High Efficiency Speaker Asylum

• I no longer find these speakers problematic...found the isse. - Mr Blue Sky 18:15:39 05/17/05 (0)
  In Reply to: Am I the only one who thinks vintage Tannoys are bright and fatiguing?? posted by Mr Blue Sky on May 12, 2005 at 15:14:36:

  Go figure....I hooked up these speakers to a pair of restored Eico HF-60 mono blocks a couple nights ago and they sounded AMAZING. I listened in ecstacy for hours with....get this...NO FATIGUE. This points to the fact that this is indeed a source problem or an issue with my hearing maybe? I do have chronic sinus infections and the ear, nose, and throat are all related...aren't they?
  
  

  ---
• Re: Am I the only one who thinks vintage Tannoys are bright and fatiguing?? - Thorsten 10:40:49 05/13/05 (2)
  In Reply to: Am I the only one who thinks vintage Tannoys are bright and fatiguing?? posted by Mr Blue Sky on May 12, 2005 at 15:14:36:

  Hi,

  > Am I the only one who thinks vintage Tannoys are bright
  > and fatiguing??

  Probably.

  There are several possible settings on the Crosover, with the treble shelved down and rolled off Golds sound positively lethargic, overly warm, not remotely like what you describe, even with the treble turned all the way up they are not that bright and forward.

  Are you sure your drivers/crossovers really work well? Sounds to me like there may be actual fundamental problems.

  What sort of enclosures are you using?

  Ciao T
  
  

  ---

  • Re: Am I the only one who thinks vintage Tannoys are bright and fatiguing?? - Mr Blue Sky 16:04:59 05/13/05 (1)
    In Reply to: Re: Am I the only one who thinks vintage Tannoys are bright and fatiguing?? posted by Thorsten on May 13, 2005 at 10:40:49:

    I have two pairs. Both irritate me in the same way. I've also tried Gold 10"s, HPD 12"s, and Gold 12"s with paper surrounds. I have one pair in the stock smaller cabinets and the other in a pair of Electrovoice Aristocrat folded horn cabinets. I've also tried both pairs in much larger cabinets. I am certain the drivers and crossovers are operating correctly and I've experimented with the roll off and energy controls. I find the most tolerable compromise is to run the treble flat and the energy back one notch. Anymore than that and the speaker starts to loose it's punch.
    
    

    ---

    • Re: Am I the only one who thinks vintage Tannoys are bright and fatiguing?? - Thorsten 17:00:26 05/13/05 (0)
      In Reply to: Re: Am I the only one who thinks vintage Tannoys are bright and fatiguing?? posted by Mr Blue Sky on May 13, 2005 at 16:04:59:

      Hi,

      > I have two pairs. Both irritate me in the same way.
      > I've also tried Gold 10"s, HPD 12"s, and Gold 12"s

      I guess you gave them more than a fair chance and tannoy's just don't work for you. Try some ATC or Dynaudio's then and stay away from ANY Lowthers and the like by at least a mile or two, just in case....

      I personally find Tannoys in the long run just slightly opaque and lacking the coherence of good single driver systems, but I have not yet heard any (even the rather lesser later ones0 that I found fatiguing.

      Different strokes for different blokes....

      Ciao T
      
      

      ---
• Trolllll ?? - Bare 08:10:44 05/13/05 (2)
  In Reply to: Am I the only one who thinks vintage Tannoys are bright and fatiguing?? posted by Mr Blue Sky on May 12, 2005 at 15:14:36:

  Anyone who finds 'vintage' Tannoys bright and fatiguing has Issues.. with something .. Either their alleged 'system' or possibly their Hearing. Fatiguing and bright are ..very unlikely.. descriptors for Older Tannoys.
  
  

  ---

  • Re: Trolllll ?? - Mr Blue Sky 16:07:03 05/13/05 (1)
    In Reply to: Trolllll ?? posted by Bare on May 13, 2005 at 08:10:44:

    Or perhaps you have issues with your hearing? Who can say? We know you have issues with manners and spelling, so it's not beyond the realm of possibility.
    
    

    ---

    • Better Sell 'em Quick.. - Bare 19:18:30 05/14/05 (0)
      In Reply to: Re: Trolllll ?? posted by Mr Blue Sky on May 13, 2005 at 16:07:03:

      Average human male looses Significant upper hearing by age 30..and by age 50 .. who knows :-) The infamous Tannoy 'notch' is at 3k hz... and there ARE circuit changes to the Xover that well address the issue... IF one wishes to retain the oxover. But frankly Mate yer gonna have to learn this on yer own .. I did.. mebe you can too :-)
      Besides, there are Lotsa people who will buy these from you.. a Good chance to 'cash out'... and rid yourself of this awfull burden.
      
