A long term Tannoy user here. Few things to clarify
1. Tannoys have overused and hyped their DC design into many lineups but the only real Tannoys as the original legendary designers had created are the Prestige line which consists of Sterling, Turnberry, Kensington, Canterbury & West minister
2. Kingdom Royale is not Tannoy, it is the creation of their marketing mumbo jumbo
3. The classic series that they have launched now, which contains Arden is no where near as good as Prestige. Dont buy them. Only the names are classic, the design and sound are stripped down very low below Prestige models
4. Fyne audio which is started by old Tannoy guys, is not Tannoy. They create dual concentric drivers but they sound thoroughly like any modern speaker. They don’t sound like Tannoy Prestige. Not even in the same city.
5. Get a Turnberry and nice 100 watt amp
I agree with @jtgofish , Many speakers have come and gone in my room and no Wilson, Rockport, Avalon stayed. Tannoys prevailed. The realism of their paper cone drivers and coherence is another level
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Other than figure out how to demo some Tannoy speakers in a store like a normal person would, what do you think I should do?
@gthirteen
there is no “close second” choice than to demo yourself to find what “you” subjectively like. Audio stores, audiophile homes, audiophile shows. Otherwise it’s a crap shoot.
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I have a pair of Eatons, which I absolutely love and have ended my quest for speakers. They are very slightly warm, with really nice bass and somewhat tamed highs without losing too much resolution. Their imaging is great as well. Coming from a brighter pair of speakers, I’m really happy to be on this side of neutral, as more music sounds great. From what I’ve heard, other Tannoys can be brighter, so hearing a few models would be a good idea if possible.
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@lalitk
Using class D monoblocks- no bi-amping.
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@veerossi
You mentioned two amps, are you bi-amping the Turnberry’s.
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Turnberrys here for 4 years and no desire to upgrade speakers again. Prior to these, I had Tannoy XT8-F which were also nice. I used these with: a 300B tube amp and with Atma-Sphere monoblock class D with their tube pre-amp. After some tube rolling in the Atma-sphere preamp, I'm much happier with the sound with the class D- especially bass.
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“no plans to change”
@pehare
I agree with you..going on 6 years with Canterbury’s. I look at alternatives every now and then, it would cost twice as much to replace them for not whole lot of gain. One of the best purchases made in my audio journey.
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@immatthewj I've had Stirling GR's since 2019 and have no plans to change. In regard to positioning I haven't found them to be finicky at all. They are perfect for my room and I've used everything from Music Reference RM10 Mk2, Atma-Sphere Class D's, Will Vincent ST-70 and Cary SLI-80HS which I like the best. Atma-Spheres were fantastic too just different. I just like the sound of tubes and of course the aggravation and expense.
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I have a pair of Tannoy DC8Ti speakers in my dedicated music listening (12’x15’x8’). I purchased them used five years ago from a local LG TV dealer right off the showroom floor (they sounded fantastic). At the time, I had a vintage McIntosh system (10 years old) and even older Pioneer system (25 years old). I hooked the Tannoy’s up to each system and, while they sounded very good, they didn’t sound as good as the store demo (imagine that  ).
I used that as an excuse to upgrade to my current system and couldn’t be happier. It took me several weeks to get them dialed in properly, but once I did, the Tannoy magic was all there. I don’t need a sub; depending on the recording, soundstage, instrument separation, and imaging is excellent and, on most songs, the speakers just disappear.
My Tannoy’s are driven by a PS Audio BHK250 power amp and LTA microZOTL preamp (I sold my BHK preamp once I heard it in my system). Streaming source Innous Zenith MKII to Matrix SPDIF-X via i2s to a PS Audio DSD DAC. Vinyl source Technics SL1200G to a PS Audio Stellar phono pre.
I can’t speak to the state or sound of Tannoy’s current line from personal experience, but I can tell you, the DC8Ti’s are excellent speakers. The build quality is impeccable, and, with the right gear, the sound is natural, engaging, with no listening fatigue.
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In my living room, I have a pair of JBL Everest DD67000 and a pair of JBL 4350. They are on adjacent walls and driven independently by McIntosh and Luxman equipment. I listen to Bach organ concerti, other very dynamic orchestral music, and a little bit of rock (maybe Pink Floyd “The Wall”…) on the 4350s, Puccini, less dynamic orchestral, and mix of pop, Americana, jazz, folk on the Everests. And I added a pair of 12” Tannoys a couple of years ago. They’re Stuarts, and they sit maybe 18” in front of the 4350s but far enough to the side to not block the mid and tweeters. They are wonderful for Ella Fitzgerald/Tony Bennett/Julie London style vocals, acoustic ensembles (jazz, pop, classical), jazz club live recordings. The Tannoys are driven by Luxman, Marantz, Concept, Onkyo integrated or receivers (heresy here, right?). They don’t handle the big dynamics, but imaging/soundstage is great, and so is (what I would call) presence or immediacy. They are getting the majority of the play time since they’ve been in place. I bought them in a package and didn’t intend to keep them, but I haven’t been able to get motivated to pass them on. So they are being used as an accessory speaker, but they’ve sorta turned that on its head by commanding the most play time. They’re the only Tannoys that I have spent any significant amount of time with.
