Anyway to improve the sound of Tannoy Saturn s6?

Hi,

I had a pair of S6 and had the same problem. The bass output is just too strong and lacks control. This has a negative effect on mid-band clarity. As for the tweeter roll-off, that´s how Dual Concentrics usually sound, especially the Saturn line because it´s the cheapest, and it´s not transparent on the HF. I suggest you try with amps, sources and cables with fast bass, they can help a lot. Inserting the foam plugs will help reducing bass energy and the speaker will sound more controlled, but with less air and smaller soundstage. Bass reflex speakers are designed to work with the ports open so the foams are a solution that partially compromises sound.
The Saturn S8 LR (monitors) are best than the s6. And even better are the System 800, which are studio monitors and have the same drivers, but stiffer cabinets. I presently own one of these and they really are more transparent and fast.
I´m writting from Chile, so if there´s something you don´t understand I apologize. Regards.

I think the neutral sound of most Tannoys surprise some people. You didn't mention the amp you are using. Personally I feel tube amps sound more muted with these speakers. I do not know if this is your case.

If you can, try moving them further away from the wall or corners. Speaker spikes may also make a difference although it is "mostly a muddy bass fix". These are good sounding speakers. I have just sold a pair of S8LRs and they have a similar sound. I have a pair of S6LRs and a S6C for sale if you are interested. I have now started my larger floor-standing speakers. Good luck.

Realizing this is an old post I do like to put my 2cents in. I own a pair of s8lr. Other things being the same, the most effective (and easy) way to improve the sound is to open the box, remove the clips at the wire end and solder the wire directly to the drivers. I have done that many times and the sound consistently became cleaner and more solid, and more musical that way. thank you.

@hifi_nuts , that's interesting. Makes sense but has anyone verified this?

I once soldered a pair of 1970s speaker connections for a friend and we both were surprised at how much fuller the sound became afterwards. I should mention that the original drive unit tags were rather dull and tarnished, but then they were around 30 years old at the time. Also beware the tweeter connections can easily melt, so care is needed if you wish to experiment.

For new speakers I'm not sure whether solder beats tags but I'm guessing that solder will last better than tags. What do others think?

I have a few good pairs of speakers in possession so I have some good reference points. The problem I had with the factory version of Saturn s8lr was the tweeter seemed dull and weak. Eliminating the clips and soldering internal wires directly to the drivers improved the sound quite a bit. But to make S8 totally satisfactory I had to make one more change.

Instead of jumping the binding posts for the tweeter and woofer, I jumped the drivers on the inside, effectively bypassing tweeter binding post, with some silver plated OCC long grain copper from ebay. The resulting benefits to high frequency extension was very noticeable, being more airy and detailed. Now the speaker sound balanced like one driver. FYI.