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

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

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