Yes. Thats what even i thought...
Amplifier suggestions for Tannoy Turnberry GRs
- Thread starter Miany
- Start date
Yes. Thats what even i thought...
I have placed the order for Sugden A21SE Signature.....
Also, on the speaker front, there has been a change... Will be listening to the Turnberrys only once i move to my new place.. that will take another 5-6 months i believe.
For the time being, since i have a smaller room, i have decided to buy a smaller speaker. Ordered Q Acoustics Concept 40 from Hifimart.
I will post the listening impressions once everything is setup. Thanks Everyone!!
Also, on the speaker front, there has been a change... Will be listening to the Turnberrys only once i move to my new place.. that will take another 5-6 months i believe.
For the time being, since i have a smaller room, i have decided to buy a smaller speaker. Ordered Q Acoustics Concept 40 from Hifimart.
I will post the listening impressions once everything is setup. Thanks Everyone!!
panditji
Well-Known Member
Waiting to hear your feedback.
With your stated musical tastes, I would expect you to be pleasantly surprised by what these small floor standers can achieve . They show how closely, mass manufactured hifi in a cheap country like China, with a world wide distribution chain can achieve. As compared to hand built in expensive countries and distributed via boutique dealers to a very limited deep pocketed audience. Atleast I was
With your stated musical tastes, I would expect you to be pleasantly surprised by what these small floor standers can achieve . They show how closely, mass manufactured hifi in a cheap country like China, with a world wide distribution chain can achieve. As compared to hand built in expensive countries and distributed via boutique dealers to a very limited deep pocketed audience. Atleast I was
Honestly, I am not expecting much from concept 40s except for a fatigue free listening. As you said, lets hope that i will be elated by their performance. I have seen some really positive reviews though...
Slightly off topic.. but i want to share this....
In the hunt for amplifier, i got in touch with a Gentleman representing a high end brand via Email. He had no options in my budget; but was generous enough to suggest some slightly used gears from the brand he represented. We had couple of email exchanges initially and i certainly gave his options some serious thoughts before finalizing on Sugden.
He sent me couple of Email reminders which i completely missed. He thought I was ignoring him and sent another email asking me about my decision since he needs to work on getting those items for me, in case if i am interested. I saw this email and apologized for the delay and told him that i have gone for another brand.
He asked if he could know the brand that i went for and the reason for the same. He was specifically concerned if someone had told me that his products were not worth giving consideration. He said he had encountered such issues in the recent past from some Indian dealers.
I replied saying that i was going for the Sudgen A21SE Signature and that no one had really forced me to take that call and that it was purely based on the information and reviews that i could collect.
What surprised me was his reply. He said "Great! Lovely amplifier.. Had one myself"
Apart from his gentlemanliness, it certainly said something about Sugden itself.
In the hunt for amplifier, i got in touch with a Gentleman representing a high end brand via Email. He had no options in my budget; but was generous enough to suggest some slightly used gears from the brand he represented. We had couple of email exchanges initially and i certainly gave his options some serious thoughts before finalizing on Sugden.
He sent me couple of Email reminders which i completely missed. He thought I was ignoring him and sent another email asking me about my decision since he needs to work on getting those items for me, in case if i am interested. I saw this email and apologized for the delay and told him that i have gone for another brand.
He asked if he could know the brand that i went for and the reason for the same. He was specifically concerned if someone had told me that his products were not worth giving consideration. He said he had encountered such issues in the recent past from some Indian dealers.
I replied saying that i was going for the Sudgen A21SE Signature and that no one had really forced me to take that call and that it was purely based on the information and reviews that i could collect.
What surprised me was his reply. He said "Great! Lovely amplifier.. Had one myself"
Apart from his gentlemanliness, it certainly said something about Sugden itself.
Friends,
Setup everything as given below..
Aries->Yggy->Sugden A21SE Sig->Q Acoustics Concept 40
Initial impression - first few minutes - Nothing to write about.... pretty disappointed to be honest... very narrow sound stage and vague imaging.... no base whatsoever... just hearing sound.. thats all... i did not sit further for listening and went on with some personal stuff.. the system was left playing though..
After 30 mins - noticed some really drastic changes... the sound stage is now wide open with pin point imaging as well..... and as for base, though improved, nothing to rave about...
After 1 hour - noticed that i have not removed the foam plug from the base port of the speaker. Removed that, adjusted the placement a bit and now lets talk about base.... nice punch with a smooth extension as well.... just the right amount of sweet base...