      

      ---
• The brightness may have to do with the bass character too - PK 03:24:02 05/13/05 (0)
  In Reply to: Am I the only one who thinks vintage Tannoys are bright and fatiguing?? posted by Mr Blue Sky on May 12, 2005 at 15:14:36:

  Hi Mr. Blue Sky,

  I have owned Tannoy Buckinghams for several years and found that they were slightly bright too, although I must say that I liked these speakers.

  The brightness may have to do with the HF horn, but it may also have to do with the general "British" preference (at least relative to US speakers/monitors) for a somewhat "shy" bass re-production.

  Although my Tannoy B's had dual 12" woofers in a 200 liter cabinet, they were still somewhat restricted in the bass relative to, for instance, JBL 250 Ti, that I had before.

  All the best
  Peter
  
  

  ---
• Tannoy HF is fundamentally and fatally flawed - Doug Flynn 01:22:43 05/13/05 (4)
  In Reply to: Am I the only one who thinks vintage Tannoys are bright and fatiguing?? posted by Mr Blue Sky on May 12, 2005 at 15:14:36:

  Hi Mr Blue Sky

  I have 15 inch Golds in corner GRFs. They are nice, but the HF on all Tannoy dual concentrics is terminally bad. The problem is the nature of the horn used by the HF driver. It breaks up heavily after approx 10kHz. Not only that, it droops significantly. So Tannoy put in a HF boost ("Energy" and "Treble" controls) on all DCs to lift the HF, which makes it worse. Now you get even more ragged HF response. Just look at a response plot of a Tannoy (I've seen some around on the net) and you'll know what I mean.

  I recently built a horn system using a separate tweeeter (JBL 2404H) above 5kHz, and I was astounded at the smoothness and response compared to my Tannoys.

  Cheers. Doug
  
  

  ---

  • Huhhh? - Bare 08:16:13 05/13/05 (1)
    In Reply to: Tannoy HF is fundamentally and fatally flawed posted by Doug Flynn on May 13, 2005 at 01:22:43:

    Suspect their is Damage with yers Mate.
    Similar units (since new) have given NO issues whatsoever.
    There should be NO breakup at all.. Ever!
    Poosibly yers have had a problem in the HF dome Windings.. there WAS a fatigue issue during the Mid 70's .. but Most but not all apparently were 'fixed'.
    Tannoy HF section is exemplary.. by any Yardstick.. and once relieved of the OEM cossovers' constraints is almost magical.
    Very surprised by your response.. It most definitely is NOT normal behaviour. They are Broken.
    
    

    ---

    • Re: Huhhh? - Doug Flynn 00:40:31 05/14/05 (0)
      In Reply to: Huhhh? posted by Bare on May 13, 2005 at 08:16:13:

      Hi Bare

      They are not broken. I never said they sounded awful. They sound great, but *in comparison* with other speakers (like the JBLs) their flaws become apparent. Tannoys really do have a ragged high end response. What makes them listenable is the fact that the HF drops off at about 15kHz (look at the graphs Tannoy have published), unless you boost it way up with the Energy and Treble controls.

      There is also that 3kHz peak that gets notched out in the xover. The xover does a good job, but the peak is still there nonetheless.

      Doug
      
      
      

      ---
  • Re: Tannoy HF is fundamentally and fatally flawed - Mr Blue Sky 02:54:26 05/13/05 (1)
    In Reply to: Tannoy HF is fundamentally and fatally flawed posted by Doug Flynn on May 13, 2005 at 01:22:43:

    Thank you for the information and explanation. This explains what I am hearing and also explains the fatigue. What a pity...for a driver that sounds so sweet and does just about everything right. During what era or what line of Tannoys do you feel they corrected this problem?
    
    

    ---

    • Sorry, don't know (nt) - Doug Flynn 00:43:19 05/14/05 (0)
      In Reply to: Re: Tannoy HF is fundamentally and fatally flawed posted by Mr Blue Sky on May 13, 2005 at 02:54:26:

      .
      
