Big Ben

Gaz37

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Sep 23, 2014
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The news in the UK has been full of the fact that Big Ben stopped ringing at midday today. It will apparently be silent for 4 years whilst repairs are carried out.
I heard somebody on TV asking if the bell could be replaced by a speaker during this time?

So what do the WHF collective think?
Could the tone and volume of Big Ben be faithfully reproduced?
If so what speaker(s) and amplification would be required?
 
Q

QuestForThe13thNote

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Gaz37 said:
The news in the UK has been full of the fact that Big Ben stopped ringing at midday today. It will apparently be silent for 4 years whilst repairs are carried out. I heard somebody on TV asking if the bell could be replaced by a speaker during this time?

So what do the WHF collective think? Could the tone and volume of Big Ben be faithfully reproduced? If so what speaker(s) and amplification would be required?

id rather have someone shouting out the noise of Big Ben from the tower. Would be great and comedic for all the tourists, and inject some ridicule into the Houses of Parliament.
 

insider9

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Many bell towers abandoned bells for the sake of PA systems. I've seen a video of a wonderful purpose built McIntosh amp that was being used for that very purpose and repaired in the video.
 

Gazzip

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I seem to remember a you tube video featuring some boffin from the AES who had tried to prefectly recreate the sound of an orchestra in a symphony hall through a pair of very big loudspeakers. He recorded the live orchestra under anechoic conditions and then played that "room effect free" recording back in to the symphony hall. Apparently it was quite successful at reacreating the live event, so perhaps this would be possible?
 

chebby

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Time to install a digital display and some modern ring-tones.

Or, better still, pull the whole wretched ediface down, along with the - no longer fit for purpose - Houses of Parliament, after flushing their loathsome contents into the Thames as a long overdue public hygiene measure.

London (and the whole country) would smell a lot fresher afterwards.
 

Blacksabbath25

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Yep there is a clock in America that uses 4 Mclntosh power amplifiers if I remember rightly it's been running since 1950-60s Vladimir posted a YouTube video a while ago the power amplifiers were getting a service but been working perfectly for years .

its a good idea to use the same as it's been proven to work for so long in America
 

Gray

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Last year I did the guided tour, complete with ear protection on a midday strike. Not happy with just feeling it, I had to try it without the earplugs!

With a massive amount of clean amplification and full-range multipoint speakers who knows? I've also heard of the churches successfully using recordings, but the PA that could faithfully reproduce Big Ben? I'd certainly like to hear it play music.
 

Freddy58

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chebby said:
Time to install a digital display and some modern ring-tones.

Or, better still, pull the whole wretched ediface down, along with the - no longer fit for purpose - Houses of Parliament, after flushing their loathsome contents into the Thames as a long overdue public hygiene measure.

London (and the whole country) would smell a lot fresher afterwards.

Blimey, you're cheerful today! *biggrin*
 

AEJim

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Actually Martin Audio have suggested that very solution to MP's, worded it a little too "techy" I think but basically using some of their stadium technology to allow huge volume in front of the speakers with very little rearward radiation of the sound to affect workers. You need about 118dB clean to match Big Ben which isn't too much of a stretch for some of those big systems.

20914370_1462172073863550_5474374900712578998_n.jpg


Of course, if this kind of system was ever put in place it would render the actual bell and its maintenaince a little redundant looking forwards...
 
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QuestForThe13thNote

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I bet Mr Bercow thought that letter way over his head on the technical terms used, it went nowhere, not least the sacrilege of using an audio system and not a real bell. Presumably they can just rig up another bell whilst repairs go on.

But that company rings a bell, someone in the Far East was ripping off monitor audio speakers but including a note from a martin audio (and their address) so the copiers could use ma on the speaker, and gullible people would think it meant monitor audio.
 

steve_1979

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Oldphrt said:
There should not be any amplification in any bell tower ever. Better to have silence than that.

I agree. Even if I could not tell a difference just be listening it is intrinsically wrong to use speakers instead of a bell. I wonder how man people would prefer silence until Big Ben is repared?
 

insider9

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steve_1979 said:
Oldphrt said:
There should not be any amplification in any bell tower ever. Better to have silence than that.

I agree. Even if I could not tell a difference just be listening it is intrinsically wrong to use speakers instead of a bell. I wonder how man people would prefer silence until Big Ben is repared?
I think it's for tourists not locals. Part of experience...
 

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