After extended listening, these are my impressions
- Tube like holographic imaging. ( Attribute of Class A?? maybe..Something similar i have experienced with Schiit Freya in Tube mode and ATC SCM 19 Actives).
- Midrange - Now.. this is a revelation, lets say the best i have heard in my home. Male/Female vocals are on another level. For eg, Zhao Peng in the album "Greatest Basso", especially in the song "The moon represents my heart", never sounded this real to me. I have heard that particular track in so many different setups and this was a definite step up from my previous best experience. NATURAL is the word here!!
- Base - absolutely nothing to complain about here... just the right amount to base... then again, am not a bass head. Others may find the setup lacking in base.. not sure...
- Highs - Good detail and really airy.. but absolutely non fatiguing....
and now finally the most important aspect - MUSICALITY - Lets just say that every music lover needs to hear a Sugden.. thats how good it is.... it just pulls you into music... as for a comparison, I had an ATC SCM 19 Actives before which was more on the analytical side, rather than enjoying, some times i ended up finding faults with the recording or other equipment in the chain....In terms of sheer musicality and listening pleasure, Sugden+Concept 40s will easily beat the more expensive SCM 19 actives....
I need to mention about the pace and timing as well... listened to some of the foot tapping numbers, which i normally would skip after a few seconds... Concept 40s are not that "agile" speakers is what i could gather from most of the reviews. But the way Sugden made them literally "dance" was astonishing! For me, this is a really fast amp..
Now the negatives..
- I think Sugden needs at least 15-20 mins of warm up before any serious listening..
- Might be a little lacking in detail and is definitely not that last word in refinement. (Not sure, if this observation has got more to do with Concept 40s as i have never experienced Sugden with any other speaker)
- Base... may be a problem for some (Again, something to do with the concept 40s?, not sure).
- Gets pretty hot due to Class A design. Have to be really careful if kids are around!!
and finally the most important question - Will i buy it again in similar circumstances? YES, ABSOLUTELY YES! As i said before, if you love music, you have to listen to Sugden or a Pure Class A amplifier at least once ( My only class A experience is with Sudgen)...You may not feel like gaining anything, but will definitely be able to recognize the missing parts in your music for sure....
The present room, where i have made the setup has got some flaws.. i have got a another room, though smaller, with some acoustic treatments done (this was my dedicated listening room before).. I am planning to move the entire setup to that room.. will post if there are any improvements/degradation to sound after that..
And finally a word about concept 40s - absolutely wonderful speakers.. dont let their smaller footprints fool you.. these things can make some really good music, absolutely worth every penny... I had a small issue with them though, the DAC speaker cables that i bought had banana terminations and these were not getting tightly fit into the speakers... had to remove the banana plugs and use the base wire to the connection. Though not much of an issue sound-wise, but definitely wasted my time. I am not able to understand why a standard banana plug connector would not fit properly to these speakers. Any concept 40 owners experienced this issue before?? or maybe i screwed up something, dont know!!
Setup everything as given below..
Aries->Yggy->Sugden A21SE Sig->Q Acoustics Concept 40
Initial impression - first few minutes - Nothing to write about.... pretty disappointed to be honest... very narrow sound stage and vague imaging.... no base whatsoever... just hearing sound.. thats all... i did not sit further for listening and went on with some personal stuff.. the system was left playing though..
After 30 mins - noticed some really drastic changes... the sound stage is now wide open with pin point imaging as well..... and as for base, though improved, nothing to rave about...
After 1 hour - noticed that i have not removed the foam plug from the base port of the speaker. Removed that, adjusted the placement a bit and now lets talk about base.... nice punch with a smooth extension as well.... just the right amount of sweet base...
After extended listening, these are my impressions
- Tube like holographic imaging. ( Attribute of Class A?? maybe..Something similar i have experienced with Schiit Freya in Tube mode and ATC SCM 19 Actives).
- Midrange - Now.. this is a revelation, lets say the best i have heard in my home. Male/Female vocals are on another level. For eg, Zhao Peng in the album "Greatest Basso", especially in the song "The moon represents my heart", never sounded this real to me. I have heard that particular track in so many different setups and this was a definite step up from my previous best experience. NATURAL is the word here!!
- Base - absolutely nothing to complain about here... just the right amount to base... then again, am not a bass head. Others may find the setup lacking in base.. not sure...
- Highs - Good detail and really airy.. but absolutely non fatiguing....
and now finally the most important aspect - MUSICALITY - Lets just say that every music lover needs to hear a Sugden.. thats how good it is.... it just pulls you into music... as for a comparison, I had an ATC SCM 19 Actives before which was more on the analytical side, rather than enjoying, some times i ended up finding faults with the recording or other equipment in the chain....In terms of sheer musicality and listening pleasure, Sugden+Concept 40s will easily beat the more expensive SCM 19 actives....
