, what would you deem a reasonable price for these speakers, seeing their condition.
Martin Goedeke
PS: Actually, having written this I feel like taking this repairperson to small claims court and demand a factory rebuild.
I have had a closer look at the units and one of them had about 1-2mm of its cone amputated around the edge to make space for the rubber surround. I suppose this is not the end of the world, but taking this rough treatment into consideration, I am thinking of getting the speaker re-coned to get them into completely original condition. I absolutely love the sound coming out of these units so I recon they might be worth the effort and the money I don’t really have
I think I should demand a re-cone at the expense of the repairperson who did such unspeakable things to this speaker. BTW the crack/tear mentioned earlier stems from the rough work done in making the rubber surround fit the cone and there is obviously pressure put on the cone as the angle just before the cone meets up with the surround is not uniform going around the cone’s edge like the other speaker which is in good condition, save the surround starting to disintegrate.
Lastly, what would you deem a reasonable price for these speakers, seeing their condition.
Martin Goedeke
PS: Actually, having written this I feel like taking this repairperson to small claims court and demand a factory rebuild.
Before you do anything else, check with Tom at www.speakerbits.com.au and find out whether new cone kits are still available and what they cost. He is one of the few people who will know, but you'll need to tell him the driver model number. He's also a true Pro.
Re taking the repairer to small claims court. It will depend on whather he did as he was instructed at the time or not. But I doubt you would be able to do it as you weren't the owner of the speakers then.
Let them go.
Re taking the repairer to small claims court. It will depend on whather he did as he was instructed at the time or not. But I doubt you would be able to do it as you weren't the owner of the speakers then.
Let them go.
Well..still sounds like a deal to me
Thank you for the reply
I gave them another listen and these speakers do things I have never heard any other speaker do. I recon if I have them repaired locally with generic parts, I would still have a good deal, so I am going ahead with the purchase. I will try to get them repaired to their original condition though (meaning re-cone for the less-well off specimen), even if this is at a later stage.
I appreciate all the on- and off-line input and want to make the best of these.
Martin Goedeke
Thank you for the reply
I gave them another listen and these speakers do things I have never heard any other speaker do. I recon if I have them repaired locally with generic parts, I would still have a good deal, so I am going ahead with the purchase. I will try to get them repaired to their original condition though (meaning re-cone for the less-well off specimen), even if this is at a later stage.
I appreciate all the on- and off-line input and want to make the best of these.
Martin Goedeke
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