Tannoy Monitor Gold 15" DIY Enclosure Building (GRF & Bass-Reflex)

[@AudioNostalgia]

To find out more about this Tannoy GRF DIY project, please visit my website: audionostalgia.co.uk/tannoy-grf-diy-project/.

[@markhull9156]

Respect! Sometime in the late 70's or early 80's I built ducted port corner speakers for a pair of 15" 16 ohm Tannoys, modifying the company's design for a rectangular box similar to yours. My work didn't measure up to yours, but they sound pretty good even today. I also found it necessary to add fiberglass damping material; even so, they unload badly somewhere around 35 hz. I'm out of time tonight but plan to visit your website soon. Thank you for sharing this. Good work.

[@3star2nr]

Slothful leave the guy alone at least he tried. He was trying to replicate the vintage speakers didn't like how they sounded so he enhanced them. Watch the other videos the speakers sound incredible. He built it himself and did a fine job. He didn't just buy some expensive gear and posted a video. Good job man, I'm in the process of building my first pair of speakers myself. I'll be sure to leave one side removable so I can tune it after watching this video. Good job man a real inspiration to diyers

[@wqpeb]

Brastu, you are most correct.Now that I think back, it has been so very often that I have been told that my own Tannoy drivers would be best saved for the day when I get a tube amp.Mine are 12 inch Golds from 1969. I do remember trying them on a NAD transistor amp with around 100watts/channel and they sounded disappointing. Must be the superior flexibility of the Tanoplas surround making them very compiiant and of course the bass reflex design of the cabinets made for them.I see your point about concert levels. Also dynamic range and maybe CD over vinyl at times.I am too stick in the mud to give up a great turntable and well made vinyl.Will wait for a good tube amp. Must get busy building some good cabs....Using a pair of original Allison One speakers with the transistor gear.They like the muscle. .

[@Phedrus1975]

Awesome work there, fella.!

[@Sebastian-wx4jc]

Thank You for sharing! I really like Your honest approach and admitting that first attempt did not work! I imagine not all DIY guys would do😉! Great help with my upcoming enclosure project😄!

[@AudioNostalgia]

Thanks for your kind words. Yes, these GRF cabinets really did not work with original MG15 crossovers. Also, at the time my knowledge about XOver design was rather limited (still is TBH) and I did not have a way to do gated measurements of these speakers. Considering the effort that went into building the enclosures, it would have been nice to have more technical background to troubleshoot why these did not sound good. What are you building? 😁

[@Sebastian-wx4jc]

My knowledge is only amateur too🤣. Yet thinking about trying these Barkley cabinets. HPD 385 playing in „temporary” cabs right now and I am sure they can deliver more😉😄!

[@AudioNostalgia]

Plans for the back-loaded horn enclosure came from the internet with my modifications to keep the horn the same but increase wall thickness. When this have not worked, I have used T&S parameters and calculated the bass reflex enclosure using WinISD. I will send you more details to you email address. Cheers. PS. Congrats on MG15's - probably one of the best buys in your life :)

[@hongliak3129]

I am jealous of your home garden with space to do the wood works.

[@AudioNostalgia]

Hi Krazymekon, Thank you for you comment. The aperture could be placed anywhere on the front wall. Dimensions of the bass reflex port were calculated using T&S parameters of the driver units in the WinISD software. They could be easily calculated on the paper, however, it is just easier to use the software. I still need to measure the speaker impedance (probably using Speaker Workshop Software by Audua) to make sure the resonance frequency is where I wanted it to be. Best regards, Brastu

[@captrajesh]

Very nicely documented. Well done.

[@keplermission4947]

Well done he says - it would have been appreciated if you were a Tannoy speaker builder yourself. See the real thing before you jump to conclusions - the work involved in Tannoy speaker cabinets is the work of complete masters in wood, no amateur could ever hope to make such a cabinet.

[@hi-fihaven2257]

Great video, great work, great speakers!

[@AudioNostalgia]

Thank you.

[@e3befree]

Excellent build man! Kudos

[@AudioNostalgia]

Thanks! It was OK under the circumstances I was in at the time. I would have probably made a much better job of it right now.

[@ArcadeDude44]

Amazing job, congrats.

[@solange49solange68]

Swietne wykonanie!

[@老jin7]

これがまさしくGRFの音😊

[@wqpeb]

Imagine the sound with tube gear.That's what these speakers are made for. Talk about sweet! And with just 5 or 10 watts/ch.room filling sound.

[@keplermission4947]

Ha Ha - no. Tannoy are not exactly for 'tube gear', not just any tube gear. Tannoy had their own amplifiers and weren't very helpful to people outside their 'old school tie' and gentleman's club backgrounds, they were for toffs.

