Any experience with Tannoy loudspeakers?

@bache - perhaps a few of the Tannoy owners above can confirm/deny the following statements which was conveyed by an audio store that sells them.
Tannoy speakers sound their best if they are toe'd in such that the center line axis of the speaker crosses just in fron of the listening position.

A pair of Canterbury's I demo'd were toe'd-in that much and they sounded very good, but I did not have the opportunity to verify this.by changing the angle

I do have a pair of Fusion 4.s - which were developed more for A/V applications and they also need a more acute toe-in than most others, but not as acute as the larger dual concentric models.

The sweet spot is just that - sweet, it is very focussed but not as wide as I have experienced with other brands.

Also, the Cantebury's sounded great with lots of space around them - not sure what happens to the sound in a more constrained listening space.

I have listened to other large models in a much more constrained showroom setting and they still sounded great from a fidelity perspective, but the image suffered a little.

The friend who runs the audio store that demo'd them commented that people who buy Tannoy seldom return for a different speaker.

If you have not purchased them yet, the comments above may be something to consider.

Personally, I like the sound of Tannoy a lot - if you are into Jazz, female vocal and orchestral you will find them hard to beat. Diana Krall, Norah Jones, Adele, Melody Gardot and Ricky Lee jones are just a few artists  that will sound amazing on them.

Hope that helps

@islandmandan & @mulveling - for the benefit of the OP could you   provide the dimensions of your rooms please.

The room I auditioned them in was approximately 24ft x 22ft and the speakers were on the 24ft wall

FYI...
The only speaker (which I now own) that came remotely close to the gorgeous Tannoy sound are the "Sonogram" model from Gershman Acoustics. Unfortunately they are no longer made, also being built in Canada, they can be a little difficult to get. Their other models are very good, but there was something about the Sonogram's that drew me into the performance, just like the Tannoys did. The other Gershman models did not really do that.

The only speaker to date that I preferred over the Tannoy are the Avangarde Duo's,  They have a huge sweet spot, massive image and crystal clear delivery, but their price tag is a little bit steep for my wallet.

Hmmm - now I have a much larger listening room - I might just be tempted to try out the Tannoy's again.

Damn - I thought I was done :-)

There is a good reason why tannoys cost so much - enclosures are what they seem to excell at. They may look simple on the outside, but...
https://www.google.com/search?q=tannoy+enclosure+pics&tbm=isch&tbs=rimg:CeKpLE5U2wHlIjiCmXQ-...

I steer clear of DIY when it comes to speakers, especially if selecting expensive drivers, simply because companies invest millions in design/tooling/glues/construction methods and finish, which immediately puts the DIYer at a disadvantage.

I did try building PA speakers, which are not as complex as hi-fi speakers, but even that took some effort to get right.

I've also had a friend that tried to build open baffle speakers, where cabinet design is less complex, but just as critical to "get right". Alas, the crossover proved to be a significant challenge.

I know that Gershman takes their speakers to a lab in Ottawa to prove and refine their cabinet/driver/crossover combinations. That is something most DIYers do not have access to. 

I am a keen DIYer for things like cables and isolation tweaks, and I did build my own turntable plinth, which proved to be an exceptional performer. 

But I choose to leave speaker designs strictly to the professionals.

Regards - Steve

@mulveling - youmentio the tannpoys are backed into an alcove - are they right up againt the wall/corner?

Cheers

I’m not sure if it is the same for all Tannoy speakers, but this is from the Kensington manual

Locate the loudspeakers so that the favourite listening position is approximately 15¡ from the axes of the cabinets. Theaxes of both cabinets should intersect at a point slightly in front of the listening position

And from the Kingdom Royal manual...

The axes of the cabinets can even intersect at a point slightly in front of the listening position.

That aside, I have heard that just behind the listening position is preferred by some people, so I believe the above off axis placement is the suggested "starting position" and is NOT absolute because they also cite reflectections as being a crucial part of speaker placement and that would impact off-axis positions.

Personally, my Mercury speakers sound their best, i.e. in a large room with side walls about 8 ft away, with off axis just behind the listening position in order to provide the largest sweet spot. But I am wondering if that is because they do not use the dual concentric drivers?

That aside, I have heard that just behind the listening position is preferred by many, so I believe the above off axis placement is the suggested "starting position" and is NOT "cast in concrete" because the manual also cites reflectections as being a crucial part of speaker placement and that would impact off-axis positions.

But one thing seems to be "a given" - Tannoys seem to require significantly more acute off-axis angle than other brands.

Regards - Steve