TDL RTL 3's

C227

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Remember these!

Real Monsters.

Im considering buying a set again. I know they are not the most detailed speaker in the world, nor the most pretty. But my god are they fun to listen to. Sometimes the Nth degree of detail is not so important, these beasties produce the most tuneful tight bass this side of £1000.
People thought they were crap because of the cheap price, but the reailty was this, the actual cabinet was cheaply made from hardboard/chipbaord. If they had real wood etc they would be £750 all day.

Oh, if you have these you do not need a subwoofer, they go down to 20Hz easy.

What you reckon?
 
I don't think people thought the 3's were crap exactly it's just that the 2's were better. The 3's IMHO went too far with the bass and it overwhelmed the rest of the speaker, what with the 2's already being a bit recessed in the midrange that was not a good idea.
 
C227,

I've been looking to get a pair of these for about 6 months - and on ebay you can get great deals for £150-£250. Just won a pair of Studio 1's - can't wait to get my hands on them. Still keeping an eye out for a good deal on RTL 3's though - lovely looking and great value for money - still a quality speaker (so everyone keeps telling me... want to hear for myself). Just struggling to afford a decent 2nd hand amp to drive them ;-)

C227 - you have a PM (hopefully some of it will be of use to you).

Cheers, Mark.
 
:hiya:

I have a pair of RTL 3's for sale if anybody is interested.

The cabinets are a little scuffed at the top and the cloth on the grills needs re attaching in a few places.

They still sound good and the drive units are all in perfect condition.

I can send pics to anybody that is interested later this afternoon when home from work.

I'm in leicester and want £100 for them for collection.

i also have a Arcam Alpha 6+ amp that drives them very well... £150 ono.

And a Alpha 5 cdp, upgraded to 6 spec by Arcam... Does not like CDR's and jumps occasionally... £100

£300 for the lot

Cheers,
Adam.
 
Aah, you foreigners - too far for me im afraid - im up in scotty land and im not sure if my passport is valid or will get me shot :D

Besides i've got to pay of my current AV bills and decide what i can afford next.

Cheers, Mark.
 
Such a pity that RS have released below par speakers under the TDL name now though :(

They are TDL's in name alone, and nothing else.
 
There's a few folks who are happy with their new purchases of TDL 10's, etc - but i haven't heard them 'in the flesh' to pass comment. It is obvious that they are no longer the same design or style as the old TDL's and are a lower price, but they might still be okay speakers for money in their own right. I think the 10 is supposed to use 2 passive radiators, but none of the new range appear to be Transmision Line designs - what TDL were famous for.

Anyone here got or heard any of the new TDL's and would like to pass comment on their quality and sound for the price?

I'm still aiming for the old TDL's like the RTL3's (& the Studio 1's) - as Salmon says - they're monsters with amazing bass.

Cheers, Mark.
 
I managed to take some time out to listen to a Mordaunt Short MS914 and the new TDL Studio 10, even with all those cones on the Studio 10, the MS914 sounds much nicer, granted this was on a shop floor and not a dedicated room, but the differences were apparent, they boomed uncontrollably and the treble was harsh, lack of detail.

The original TDL's had (and still have) a solid reputation, the RTL's in particular, I hope Audio Partnership (owners of RS and TDL, not to mention many other brands such as Mordaunt Short, Cambridge Audio and Gale) put the effort into bringing this brand the quality its name deserves.
 
I own a pair of TDL 10's, purchased for £199, I must say they are not great at all, I made them a lot better by using QED Silver Anniversary cable running of a NAD 372.

The bass is sloppy the highs are dull and the whole thing sounds muffled. I would not recommend them. Currently looking for new speakers, Monitor Audio S6 or S8 or PSB Stratus
 
Sorry to hear that Douzeper,

I've now heard a number of people give unfavourable reviews of the Studio 10's (and also a couple who have been happy with their purchase). If you wanted to stick with the TDL name - you could always look out for a 2nd hand of RTL3's as discussed here? I haven't heard anyone slate them for the original price (£400-500) and they're a bargain now at about £150-200 on ebay and similiar. Although, Monitor Audio are also a good name, with good reviews - i looked at some of their ranges before i got my Acoustic Energy EVO 3's (floorstander fronts in my 5.1/AV system for the living room).

Cheers, Mark.
 
It's also worth looking out for the RTL 1's a transmission line bookshelf speaker especially if you can find them in the real wood veneer. IMO they had most of the good points of the floor standers but in a domestically acceptable box.
 
I saw a pair (RTL1) going for about £50 on ebay a few days ago - nearly bought them (nice rosewood vinyl finish) - but the missus would have killed me, we have a house full of speakers as it is...
Humf.
:D
Mark.
 
