@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 :-) |
Mulvening hit the nail on the head. In my large room, at times I have to check to see if I'm actually listening to surround sound, the soundstage is that large. They image like crazy, and don't care what kind of music I listen to.
Dan
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I have the XT6Fs. Soundstage is very deep but not terribly wide. Bass extension is very good for their size, but it can sound unrefined at times. Still the best speakers I've owned under the $2K mark. |
I toe my Tannoys in a lot (I’ve owned 5 models now), but not enough to crossover in front of me. In my current setup they’re aimed to crossover slightly behind me. The positioning is a close to equilateral configuration, with each speaker some 9 feet away from me.
I tried the “cross over in front of me” setup some time ago and did not like it. This toe-in recommendation is written right in the manuals, and personally I find it a little baffling. It’s quite true that the sweet spots from my Tannoys have been relatively small, but oh so very very sweet. That works fine for my usage, with usually just one guest (my girlfriend) or just myself. They do get less impressive as you have more competition for the sweet spot. My guess is that the in-front crossover extreme toe-in might be a technique to expand the sweet spot size for a larger audience, spread over a larger area - but at the expense of the ultimate “sweeteness” in the single most optimal spot.
I don’t have too much space around my Tannoys, but enough to make them sound absolutely gorgeous. I do think it limits their ultimate soundstage size this way, though. They are amazing speakers! My girlfriend and I look forward to the all-night weekend listening sessions, all during the week. Just being honest about their limitations, in my experience.
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Just received my brand spanking new Tannoy Arden Legacy speakers today and fired those puppies up with my McIntosh MA7000. Could not be happier.
Listening to the Tannoys is like drinking top shelf aged bourbon when you are used to the cheap stuff. |
@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
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Yes, The Prestige series are wonderful. Also, the 215 DMT II is a poor man's Westminster Royal. |
Good lack Dan, You did good job . |
A different take on the question is what I did-built my own. I couldn't afford any of the models that would meet my needs, so looked on Ebay UK, and found reasonably priced HPD 315's (12" Dual Concentric from 1975), with crossovers.
I then built very heavy 150 liter enclosures, eventually new crossovers, new woofer cones converted to hard edge surrounds, etc. They produce outstanding bass, a very deep soundstage, and considering their size, they do a fine disappearing act. They are innately musical, and can be driven very well with a wide array of amplifiers in my large room (34' X 16.5' w/cathedral ceilings.
I will not be looking to change speakers for the remainder of my lifetime.
Regards,
Dan
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I also own Canterbury GR, and I’m in bliss with them. They’re fantastic, though I think the MSRP has (unfortunately) gone pretty high recently. You’ll definitely find other loudspeakers in this price range (and below) with notably better bass extension (including its own Tannoy sibling the GRF 90) and bigger soundstage, but what makes me happy with Canterbury GR is the deep connection to music it forms, and how it can realistically reproduce the energy and feel of a performance. The midrange is amazing. I drive mine with 275 Watts/ch tube amps, and get such amazing energy and dynamics. My musical diet includes a lot of rock and heavy metal.
But if ultimate bass extension and soundstage size are your main priorities - you should probably look elsewhere from this model. |
I run an old pair with 2 15s and a tweeds I forgot the model on a 2a3c that’s maybe 3 watts and it’s awesome. My sone has some cheap moment tannins and they sound like they are cardboard boxes. Might help to post which tannoys if you want responses . |
It would certainly helpful to know your genre preferences and which Tannoy’s you’re considering?
I own Canterbury GR’s and very happy with the bass extension. They are powered by 40 watts Triode Class A single ended mono’s. My musical preferences includes jazz, classical, blues and rock.
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