System edited: Just editing system pictures. Lotta joy in this system these days. Thanks for looking. Regards, Dan

islandmandan December 16, 2009 01:54

Thanks Mingles,

I appreciate the comments. The right side crossover was layed out differently, with the large inductors on their narrow sides, facing north and south, with the small center laying flat. After further advice I layed them all flat, and yes they are close together, but that is why they were wrapped in aluminum foil tape. I hear no major difference between the two, other than the right side has more break-in time on it.

Not including the cost of the fabirication of the crossover boxes, the cost of both crossovers is around $1400. I used the Mundorf caps, as they are the best I can afford, Duelands being out of the question on my budget. The internal hook-up wiring is DH Labs Silver, which ain't cheap, and as you know, it all adds up. I am very happy though, these speakers and I are lifers now.

Thanks again, regards,
Dan

islandmandan December 06, 2009 00:17

Dan,

Congratulations on the upgrades you've done. Your system is looking great. I'm intrigued with your crossover rebuild. It looks like you have Duelund resistors in there. Very nice. What made you settle on Mundorf SIO for caps?

I'm looking at those beautiful Alpha Core inductors and wondering if they aren't a bit too close to each other. Air core inductors tend to have a stray radiation field.

If I may ask, what was the total cost to do both speakers? I'm not questioning whether it was worth it. I'm just curious.

All the best,
Mark

mingles December 05, 2009 02:16

System edited: I finished the left crossover, laying out the Alpha Core inductors flat, as recommended by sources. There seems to be two different schools of thought about this (like everthing else in audio), so I don't know yet if there is really a right way or wrong way to do it. All I know is they both, as the newly-built left crossover is breaking in more and more, is that they both sound beautiful. Just shows a great design, and the best parts, really make a difference. Thanks to Roger, Arthur, Dave G., Mike F., and others that have made this jouney into DIY audio such a successful one. My system is now the very best out of 40 years in the hobby. I am proud to own and priviledged to enjoy this system on a daily basis. I enjoy the fact that it is not cookie-cutter in nature, being either hand built, or modified to perform at a higher level at a lower price point. I can't say enough about the thirty five year old Tannoy drivers, which are making incredible sounding music thanks to complimentary cabinets and crossovers. I've wanted to hear these speakers with a tube amp, but the budget just wasn't there for much, but I found a demo Sophia Baby amp at half price. After getting a good power cord on it, it opened up and sang sweetly, and quite adequately loud in spite of its meager 10 watts. It is very enjoyable, and I have already ordered upgrade caps and input RCA's for it, I think it will really shine when that is done. Tannoys really DO like tubes! Thanks for taking the time to look. Regards, Dan

islandmandan December 03, 2009 22:36

Thanks Mike, I looked at the info you sent me on inductor layout, so I started the left side laying all three inductors flat, the middle one upside down from the other two. I'll see if there's much difference, if there is, I'll change the right one to match.

Thanks for all the help,
Dan

islandmandan November 24, 2009 01:30

Great job Dan!

face November 23, 2009 18:39

Hi Pat,

Thanks so much for the kind words. Just like any endeavor we undertake, you get out of it what you put into it. (After you get past your mistakes, that is!) Pat, I notice how good your system is looking these days, hope you're having fun and enjoying great sounds.

Regards,
Dan

islandmandan November 23, 2009 07:39

Dan great to hear you're enjoying the system

Enjoy my man you deserve it

musicfile November 23, 2009 05:01

System edited: After furthur listening with the new crossover in the right channel, I am just floored by what a transformation has taken place in the the quality (and quantity) of what I am now hearing. This is the smoothest, sweetest, best balanced and purely musical speaker I have ever heard. Period. Sensitivity has improved as well, the Mundorf Silver-In-Oil caps, Dueland resistors, and Alpha Core 12 gauge inductors have all contributed to an amazing sound. Happy I am! I found out today that the design for the crossover was drawn for me by a Phd engineer named Arthur, a friend of a fellow Tannoy enthusiast I know, at a barbeque they were attending. It may literally have been drawn on a napkin, and then emailed to me, no charge, by Roger, my acquaintance. All I can say is a great big thank you to these two fine men, willing to share for the love of the hobby. It's this type of generosity that makes this hobby great! Best to all, Dan

