Tannoy LGMs: Do you know anything about these?

Yes, I agree. Tannoys are very revealing. The main problem here is the issue of the driver misbehaving. The uncontrolled resonance, for example, is a fundamental flaw...without even getting into the subtly abrasive steel-like presentation of the hf driver. For an example of this, put on your favorite recording, sit back, and turn up the Tannoy. Notice those shrill peaks in the music that sound like something shouting at you? Typically, those aren't coming from the recording. Also, Tannoy's original cabinetry is just horrible....and that includes the later HPD series and the LGM units. Trying to stuff a 12" driver into a small cabinet is just plain ridiculous. Moving the drivers into better cabinetry certainly allows them to breathe and our tests have shown that the driver will perform much better under those circumstances, but without destroying the unit with modifications(which I'm sure would be pointless)...the Tannoy has incurable problems that make it intolerable for me to listen to. When you are living with a speaker like this, it's easy to fall in love with it. Even more so if your ears are not very sensitive to high frequency distortions. However, as I pointed out earlier....your body will tell you how aggressive the Tannoy really is if you sit down with a truly natural set of loudspeakers and do a comparison. You will notice tension in your neck and muscles that you didn't even realize was there will relax and you can actually for the first time sit back and enjoy the music...rather than being smacked in the face by it. That is why I stand by the comment that I made to the author of the thread when he originally asked for opinions....Tannoy LGMs(which I have spent time with) are not recommended.

 

I think the issue of needing to move the drivers to larger/thicker/otherwise different enclosures has been grossly over-played; there's a few well-disseminated opinions about that being necessary on the Web that have somehow become "the truth." I almost went there myself before realizing it was not necessary. Simply tuning the enclosure port properly (to 44 Hz as the Thiele-Small parameters for the LF driver would indicate - augmented by careful listening comparisons at different tunings, which confirmed 44 was dead on) did the trick for me. No shouting/squawking etc, even at high volumes. In my experience, they are HIGHLY port sensitive - off from the optimal, they either get flabby (you may get a little more low bass with a lower tuning, as some have suggested using, but tonally nothing else sounds right) or harsh if the tuning is too high . If you never tried Tannoy Lancasters with a proper port tuning, then you haven't heard what the speakers can do in my opinion.

Why people approach these Tannoy drivers with undue mystique, like somehow the usual rules that govern enclosure size and port tuning don't apply and we need to do all kinds of bizarre things like mega-huge enclosures is beyond me. For every other driver in the world (well except unusual cases like Klipschorns), people build reasonable, normal size enclosures, tune the port properly and bada boom, done.

 

Well, I'm not too far from you. Sometime I wouldn't mind dropping by for a listen if I happen to be traveling in your area. If this interests you, send me a PM. By the same token, if you'd like to come by my place and hear the system I've come up with....you're more than welcome to.

 

Every one should own a pair of Tannoys at some time in their audio life.
The bigger and older the better.
Driven by a moderate valve amp they have a fabulous grip which reveals all of the vital mid band of a recording, this is where music lives.
The voice.

Roger

 

Please fill out your profile as completely as you can so we can get to know you.

 

Hi,

This is an old post but I think it is still relevent today
I have to agree with audio and so it seems the harshness of the Tannoy's is not that weird. It are indeed the shrill peeks and steel-like presentation of the hf tones that are annoying me more and more over the years.

Tannoy DC2 Sensys are the speakers I have been listening to for more 4 years now and yesterday I have decided to replace them. I have put them on www.2dehands.be ...

Kind Regards

 

What are you replacing them with?

 

Audio
Perhaps Guyana is too humid for Tannoys.......
As for ESL 57 's being forgiving they are only with a slow amp otherwise every fault is relentlessly spotlighted.

 

@sloopjohnb

I'm not certain yet but i'm seriously considering JBL880's as a replacement for the Tannoy DC2's

After reading the JBL880 review on stereophile.com, I think those are the speakers I am looking for.

From the article "Congratulations to the JBL design team for having brought a speaker of this quality to the masses"

But in Belgium they are pretty hard to find so we will see how that goes.

Kind Regards

 

Very old thread, so this might not be seen but, just in case (and this comment is subjective, of course): I have and still used Tannoy LGMs, both the coveted 10" and the 12" I own personally. The 10" versions, modified with Mastering Lab crossovers and powered by a modified Yamaha P2200, are extremely detailed. I agree with "Audio" regarding the harshness, but ONLY when driven too hard. For someone who likes to monitor pretty loud, these are not a good choice. If, however, you keep them at a moderate level, they are not harsh at all. The 12" versions, un-modded, that I have, do not seem to have the same harshness at higher monitoring levels, but might not have quite as much detail.

Regarding the bass response, they do not reach down as far as a larger driver might and certainly not as low as a traditional sub and is. I have found, however, that mixes translate well, probably because I am familiar with them and my brain compensates accordingly.

For what it's worth, the 10" LGMs, modded and driven as described above, are the mixing monitors of choice for Al Schmitt and Bill Schnee, who put out some pretty great sounding records. Obviously, there are other fine mixing engineers who have their own favorites so, in the end, it is what one prefers subjectively, gets used to and gets good individual results.

 

Heard them. They are on the thin and bright side and very forward with the mids. Very in your face sound. They aren't a bad speaker. Just not as balanced as I like. The above comments were right on. Monitor Red, Golds and HPDs are where it is at. Pulling out a little more base and loosing some efficiency as you move down that line. Never will understand how people dislike the Golds. They are amazingly good speakers. Thrown in modern cabinets are just incredible.

LGMs however are an altogether different thing. Personally I'd pass on them at a grand there are others speakers I'd rather run.

 

I've been auditioning a pair of LGM 12's with a McIntosh C20 and a AES SE-1 amp with Cetron 300b tubes. The sound is very different than anything I currently own. My initial impression was they were a little harsh when at higher volume but very full, particularly in the mid range. Bass response was not overly pronounced. I am playing LP's through a Rega RP3 turntable.

What other monitors should I consider?

My listening experience is more modern as I have a Musical Fidelity A5 amp coupled with Bowers and Wilkens 803s speakers.

Any advise?