Tannoy Owners & Discussion

[Quinardo]

A lovely room!

Love the vintage Marantz Pre / Power combo too being a biased fellow vintage Marantz Fan too.

[LX_4_MAN]

On 6/20/2021 at 6:56 PM, Nick M said:

Hi Quin

thanks for the welcome & tip..............I have tried Cut & Paste & it looks like it worked. The message was addressed to Alex but the information contains the details of the Tannoy's I now own. I have moved ahead with the enclosure repairs but any assistance on surround repairs, reconing & updating the crossovers would get me going in the right direction

 

Thanks again

Nick   

 

 

Hi Alex thanks for the welcome. Apologies for the delayed response as we have only recently moved house & I have been a bit distracted……..by many things! I will include some pictures of the HPD’s (if I can work out how to do this) & as you will see the surrounds will need replacing. One of the cones has been repaired & as I haven’t had a chance to listen to the Tannoys (they have apparently been in storage for last 16 years) I am not sure how ‘successful’ this has been. Because of this I am wondering about the need for a recone & probably would like for this to happen. Unfortunately early research suggests that a genuine recone kit may be hard to come by so happy for any advice on this & the surround replacements. I have also included some photos of the granite corner boxes that they came in. Apparently, these are based on a 1960’s Wharfedale design & also in need of some repair. I am not sure I will ultimately leave the Tannoys in these but I am keen to resurrect these, put the speakers back into these boxes just to hear what they sound like. Did I mention how heavy these boxes are………….really really heavy!! The crossovers look original to me & because I have in my early work life had some experience with tech repairs I think I could probably handle any details on how to improve the crossovers with higher grade capacitors etc. Several other non-audio projects on the go at the moment so the Tannoy repairs will sit in the background for a little bit of time but I am keen for any advice on the best way to get these beauties back delivering their wonderous sound. I am not feeling confident in attempting the surround replacement or the recone so any suggestions on who might be best to do this would be great. Thanks  

 

 

•  

Hey Nick,  sorry I missed this completely! The repairs will definitely affect the parameters of that 385, depending on your plans for them it probably would be best to grab a new pair of cones and go from there,  their definitely worth the initial outlay for repairs ! Speaking of reconing @naggots how are your cabs coming along ?

[LX_4_MAN]

On 6/21/2021 at 9:26 AM, likewiise said:

Hello Tannoy owners! 

Recently picked up some Tannoy Arden Mk1 HPD385s... I love them, magnificent speakers.

Running Technics 1210 mk2 with Nagaoka MP-110 cart or Bluesound Node II sources into vintage Marantz 3300 pre and 250M power combo... 

Going to keep these speakers for years so will put them in for refurbishment soon.. looking into the reconing kits (Lockwood etc..) and possible a crossover upgrade but might just recap to keep original spec.

Open to whatever experienced owners recommend?

 

Hey there and welcome ! Lovely setup and a magnificent choice of speakers ! Just quickly why do you want to recone your hpd's? With crossovers best just to recap your existing crossovers as changing to ones without the autoformer generally gives them a less warm and more forward sound and looses some of their magic ! The cones look great to be honest , I'd upgrade terminals , internal wiring and caps , re do all the solder joints on the crossovers, run a sweep on the driver to check hf alignment and spacing and clean the switches and should be good for another 10+ years if the surrounds are fairly recent   

[Willmax]

On 6/21/2021 at 8:56 AM, likewiise said:

Hello Tannoy owners! 

Recently picked up some Tannoy Arden Mk1 HPD385s... I love them, magnificent speakers.

Running Technics 1210 mk2 with Nagaoka MP-110 cart or Bluesound Node II sources into vintage Marantz 3300 pre and 250M power combo... 

Going to keep these speakers for years so will put them in for refurbishment soon.. looking into the reconing kits (Lockwood etc..) and possible a crossover upgrade but might just recap to keep original spec.

Open to whatever experienced owners recommend?

 

I love the room and the décor, the Arden are a very fitting pair of speakers for the space, they must sound great in there. Congratulations!

 

[naggots]

On 7/10/2021 at 5:01 PM, Lx4man said:

Hey Nick,  sorry I missed this completely! The repairs will definitely affect the parameters of that 385, depending on your plans for them it probably would be best to grab a new pair of cones and go from there,  their definitely worth the initial outlay for repairs ! Speaking of reconing @naggots how are your cabs coming along ?

Still going but almost there. Aranmar have designed them to the measurements. I’ll post a full set of finished pics when I have them. 

Edited July 11, 2021 by naggots

[LX_4_MAN]

2 hours ago, naggots said:

Still going but almost there. Aranmar have designed them to the measurements. I’ll post a full set of finished pics when I have them. 

Stunning ! I can't wait to come and hear these once all done ! Doesn't look like long now

[Willmax]

5 hours ago, naggots said:

Still going but almost there. Aranmar have designed them to the measurements. I’ll post a full set of finished pics when I have them. 

That looks fantastic @naggots I love your choice of finish. What size are the cabinets pls? 

[naggots]

4 hours ago, Lx4man said:

Stunning ! I can't wait to come and hear these once all done ! Doesn't look like long now

For sure

[naggots]

47 minutes ago, Willmax said:

That looks fantastic @naggots I love your choice of finish. What size are the cabinets pls? 

I’ve only seen the Pics of them so far. The Tassie Blackheart Sassafras is a continuous veneer, I can have the light grain or dark on the inside or outsides. This is one coat of clear. 