islandmandan November 18, 2009 00:40

System edited: Just completed custom crossover for right speaker. Took some time to suss out the correct wiring scheme for the Tannoy driver, the crossover has four wires outbound, while the speaker has only three, positve, negative, and ground. Sound is more dynamic, yet smoother and more refined. I'll be able to tell more whem the left side is done, and I expect things to improve as the new crossover parts break in. Mundorf Silver-in-Oil capacitors, Alpha Core 12 gauge ribbon inductors, and Dueland resistors were used. Hook-up wire is DH Labs Silver Solid hook-up wire, with Cardas Quad Eutetic solder for all joints. This upgrade now has put me where I want to be, to use those famous last words, I'm Done For Now. Thanks for looking, Dan

islandmandan November 15, 2009 21:36

System edited: Added new TTW Solid Copper turntable mat. Not only cool to look at, it solidifies bass, makes for greater clarity and impact. Highly recommended. Regards, Dan

islandmandan November 11, 2009 19:30

Update: Made "sinks" that attach to the Brightstar Audio lid, four for the turntable section, and one for the motor section. I made them from 1" aluminum angle stock, and attached them w/stainless machine screws and locknuts.

Motor noise is now non-existent, helpful additional draining of noise and vibration from plinth into sand.

Vinyl, I can say with assurance finally, sounds more real and alive than high-res digital. Vinyl is now my favorite format for serious music listening. Oh what a feelin'!

Enjoy,
Dan

islandmandan September 21, 2009 03:09

I decided I wanted to try adding another 3ohms cartridge loading to the 47ohm reisistor already externally added. I had a couple of 3ohm Mills on hand, so I soldered them in. I wasn't expecting much of a difference, so when the first lp sounded so much smoother, with better bass, and just the sound I was hoping for, it was just a very pleasant surprise that keeps going with each side I play. I've now become a confirmed vinyl lover.

Regards,
Dan

islandmandan September 13, 2009 02:17

Hello Mingles,

The Tannoys I am most familiar with are 12" Monitor Golds, which I had for 18 years, and now, the 12" High Performance Dual, (HPD), which is from the mid seventies. The Dual Concentric driver came about in the mid 1940's, and the same basic technology is still in use in their Prestige line of loudspeakers made for home use. Variations of it are used in the professional and other monitors in use today.

To familiarize yourself with Tannoy, try the official website, and better yet, Han's Hilberink's Tannoy website for all kinds of information on vintage Tannoy. The history makes for interesting reading. Newer Tannoy lines in the Prestige and DC Series have been favorably reviewed, you may want to read some of those.

I recommend that you try to listen to some Dual Concentric Tannoys first hand somehow, whether it be new ones at a dealer's, vintage at a friend's, or if those options are not available, try a used pair of speakers that can be had fairly reasonably on auction at the usual places. Older drivers are subject to the surrounds disintegrating, so be sure they have been repaired or are in good shape. Also be advised that the cabinets provided by the factory were not built to very high standards, at least on older versions (unlike the drivers), so you will want to build better cabs, or like I've done, commission some made. The Dual Concentric and HPD come in different sizes, in 10" 12" and 15". You will find, though, even in the old cabinets, that magical Tannoy sound, that can only improve with better cabinets, wiring, and improvements to the crossovers.

Stick your toes in the water, you may like it, as many of us Tannerd's (as Han's calls us on his site), have found.

Best of luck,
Dan

islandmandan September 05, 2009 21:00

Dan, what models of Tannoy do you recommend? I keep hearing rave reviews from owners, but I don't know anything about their product line.

mingles September 04, 2009 05:01

Hi Mike,

The Tannoy's in their new cabs keep amazing me with their musicality. I couldn't be happier with them, I have to think if more audiophiles heard speakers like these first, many more folks would be enjoying Tannoys instead of what they have. There is no looking back for me. I have decided on no more crossover mods, I'll wait until I can build new from scratch. Thanks for the input, Mike.

