This is my living room system. Mostly used for background music rather than critical listening, I want to balance hifi performance with livability. Since the speakers are unique, my other equipment selections were made to compliment the Tannoys. The GRF Professional was a forefather to the current Westminster. It uses a 15" Monitor Gold dual concentric driver in a large back-loaded horn cabinet. It's one of the largest cabinets Tannoy sold - only the rare Autograph Professionals with 2 x 15" drivers per cabinet were larger. These cabinets have sufficient volume to generate Stygian bass. While not exactly neutral, they compensate by sounding very natural, combining gorgeous tone with colorful harmonics. I'm especially fond of these speakers.
I use this system 80% of the time, because it's in the living room where it can be enjoyed while doing other activities like reading, eating, and socializing.
15" Monitor Gold drivers in original back loaded horn cabinets. These are large speakers, nearly the size of a kitchen refrigerator. http://www.ominous-valve.com/big_spkr.html
Lamm Industries M-2.1
200wpc hybrid power amplifier. I bought these for my main system. While listening first on the Tannoys, I was pleasantly surprised at how well they matched the speakers. They bring a welcome sense of balance to the Tannoys.
System edited: Added Lamm M2.2 power amps, replacing the Ayre. I bought the Lamms for my main system. While listening first on the Tannoys, I was pleasantly surprised at how well they matched the speakers. They bring a welcome sense of balance to the Tannoys.
@Rikkert1978, regret the long delay. The Morrow is a fine speaker cable, but in no way to be mistaken for higher offerings from PAD. The PAD cables have a distinctive flavor - quiet, black background, explosive dynamics, and deeper bass. Still, the Morrow cables are fine, with errors of omission rather than coloring the sound.
I'm glad to see you've successfully located your speakers in their new position(s). My custom 12" HPD's didn't sound their best until their backs were 50"+ from the rear walls, and 41" (from the side of the cabinet). I feel lucky my wife tolerates this, otherwise I'd be up the proverbial creek.
I made progress with the speakers in their new location. The bass sounded muddy and lost that colorful tone when I moved the speakers across the room. They were first located too near the rear and side walls, for aesthetics. As I moved the speakers around, the bass cleaned up the further they were moved away from the walls. Now they are almost 3 feet from the back wall, and almost 2 feet from the nearest side wall. The front of the speakers are almost 5 feet into the room. Although they are further in the room than I prefer, the sound is back and as clear as before, and the speakers will stay where they are.
System edited: The new room layout still doesn't sound as good as I remember the former layout. The main culprit is my Steinway piano (in its new location) resonating like crazy, energized by the Tannoys. The piano is physically farther removed from the speakers, but now on the centerline of the room. I suspect there is a major bass node here. There are other loose objects in the room that seem to be energized by the speakers, too. This is an example of how the room dominates sound below 200hz. Steps taken to treat the piano include adding an insulating foam board and cardboard sheet over the large sound board, draping a wool rug over the top, and placing pillows beneath the bench to dampen vibrations. Before this treatment, the piano rang for a solid 3 - 4 seconds after hitting the 'pause' button, finally decaying to silence. Now, the reverb time is around 1 second. This was a huge improvement resulting in much better sound.
System edited: Updated with some system changes. Moved speakers across the room, to either side of the fireplace. Replaced Marantz 8B with Ayre power and pre-amps (yes, this was a counter-intuitive move). Added my first DD turntable. Will update later when I have a clearer picture of the results, but these are my first impressions... Moving the Tannoys to a different wall and rearranging the furniture was a benefit in terms of aesthetics and enjoyment. Unfortunately the move comes with a cost - sound took a step back with the bass losing tone, color and articulation. The Ayre amplification is a significant move towards better sound. The Tannoy golds come alive with more power. Also added Venustas speaker cables. Reminds me of why I love the PAD sound, even products beneath Dominus bring me closer to the event.
I listened Scott's system tonight and I can say it had some of the most "tunefull" base I've ever heard. Congrats....now let's get some vinyl spinning.
I know you are enjoying your music, as another Tannoy user, music is an experience with them, one that is unmatched by any other loudspeakers I have lived with. Great with a good tube amp, too.
System edited: Auditioning Ayre pre and power amps, and new living room layout. The Ayre gear moves the system towards a more contemporary hifi sound: tighter more powerful bass and deeper extension, and more transparent overall. The solid state gear is a benefit in the living room - no warm up required and less anxiety about a guest being burned by exposed tubes or poking around. This has nothing to do with sound. Solid state is simply more pragmatic here... Interesting contrast with the vintage gear - two different perspectives on my music.
Checked out your pictures of your system for the first time. I LIKE it. Tannoy GRF pros are a special and rare beast, Sansui tuner and Marantz tube. You have taste and Great minds really do think alike. Well Done
