And islandmandan,

musicophile September 06, 2016 12:23

Thanks Islandmandan,

musicophile September 06, 2016 12:22

Musico,

islandmandan September 06, 2016 10:30

I have done some upgrade lately that I am really pleased with.

musicophile September 06, 2016 06:12

Thanks for your reply. It's not likely we will be visiting each other, a pretty vast distance between us. The thought was good, though.

Keep up the enjoyment.
Dan

islandmandan March 16, 2014 11:59

Dan: I would digg to visit your home and listen to your setup. I am afraid that the Atlantic is between our music. I live in Norway. Give me a hint if you are visiting Scandinavia.

musicophile March 16, 2014 09:18

Bayreuth: I find your reflections interesting, but I am not sure if I can contribute with anything new. If your living room can make the Canterbury sing, and your partner does not stop you, I think Canterbury most be a dream. However, Kensington GR is really sweet in the midrange; as you write.

Manley 300B with some negative feedback, mostly 3dB, gives deep bass and dynamic swings. Yet, when I compare to Snappers they are a little more dynamic. However, I prefer 300B for the extra midrange magic, natural bass and organic presentation of music.

musicophile March 16, 2014 09:15

Jack Smith: Congratulations with a fantastic amp, Snappers. The 300B preamp is not a huge upgrade compared to Jumbo Shrimp, but it has the extra "there-factor": A little more of presence and magic.

musicophile March 16, 2014 09:07

Hello Musicophile,

Thought it was time to revisit your thread, and after catching up, it has made me extremely curious as to how our speaker systems, both with 300B SET amps, might compare.

Not that I am into any sort of competition, just a very curious sort, perhaps you can relate. If you don't mind disclosing, what part of the country are you in? I'm in the Pacific Northwest (Western Washington State) If possible, it might be entertaining to meet, great, and listen.

Best regards,
Dan

islandmandan March 02, 2014 13:58

Beautiful system. I also have the Manley Neo-Classic 300B SE/PP amps and the Manley Neo-Classic 300B Preamp in my system. I've been contemplating changing to Tannoy Kensington GR versus Canterbury GR, and I'm not sure which would be optimal with this set-up for my listening tastes. Both the Kensington and Canterbury sound great, but many people think the Kensington has a slightly sweeter and more natural midrange. I have an average sized listening room, about 18 X 24 feet, and listen at moderate sound levels, mostly opera, classical, symphonic, and some jazz.

I suspect the Canterbury is more dynamic and has somewhat stronger and more extended bass, but that huge 15 inch low frequency driver can be harder to control with a lower powered amplifier. The Kensington may actually be a better match for the Manley 300B amps. I totally agree with your comments about use of negative feedback. Minimal levels of negative feedback can really help tighten up bass response. I generally prefer 2-3 db negative feedback with my current speakers, otherwise some bass control and definition is sacrificed.

I noticed that Tannoy changed the minimum amp requirements for the new Kensington GR in recent literature, lowered to min 20 watts per channel, and the sensitivity is a little higher (~94 db) compared to the previous SE version (~93 db). Minimum recommended amp power for the Canterbury GR remains 50 watts per channel.

Can you share any comments on the dynamic capabilities of the Kensington GR with the Manley 300B amps? I'm looking for excellent macrodynamics and microdynamics, transparency, accurate vocal reproduction, tonal purity, and superb imaging. I think the Kensington GR could be ideal. Thanks!

bayreuth March 02, 2014 06:17

I just bought a set of Snappers and they should be here next week. Just wondering how you like yours and also was 300b pre a huge upgrade. I have a Decware CSP2+ but was thinking of a Shrimp for price and synergy but was curious your thoughts on the 300b. It may be out of my range but is it a huge upgrade over what you had. Thanks

fsmithjack February 07, 2014 07:50

System edited: A picture of the complete system

musicophile January 17, 2014 03:14

Thank you Arj. I can imagine Leben making beautiful music with your Kensington.

I have never compared head-to-head Canterbury SE with Kensington SE or GR, but I have heard them in different setups. My impression is that Canterbury sounds huge, an enveloping sound that is like a big hug. Maybe it is just a rationalization, but I have the idea that my living room could not house these big mothers. However, the magic in the midrange with voices are all there with Kensington :-)

musicophile December 27, 2013 02:45

Congratulations ! looks like a really great sounding system. I believe the Drivers in the New Prestige GR series have been further refined and hence the improvement
Asking out of curiosity , were you able to compare the Canterbury SE with the Kensington GR ?

arj December 21, 2013 06:30

Yes Charles, I agree. And, we both agree about single-ended amps being bliss :-)

I have not yet had an opportunity to listen to a Complete Coincident setup. I will grasp the first opportunity given me.

musicophile December 18, 2013 06:39

Musicophile,
What you wrote is perfectly logical and borne out with practical experience.
My SET amplifier is a zero feedback design and I absolutely love it with my
speakers. However these Coincident speakers were designed from the
onset with the goal of being compatible with zero NFB amplifiers. It's
obviously advantageous when amp and speaker share the same designer-
builder. In your case given the different design of the Tannoy it's very
reasonable that a very small amount of NFB could be quite beneficial. It
really depends on the characteristics of an individual speaker to determine
if it would response favorably to NFB. I do believe that in
"general" the less
NFB the better the sound will be. Your Manley amplifier certainly provides
increased flexibility with a larger pool of speakers and allows you to tailor
and fine tune as necessary.
as needed.

