Need Guidance - Active or passive crossover for Tannoy GM15

Anshul_J

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Are active crossovers with bi-amping(diy pure class A solid state) recommended for the Tannoy GM15s. or should I upgrade the
passive crossovers along with a good quality amp. Which option will bring the best out of the Tannoys. What are the advantages and disadvantages for both.
 
Are active crossovers with bi-amping(diy pure class A solid state) recommended for the Tannoy GM15s. or should I upgrade the
passive crossovers along with a good quality amp. Which option will bring the best out of the Tannoys. What are the advantages and disadvantages for both.

IMHO, forget about biamping 15 inch Tannoys as a means to obtain better sound overall.

The stock passive crossover is not the determiner of good or bad sound. It is always the AMPLIFIER you hook up to the Tannoy 15, that ultimately determines your ultimate performance level.

Disadvantages of biamping are several, which a single amp / passive crossover system avoids completely. Here are the truisms as "I" see it, that one can not get around........ IF seeking ultimate performance and excellence :


1) on a good system, the best way to biamp is to have EXACTLY the same amps on top, as you use on the bottom. This way, the time constants through the amps are identical. The timing of the speaker - amp system is identical, left fully intact. Few who biamp, ever even know to consider this. In stereo, ONLY use four channels of identical top and bottom amps. !!

2) Biamping adds an EXTRA active stage of amplification , that does not even exist, when a speaker is single amped.

It is like adding an ( un needed stage to an audio amplifier). Something ( fidelity ) is LOST, just by putting the signal from whatever music source, continuously, through the extra active stage. Less is more !!!

( A passive criossover can be considered an extra series stage also, but a simpler one, which can sometimes even be omitted. I use NO passive crossover on my 515B ALTEC woofer what so ever.........operate it full range. )

3) Biamping , requires and ADDS a whole extra set of Interconnects and RCA jack -to- Interconnect connections, physical interfaces, and their INHERENT losses of fidelity, into your audio chain. NO Interconnect / RCA jack / RCA plug combination, is truly transparent and perfect, lossless, in signal transfer. Keep this to a minimum in your chain.

4) Finally, VERY few ( to no ) amps exist in the commercial world, that are satisfactory to power a 15 inch Tannoy, or most speakers for that matter. Amps, and a lack of truly GREAT ones, are the real problem in audio.

It has been this way...... always. The speakers are OK, and it is always the amps that truly SUCK .* Be it amps either solid state or tube !!!!!!!!

( * Whenever I write this, hi fi people get alienated and defensive . The King's new clothes ! )

You need to start with an efficient speaker, I suggest 101 dB or above, and THEN find an amp. It is NOT an easy thing to do.

I have been at this quest ( " the good battle " ) for over four decades, designing and DIY amplifier building. It was not until 2019 and 2021, that I reached my goal in amplifiers - that would at least satisfy " me ".

Spend your time and money on " the good battle ", starting with choosing an appropriate speaker, and you are FINALLY on the right path in audio, assuming you seek the best possible, highest possible performance.

If the speaker is well chosen initially, and the amp is done brilliantly, one channel per speaker, not biamping, will yield the best possible sound.

It is easy to upgrade a passive crossover's parts, without adding extra stages to the signal path.

Get the amp right first , optimized, assuming you properly chose a 101 dB or higher speaker, with a large radiating surface ( a 15 inch, not 12 inch, low end driver. ). Horn loading of the Woofer and tweeter, and a compression driver top end, are all part of the equation to enjoy " best possible " performance.

My first ever adult audio purchase, in 1968 after Graduate School, were Tannoy Monitor Golds, in a GRF enclosures . That was the START of me realizing, commercially available to-the-public-amps were the saddest and weakest link in the entire audio chain. Highly inadequate , all of them, ... and sadly, even to this day in 2022.

What constitutes a great amplifier, is a different thread, worthy of a whole other discussion.

Jeff
 
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@drlowmu thanks for the detailed explanation. Tannoys are the speakers I have and I like them so will work with them. As far as amplifier goes the search continues.
 
Has anyone compared passive vs active crossovers on the same speakers. Looking for more insights from the experts.
 
Respectfully, I believe you are approaching higher performance with Tannoys in a wrong manner, and also in the wrong order.

1) What is the best sounding tube amp you can use with them, ........ always .......priority one.

( Likely, I would use the single new and well-received KT170 "Elegant Edition " tube. Have a 6E6P-E directly coupled into it. Just two stages, DCed, Single Ended, LSES supply. ) Wow !


KT170.JPG



2) What is the best sounding wire implementation you can use with this all, amps to crossovers, crossover to drivers ?

3) How to best position the speakers in your listening room, optimally.

ALL of the above three points greatly outweigh in importance, " active VS passive " crossovers. All three must be attended to....... before asking the questions and applying energy to a crossover implementation topic, ...... in my humble opinion.

Have fun.

Consider ( and follow ) the precise order of the 3 above Tannoy suggestions.

Jeff
 
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Are active crossovers with bi-amping(diy pure class A solid state) recommended for the Tannoy GM15s. or should I upgrade the
passive crossovers along with a good quality amp. Which option will bring the best out of the Tannoys. What are the advantages and disadvantages for both.
Stick with the original design on the speakers. If you find your amp lacks something, maybe an upgrade is in order. Else stick with what you have. Class AB is good enough.
 
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