tannoy dc6t se / radiance 3 amp recommendations

[Philim]

This weekend I am in the market for a hifi setup for my lounge.

i am keen to demo the dc6t se and radiance 3 speakers but would appreciate some help in narrowing down a suitable amp/s to try. The system will be used in a room 4mx6m and my musical taste vary from dance, rock and classical. I have a budget of around £1500 which looking around gets me something like the dc6t se and cyrus6a (not sure if amp is strong enough) or kandy k2.

Thanks for any responses.

 

[Anonymous]

Anyone got much experience of matching an amp with these speakers - I am also interested in the DC6T or DC6T SE?

 

[Mutsu]

I'm using MDAC as DAC and digital Pre into Audiolab 8200P Power Amp into Tannoy DC6T SE.

Very happy with this setup, however I'm going to trial the MIMP power amp being developed by the MDAC designer once it is ready.

 

[shafesk]

Hi there, well I think the Tannoys are great speakers, very neutral, detailed and coherent. So much so that you can hear the rest of your kit. The are not power hungry but do benefit from a muscular amp. I would go for something warm since they are so neutral, something like audilab 8000 pre power or 8200 pre power if you can stretch. It does also pair well with powerful tube amps like Cayin a-55t.

 

[Al ears]

Anyone got much experience of matching an amp with these speakers - I am also interested in the DC6T or DC6T SE?

Either of the amps mentioned should be just fine, but try to audition definately.

I'd tend towards the Roksan K2 myself.

What might be of interest is the the Tannoys were soundly trounced by the Radience 2's in a recent group test in another well known hi-fi magazine!

 

[Philim]

What might be of interest is the the Tannoys were soundly trounced by the Radience 2's in a recent group test in another well known hi-fi magazine!

i read the article with interest but I guess one mans treasure.....I am.off to demo on sat. May now also include some neat motive 2

 

[Philim]

Just come back from an enjoyable day at creative audio in shrewsbury. A 200 mile round trip from Northampton...

spent the dat testing various amps and floor standers. For anyone interested my thoughts were from a newbie:

neat motive 2 - really disappointing compared to the other speakers which was shame as I was hoping these would blow my socks off. Just lacked any presence compared to the others. I suspect these suit some music better than others.

acoustic radiance 2 - loved the size and design. Very detailed speaker but just slightly too bright for me. Sounded fantastic with the naim xs amp on certain tracks but felt it could become tiring over time.

tannoy dc6t se - good but not great sound. Came a close second but sounded slightly flat and muddled in some songs

.acoustic radiance 3 - big speakers with big sound. The additional bass evened out some of the brightness from the radiance 2 for me. Great detailed sound with superb bass. This was my final choice.

cyrus 6 a - great amp but lacked some drive with these floor sstanders

naim xs amp - gorgeous looking amp with great detail and drive. Loved this amp but just couldn't afford it in the end. Another 650 over the k2.

roksan kandy k2 - ugly amp but delivered on drive detail price and balance for me.

Final choice was the radiance 3 and k2. I am sure that there are many other "better" combos so please don't slate me too much.

Things I learnt doing this

1. Make sure you demo a selection of equipment. I know everyone always says that on here but even I was surprised in the differences amps and speakers make. What worked for me didn't work for my wife and the final combo was a good compromise.

2. Find a good dealer who will be patient and give you good advice. I have visited several who just wanted to push certain items and not find the equipment that matches me and my musical tastes.

3. Do your research to help you narrow down your search and know what is a good deal but don't be limited by it. I.e. what hifi loved the dc6t but hifi news placed them near the bottom in group test. one mans treasure.....

4. Take your wife....she encouraged me to spend more

finally a big thanks to creative audio who smiled politely at my requests to demo, demo again and then demo a bit more whilst my 2 year old daughter ran riot.

 

[AEJim]

Hi Philim,

I'm glad you liked the Radiance 3's, as you say they're probably the most well balanced of the range and far more neutral in sound than they would appear from all those drive units! Nothing wrong with the Kandy amp either - I've heard it driving AE1 Classics (much tougher on an amp than the Radiance 3's) with no problems at all and sounding very good indeed.

It was good to hear you took the time to try different products out and find something that suited you, the Radiance range have solid enough reviews in the UK but have tended to do better abroad for whatever reason (they won annual awards in the Russian and Chinese press!).

I hope you and the family enjoy them and that your daughter can resist poking all those aluminium cones!

Jim.

 

[Philim]

Thanks Jim for the reply - good to see a business keeping close to customer feedback. It was something I did notice that the reviews in the UK whilst good were not excellent however oversees reviews tended to hold them in higher regard (well apart from the latest Hifi News) - either way I am happy.

Looking forward to getting them (unfortunately they didnt have them in stock - hopefully you guys do).

Hopefully Tuesday (Feel free to send them direct ) :dance:

 

[AEJim]

Just a quick update - I checked with the warehouse and they are indeed on their way to Creative Audio, scheduled to arrive as promised tomorrow!

Can't do the direct delivery unfortunately, mostly because courier companies seem quite incompetent going to private addresses, even last week a single speaker of a pair arrived with a reviewer via TNT and the other is still missing, how?! :?

Let us know how you get on once they're settled in!

 

[Philim]

Just a quick update - I checked with the warehouse and they are indeed on their way to Creative Audio, scheduled to arrive as promised tomorrow!

Can't do the direct delivery unfortunately, mostly because courier companies seem quite incompetent going to private addresses, even last week a single speaker of a pair arrived with a reviewer via TNT and the other is still missing, how?! :?

Let us know how you get on once they're settled in!

Hi Jim

Had the Radiance 3 running for a week now and should be run in.

First impressions at the moment are good however I am finding the bass a little heavy which takes away from the high and mid a little. Any ideas or help? I am running as a source Squeezebox Touch via an RLINK DAC.

Remembering back to my demo I also tried the Radiance 2 with Naim XS which was awesome - it made the music sound as if they were playing live. My only problem was my wife found the sound a little tinny (her words not mine) and with the XS was little out of my price range. Unfortunately they didnt have the 5i to demo.

I didnt try the Radiance 3 with the Naim due to the price - what is your experience of the Naim 5i or XS with these speakers?

 

[AEJim]

Hi Phillim,

This can often be a problem when listening in a shop compared to at home, not the end of the world however - if you've played with positioning a little, which may or may not be an option, then I'd suggest initially blocking one or both of the lower ports on the rear. Start with one and then both if need be.

Unlike with 2-way or 2.5-way speakers blocking the lower ports on the 3-way Radiance 3 will not alter the character of the midrange as both bass drivers play into their own chamber, the smaller top port is merely a vent to aid efficiency of the mid driver. You can block the ports with anything that stops the air flow (old socks or rags tightly packed will work fine). This should largely solve the excess bass you're experiencing. Be sure to listen to a few tracks to adjust to any changes, initial impressions sometimes seem like a stark contrast but over time you can get a better impression of any tuning changes that have occured.

The Radiance range all work well with Naim as they're designed on it and the Radiance 3 is and efficient speaker so lower power isn't a huge problem - what you would gain from one of the more powerful models is a tighter grip on the bass drivers which could alleviate the excess to a degree. Initially I'd try the port suggestion before any additional expenditure!

Cheers,

Jim.

 

[Philim]

AeJim

i have just had the chance of an extended demo of a naim nait xs with my radiance 3's. you were being very polite in your responses.

I hear people say night and day well now I believe them. Just unbelievably better. I now smile and enjoy the music when I listen to music rather than analysing what is missing.

Please please if anybody demos the ae radiance 3s please try the naim xs combo.