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Acquired a pair of Tannoy ST200 Super Tweeters - - My story and experience.

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Posted on May 19, 2023 at 04:49:48
Heifetz
Audiophile

Posts: 245
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Joined: April 3, 2013



Greetings,
I wanted to share my story and experience with my newly acquired Tannoy ST200 Super Tweeters.
I recently acquired a pair of ST200 Super Tweeters which are placed on top of the Tannoy Kensington GR's. Please feel free to comment and especially the tweeter placement on the speakers.

Prior to purchasing the St200's:
For a few months I have been replacing furniture in my listening room that led to a reassessment of my speaker position. From placing them 'diagonally' in the room and every other angle I gradually came reasonable close to the former positions. HaHa - at least I got some resistance training in the process. My system did have some improvement and I was satisfied that I was playing the room in the best way.
My vinyl:
I have a large collection of vinyl and a number of SXL's etc. However, I had become a littler dissatisfied with the listening pleasure I was deriving from them.
Was I getting 'bored' with the music or was I frustrated that I was was not getting the best sound out of them?
I know the Brahms Symphonies like the back of my hand. (Actually, that's true. I am a violinist and know the inner parts extremely well). I love the Kubilik/Vienna Phil interpretations but Brahms is hard to record - its very thick textured. So I knew there was more but how to extract it?
Super Tweeters:
I have read about super tweeters for quite a while and attracted to the experiences of listeners who say that they improve bass and mid range too. Also listeners write about a greater depth to the sound stage and clarity. So, I was fortunate to find a local pair of ST200's in perfect condition and just about to go on sale. I visited the seller and after checking them out decided to purchase them.

My new set up with Tannoy St200 Super Tweeters:
I did a set up according to the guidelines with the settings as suggested for initial set up. Ok, leading edges were very clear and singers etc sounded like they had a crash course elocution. HaHa.
Next Day:
After a good nights sleep it occurred to me that the ST200 template for placing the super tweeters may not be accurate. The St200s were made before the Kensington GR's and thus the recommended position may be different from the 'Kensingtons'. I now understand that the super tweeter should be placed directly above the position of the main pepper pot tweeter in the main driver. So I gently measured the distance of the pepper pot from the opening of the speaker and then located where the Super Tweeter should be positioned so it was directly above the pepper pot. The angle of ST200 can also be adjusted to align with your ears.

Experimenting with adjustments to sensitivity and crossovers:
I started to experiment with the various settings on the main speakers and also the super tweeters. Wow!! A lot of variations. I listened for brightness, clarity, depth and breadth of sound stage, balance and just the right amount of 'articulation', 'sparkle' and integration/synergy of the St200's into the overall sound. When I stopped noticing the St200's or rather the ST200's stopped drawing attention, then I knew I was getting closer.
Eventually I found my sweet spot. I ended up with the sensitivity level at 92Db and crossover at 14kHz on the St200's. The Kensingtons have a 93DB sensitivity.

Listening to my Decca SXL Kubilik/Vienna Phil :
Wow!! So much more revealed of the musical lines and inner parts. Coherent and balanced. Sparkling, sweet and more dynamic too. Interestingly, I seemed to prefer a lower volume setting than I would have used previously. It was like a new performance and listening experience. Quite an emotional experience too. My opera performances improved in a similar fashion and I was now reaching for vinyl's that I have not listened to for a long time.
Super Tweeter and Super Result ! I really could not have hoped for a better upgrade to my system.

Any one with experiences or comments- esp. on my St200 placement position on the Kensingtons would be appreciated.
Kind regards, Bob



"You have to leave something to your imagination"

 

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Are they easy to disconnect?, posted on May 19, 2023 at 08:21:28
jimbill
Audiophile

Posts: 3050
Location: Texas
Joined: May 31, 2004
Just wondering if you can do some easy A/B testing.

