Amp pairing with Tannoy Turnberry?

NAT HPS is every bit interesting and I echo what @charles1dad said. It’s probably hard to find another amp with two of my all time favorite tubes. I once heard Shindo Labs GM70 - 20W monos and instantly fell in love with their seductive sound design. The possible pairing of HPS with Turnberry’s intrigues me but their power rating gives a slight pause. It appears HPS’s comfort zone would be around 30W and that may not be an ideal match for a 93db efficient speakers. Having said that, looks like audio gods are smiling upon you. Once you get your Tannoy’s, reach out to Mike Powell (NAT distributor) for in-home audition of HPS, he lives in ATL :-)

As an alternative to tubes, consider Accuphase Integrated, something like E-480 or E-650, both can be had for a good price on used market. I’m driving my Canterbury’s with E-650, a match made in heaven! In direct comparison with Luxman L-505, T+A PA3100 and darTZeel CTH-8550; I end up preferring the Accuphase gorgeous sound and synergy with Tannoy’s by a mile.

Good luck and keep us posted!

@lalitk

What I find very interesting about Tannoy speakers are the wide range of amplifiers used by their owners. From 300b SET to 300 watt solid state or class D. They all seem quite satisfied with their respective choices. Of course numerous variables will influence one’s preference.

That is why I said with regard to the OP, what type of sound is he seeking? I also know that even with the same speaker sensitivity, they all aren’t equally driven due to other factors. My speakers are 94db and just sing with 8 watt SET (Preferred over my 100watt PP tube amplifier). However, circumstances do vary among listeners.

The NAT Audio amplifiers have a reputation for exceptionally good power supply design and their own hand wired transformers. For my taste it’d be the NAT Single HPS. No doubt others would make different choices. Which is attested to by the diversity of amplifiers used among Tannoy owners. Many good options.

Charles

I liked the Luxman L550ax with my Turnberry SEs.  Though discontinued in the US you can pick them up used at a reasonable price.  I also had a Primaluna dialogue integrated at one point which I thought was a good pairing, but the Class A Luxman gives you the best of both worlds (tighter bass, airy highs, and great detail but still slightly warm) depending on your tastes and room, of course.

@charles1dad 

I agree with your assessment but like you said, there are lot of variables that can influence end user choices not to mention room acoustics which are often overlooked. I have driven my Canterbury’s with a 300B - 8W amp. Did I hear and enjoyed the mid-range magic 300B known far, you bet I did.  But beyond that, I felt they just couldn’t drive my Canterbury’s with authority. The 15” woofer kept begging for more power and control. IME, an amp with power to spare (headroom) is always a wise choice. 

NAT maybe exceptional due to its outboard power supply. We all know a well appointed power supply can be a biggest differentiator between a great sounding amp and a mediocre one. I am always open to learning from other Tannoy owners, there are so many options that I have yet to experience so my antenna goes up anytime Tannoy’s are in the conversation :-)

@lalitk 

I can see the GM 70 NAT amplifier being a more suitable choice compared to a 300b SET. 50 watts class A versus 8 watts certainly provides greater margin and reserves. The OP hasn’t listed his room size, usual listening levels or music genres listened to. I recognize that we are engaging in open forum speculation and “what ifs”. But it’s fun.😊

Charles