      

      ---
• It is not just vintage Tannoys which are bright and fatiguing! nt - -3db 23:56:11 05/12/05 (1)
  In Reply to: Am I the only one who thinks vintage Tannoys are bright and fatiguing?? posted by Mr Blue Sky on May 12, 2005 at 15:14:36:

  nt
  
  

  ---

  • Re: It is not just vintage Tannoys which are bright and fatiguing! nt - Mr Blue Sky 02:33:50 05/13/05 (0)
    In Reply to: It is not just vintage Tannoys which are bright and fatiguing! nt posted by -3db on May 12, 2005 at 23:56:11:

    And your point is?
    
    

    ---
• Re: Am I the only one who thinks vintage Tannoys are bright and fatiguing?? - itsthemusic 19:45:27 05/12/05 (2)
  In Reply to: Am I the only one who thinks vintage Tannoys are bright and fatiguing?? posted by Mr Blue Sky on May 12, 2005 at 15:14:36:

  You are not alone.I've had the DMT 15 studio monitors in house for several months as well as a pair of vintage 10'speakers(Cheviots) and did not care for either of them.I had a conversation with a well known (in high end circles) mastering engineer several months ago.He said that he owned a pair of vintage Tannoys that he liked and had used the DMT 12s in studios but could never stand them in his home for listenig pleasure.
  
  

  ---

  • Re: Am I the only one who thinks vintage Tannoys are bright and fatiguing?? - mmhifi 03:37:03 05/13/05 (0)
    In Reply to: Re: Am I the only one who thinks vintage Tannoys are bright and fatiguing?? posted by itsthemusic on May 12, 2005 at 19:45:27:

    15DMT? Reference speakers for me. I have these 3 years and they are awesome. The only problem folks - they are ruthlessly revealing(they were designed for this) so you hear crappy sources and amplifiers in full glory. It took 2 years for me to fix all the bugs before the speakers.
    But now...
    
    

    ---
  • Re: Am I the only one who thinks vintage Tannoys are bright and fatiguing?? - Mr Blue Sky 20:37:33 05/12/05 (0)
    In Reply to: Re: Am I the only one who thinks vintage Tannoys are bright and fatiguing?? posted by itsthemusic on May 12, 2005 at 19:45:27:

    Which mastering engineer was this? Just curious...
    
    

    ---
• It sounds like the cross-overs might be faulty - Deon C 16:56:22 05/12/05 (2)
  In Reply to: Am I the only one who thinks vintage Tannoys are bright and fatiguing?? posted by Mr Blue Sky on May 12, 2005 at 15:14:36:

  I would suggest rebuilding them and then having a listen again. Also check your sources. The Tannoy might be revealing what other speakers haven't. I have a pair of the 15" drivers (lower cost version of the HPDs), and they can sound a bit harsh in the upper-mid - lower-treble with the wrong amp and CDP. With the right stuff they are magical.

  Enjoy,
  Deon
  __________________________________________
  Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take,
  but by the moments that take our breath away.
  - Author unknown
  
  

  ---

  • Re: It sounds like the cross-overs might be faulty - Mr Blue Sky 17:29:29 05/12/05 (1)
    In Reply to: It sounds like the cross-overs might be faulty posted by Deon C on May 12, 2005 at 16:56:22:

    If the same character in the highs and upper mids exists regardless of whether I listen to a JA Michell Hydraulic reference with a Shure V15 III or a Music Hall CD 25....I suspect it is the nature of the driver. My crossovers have been totally redone with Solen caps and Wonder Solder. The problem was there before the crossovers were redone as well. I have also bypassed the switches.
    
    

    ---

    • Re: It sounds like the cross-overs might be faulty - Deon C 08:39:47 05/13/05 (0)
      In Reply to: Re: It sounds like the cross-overs might be faulty posted by Mr Blue Sky on May 12, 2005 at 17:29:29:

      

      I agree on that the Tannoys can harden up in those areas. I must admit that I have listened to some Golds in a Autograph horns and I did not notice it there. OTOH if you like the other aspects of what the Tannoys do, I might have a solution for you, albeit that it is a dractic one. What I suggest you do is to do what Thorsten did. He cut off the dustcap and treated the dome of the tweeter with C37 fluid. I am not sure if he de-assembled the unit to treat the domes (and he does not mention this on the site that lists his system either), but you'll have to ask him (his system is featured at http://www.arduman.com/aa/Sayfalar/thorsten/thorsten.htm). This might just be what the doctor ordered in your case. This should tame the tweeter sufficiently to be listenable. Drastic, but sometimes that is what is needed.