[@AudioNostalgia]

Kepler Mission No, of course not. It has to be tube gear developed for Royal Navy officers, using cryogenically frozen NASA valves. They are only two amplifiers in the world that you could connect to Tannoys to make them sound good...

[@AudioNostalgia]

Hi and thank you for your comment. I have watched both of you wilson audio videos - thank you. I've recently moved, therefore I have a larger room and will be looking at making some spikes. With regards to the cables, I have tested various models and never heard any difference on my speakers, therefore, I will stick to what I've got. Best regards.

[@guitarsofold100]

I did the same thing converted with a pair in a factory built GRF by AWA TO BASS REFLEX Melbourne in 76'

[@AudioNostalgia]

Interesting! What made you do it?

[@bartvanransbeeck1341]

I made copy of tannoy autograph from plans in revue de l'audiophile', and used for most parts 12mm multiplex , only base and top 18mm..and no damping , wow it sounded top , no projection , sound like in the room space ...nomore speaker sound...backloaded and front loaded corner horn

[@robbert571]

Nice video, I fully agree with the rectangular experience. I also build a bass reflex, now corner GRF. The corner GRF surpassed both the rectangular GRF and the Bass reflex.

[@AudioNostalgia]

Thank you. Did you make any crossover adjustments when placing drivers in the Corner GRF? I think this is where I gone wrong - I used the Monitor Gold crossover that was meant for closed and ported cabinets. Perhaps some adjustments were necessary to ensure the frequency areas boosted by the horn are balanced with other frequencies.

[@robbert571]

@@AudioNostalgia I used the K3838 from the DMT. Series. Yes I made a change in the highs used an auto transformer to control the highs energy

[@robbert571]

I see I made a MISTAKE, this is the driver I used in the corner GRF 3833GG, same as in the DMT 15/215 and the Churchil

[@thomothomo1078]

The GRF rectangle is a dud design.Mine went on the scrapheap.You get too much mid bass and no low bass and worst of all the reverse phase coming out of the back of the driver and causing all sorts of phasing problems which screws up the imaging and soundstage.As others have said a 250 -300 litre ported or Onken style box is much better.Really good actually.

[@AudioNostalgia]

Thanks. Here you go: Amplifier: Yamaha A-S2000, CD Player: Yamaha CD-S2000

[@AndrewNeilBaird]

That's the only time i've ever seen a "her indoors" smiling whilst leaning on mancave monitors 😂😂😂

[@AudioNostalgia]

Hi Xjevxbz, Thanks for you comments! Regards from UK

[@edwardbarr1533]

Oh look at those Magnificent Drivers , they ‘ll still be here when Coronavirus hasgone

[@boeingman777]

Very nicely done. :)

[@geraldobrandi8280]

Serviço fantástico! Parabéns 👏👏👏👏!

[@SKYENET-zy2cn]

I always wanted to build something like that

[@angu1338]

Thanks for explanations and music sample! great job! I bought a couple of gold 15 and have a crossover without adjustment. I built a backloaded horn similar to yours but experience the same problem, no deep bass. according to one homepage Tannoy recommends a bass reflex enclosure of 300 liter, but yours are smaller and works anyhow. would you recommend converting the horns or built new 300 liter bass reflex?

[@camerahanam8516]

I want to buy 2 of your 15 '' drivers,

[@JV-nt9bp]

Good job.

[@petermay1219]

How can a loudspeaker control the current flowing through it, should it really control the current?

[@johnchris8931]

Hi Brastu , nice work and appreciations for your effort to share your work . I have 2 tannoy GM15 and i'll star soon the cabinet assembly buy i do not find the crossover detaills . I'd like the type of crossover you use in your cabinets . Any ideea to have the schematics ? Thanks !

[@johnchris8931]

I have read it already from long time ago . I have seen you use old type of crossover . Anyway i think i''ll make the upgrade model . Thanks .

[@keplermission4947]

John Chris Don't make any upgrade (Euphonic Distortion) make it exactly as Tannoy make it. No huge solid capacitors, no OFC copper wire, no Sanyo SXM-8000/ Leak Sandwich blocks of wood - just do exactly what Tannoy do, you're making Tannoy speakers - no foolish novice upgrades to rival the boffins.

[@AudioNostalgia]

John Chris The schematics for the genuine MG15 x-over can be found on Troels Gravesen's site - just Google the name.