Best regards,
Dan

islandmandan September 04, 2009 04:14

I'll say it again, those cabinets are beautiful!

How are they Tannoys sounding these days?

Mike

face September 03, 2009 05:19

System edited: I received my Starsound Audio Points today, custom thread length on Points for turntable, and small points to thread in on VPI motor. I couldn't install the points under the motor yet, need a trip to the hardware store for proper size tap, but I did get the Points under the Scout table, and OMG, at first listen, it sounds like an order of magnitude better in clarity, definition and detail, you can fill in the blanks, audio jargon's not my strong suit, but I sure like the difference these Audio Points have made. They finish the job the NanoMount System by Mapleshade started, draining everything now into the BrightStar Audio BigRock. Incredible. Enjoy! Dan

islandmandan August 01, 2009 04:31

System edited: Updated and renamed system. Also just completed upgrading l/h crossover with Mundorf Silver-in Oil capacitors and Mills resisators. I didn't care for the way the Mills' sounded, so I replaced them with the original Tannoys. Now both channels sound pretty much identical, inspite of the new caps on left side. I am hoping as they burn in, I will notice improvement in the left channel. After burn-in I will evaluate the sound, and install the new caps on the right side at that time. I also wanted to make removing the crossovers easier, so I installed a high quality 20 amp barrier strip, and soldered on copper terminals, which I then cleaned and applied Mapleshade Sil-clear to before connecting, so wiring can disconnected more conveniently. So that's it for now, I'll report more as caps burn in. Thanks, and enjoy! Dan

islandmandan July 11, 2009 18:51

Well, Mr. Stiltskin, you're welcome any time you can arrange it!

Dan

islandmandan June 27, 2009 01:25

Hey Dan, just hoppin around
Would of loved to have flew out for a tour, your just six hours away by jet.

You have certainly worked hard on your system and by what Micheal discribed that work payed off big time.

Mark

stiltskin June 26, 2009 21:02

Thank you, Michael, for such fine feedback, I'm rather floored by it. It was such a pleasure to have the three of you visit, and you are to be commended for raising such a fine son, what a great young man he is. I thought I had something going where my Canadian friend, Stiltskin, might be coming for a visit, and thought we couls make a tour south, but he's no can do. We will put something together soon, I hope.

Best regards, and enjoy the music!
Dan

islandmandan June 26, 2009 14:53

What a great guy to visit. Dan is a dedicated audiophile who knows how to get the "absolute sound". After hearing his table/arm/cart combo, I now know what's possible from a VPI Scout. Superb set up. The Dynavector XX2 rides the grooves perfectly.
The Tannoys are beautiful to look at, but the music which they produce is heavenly.
Sitting in Dan's room feels like you are in an opera house, bar, concert hall or studio. The music is clear, tonally balanced, dynamic, without a hint of boomyness or harshness. Rarely have I heard such a worldclass set up.
Thanks for inviting me, Gjrad and my son into your home. You are a gracious host and an asset to the audio community.
I hope to see you again on the island or in Oregon.
Enjoy the music.
Michael

oregon June 26, 2009 04:37

System edited: Added new photos.

islandmandan June 20, 2009 22:25

System edited: After extensive listening to the new (old) custom Tannoys, I have been a bit disappointed in their sound. Lacking in bass, and clairity in the mids and highs. Last night, I decided to do some moving about with them. I moved them back about 10", and spread them slightly from how they were. I made sure they were positioned the same distance from the wall behind, and from the side walls, as well as the same distance to each speaker from the listening seat. The result was improvement such as I've never heard in a system by merely repositioning the speakers, in over 40 years in this hobby! The bass is much improved, as would be expected from moving them closer to room boundaries, but what really surprised me was the clarity, transparency, detail and coherence I was hearing. Imaging is much better, closer to the excellent Dynaudio Contour 5.4's they replaced, which were imaging champs. I am very pleased with how the old Tannoy's sound now, and my expectation is that they will only get better as I overhaul the crossovers with new caps and resistors. Thanks for looking, and enjoy, Dan

islandmandan June 20, 2009 18:20