David, it is clear to me that your experience (lack of hands-on with 12" DC's notwithstanding), and knowledge of Tannoy drivers far exceeds my own.

I have been extremely surprised by how well my SET is able to drive my HPD's, but, as Charles is known to state, much depends on the transformers in the given SET.

Actually, the surrounds on the HPD's were of "Tanoplas", a foam material that would disintegrate after 10-15 years, and have to be replaced. After replacing the cones with the hard edge conversion, and subsequent long run-in of surrounds and spiders, both the bass and midrange were noticeably improved. These surrounds are the same as in the current Prestige line of Tannoy speakers.

With the SET driving the Tannoys, I find myself closer to experiencing live music, or a greater emotioal connection to it, if you will, than I have had with any other amplifier I have used with them. The rated sensitivity of these HPD's is 93-94 db's, which puts them within the useful range of many SET amps.

I have no way of knowing if the modifications made on my drivers had any effect on their ability to be driven by low-power SET's, I just know I get more enjoyment from music listening when the SET is in use, than when it is not.

Gentlemen, best regards,
Dan

islandmandan October 26, 2014 19:59

Thank you David, I appreciate your kind words. The plinth was indeed a labor of love.

I bought my first Tannoys back in 1971 (12" Monitor Golds), which I used in a large room in a cedar log home I built here on the island (Whidbey, in Puget Sound), which were in rather poorly constructed plywood cabs that were easily excited by resonant frequencies.

After a long hiatus from Tannoy, I decided I had unfinished business with them. I sold my Dynaudio Contour 5.4's, bought my HPD's on ebay UK, and set about making the best pair of bass-reflex speakers within my ablities and budget.

I have happily succeded, and feel there is nothing left for me to do but enjoy music for the rest of my days. It's a good feeling.

I have actually never heard anything but 12" versions of Tannoy DC speakers, but being familiar with the capabilities of the 12" MG's in a large room, I decided to stick with what I knew, fearing the 15" woofers might be a bit slow and lethargic. I guess those fears are unfounded, but I may never know, I don't get off my island home very often these days, and know no other audio folks on the island, even after 43 years here.

Nice talking to you, enjoy, and regards,
Dan

islandmandan October 25, 2014 15:32

David, I haven't commented on your great system, as I suppose I felt somewhat intimidated by the extraordinary high quality of your components.

However, I'm also a fan of vintage equipment (Garrard 401, ca 1975 Tannoy HPD 315 12" Dual Concentric drivers in custom enclosures), which grants to me the most enjoyablr listening at home in 40+ years in this hobby. I've had to do more with less resources than some, but for me, this is as good as it gets.

I find your Siemens horns to be quite impressive, and coupled with the Lamm amps, must be incredibley fine to listen to.

I like your small-room system too, regards, and enjoy (I know you are!),

Dan

islandmandan October 24, 2014 15:38