      Enjoy,
      Deon
      __________________________________________
      Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take,
      but by the moments that take our breath away.
      - Author unknown
      

      • Thunderstone Audio Website - Thorsten's domain   (Open in New Window)

      
      

      ---
• Re: Am I the only one who thinks vintage Tannoys are bright and fatiguing?? - djn 16:49:40 05/12/05 (0)
  In Reply to: Am I the only one who thinks vintage Tannoys are bright and fatiguing?? posted by Mr Blue Sky on May 12, 2005 at 15:14:36:

  Does the crossover do much good? I am thinking about a pair but have not heard them yet and the price is steep.
  
  

  ---
• Re: Am I the only one who thinks vintage Tannoys are bright and fatiguing?? - Steve Schell 15:55:11 05/12/05 (1)
  In Reply to: Am I the only one who thinks vintage Tannoys are bright and fatiguing?? posted by Mr Blue Sky on May 12, 2005 at 15:14:36:

  Though not too familiar with these speakers, I have heard them a few times and they didn't strike me that way. The high frequency driver sounds quite extended in the highs and very sweet IME. Could it be simply a matter of the h.f. driver output being too loud relative to the woofer output? The h.f. section would almost certainly need padding down in the crossover. Is there an adjustment for this?
  
  

  ---

  • Re: Am I the only one who thinks vintage Tannoys are bright and fatiguing?? - djn 16:46:53 05/12/05 (0)
    In Reply to: Re: Am I the only one who thinks vintage Tannoys are bright and fatiguing?? posted by Steve Schell on May 12, 2005 at 15:55:11:

    I was just looking at a pair on ebay and they are sold with crossovers. I would love to hear a pair before I buy them. Cheers.
    
    

    ---
• The Tannoy Golds were developed for solid state amps - grinagog 15:39:06 05/12/05 (3)
  In Reply to: Am I the only one who thinks vintage Tannoys are bright and fatiguing?? posted by Mr Blue Sky on May 12, 2005 at 15:14:36:

  the 16 Ohm Silvers and Reds that were made before these work far better with tubes IME
  The 12" Golds typically came in crummy rectangular cabinets, (Yorks or Lancasters), veneer over chipboard with a handful of fibreglass mat thrown in and these don't help the sound
  Either bracing the cabinets or building a solid DIY a cabinet will work wonders
  The Golds crossover components are even crummier, and will benefit from some upgraded parts
  There is a Tannoy forum at Yahoo with over 1,000 members and the regular upgrades for the Golds are archived

  Grins

  
  
  

  • Tannoy Group links here   (Open in New Window)

  
  

  ---

  • Re: The Tannoy Golds were developed for solid state amps - Mr Blue Sky 17:31:27 05/12/05 (2)
    In Reply to: The Tannoy Golds were developed for solid state amps posted by grinagog on May 12, 2005 at 15:39:06:

    I have tried mine in various cabinets....large and small. A larger cabinet SIGNIFICANTLY improves the sound....but they are still harsh.
    
    

    ---

    • the Golds Crossovers were garbage new but can be improved - grinagog 20:41:39 05/12/05 (1)
      In Reply to: Re: The Tannoy Golds were developed for solid state amps posted by Mr Blue Sky on May 12, 2005 at 17:31:27:

      I would suggest this might be the cure

      Grins
      

      • Link to upgrade of the stock crossovers with solens, etc.   (Open in New Window)

      
      

      ---

      • Re: the Golds Crossovers were garbage new but can be improved - Mr Blue Sky 16:09:18 05/13/05 (0)
        In Reply to: the Golds Crossovers were garbage new but can be improved posted by grinagog on May 12, 2005 at 20:41:39:

        Please see my original post. This was already done.
        
        

        ---
• Re: Am I the only one who thinks vintage Tannoys are bright and fatiguing?? - Tom Brennan 15:30:41 05/12/05 (7)
  In Reply to: Am I the only one who thinks vintage Tannoys are bright and fatiguing?? posted by Mr Blue Sky on May 12, 2005 at 15:14:36:

  Well there's no speaker that everybody likes.

  I laugh when guys freak out when somebody hates their favorite speakers and respond that you're using the wrong amp, wire, record player, jimmy-cap or whatever.
  
