Is it true - Tannoy Cheviot cabinets the weak link?

I am considering a near mint example of these in ash.

Then someone mentioned how "bad" the cabinets on these were and I shouldn't touch them with a ten foot pole....find the innards and get your own boxes built he suggested.

Don't feel overly confident doing a project like that.

Is there something to this "theory" or is it mostly bunk?

Cheviot owners please advise....and all others who know!

Thank-you!

 

Totally true. I think they still sound decent it is just they can sound so much better.

Check out this page TANNOY Monitor Gold dual concentric speakers »

You have HPD drivers but you'll find info and cabinet designs for those on that page too.

The woofers will also probably need to be refoamed on those.

 

Thanks!

Woofs have been redone recently by known Tannoy shop.

 

The Cheviots can sound marvelous in stock cabinets. Personally I'd recommend updating the crossovers with good caps and resistors, and replacing the binding posts with something half-decent. Then provide amplification to taste and enjoy... They are easy to drive but also very responsive to amplification changes. I ran mine with everything from El84 or EL34 pushpull to 200watt class AB solid state, with 845 SETs and First Watt in between. They worked very well with everything. 12" HPD is sort of a wonderful sweet spot in Tannoys, IMO. Fast, extended, with great bass. Still have that big Tannoy sound but without bloat. I very much regret selling mine, and even more so, selling their smaller cousin, the Devons. There was something special about that speaker, about that tuning. Had enough bass to be satifying even in big rooms but the mids were something else. There are also various aternate crossovers that may be worth trying. I didn't get to do that with the HPDs but will eventually get to it with the Golds.

You can of course do better with custom cabinets and possibly, larger volume, although the latter isn't a must; it really depends on your listening space.

 

Thank-you!
My listening room is about 12 X 14....and I would be driving them with a Luxman L-480.
The owner (who is out of province) has stated that they are terrific in a space like mine.
My listening position is around 7 ft from the speaker.
Listen to everything from classical, to jazz to folk to blues to classic rock.

This would be a bit of an investment for me - read....about as much as I'll ever spend on speakers.
But I suppose if I felt the need at some point I could address the cabinet situation down the road.