[@AudioNostalgia]

Kepler Mission If you are talking about modern Tannoy gear - I totally agree with you. But if you are taking about the gear that is over 40 years old, then you could not be more wrong. Speakers were made during different time periods, and businesses often used materials that were accessible and commercially viable at the time. If you want to enjoy the vintage HiFi you have to put some work in it. Even the greatest cabinet will not be used to its full potential with poor quality thin copper cables and over 40 years old electrolytic capacitors...

[@AudioNostalgia]

Thank you :)

[@alscott]

Hi - I have a Tannoy silver 15 dual concentric driver with crossover, and would like to ask if ANYBODY could suggest a suitable size enclosure for this type of driver? I am thinking from 150-200 litres and up? Any help or suggestions are greatly appreciated, cheers.

[@jangounchained5279]

Expo horn , modified to be bass-reflex at the end ! 🤷‍♂️

[@hulkrj6336]

have one for hpd 15 ¨ and would love the dimensions of Cabinet. Thanks!!!

[@keplermission4947]

It's ten times harder than this to make a Tannoy speaker cabinet. Brastu has not done enough preparation and has been eager to get a project finished for You Tube. He has got a You Tube video and that's good but the Tannoy speaker cabinet is something many just wouldn't finish, it's a completely awesome undertaking even for a master craftsman - hence the price.

[@AudioNostalgia]

Hulk Rj I can send them to you if you contact me through private message. I don't think they will be any good for you though. The size of the bass-reflex port was calculated for my drivers, based on their TS measurements. Drivers' TS parameters were measured using added mass method. The impedance curve of the finished enclosure was then measured to ensure that port is tuned to desired frequency. Long story short, you would have to measure your HDP drivers, and build ported cabinets based on these measurements. I would not rely on the parameters from the internet. Drivers' TS parameters vary between each other, especially vintage ones.

[@AudioNostalgia]

Kepler Mission How do you actually know how hard it is to build Tannoy cabinet, have you ever attempted it yourself? Also, not knowing me, you are able to tell how much preparation I have done and how eager I was... wow?! What a lot of rubbish! Surely, Tannoy have skilled carpenters and their upmarket speaker cabinets look mint. But these are not made on the moon by NASA... It is wood work. Any decent carpenter would be able to make the cabinets of the same quality as Tannoy. My degree wasn't in carpentry, hence, I probably will never be able to match the quality of genuine Tannoy products. This does not mean that I cannot try and enjoy it in the process... "... - hence the price" Seriously? Tannoy is a business as any other company. And businesses exist to make profits. If there is a cheaper way or a quicker way of achieving the same results, I am sure that Tannoy, same as any other business, would choose this way. Tannoy prestige range is great but, it does not cost 14,000 pounds to make Tannoy Canterbury speakers, no doubt about it. It probably does not cost more than 4,000 pounds in materials & labor. Part of price probably goes to marketing so, people can believe that these speakers are for Royalty and Royal Navy officers. Then you have overheads on top of that. The rest of it is a profit margin...

[@Landotter1]

...... Well, anyway, I thought your craftsmanship was outstanding, and cutting angles with a skill saw.... You are way more brave and skilled than I am! I don't even like cutting angles with a table saw, let alone, a skill saw.... I think ya done good bro! Oh, and.... cute gal ya got there! :-D

[@etr32901etio]

classic music only 😊

[@pijoterqa8286]

Świetny odważny projekt , i jednak na sztywnym zawieszeniu nowe membrany? nie wolałeś 3149 zrobić ? nie słuchałem alnico ale ponoć na ceramice lepiej grają mam 3149 po pełnym remoncie oraz 3808 teraz w open baflle na aktywnej zwrotnicy coś pięknego

[@AudioNostalgia]

Dzieki. W tamtym okresie bardzo podobaly mi sie MG15 a wtedy nie mialem dostepu do innych przetwornikow.

[@brothermax9159]

Hi. where did you get the speaker cover fabric and the tannoy badges?

[@AudioNostalgia]

Hi. At the time I purchased it on eBay UK. Not sure if these are still available.

[@chengo51]

I am not faliliar with this driver, why do you need a filter in there ?

[@aleksn78]

Hello is there a Cabinet plans for bass reflex ?

[@keplermission4947]

No plans for bass reflex, no plans at all. You have to read books on speaker cabinet wooden joints and they're not very nice books - they'll make you angry for sure, because you'll never be able to make them without a lifetime making professionally crafted wooden cabinets, that's a fact. Can anybody make a coach built Rolls Royce? - No, Tannoy cabinets are the same in woodwork.

[@AudioNostalgia]

The size of the bass-reflex port was calculated for my drivers, based on their TS measurements. Drivers' TS parameters were measured using added mass method. The impedance curve of the finished enclosure was then measured to ensure that port is tuned to desired frequency. Long story short - no plans, just bespoke enclosures to suit my drivers.