 

RE: Acquired a pair of Tannoy ST200 Super Tweeters - - My story and experience., posted on May 19, 2023 at 11:45:23
ABliss
Audiophile

Posts: 1482
Joined: March 16, 2001
Contributor
  Since:
August 3, 2002
I would think that for the price of the Kensington, it wouldn't need a super tweeter.

 

RE: Are they easy to disconnect?, posted on May 21, 2023 at 04:34:08
Heifetz
Audiophile

Posts: 245
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Joined: April 3, 2013
Ok, I did see simple A/B comparison today. Listening to Mozart Requiem & Handel Messiah - both John Butt and Dunedin Consort; Lalo Symphony Esgnole (Kogan) and Mendelsohn Octet (Academy St Martines in the Fields); Beethoven String Quartet (Weller SQ) and Symp No7, Also Opera and then Michael Jackson BAD.

I did this with my wife helping out. We took turns and just put an open book on top of the speaker in front of the tweeters. My wife does not know the recordings as well as I do but she is a pianist and pretty critical. With the ST blocked, the sound was still very beautiful as they were before the super tweeters were introduced. However, in comparing we both agreed and there was no doubt that the ST added air and an incredible balance in the overall sound in bass, mids and higher frequencies. Every performance had improved. In my experience, the ST did have an impact on the sound and in my system it was a positive one.

Kind regards,

"You have to leave something to your imagination"

 

RE: Are they easy to disconnect?, posted on May 21, 2023 at 08:57:43
jimbill
Audiophile

Posts: 3050
Location: Texas
Joined: May 31, 2004
Cool.

I recently added BACCH4mac to my system. Very noticeable improvement too.

 

RE: Are they easy to disconnect?, posted on May 21, 2023 at 13:49:33
Heifetz
Audiophile

Posts: 245
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Joined: April 3, 2013
It's always such a delight when you find something that adds improvement.
These tweeters have brought a synergy and cohesion to the presentation that brings such pleasure to my listening experience.
I can't say that every system would derive these benefits but it works for me.
I see that the BaccH owners also have reached new levels in their listening. Congratulations.
Kind regards, Bob
"You have to leave something to your imagination"

 

RE: Acquired a pair of Tannoy ST200 Super Tweeters - - My story and experience., posted on May 22, 2023 at 18:13:47
pbarach
Audiophile

Posts: 3307
Location: Ohio
Joined: June 22, 2008
How could supertweeters improve the bass of a speaker?

 

Tannoy ST200 Super Tweeters - - My story and experience., posted on May 24, 2023 at 09:45:52
bare
Audiophile

Posts: 1879
Joined: April 14, 2009
Great that they Please.
In truth though I am a bit Shocked that Tannoy had degraded their drivers in recent decades to the point that Add on tweeters were even remotely advantageous.
No such bodges required on Tannoy driver designs out of the middle of the last century.
Moderne times indeed.

 

RE: Acquired a pair of Tannoy ST200 Super Tweeters - - My story and experience., posted on November 29, 2023 at 09:35:04
Fred13
Audiophile

Posts: 1
Joined: November 29, 2023
Hello everyone
I am new here, and I own the same speakers and supertweeters as you.
I just wanted to point out that even if the Kensington GR are not listed in the ST200 manual, if you look at the ST300 manual, you will see that the position of the supertweeter for the Kensington GR is the same as for the Stirling TW / TWW, Turnberry HE which are listed in the ST200 manual.
So you should use the F position for the ST200 on the Kens GR, or measure 105 mm from the front edge of the cabinet to the edge of the platform.
Best regards
Frédéric

 

RE: Acquired a pair of Tannoy ST200 Super Tweeters - - My story and experience., posted on November 29, 2023 at 11:13:01
Inmate51
Industry Professional

Posts: 2244
Location: Dallas, TX
Joined: August 12, 2022
Hi Heifetz. I'm curious about the high-pass crossover slope for your ST200s. If you're still checking in here from time-to-time, I'd be interested in your reply. Thanks. (Anyone else who's got the same setup, feel free to reply as well.)

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