[Davy]

My hi-fi comprises mid-ranch components - Cambridge
Audio A5 amp; Tannoy Mercury F1 bookshelf speakers
(about 12" by 6" - driver about 5").

Recently I was given an old battered PA amp/speaker - a
Mega (London) AV 60 - probably 60 watt. Size 15" wide;
12" high, 10" deep. Unfortunately nothing on the
internet about it. The main speaker which is about 10"
diameter appears to be a paper cone. The tweeter is
quite large; it has a ring magnet. The cabinet is not a
horn. There seems to be no effort to seal around the
jacks at the back so is not a sealed unit

To test it I ran a line-in to it and placed it between
my Tannoy stereo speakers. I was blown away by the shear
pleasure of the experience. Its not hi-fi but
percussion, cymbols and twanged guitar strings have such
impact (transients, attack, or whatever its called). So
now its a permanent centre speaker of my hi-fi setup.

I am wondering if it performs so well simply cos its got
a bigger driver in a bigger box; and the box is not
sealed so the driver can really move?

Its not perfect; - the amplifier is noisy and the driver
rasps below 125Hz - which I assume is the paper cone
breaking up. But now I am wondering how a similar-sized
speaker would perform if driven from my amp? If I were
to build a cabinet of approx that size and stick a
couple of good drivers into it would I have a similar
but better experience?

Any constructive thoughts anyone?
thanks in advance for your help
DAvy

[GregS[_3_]]

In article . 145, Davy wrote:
My hi-fi comprises mid-ranch components - Cambridge
Audio A5 amp; Tannoy Mercury F1 bookshelf speakers
(about 12" by 6" - driver about 5").

Recently I was given an old battered PA amp/speaker - a
Mega (London) AV 60 - probably 60 watt. Size 15" wide;
12" high, 10" deep. Unfortunately nothing on the
internet about it. The main speaker which is about 10"
diameter appears to be a paper cone. The tweeter is
quite large; it has a ring magnet. The cabinet is not a
horn. There seems to be no effort to seal around the
jacks at the back so is not a sealed unit

To test it I ran a line-in to it and placed it between
my Tannoy stereo speakers. I was blown away by the shear
pleasure of the experience. Its not hi-fi but
percussion, cymbols and twanged guitar strings have such
impact (transients, attack, or whatever its called). So
now its a permanent centre speaker of my hi-fi setup.

I am wondering if it performs so well simply cos its got
a bigger driver in a bigger box; and the box is not
sealed so the driver can really move?

Its not perfect; - the amplifier is noisy and the driver
rasps below 125Hz - which I assume is the paper cone
breaking up. But now I am wondering how a similar-sized
speaker would perform if driven from my amp? If I were
to build a cabinet of approx that size and stick a
couple of good drivers into it would I have a similar
but better experience?

Any constructive thoughts anyone?
thanks in advance for your help

A general PA is going to emphasize middle range and through upper range
and is going to beam close up.

I kind of like the sound of big plywood boxes on rock myself.

Better to you may just mean that. You still lack any form of low end on
either.

greg

[Kalman Rubinson[_3_]]

More sensitive and louder. Of course, if you judge only on
kick and boom, it is better.

Kal
On Fri, 15 May 2009 10:13:19 -0500, Davy
wrote:

My hi-fi comprises mid-ranch components - Cambridge
Audio A5 amp; Tannoy Mercury F1 bookshelf speakers
(about 12" by 6" - driver about 5").

Recently I was given an old battered PA amp/speaker - a
Mega (London) AV 60 - probably 60 watt. Size 15" wide;
12" high, 10" deep. Unfortunately nothing on the
internet about it. The main speaker which is about 10"
diameter appears to be a paper cone. The tweeter is
quite large; it has a ring magnet. The cabinet is not a
horn. There seems to be no effort to seal around the
jacks at the back so is not a sealed unit

To test it I ran a line-in to it and placed it between
my Tannoy stereo speakers. I was blown away by the shear
pleasure of the experience. Its not hi-fi but
percussion, cymbols and twanged guitar strings have such
impact (transients, attack, or whatever its called). So
now its a permanent centre speaker of my hi-fi setup.

I am wondering if it performs so well simply cos its got
a bigger driver in a bigger box; and the box is not
sealed so the driver can really move?

Its not perfect; - the amplifier is noisy and the driver
rasps below 125Hz - which I assume is the paper cone
breaking up. But now I am wondering how a similar-sized
speaker would perform if driven from my amp? If I were
to build a cabinet of approx that size and stick a
couple of good drivers into it would I have a similar
but better experience?

Any constructive thoughts anyone?
thanks in advance for your help
DAvy

[William Sommerwerck]

It's not "better". It's just that its sound appeals more to your taste.

Most people don't want accurate reproduction -- they want pleasing
reproduction.

