Tannoy Turnberry SE - with McIntosh

[Haurock]

JJinID, JMSlaw..

Thanks for the kind feedback gents.. .. much appreciated...

[Haurock]

Just an update... picking up the Turnberry`s tomorrow for a head to head audition with the D38R`s... I`ll keep you all.. posted.. might even through in a few pics!!!..

[enit]

Great!

[Alberto]

Originally Posted by Haurock

Has anyone paired Tannoy Turnberry's with McIntosh SS Amps?

I'm toying with replacing my ProAcs with a pair of Turnberry speakers. Any feedback would be welcome.

I am late to the game, but I wanted to add that I've become a huge fan of Tannoy. Not just for their classic looks, which are quite polarizing, but I really like, but for their concentric speaker arrangement. I my relatively small room, the fact that all frequencies originate from practically the same point has made a huge difference in imaging, coherence, detail, etc.

If I had a bigger room I'd definitely consider the Turnberries since they sounded even more delicious than my little Sandringhams. Having seen the photos of your room, I believe you are going to be thrilled with the Turnberries.

Keep us posted. I am excited for you.

Alberto

PS In terms of looks, no speaker I've ever owned or seen - not even Tannoy - looks better to me than my Guarneri Homage on their pedestal. But the Homages fell a bit short on the "deliciousness" scale compared to the Tannoy. Probably because due to the smaller enclosure and driver, those all-important mid-bass frequencies were a few decibels shy of that satisfying mid-bass "hump" that adds so much body to music.

[Doug Lax]

Alberto,

Have you ever had any experience with the Tannoy supertweeter that matches the Sandringham's? I woulld love to hear your perspective

[Haurock]

Thanks Alberto... I am quite looking forward to it.. I was wondering if you might add a comment.. I know you`ve gone to Tannoy with your Shindo..and we`ve hardly heard from you since ...

I have to agree the Garneri`s are outstanding eye candy, quite a bit more so than the Tannoy`s.. in fact SF whole Homage line is.. beautiful.. I`d gladly own any of that line...

[Alberto]

Originally Posted by Doug Lax

Alberto,

Have you ever had any experience with the Tannoy supertweeter that matches the Sandringham's? I woulld love to hear your perspective

Hi Doug.

I don't have experience with the Tannoy supertweeter. It's an addition I would consider if, and only if, I could articulate something missing from what the system is giving me and I can't.

As I've mentioned in other posts, my current system has achieved something that I thought would permanently elude me. I can't call it perfection, because nothing is perfect. Nor can I call it the best, since I haven't heard every possible system out there. But I call it "The Right It" - a great combination that leaves me wanting for nothing more.

With some other systems I've owned, I had - perhaps - more detail, more accuracy, more X, more Y, more Z, ...

But there was always something, however small, nagging at me. Usually it had to do with being able to sound pleasant and delicious with less-than-perfect recordings. It's like having a very small pebble in your shoe. It's a small thing but it keeps nagging at you.

I accepted that this was a fact of audiophile life and that I'd have to live with it.

The Shindo + Tannoy combo, on the other hand, sounds delicious and fully involving with every recording I have - EVERY SINGLE RECORDING (of those I care to listen to anyway.)

I give credit to the Shindo Tannoy combo and not my front end (MDA1000 and Thorens/SME/Clearaudio for vinyl) because I haven't changed those at all.

Bottom line, if you think that you system is missing some "sparkle" at the high-end, you should test drive the supertweeters, otherwise, just enjoy the already spectacular and smooth Tannoy higher octaves as they are.

Alberto

[Alberto]

Originally Posted by Haurock

Thanks Alberto... I am quite looking forward to it.. I was wondering if you might add a comment.. I know you`ve gone to Tannoy with your Shindo..and we`ve hardly heard from you since ...

Yep, having a fully satisfying system makes it less urgent and compelling to come to AA to discuss possible new purchases, but it's still my favorite forum because of the people in it - and I am always a message away if you have specific questions.

Looking forward to your pictures and impressions!

Alberto

[Haurock]

I managed to get the new Turnberry's home by 2:30 yesterday afternoon, and had them hooked up in place of the ProAcs. Brand new out of the box, the Tannoys, sounded stiff and somewhat muffled as one might expect with speakers not yet broken. They sounded good, but my first reaction was they are going to have to open considerably, to even get close to the ProAcs. Since we had dinner plans, I thought I'd let play throughout the evening and reassess then. My wife was less than enthused. So not a good sign.

We returned late last night and I sat back to listen for a bit. Things had improved marginally, but essentially the Tannoys still sounded flat. I stopped to check the manual to see what if anything they'd have to say. First, I learned that they suggest at least 20 hours of solid playing for the speakers to break in. So, okay that I expected. I also discovered that they are rated for 8 ohm impedence. I knew that I was using the 4 ohm taps for the ProAcs, so I made a quick switch. The. I turned the system back on and went to bed to let the speakers break-in some more.

By the time I got back,down into my room this morning, the Tannoys has been running for a good 15 hours, so I hoped to hear some difference. I did, quite a bit in fact. The tightness and muffled sound I had heard the day before has lessened considerably and the sound was much more musical, much more appealing. A decent soundstage had evolved. So time to re-hook the ProAcs to see how much of a difference there still was. Was quite surprised to hear that the difference was now very subtle. The Tannoys were easily holding their own.
They are certainly a more laid back speaker compared to the ProAcs as if they were meant for the listener to sit back and just enjoy the music. My impression is that they are not quite as detailed (dynamic?) in the higher frequencies as the ProAcs, but they are warmer in the mid-range and lower frequencies. Remarked to my wife that the sound was more natural, though she looked a bit bemused by that comment she certainly felt that they had opened quite a bit and were now rather pleasant.

I left them on all day today, letting them break in more and more (as I did a bit of outdoor yardwork) and by late afternoon, they were beginning to really grow on me. I did one more comparison between my beloved ProAcs and the Tannoys, listening to Vivaldi's Four Season, Jesse Cook and some Joe Bonamassa, and found the Tannoys to be quite engaging.

As I am writing this Steely Dan is playing sounding rather very good, the ProAcs have very reluctantly been boxed up and they will be heading to the dealer tomorrow in exchange for the new Turnberry's.

The Tannoys certainly do complement my listening room and very much look the part as it were. Found them rather easy to place in comparison to the ProAcs, which had caused me quite solemn frustration.

I wouldn't say the Tannoy's are better. The ProAcs are damn good speakers and I know there are days they will be missed. Yet, I won't say the ProAcs a better than the Tannoy's. These Turnaberry's work very well with McIntosh electronics and seem to me to be little warmer, a little more informality and relaxed and seem to invite me to sit back relax and just groove to the music. That's what I've been doing for the last 3 hours and the night is young yet!

[tntman]

Hi,

Im about to purchase a pair of Turnberry SE as well, however after today's audition, i found that I had to sit with my ears level to the tweeter for the mids and highs to shine through, otherwise they sounded dull. I noticed getting the correct toe in helps with sound stage. Do you have any issues?

It's been a few months since you've owned the Turnberrys. Has there been any updates on your experiences?

Thanks for sharing the info!