RTL 3's need BIG rooms !!! They sound horrible in anything like a 14' x 14' living room. Don't even consider them for something that size. Put them somewhere like a 28' x 14' and away from walls, stick some church organ music on and they are amazing.

Mike.
 
Hi everybody,

Nice to find ppl enjoy the trl3. gr8 speakers. Brought a set many years ago and still have them. Yep, not the best looking speakers but I find them to be excellent.

The reason for my post is that sadly my tweeters have expired (through years of excessive use!)

Thus, would any1 know where I could find replacements? I have searched the Internet but have come up with little information.

I do not wish to purchase new speakers just because of the tweeters, as I am sure you can imagine.

Any help would be gratefully recieved.


Regards.
 
I think wilmslow audio used to sell replacement drive units.

Failing that, mine are still for sale for 100 quid... lol

Adam.
 
cheers geezer!

Just checked the site. Could not find rtl replacement tweeters but could find others.

Thanks so much. You have made my day.

Lastly, if I had 100 pound I would probably have those speakers of you. :)


Thanks again. Glad to have found this place. I had my girlfriend going on asking for me to buy new speakers. Though she would not understand that the rtl3's are worth sorting out. As for her hi-fi appreciation she would probably buy Jamo or something equally poo.

Regards,


funkyjazz :clap:
 
O.K. You lot

SPARES- SPARES- SPARES TDL TDL TDL

Lockwood audio purchased their entire TDL speaker/driver stock when the company sadly went under.

(They are also the sole supplies of pre-1999 EPOS and pre-1999 Mordaunt-Short speaker spares)

Here is the link to Lockwood Audio in the UK.. The guy on the end of the phone was very helpful and the cost of the driver was much lower than I had anticipated.

http://www.lockwoodaudio.co.uk

I hope you can get your TDLs working again.
 
Funky,
I've been collecting info on TDL's for a couple of years now - i hope there's something below to get
you started. Morel MTD30's from Wilmslow Audio seem to be a very well received tweeter upgrade/replacement
(would need a pair obviously for matching). Don't know if you can get exact original replacements now - i doubt it.
There's sometimes TDL RTL's going for spares on ebay quite often - you could keep an eye out.
Good luck.
Cheers, Mark.

--------------------------------------

Spares:

http://www.lockwoodaudio.co.uk

Supply driver replacements for TDL's (Vifa, Morel, etc):
http://www.wilmslow-audio.co.uk (tel:01455 286603)

--------------------------------------

TDL RTL3 upgrading / mods / drivers / etc:
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=19006&perpage=10&highlight=&pagenumber=3

"The tweeters we would suggest are the Vifa D27TG."

--------------------------------------

"Wilmslow Audio repaired this and supplied the Morel Tweeters (MTD30s)"

"Weaknesses:
Tend to run hot,crap original tweeters Morel MTD30s replacements are much better"

"One tweeter has gone to "tweeter heaven"
Just ordered Morel's from Wilmslow Audio £40 each"

"Replaced standard tweeters for Morels - though had to bore out a bigger hole. Replacement parts can be obtained from Wilmslow Audio on 01455 286603 or vist www.wilmslow-audio.co.uk"

--------------------------------------

Could try speaker manufacturers for their replacment recommendation:

Vifa, Scan-Peak, Morel, etc...

AOS / Scanspeak TL speakers page:
http://www.aos-lautsprecher.de/indexE.html

Vifa / Peerless / Logic / Scan-Speak:
http://www.d-s-t.com/vifa/

Morel:
http://www.morel.co.il/index/index.htm

--------------------------------------
 
Hi ppl, again,

I am limited with knowledge regarding hi-fi electronics, and though accomplished in understanding things I very nearly spent well earned money on something I did not need.

I had a brain-wave yesterday, and realised that another problem could be that the cross-overs may well be contributing to my tweeter problem. In fact I know this to be the case because I replaced the tweeter with a cheap working one (cost about £2, ebay). I had no joy. I then opened the back up and noticed that half the cross-over in each speaker was charred! :suicide:

Thus, my question is..

Replacement cross-overs. Are they cheap, easy to repair? Possibly some-one may have an answer, and of course some info.

With sincere regard,


funkyjazz.
 
yeah, I have the correct tweeter.

But as I mentioned, once removing backing plate and examining the cross-over, I noticed some bits burnt-out. Even the plastic backing plate was slightly deformed through heat (I imagine that is not normal).

Regards.
 
Hia Funky,

Looks like my £100 speakers are getting closer for you.... :cool:

Where abouts are you in the world.

Anywhere near the midlands and I wouldn't mind swapping the cabinets so that you keep your original finish if needed.

Send me a PM if your interested and we can sort something out.

Cheers,
Adam.
 
Does anybody have any comments on the bigger RTL 4's - I heard them many years ago, and thought they sounded amazing

Anyone have any views on the big RTL's ?
 

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