Tannoy Canterburys now on Granite Plinths.

[NZ421291]

Had an issue with my Tannoy Canterburys.

We had new carpet installed recently (solution dyed nylon as I am a bad asthmatic & cannot have wool carpet) that is quite thick, so the weight of the big 15" Tannoy Drivers & their ALNICO Magnets means that the front of the speaker sinks into the carpet- up to 10 degrees so that the drivers direct the sound downwards- its so bad that sometimes it sounds as if the bass player is playing under the concrete floor pad.

I had to move them slightly all the time to make them level, but after a few days they sink into the carpet again- really mucks up the soundstage.

I have seen other Canterburys sitting on wooden plinths, but decided to try Granite Plinths with big spikes to see if they solved the issue.

A fellow audiophile out in Titirangi (West Auckland) makes Granite Plinths & commissioned him to make a pairfor me. Picked them up on Saturday- VERY heavy.

Set them up & took a listen- amazing difference!

First off, the speakers were LOUDER- previously head banging volume was 70 on my McIntosh C2300, now 60 is loud enough. The sound stage returned to making sense- in fact it was subjectively wider- and no more bass player under the concrete pad. But the biggest difference was the subjective increase in bass response- more, better defined & timing show big improvements. Treble detail also showed a big improvement- probably due to both the tweeters now pointing ahead, not down, and the fact that the speaker is also lifted approx. 50mm higher due to the thickness of the plinth.

They also look good.

I can see why Sonus Faber uses heavy plinths for some of there speakers, the improvement is astounding.

Strongly recommended for any floor standing Tannoy speaker.

[Washline]

Glad that worked out for you. I was considering adding a granite plinth under my speakers also, but I figured that with a concrete floor, I didn't really need it and I prefer to have my speakers more stable on cones. But I can see this would be a vast improvement to what you were dealing with on the carpet.

[John49]

Originally Posted by NZ421291

Had an issue with my Tannoy Canterburys. We had new carpet installed recently (solution dyed nylon as I am a bad asthmatic & cannot have wool carpet) that is quite thick, so the weight of the big 15" Tannoy Drivers & their ALNICO Magnets means that the front of the speaker sinks into the carpet- up to 10 degrees so that the drivers direct the sound downwards- its so bad that sometimes it sounds as if the bass player is playing under the concrete floor pad. I had to move them slightly all the time to make them level, but after a few days they sink into the carpet again- really mucks up the soundstage. I have seen other Canterburys sitting on wooden plinths, but decided to try Granite Plinths with big spikes to see if they solved the issue. A fellow audiophile out in Titirangi (West Auckland) makes Granite Plinths & commissioned him to make a pairfor me. Picked them up on Saturday- VERY heavy. Set them up & took a listen- amazing difference! First off, the speakers were LOUDER- previously head banging volume was 70 on my McIntosh C2300, now 60 is loud enough. The sound stage returned to making sense- in fact it was subjectively wider- and no more bass player under the concrete pad. But the biggest difference was the subjective increase in bass response- more, better defined & timing show big improvements. Treble detail also showed a big improvement- probably due to both the tweeters now pointing ahead, not down, and the fact that the speaker is also lifted approx. 50mm higher due to the thickness of the plinth. They also look good. I can see why Sonus Faber uses heavy plinths for some of there speakers, the improvement is astounding. Strongly recommended for any floor standing Tannoy speaker.

Now you just need Stillpoints between Tannoys and granite plinths...

[DavidA]

I did something similar with my Kensington's on carpeted floors... Subdude II's. Immediate differences in bass, removing the tubby-ness, and a clearer focusing of the soundstage.

[GWNG8]

Never understood why tannoy put such poor bases on such fine speakers

[JSCC]

Originally Posted by GWNG8

Never understood why tannoy put such poor bases on such fine speakers

So its not so expensive to buy. The rest is a afterwards you can add-on" accessory.

Seriously, I do agree that Tannoy should build the Granite/Marble plinth as a package IF they want to maintain the vintage design of old.

[GWNG8]

Will I didn't mean they needed to put expensive bases on but at least ones that are stable and more befitting of the rest of the speaker. The prestige series are hardly frugal