[Sean Conolly]

"William Sommerwerck" wrote in message
...
It's not "better". It's just that its sound appeals more to your taste.

Most people don't want accurate reproduction -- they want pleasing
reproduction.


Everytime I've bought home or car speakers I use the same process. Forget
the specs and the brands, just a find a showroom with a lot of choices and
listen to them all. I'll pick the best sounding ones that fit my budget, and
I've never been disappointed. IOW, use your ears.

Sean

[Harry Lavo]

"Sean Conolly" wrote in message
.. .
"William Sommerwerck" wrote in message
...
It's not "better". It's just that its sound appeals more to your taste.

Most people don't want accurate reproduction -- they want pleasing
reproduction.


Everytime I've bought home or car speakers I use the same process. Forget
the specs and the brands, just a find a showroom with a lot of choices and
listen to them all. I'll pick the best sounding ones that fit my budget,
and I've never been disappointed. IOW, use your ears.


I've got a thirty-year-old Panasonic stereo boombox in my kitchen that I
gave to my mother for her's, all those years ago. I picked it out the same
way....went to three stores, listened to everything they had, and picked the
one that had the most musical output and sonic integrity. It still sounds
better today than most of what I hear in the stores, on those few occasions
I stop to listen. And it has been utterly reliable as a nice side bonus.

More people should follow your advice....there would be less "churn" and
more happiness.

[Scott Dorsey]

Harry Lavo wrote:

I've got a thirty-year-old Panasonic stereo boombox in my kitchen that I
gave to my mother for her's, all those years ago. I picked it out the same
way....went to three stores, listened to everything they had, and picked the
one that had the most musical output and sonic integrity. It still sounds
better today than most of what I hear in the stores, on those few occasions
I stop to listen. And it has been utterly reliable as a nice side bonus.

More people should follow your advice....there would be less "churn" and
more happiness.

My mother was asking me about the Bose Wave Radio, since a friend of hers
got one. I told her to tune the old Philco in her kitchen to the local
NPR station, then go into the next room and see if she can understand the
words, then try the same thing with the Bose. She didn't buy one.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[Davy]

Well thanks guys for answering that you should go for
whatever sounds right.
Any one able to answer my question about building a
simple speaker to mimic the PA one?

DAvy

Davy wrote in
news:Xns9C0CA50828C41meremoveallthistextc@
216.196.109.145:

My hi-fi comprises mid-ranch components - Cambridge
Audio A5 amp; Tannoy Mercury F1 bookshelf speakers
(about 12" by 6" - driver about 5").

Recently I was given an old battered PA amp/speaker -
a
Mega (London) AV 60 - probably 60 watt. Size 15" wide;
12" high, 10" deep. Unfortunately nothing on the
internet about it. The main speaker which is about
10"
diameter appears to be a paper cone. The tweeter is
quite large; it has a ring magnet. The cabinet is not
a
horn. There seems to be no effort to seal around the
jacks at the back so is not a sealed unit

To test it I ran a line-in to it and placed it between
my Tannoy stereo speakers. I was blown away by the
shear
pleasure of the experience. Its not hi-fi but
percussion, cymbols and twanged guitar strings have
such
impact (transients, attack, or whatever its called).
So
now its a permanent centre speaker of my hi-fi setup.

I am wondering if it performs so well simply cos its
got
a bigger driver in a bigger box; and the box is not
sealed so the driver can really move?

Its not perfect; - the amplifier is noisy and the
driver
rasps below 125Hz - which I assume is the paper cone
breaking up. But now I am wondering how a similar-
sized
speaker would perform if driven from my amp? If I were
to build a cabinet of approx that size and stick a
couple of good drivers into it would I have a similar
but better experience?

Any constructive thoughts anyone?
thanks in advance for your help
DAvy

[Scott Dorsey]

Davy wrote:
Well thanks guys for answering that you should go for
whatever sounds right.
Any one able to answer my question about building a
simple speaker to mimic the PA one?

First find out what it is that you like about the PA speaker.

It's entirely possible that the more extended low end is most of what
you're liking, and you can quite possibly arrange that with the Tannoys
and a sub. It's really quite surprising what the added low end does to
make the sound more focussed.

It's also possible that the peakiness in the presence region is what you
like. In that case, I'd consider looking into a high grade speaker
system that is a little bit exaggerated up there, or one that can be
made a little exaggerated. You might be able to add a pad to the woofer
or midrange driver on an existing speaker if you want a little bit of the
smiley filter effect.

Go out and listen to live music, though. Unless you spend some time regularly
listening to live unamplified music, you don't really have a reference for how
things really are supposed to sound.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[William Sommerwerck]

Go out and listen to live music, though. Unless you spend
time regularly listening to live unamplified music, you don't
really have a reference for how things really are supposed
to sound.

At the risk of sounding rude, I don't think the OP is the least-bit
interested. The idea of "high fidelity" is meaningless to most listeners --
and most recording engineers, for that matter.

