I personally think that Tannoys sound very good and use to have a pair of the 10" Tannoys for mixing. If they are going to cost you nothing but the reconing then you will have a good pair of speakers (IMHO) and have saved yourself a bundle. You might want to shop the reconing around or think about doing it yourself if you are so inclined. Their are lots of places that sell the surrounds and the rest of the tools to DIY it and it really is not that hard to do correctly.

Best of luck!

I'm with Tom - I'd say hell yeah!

The Berkleys were wonderful speakers in their time and they certainly could hold their own nowadays.

Also, Tom's right - re-surrounding isn't that hard and the supplies would likely set you back less than $100 USD. I got mine from Parts Express to re-surround an old radio shack pair of speakers when I was like 15 years old. It took me the better part of an afternoon and they still work today.

Cheers -

J.

Yes, get those. I refoamed a pair of JBL 4408s for $35. They sound like new. Takes a few hours per speaker.

Thanks for all your replies. I've checked out some places for new surrounds and it will only cost me about £40. So if that works OK then I'll save some.
I'm an engineer and a musical instrument maker, so I think I could do the job myself, provided I know what I have to be careful about.
I'll keep you posted about the results. Thanks, Dave.

Look at this site

http://www.les.biffle.org/stepp.html

and

http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/foamrepair_e.html

for some tips

Thanks for those links, and in the immortal words of Dr McCoy "Why....a CHILD could do it!"
I've now got to think about where to place them, and at what height?
I was thinking of welding up some tailored wall brackets solidly bolted to the wall. Is this good or bad practice? Dave.

IIRC, these are not tiny speakers (pretty friggin heavy...50-75lbs each?). They're also not intended as nearfields.

Bearing in mind that they have a concentric driver, it's important to get that as close to the ear plane as possible.

Also, the older Tannoys are famous for cabinet resonances (although the Brits usually have a way of making that work *with* the speaker versus *against* it). Mounting it to a bracket on the wall is probably a sure fire way to get your room to sing with the speaker.

I would suggest using a pair of VERY sturdy stands even if you have to cast them from concrete. Given their size, most stands will place them way too high. Perhaps your local lawn and garden center has some concrete pillars which are used as lawn ornaments.

One other note - these speakers are capable of some pretty good excursion. Bear that in mind when selecting a surround for the speaker. Also, a butyl rubber surround will last far longer than the foam surrounds.

Cheers!

Jeremy

Fixed

Just to update on these. I finally got thase and the coils were shot. So I spent the money and took the drivers to Lockwood audio in London. They turned the recone around in an hour and a half. The new units are cosher Tannoy replacements rated at 150 watts as opposed to the 85 of the originals.
When listening to them, the main thing I notice is at low volume the definition and detail on the low end is exquisite. They might sound a little too flat and warm to some peoples taste with not enough high end.
I love them! One of the first things I played through them was 'Abbey Road' by the Beatles, it really does show them to there best.
It takes very little power to drive these units and at the moment I'm using a 70s Ferrograph 307 amp that was always regarded as being pretty accurate and flat response. It also has dual concentric controls for each channel on eq and volume.
I'm looking for suggestions on a better more accurate amp than this.

The only down side is the musty smell that has accumulated on the cabinets after a few years in a damp garage.
Still, I've got a good pair of monitors for £350 UK! Dave.