[@blacky_HD]

Kepler Mission perhaps you think these Tannoy speakers cabinets are made by UFO and no one else but them can do it...

[@keplermission4947]

What some call 'the ancient Inca room of sound and energy' does appear completely fascinating to me almost as if made by a UFO. The problem with bass horns is that the panels mustn't vibrate, that's why we need the special joints. But the Inca - Paracas stone works are truly diverting, such artifice - thanks Gastón.

[@KO3AKKRIVOYROG]

Nice

[@jangounchained5279]

Is that exponential horn ? Or transmission line ?

[@AudioNostalgia]

Tannoy GRF enclosure is an exponential horn construction.

[@mischadickerhof5375]

The old GRF rectangular is crap. The «real» thing is the compound horn «corner GRF»... still one of the best sounding speakers ever!

[@назарназаров-с1ч]

Я не пойму зачем ГДШ фильтр нужен ?

[@puzirew]

Вы бы хоть погуглили "Tannoy" сначала, прежде чем ерунду писать. Какие к черту ГДШ? Динамики Tannoy не широкополосные. Это двухполосные коаксиалы. Колпачок в центре громкоговорителя не бумажный, он тканевый, под ним скрывается высокочастотник.

[@назарназаров-с1ч]

А ты что такой умный ? А без Google, вы же лошары все. Интернет это как для двоишника шпаргалка.

[@puzirew]

Не груби. Google еще в проекте не было, когда я знал об этом факте, не надо ля-ля.

[@Square-Up-K5]

No way that port is doing what it's supposed to. I get that he was trying to salvage the project but no way did WinlSD recommend that.

[@AudioNostalgia]

I've not saved the documentation from that project, but from what I can see in the notes on my website, the port was indeed calculated based on the T&S parameters of the driver. At the time, I did not have the setup to measure the T&S parameters myself, hence I had to rely on what was available on the Internet. So the intentions to do it 'right' where definitely there, just not sure if the parameters I used at the time were aligned with the actual parameters of the drivers.

[@keplermission4947]

"He who is slothful in his work is a brother to him who is a great destroyer." -Proverbs 18:9 The work has serious errors in the wood and x-over because you didn't read all the books for the project. You were slothful and wasted the materials. You then found 35Hz was missing and bass was boomy. The mistakes in this project are glaringly obvious but hey.

[@AudioNostalgia]

Usually people who don't do much themselves, are the first ones to criticise... I'm more than happy with criticism, but make it constructive and specific. Not just generic phrases "error in the wood and x-over"... I also admire your seer's abilities... Without knowing me at all you are able to tell what I have read and what I haven't...

[@popebill]

Brastu; Thanks for posting the video. Kepler is saying you failed to read the Bible before you started your project. If you had you would know that, God commanded: "Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a speaker cabinet be mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee." Leviticus 19:19 It is glaringly obvious were smited with too much bass for using felt as a damper and Nylon speaker grill cloth. Slaughter a baby goat and let the smoke of the carcass flow through your ports. That will get you 35Hz. Kepler: "4 Blessed are the trolls for they shall inherit the comment boards and the internet shall be the kingdom of God. Fisting shall flourish on blue sites and comments strings. 5 Seek ye to be vague in your mocking reprobations. 6 Be generous with your insults and stingy with your insights. Those who ponder your premises shall be distracted from your shortcomings, 7 Spice your disdain with scripture, fill your quiver with the admonitions of the prophets and your mental masturbation shall be rigorous and lofty. 8 Thus shall God, bless the fruit of your strokings. 9 Pornhub shall crash after each Sunday service has, thus will ye know the Christ has returned to claim his bride,.(for a quickie)" Sermon on the Rag- Book of Windbags 8:4.-8 The irony of a lazy and useless critique like "The mistakes in this project are glaringly obvious but hey." While simultaneously accusing someone of being being "slothful"is comedy gold. I think the most industrious people in the world are writing derisive comments about people's DIY projects. cutting and pasting bible verses about the sinful nature of idleness, with apocalyptic fervor. And the use of the term "great destroyer" being spliced into Keplers "constructive" antipathy is...sublime! (Holy rollers crack me up, it almost makes me sad that theism is in it's death throes, "but hey"...Thanks Kepler.)

[@Landotter1]

What did he do wrong?

[@SirEggbertfartalot]

all i would have said to Kepler is.......... Judge not, lest ye be judged ;0) but wait, I'm too late, Kepler has already been judged..... to be a troll