I need to mention about the pace and timing as well... listened to some of the foot tapping numbers, which i normally would skip after a few seconds... Concept 40s are not that "agile" speakers is what i could gather from most of the reviews. But the way Sugden made them literally "dance" was astonishing! For me, this is a really fast amp..
Now the negatives..
- I think Sugden needs at least 15-20 mins of warm up before any serious listening..
- Might be a little lacking in detail and is definitely not that last word in refinement. (Not sure, if this observation has got more to do with Concept 40s as i have never experienced Sugden with any other speaker)
- Base... may be a problem for some (Again, something to do with the concept 40s?, not sure).
- Gets pretty hot due to Class A design. Have to be really careful if kids are around!!
and finally the most important question - Will i buy it again in similar circumstances? YES, ABSOLUTELY YES! As i said before, if you love music, you have to listen to Sugden or a Pure Class A amplifier at least once ( My only class A experience is with Sudgen)...You may not feel like gaining anything, but will definitely be able to recognize the missing parts in your music for sure....
The present room, where i have made the setup has got some flaws.. i have got a another room, though smaller, with some acoustic treatments done (this was my dedicated listening room before).. I am planning to move the entire setup to that room.. will post if there are any improvements/degradation to sound after that..
And finally a word about concept 40s - absolutely wonderful speakers.. dont let their smaller footprints fool you.. these things can make some really good music, absolutely worth every penny... I had a small issue with them though, the DAC speaker cables that i bought had banana terminations and these were not getting tightly fit into the speakers... had to remove the banana plugs and use the base wire to the connection. Though not much of an issue sound-wise, but definitely wasted my time. I am not able to understand why a standard banana plug connector would not fit properly to these speakers. Any concept 40 owners experienced this issue before?? or maybe i screwed up something, dont know!!
I have moved the entire setup to a smaller room (12 * 12) from a my earlier room, which was much bigger. The current room has heavy curtains behind the speakers and on one side of the room. I have my CD rack on the first reflection point on one wall and sound diffusers on the opposite side. I have sound diffusers installed behind my listening position as well. The floor has got a thick carpet, along with bass traps on 2 upper corners.
Despite having these, i somewhat struggled to get the sound right (right as per my ears). Have tried moving the speakers back and forth and sideways multiple times. Also played around quite a bit with toe-ins. After almost 2 weeks, settled in one position, where i believe the sound is pretty balanced now. Those of you who are planning for new abode and are into music, i request you to get yourself a pretty decent sized room for listening. It matters a lot!! Thank God i have not opened my Turnberrys in this room before .
As for the sound, the speakers have had decent burn-in and it really shows. What i feel is that the sound is towards the warm side of neutral. The base that these speakers produce is just phenomenal. Its not that punchy, but the decay is just beautiful (may be has more to do with the Sugden). The instrument separations are great to hear, but stitched together in a very musical way. But i really struggled to get everything together in my room. As a reference, setting up the ATC SCM19 actives along with Schiit Freya Pre-amp was pretty easy. I guess the ATCs are not that picky when it comes to placement, maybe due to their sealed box enclosure....
Since i liked the sound signature of the Sugden A21SE Signature, i have already ordered their flagship integrated - masterclass IA4. I guess it will be a good match with my Turnberrys and hopefully, i wont be having to trouble you guys more with my questions.
I will post my listening impressions of the IA4 once i get it.
Despite having these, i somewhat struggled to get the sound right (right as per my ears
). Have tried moving the speakers back and forth and sideways multiple times. Also played around quite a bit with toe-ins. After almost 2 weeks, settled in one position, where i believe the sound is pretty balanced now. Those of you who are planning for new abode and are into music, i request you to get yourself a pretty decent sized room for listening. It matters a lot!! Thank God i have not opened my Turnberrys in this room before . As for the sound, the speakers have had decent burn-in and it really shows. What i feel is that the sound is towards the warm side of neutral. The base that these speakers produce is just phenomenal. Its not that punchy, but the decay is just beautiful (may be has more to do with the Sugden). The instrument separations are great to hear, but stitched together in a very musical way. But i really struggled to get everything together in my room. As a reference, setting up the ATC SCM19 actives along with Schiit Freya Pre-amp was pretty easy. I guess the ATCs are not that picky when it comes to placement, maybe due to their sealed box enclosure....