Charles,
Charles,

charles1dad December 18, 2013 04:59

Charles1dad: Yes, you are right Kensington are flexible when it comes to amplifiers. However, there are some caveats: With the Manley 300B SE/PP Kensington, both SE and GR, plays best with a slight dose of negative feedback. I love the possibility to play with negative feedback to tailor it just right with a specific speaker. Kensington sings effortless with 11 single-ended watts when they are adjusted with 3-4 dB negative feedback. It is an interesting experience cause it is not difficult to hear: when you reach 3 or 4 dB negative feedback it just sounds right. If you turn it up, they sound compressed and if you turn it down they sound sloppy. For me this has been a learning experience, cause I do not any longer believe in ideological statements as “zero feedback”, “simple design” as always best; it depends on the speaker! Some feedback may just be the magic-powder that makes music in your specific setup. I also like Kensington when played in push-pull configuration; it gives a subtle but nice dose of oomph without loosing all the magic. I guess I like the possibility to change now and then between SE and PP.

musicophile December 18, 2013 00:53

Islandmandan: The GR is showing its strength every week. I have had them only for a month, and Tannoy DC elements are known for extremely long burning-in periods. However, GR seems to be a bit more refined, smooth and transparent, yet keeping all the fun stuff as dynamics, boldness and live-feeling that I loved in SE. GR seems also to have more punch in the bass.

musicophile December 18, 2013 00:41

Charles, right you are! My HPD's have never sounded less than good, with all the amps I've tried on them, with the exception of my first tube amp, a Sophia Baby.

Aragon 3002 (modded 300Wpc SS) upgraded VAC PA 35.35, and the current Assemblage 300B SET, which is by far, the most musicalcally fulfilling combination. It makes me curious what a cost-no-object SET 300B would sound like.

Maybe in my next life. This is really pretty good, though, so I'm not complaining at all.

Regards,
Dan

islandmandan December 16, 2013 15:04

Musicophile,
It's interesting to read that you, Dan and reviewer Jeff Day (PFO) report such sucess with a 300b SET driving the Tannoy speakers. All three of you used good push pull amps(Manley, VAC and Leben respectively) prior to the SETs. This runs counter to those who insist the Tannoy isn't efficient enough for SET and requires more power. It seems this speaker(at least some models) is more flexible than it's given credit for. All three of you seem to be very pleased with the combination.
Charles,

charles1dad December 16, 2013 13:46

Hello Musicophile,

Been a while, you've made some nice changes. How do you like the GR version of the Kensingtons?

Since our last posts, I have changed to SET 300B amplification, and in the last week or so, I put new EML 300B XLS power tubes in, and the difference between them, and the very nice sounding Chinese mesh-plates, is like night and day.

So much more like real music, it is shocking. Charles1dad put me onto them, I was thinking about the Talatsuki's, but at less than half the price, I can't recommend these EML's highly enough.

I'd like to hear your thoughts on your new Kensington GR's.

Happy Holidays, and regards,
Dan

islandmandan December 16, 2013 12:56

Sorry guys; I have not been active lately. Here are some late responses:

Audiophile333: I actually like both Winged C and Black Treasure, but the next set will be Winged C.

Manley 300B SE/PP have enough power for Kensington in both SE and PP configuration. When I play RnB I like best PP, but when I play sing-and-songwriter and jazz i love the SE configuration. The Leben preamp is great, but Manley 300B preamp excels in holography and midrange magic.

Richidoo: Thank you, you are right I am happy with my system. However, I do not agree with you. In my setup I do not hear limitation because of the output transformer. I hear difference between PP and SE, and both has their charm. But more import, in SE configuration it is not limited compared to other great 300B amps I have heard. I prefer the 300B amp to the Sanppers on Kensington.

musicophile December 16, 2013 10:00

System edited: Some changes in the system: Primarly the Kensington SE is changed for Kensington GR :-)

musicophile December 16, 2013 09:52

Hi Musicophile,
How would you compare you Manley 300b
RC preamp to the Leban with your Snappers and Neo Classic 300b Tube amps? Also, Is the 10 and 20 watts from your 300b tube amps enough power to drive the Kensington's properly?
Thanks

audiophile333 August 30, 2013 15:14