Tannoy Kensington SE vs Magnepan 20.7

Musicophile,

I used to own the Manley Stingray 2 and fell in love with their sound. Just couldn't find the right speakers for it. Heard about good Manley and Tannoy pairing so I went for it even with out auditioning before buying. Are you using the Manley Neo Classic 300B? Cause their website recommends at least 50watts for the Kensington GR.

S1nn3r: Yes, I use the Neo-Classic 300B, almost every time in single-ended configuration, with only 11 watt. Even if I like soul, rnb, hiphop (besides jazz, rock and sing-and-songwriter), there is seldom any problem with power reserves. The beauty with Neo-Classic is that you can tune in the optimal amount of negative feedback in the amplifier that matches your specific speaker. With Kensington the best result is driving them with 3-5 dB negative feedback. Compared to zero feedback you can hear that the bass get controlled, dynamic, fast and tuneful. And, the adverse effect in the midrange is almost not noticeable at all. However, if I use 6 or more dB negative feedback the musical experience suffer. Thus, I think Tannoy's recommendations for at least 50 watts is a general statement when you do not take into consideration how the amplifier works. Manley 300B is no problem, it is just musical bliss.

Musicophile,

I finally got my Tannoy Kensington GR. Breaking in for now. Did you wire the speaker ground to the amplifier? If yes, improvements?

Pardon my breaking in, but my experience is that if I use my SS Odyssey Stratos there is some hum that decreases when I connect that ground, otherwise very slight difference. It won't hurt.

Good to know. Thanks Douger.