Vintage Tannoys

I now own a pair of Tannoy system 10 speakers. The girlfriend is going to kill me when i bring these through the door. Hope they're worth it. . . .

 

Just wanted to say that I've bought Rob's Chesters, so they'll be here at the end of the week. Also wanted to say hi, it's been over a year since I last posted here I reckon.

john

PS. Like Rob, if I get on with these puppies I'll be the market for a bigger pair real soon...

 

Hi John/Matt,

What do you think of them?

I want these, but a small matter of cash ...

 

I'm really pleased with mine. Someone on fish said they 'shout' but i havn't noticed any shout with mine.

I bought the girlfriend a Tracy chapman Cd and every night this week, when i get home from work, it's been playing when i walk through the door. The effortless power and clean vocals are really impressive.
Those DMT 15's must sound 'HUGE' they are very sensitive too.

 

Dev - I'm expecting a pair of those to appear on my door step tomorrow. Expectations are high as I've been lusting after them for a few years now.

They ought to make a nice, if slightly early, birthday present.

Stuart.

 

If I had a separate hifi room, I'd snap up those 15" DMTs in an instant. Unfortunately I have to have the system in the living room and my partner has only just got used to having the 12" models in there (which are good enough really!).

 

There are quite a few of these (& other close relatives) floating around the old radio studios here in Poland. They still sound good.

Most people miss the fact that these are effectively horn-loaded speakers and mechanically speaking they perform as such in the critical band.

If more studios were using these my life would be much easier!

Andy

 

I've bought some 12" monitor golds in Chatsworth cabinets, I'm not at liberty to say how much I paid but they are in lovely condition and finished in walnut. First impressions is just how much detail these pump out. If I drive them a little harder the sound just gets better. These have modern style plug in binding posts and date from 1974. Any opinions on stands? Some people like to elevate them by about 12" to get the tweeter to ear level, but I'm so impressed I'm wondering if just grounding them to some cheaper granite spiked plinths would pay dividends, as I love the imaging as it is. I'm just aware of how much vibration goes through those cabs. I was seriously thinking about buying Kingfishers lovely Berkeleys but couldn't get the cash together - sorry fella. I got a good PX on my old speaks which enabled me to do this deal - just. I need good music as I've just heard at work things aren't too good at the moment. I've liked Hornings and Quad ESL57's in the past, and these seem to do a similar disappearing act. Like the brochure said, once the speaker has effectively disappeared and all you hear is music you have got the crossover settings right! Loving them to bits. If you see a guy out on the street with a nice SET valve amp and some tannoys, keeping the rain off his Kate Bush albums and sleeping on copies of hifi plus - its probably SMEagol.

 

The Chatsworths are sealed cabinets iirc. Is the bass ok with these speakers?
Bass is obviously going to be tighter and faster than the ported Tannoys, but is there enough of it?

 

I think there's a port at the base of the front baffle. I can't tell as its behind the fabric of the grille but definitely felt a depression. The bass is not that loud, but thats not a major priority as I live in a small flat with thin floors, and sensitive neighbours! I like the bass though, I had some JBL' Ti2k's once and they were way over the top for a stand mount IMHO. The Tannoys just have a nice balance, bass is okay, very happy with the mids and treble, considering they are from 1974, its quite amazing...

 

All the Chatsworths I've seen have been sealed cabs (including the cabs I used to have), but they may have done some ported versions. A lot of the examples I've seen on ebay have been fitted with the version of 12" Golds with the butyl rubber surrounds that supposedly generate a bit more bass than the versions with the pleated surrounds, so work better in the sealed cabs..

Mine have rubber surrounds although I have them in my own diy boxes!

 

Ah, another convert. Welcome SMEagol.

 

cheers guys! ...just checked, deffo ported.

 

It may be worth checking with Tannoy because i all the Chatsworths i've seen were sealed. Mr toilet could be right that they may have made some ported Chatsworths, but i would check for peace of mind. If the drivers are designed to work in sealed boxes, you may not be getting the best performance out of them.
I phoned Tannoy not so long back about a new tweater and the guy i spoke to was a nice chap. It maybe worth giving them a call?

 

Good to see so much activity here (and on another forum ) regarding vintage speakers. People need to be aware of how enjoyable some of the older gear is, especially when used with more modern electronics.

 

...not the prettiest, but nice price. Look a bit Blue Peter, nothing that some TLC couldn't sort...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/LARGE-TANNOY-...311695313QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item120311695313

think I've got the bug.


any thoughts on whether to ground my Chatsworths to granite spiked plinths on stick them on 12" stands... kinda curious, with their
vibey cabinets..

 

Where's Cooky when you need him?

 

In my last house (Victorian, stripped wooden suspended floor) I put first my Cheviots then my current speakers on very weighty Purbeck stone slabs, and I couldn't detect any difference in sound at all. I'd go for stands, as the drivers are a touch too low in Chatsworth cabs IMO and getting them at ear height makes all the difference ....

 

There were 2 Chatsworth cabs-the standard one and the 'Chatsworth RT' the later used tanoplas roll surround Gold.
The 'RT' bit means Reflex Tanoplas. AFAIK
This is getting sad(thanks Andy!)