Since i liked the sound signature of the Sugden A21SE Signature, i have already ordered their flagship integrated - masterclass IA4. I guess it will be a good match with my Turnberrys and hopefully, i wont be having to trouble you guys more with my questions.
I will post my listening impressions of the IA4 once i get it.
Am curious about your findings as well. I used to own the A21a original more than 10 years back. At that time the view was that the a21 was really what the Sugden design was about and the masterclass were bigger versions with better casing and some design tweaks to handle 4 ohm loads better.I have moved the entire setup to a smaller room (12 * 12) from a my earlier room, which was much bigger. The current room has heavy curtains behind the speakers and on one side of the room. I have my CD rack on the first reflection point on one wall and sound diffusers on the opposite side. I have sound diffusers installed behind my listening position as well. The floor has got a thick carpet, along with bass traps on 2 upper corners.
Despite having these, i somewhat struggled to get the sound right (right as per my ears
As for the sound, the speakers have had decent burn-in and it really shows. What i feel is that the sound is towards the warm side of neutral. The base that these speakers produce is just phenomenal. Its not that punchy, but the decay is just beautiful (may be has more to do with the Sugden). The instrument separations are great to hear, but stitched together in a very musical way. But i really struggled to get everything together in my room. As a reference, setting up the ATC SCM19 actives along with Schiit Freya Pre-amp was pretty easy. I guess the ATCs are not that picky when it comes to placement, maybe due to their sealed box enclosure....
Since i liked the sound signature of the Sugden A21SE Signature, i have already ordered their flagship integrated - masterclass IA4. I guess it will be a good match with my Turnberrys and hopefully, i wont be having to trouble you guys more with my questions.
I will post my listening impressions of the IA4 once i get it.
Do check out the Naim, ASR, manley and macintosh as well if you can. These have known synergies with Tannoy
Though i have not heard A21a, that is very different from A21SE (as per various reviews). I am not sure about the technical changes that went in; but many users found that be a step up from A21a in terms of overall SQ. Agree that there are many loyal A21a followers even now.
I really love A21SE for what it is. In a nutshell, Masterclass IA-4 is just more of everything that A21SE offers (as per reviews, can confirm once i get a chance to listen to them). Again, not sure how much of difference i will be able to make out with the concept 40s. I wont be able to hook up IA4 with the turnberrys as of now. Thats a worry. Anyway, i have already pulled the trigger on IA-4, i genuinely hope that i wont be disappointed. I believe masterclass series is not just about better casing and tweaks for handing 4 ohm load. In fact, in one reviewer was specifically concerned about the slightly resonant top-plate of IA4. Hopefully, they have fixed that by now
. IA-4 has got a better pre-amp section too with improved channel separation. Yes. I did consider other amplifiers. Infact, almost zeroed in on MA252 from McIntosh. But wanted to try class A amplification and know what the fuss is all about.. so far, i have been mighty impressed.
I have found few guys using IA-4 and Tannoys in other forums, who are quite happy with the synergy. How i wish dealers offered few day trials at home for us, it would have made everything easier. I would not have minded paying them too!! Now, every purchase (be it high-end or low-end) is driven by other user inputs/experience and your-own instincts. I know there is a chance that i might be wrong with the pairing of IA-4 with Turnberrys. But cant help it. It can happen with any other amp that i purchase. But, in this case atleast, i have had some experience with its younger sibling, A21SE. lets hope that i will be happy with IA-4.
panditji
Well-Known Member
Looking forward to your assessment with the Turnberrys... Have always wanted to hear a Sugden with Harbeths and Tannoys.. do keep us posted..Even I was eyeing the MA 252 but lack of funds have postponed the decision...
I got a pretty decent deal on MA252. PMed you.. Please check... I remember you mentioning the same when we talked over phone sometime back.
Sure. Will post listening impressions... BTW, Is it possible for me to upload videos in here? if YES, how?
oracle1974
Well-Known Member
There is a pre-owned one available ( at least their website says so)
Preowned — AV Lounge
avlounge.in
ajuvignesh
Well-Known Member
Eagerly waiting for your updates @Miany
Also, any idea how Sugden A21SE compares against Schiit Freya + and their Aegir combo?
Unfortunately, my experience with schiit gear does not include aegirs. I used Yggy + Freya to drive SCM 19 Actives. It was good.
But I liked Sugden A21SE driving Q acoustics concept 40s more. For me, it was more musical and involving, without any compromise in resolution.
I would strongly recommend trying out A21SE.
ajuvignesh
Well-Known Member
Thank you so much
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