  

  ---

  • ping Tom Brennan - itsthemusic 20:04:19 05/12/05 (0)
    In Reply to: Re: Am I the only one who thinks vintage Tannoys are bright and fatiguing?? posted by Tom Brennan on May 12, 2005 at 15:30:41:

    Tom,tried to email you at "irishtom" and it bounced.please email me off site and get me your tel #."irish bob".
    Bob O'Neill
    
    

    ---
  • Re: Am I the only one who thinks vintage Tannoys are bright and fatiguing?? - Mr Blue Sky 17:32:49 05/12/05 (4)
    In Reply to: Re: Am I the only one who thinks vintage Tannoys are bright and fatiguing?? posted by Tom Brennan on May 12, 2005 at 15:30:41:

    I agree. I'm just curious if there is something wrong with my ears, though. It seems like EVERYBODY loves the sound of the vintage Tannoys.
    
    

    ---

    • Re: why is it if your opinion differs, your stuff is automatically broken? - tableradio 18:31:49 05/13/05 (0)
      In Reply to: Re: Am I the only one who thinks vintage Tannoys are bright and fatiguing?? posted by Mr Blue Sky on May 12, 2005 at 17:32:49:

      perhaps the people that blew all the $$ on this stuff actually do not have skilled enough ears to recognise if there is any problem. to some people, decent is 'excellent', because they cant recognise excellence.if your ears agree with the curves, id say you know what your hearing.lets face it: no system, price no option, sounds like live music. if it doesnt sound just like live, it is wrong. its up to you to decide what level of wrongness you think is correct.i have some amps with 2 tubes, pulled out of garbage phonographs ect i listen to.i also have a krell fpb 400cx, i love em all. same with speakers. i guess i have no point except:why get annoyed if someone doesnt like what u like, or notice things you dont/didnt. it was fun to read all the attitude and calm defense backed up with knowledge. by the way, i think sex is way better with the bose radio than tannoys...lol.
      
      

      ---
    • "Everybody Knows" - drlowmu 21:08:59 05/12/05 (2)
      In Reply to: Re: Am I the only one who thinks vintage Tannoys are bright and fatiguing?? posted by Mr Blue Sky on May 12, 2005 at 17:32:49:

      Say,

      Golds are the worse sounding of the bunch of vintage Tannoys.

      Why do you think Blacks, Silvers and Reds go for such big bucks?

      Like Leonard Cohen sings " Everybody Knows ".

      You now know too, live and learn.

      Jeff Medwin
      
      

      ---

      • Re: "Everybody Knows" - Mr Blue Sky 02:49:39 05/13/05 (1)
        In Reply to: "Everybody Knows" posted by drlowmu on May 12, 2005 at 21:08:59:

        And few people realize the significant coloration and unnatural artifacts that are present in vintage Tannoys with paper surrounds and how vintage Tannoy drivers with this issue produce a low-level cone distortion and how this problem was mostly corrected with the butyl surround. To some, this is obvious sonically. To others it is not.

        Some people also believe that if something goes for "big bucks", it therefore must be good. They will make arrogant and irrelevant assertions about their product of choice and sometimes quote intellectual Canadian/Jewish folk singers as a way of emphasizing their point....no matter how ambiguous or absurd.

        
        
        
        

        ---

        • Re: "Everybody Knows" - drlowmu 10:31:36 05/13/05 (0)
          In Reply to: Re: "Everybody Knows" posted by Mr Blue Sky on May 13, 2005 at 02:49:39:

          Leonard Cohen is a born-again Christian AFAIK.

          I always prefer paper over butyl, but YOU are the one who is publically looking for an answer, not me. My favorite drivers were designed in 1937, felt surround, phenolic cone. I had 15 Monitor Golds in 1969 to 1974, and eventually sold them.

          Jeff Medwin
          
          

          ---
  • Couldn't agree more! - mikelakers 15:48:39 05/12/05 (0)
    In Reply to: Re: Am I the only one who thinks vintage Tannoys are bright and fatiguing?? posted by Tom Brennan on May 12, 2005 at 15:30:41:

    mk.
    
    

    ---

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:

Kimber Kable

---

[ Top of Page ] [ Contact Us ] [ Support/Wish List ] [ Copyright © 2025, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]

---

[ General ] [ Speakers ] [ Tubes ] [ Vinyl ] [ Digital ] [ Hi-Rez ] [ Video Asylum ] [ Cables ] [ Tweaks/DIY ] [ Music ] [ Films ]

---