I recently purchased Rilling's version of Britten's "War Requiem" on
Hanssler. It is one of, if not the, best commercial recording I've ever
heard. It transparent, uncolored, and extremely realistic.

[Mike Clayton]

William Sommerwerck wrote:
I recently purchased Rilling's version of Britten's "War Requiem" on
Hanssler. It is one of, if not the, best commercial recording I've ever
heard. It transparent, uncolored, and extremely realistic.

William, This one piece of music (amongst many) that is missing from my
library. Could you please advise from where you purchased this recording?

Mike Clayton

[Davy]

(Scott Dorsey) wrote in
:

Any one able to answer my question about building a
simple speaker to mimic the PA one?

First find out what it is that you like about the PA speaker.

It's entirely possible that the more extended low end is most of
what you're liking, and you can quite possibly arrange that with the
Tannoys and a sub. It's really quite surprising what the added low
end does to make the sound more focussed.

Scott, what I like about the PA speaker is much as I said in my
original post. The shear pleasure of the experience even when played
at the same volume as my Tannoys. Applause, percussion, cymbols and
twanged guitar strings have such impact (transients, attack, or
whatever its called). Its like being at a live gig - not unamplified
sound but the exitement you would get from the groups amplified
equipment.
Two tracks for example: 'Hey Jude' sounds like Paul McCartney has just
stepped up to to a microphone in your own room. The rythmic drum
opening to Bruce Springsteens Philadelphia sounds like the kit is in
the room. In comparison the Tannoys (with my Yamaha 60W active woofer)
sound muffled, controlled, distant, boring.

Go out and listen to live music, though. Unless you spend some time
regularly listening to live unamplified music, you don't really have
a reference for how things really are supposed to sound.

'How things are supposed to sound'. I think that maybe the recorded
music I am listening to is not supposed to sound 'live unamplified'
but is supposed to sound the way that the audio engineer intended when
he mixed the track?

thanks for your thoughts
DAvy

[Laurence Payne[_2_]]

On Mon, 18 May 2009 15:27:05 +1200, Mike Clayton
wrote:

William Sommerwerck wrote:
I recently purchased Rilling's version of Britten's "War Requiem" on
Hanssler. It is one of, if not the, best commercial recording I've ever
heard. It transparent, uncolored, and extremely realistic.

William, This one piece of music (amongst many) that is missing from my
library. Could you please advise from where you purchased this recording?

Mike Clayton


Searching "britten war requiem rilling" on Amazon UK found it straight
away.

[William Sommerwerck]

"Mike Clayton" wrote in message
...
William Sommerwerck wrote:

I recently purchased Rilling's version of Britten's "War Requiem" on
Hanssler. It is one of, if not the, best commercial recording I've ever
heard. It transparent, uncolored, and extremely realistic.

William, this one piece of music (amongst many) that is missing from my
library. Could you please advise from where you purchased this recording?

I would first dig up reviews and decide if this is the (or at least a)
performance you want. (The consensus is that it's among the best, but if
your budget is limited, you might want to go with the composer's version.)

I hate to tell you this, but I got the recording for free from BMG Music.
All I had to pay was $4.59 in shipping charges. If your local dealer doesn't
have it, there's a lot of mail-order companies Arkiv, Presto, CD Universe,
etc.

[William Sommerwerck]

Go out and listen to live music, though. Unless you spend some
time regularly listening to live unamplified music, you don't really
have a reference for how things really are supposed to sound.

'How things are supposed to sound'. I think that maybe the recorded
music I am listening to is not supposed to sound 'live unamplified'
but is supposed to sound the way that the audio engineer intended
when he mixed the track?

That's correct. The "catch" is that the engineer heard the sound on
different speakers, with different electronics, in a different playback
environment. This is the fundamental aesthetic flaw in making recordings
that have little or no relationship to a live acoustic event.

[Scott Dorsey]

Davy wrote:

Scott, what I like about the PA speaker is much as I said in my
original post. The shear pleasure of the experience even when played
at the same volume as my Tannoys. Applause, percussion, cymbols and
twanged guitar strings have such impact (transients, attack, or
whatever its called). Its like being at a live gig - not unamplified
sound but the exitement you would get from the groups amplified
equipment.

You need to be more analytic than that. You need to listen to the parts
of the sound and take it apart. That's what engineering is all about.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[Mike Clayton]

William Sommerwerck wrote:

I hate to tell you this, but I got the recording for free from BMG Music.
All I had to pay was $4.59 in shipping charges. If your local dealer doesn't
have it, there's a lot of mail-order companies Arkiv, Presto, CD Universe,
etc.

No problem William, it's great to see a little generosity on people's part.

Acting on Laurence Payne's advice, I will consult with Amazon, from whom
we have had good service over a long period of time.

Mike Clayton