[Willmax]

A more modern Tannoy for a change ;-D

 

[Nick M]

Hi Alex I'm now ready to go ahead with some repairs to the 385's but my initial enquiries suggest that reconing kits may be hard to come by. Kits for the surrounds don't seem to be a problem though. Has anyone any ideas of who may have the reconing kits & would do the repair work preferably in Vic? Would it be best to go direct to Lockwoods for the kit & then find a repairer? I am with you Alex on the crossovers as I have read that some folk suggest not just replacing the Caps but modifying & updating the crossover to achieve a 'brighter' sound'. Warmth is what attracts me to the older Tannoys so wouldn't want to do something that puts that at risk. Sorry lots of questions but I am sure you all have been in this same space before & I am not trying to reinvent the wheel so experiences, advice, suppliers or circuit diagrams you could give detail on would be greatly appreciated...............& get me closer to getting the 385's live again

Thanks Nick  

[Frank Prowse Hi-Fi]

Some pics of a pair of Canterburys we recently installed for a client:-

 

 

 

 

 

 

[VanArn]

On 7/15/2021 at 4:37 PM, Nick M said:

Hi Alex I'm now ready to go ahead with some repairs to the 385's but my initial enquiries suggest that reconing kits may be hard to come by. Kits for the surrounds don't seem to be a problem though. Has anyone any ideas of who may have the reconing kits & would do the repair work preferably in Vic? Would it be best to go direct to Lockwoods for the kit & then find a repairer? I am with you Alex on the crossovers as I have read that some folk suggest not just replacing the Caps but modifying & updating the crossover to achieve a 'brighter' sound'. Warmth is what attracts me to the older Tannoys so wouldn't want to do something that puts that at risk. Sorry lots of questions but I am sure you all have been in this same space before & I am not trying to reinvent the wheel so experiences, advice, suppliers or circuit diagrams you could give detail on would be greatly appreciated...............& get me closer to getting the 385's live again

Thanks Nick  

If you cannot get a response from Lockwoods concerning their ability to supply   original replacement HPD 385 cone assemblies , then your only recourse is to use the aftermarket  un-assembled component kits supplied by  The Speaker Exchange.  This will entail skilled assembly work and   the inevitability of the crossover network having to be re-designed . 

Edited July 19, 2021 by VanArn

[Nick M]

Thanks for the tip. I will try Lockwoods first as going with originals would be the preference & then go from there

[LX_4_MAN]

On 7/15/2021 at 4:37 PM, Nick M said:

Hi Alex I'm now ready to go ahead with some repairs to the 385's but my initial enquiries suggest that reconing kits may be hard to come by. Kits for the surrounds don't seem to be a problem though. Has anyone any ideas of who may have the reconing kits & would do the repair work preferably in Vic? Would it be best to go direct to Lockwoods for the kit & then find a repairer? I am with you Alex on the crossovers as I have read that some folk suggest not just replacing the Caps but modifying & updating the crossover to achieve a 'brighter' sound'. Warmth is what attracts me to the older Tannoys so wouldn't want to do something that puts that at risk. Sorry lots of questions but I am sure you all have been in this same space before & I am not trying to reinvent the wheel so experiences, advice, suppliers or circuit diagrams you could give detail on would be greatly appreciated...............& get me closer to getting the 385's live again

Thanks Nick  

Hey Nick shoot me a pm as I can do the work on your drivers no worries and may be able to source you some genuine cones , I wouldn't use anything aftermarket on these unless it is Lockwood's which where produced by the makers of the original hpd diaphragms 

[Guest thathifiguy]

I've got an update to my mancave coming today, will post pics once good to go.

[Frank Prowse Hi-Fi]

11 minutes ago, thathifiguy said:

I've got an update to my mancave coming today, will post pics once good to go.

Westminsters?

 

[Guest thathifiguy]

8 minutes ago, Frank Prowse Hi-Fi said:

Westminsters?

 

A man can dream

[lancer181]

I have had the Canterbury's , great sounding and easy to listen to . Then moved on to the Westminster's  SE more of the great Tannoy sound but more refined than the Canterbury. One way to make your Tannoy's sound so much better is I have some Duelund cross over parts if anyone is interested .

cheers lance

[Guest thathifiguy]

As promised, god bless tax returns!

 

[jgunner]

@thathifiguyabsolutely beautiful set of speakers mate. may i enquire what is the rest of your system made of?

Edited July 21, 2021 by jgunner

[LX_4_MAN]

12 minutes ago, thathifiguy said:

As promised, god bless tax returns!

 

That's awesome ! Congratulations on the new baby

[Guest thathifiguy]

12 minutes ago, jgunner said:

@thathifiguyabsolutely beautiful set of speakers mate. may i enquire what is the rest of your system made of?

Thanks! Just breaking them in a bit now.

 

System is Luxman SQ-N150 integrated, DA-150 DAC, Node 2 streamer and the AS-50R speaker selector.

6 minutes ago, Lx4man said:

That's awesome ! Congratulations on the new baby

Thanks! Can’t wait for some serious listening!

[THOMO]

Try this recording on your Tannoys-Suzie Arioli Swing Band off the album Pennies From Heaven.

Another great Justin Time recording.

Fantastic jazz guitar sound.Most speakers can't get that right.

 

 

[Guest thathifiguy]

4 hours ago, THOMO said:

Try this recording on your Tannoys-Suzie Arioli Swing Band off the album Pennies From Heaven.

Another great Justin Time recording.

Fantastic jazz guitar sound.Most speakers can't get that right.

 

 

 

I'll give it a crack tonight