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@immatthewj , @pehare is a long time owner of Tannoy Sterlings and may want to weigh in on as to whether or not Sterlings are finicky with regards to placement.
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My Basement system is where I interchange various components including Vintage Original Tannoy Berkeley's from 1970 with 15" HPD385A drivers, new surrounds in 1997 and upgraded crossover in 2018. I think they shine particularly with classical and jazz as they are very accurate and revealing. If I want to rock, I need a little more bass than the Tannoys can deliver so I switch to my Altec- Lansing 604-8G's or JBL-L7's and L-100a speakers. The old 15" dual concentric drivers like he HPD385, Golds, Silvers are the ones sought after for $$$. I have not been impressed with the newer ones that I've heard.
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I saw an advertisement for the Tannoy Sterlings, and even though I just bought a pair of Revels and am now out of the market I still cannot help myself from wondering about speakers "that I should have bought," so I read a review on the Sterlings and got the impression that they might be finicky about setting up as far as placement goes?
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@deep_333 Good suggestion the 888's ! Seems like they are being very well received.
I did have a listen with "my kinda music" of the sourcepoint 10's at the FLA expo and they were pretty awesome.
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Another Tannoy-boy here. I have both Mini Autographs and Kensingtons. I sold my Rockport Attia ii’s after auditioning the Kensingtons at Upscale. Switched from D’Agostino Progressive to Pathos Heritage hybrid to complement the Kensingtons. My room is 15’x21’ and they do not overwhelm with one REL S/812 sub. For your room the Turnberry might be an option. It’s a great value. I can’t compare with the JBL sound.
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I have a little experience with the smaller Tannoys and also own the 4367. I feel tannoy would be a backwards move for me. I think point sources are a bit over rated (having owned a few) if you sit in a tweaked out sweet spot. The advantage is the vertical dispersion is even and if you just sit down that is often accounted for with good speakers designs. Keep in mind the JBL is a “point source” from 700hz up where it matters.
There are two places I feel the JBL 4367s could be improved. The deep bass and soundstage width/depth. The bass is easily fixable and improved with subs. I have a few threads on using sub with my 4367s if you are interested you could look them up under my profile.
If I were looking for something different I would target a wide dispersion speaker for more of a room sound and less controlled directivity you get from JBL. This would focus on the short coming of the JBLs with a wider and deeper soundstage.
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It is a good idea to have some different pairs of very different types of speaker designs. Hence, don’t sell the JBL.
As far as concentric driver designs go, Tannoy’s kinda meh, boring,...they have not improved the legacy drivers much, etc. I would suggest something like the Mofi Sourcepoint 888 floorstander, a concentric design that means business....designed by a proper Brit......quite proper, I say.
Nobody Does It Better
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OP
Not sure if you are close to Upscale, or can travel there. They carry the Tannoy line (and have a nice sale right now), and they also carry Fyne Audio......which you mention you are aware of. When I've heard them on the same day, I personally preferred the Fyne's.....but both were really intriguing.
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For my two bits I’d suggest trying to get a listen to a pair of Volti Razz or Lucera’s. Couple of years ago when I was in the hunt for something new. I had narrowed it down to a pair of Tannoy Cheviot’s or a pair of MoFi source point 10’s. I used to sell Tannoy and have owned a pair of the Six series 611, Mercury's and a beat up old pair of system 10's. I've also owned a pair of Klipsch Heresy IV's. I enjoyed all of them, however each had their own small shortcomings.
I read the Sterophile review of the Volti Razz. What was described was what I was searching for! I ended up taking the trip to visit the Volti shop, six or so hours away for me. The experience was simply awesome! Not only did I listen to several volti models including my Razz, but I was hosted by a truly cool guy and his lovely wife. They were great hosts, we had excellent Mexican food, great discussions and listened to a great deal of music well into the wee hours. If you can wait until the FLA show Feb 21-23 you will likely hear a pair of Volti and meet the creator himself. And if you like what you hear, maybe pick up a pair at a decent price.
You can get your own pair in a plethora of veneers and grill options, get as wild or mild as you want. Don’t believe me, check out the Volti website.
Yeah I’m a big fan and happy customer
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I have Tannoy Devon’s, Klipsch La Scala’s and JBL 4301B. Don’t have my rig in my profile: Sources are Bifrost DAC and Hana EL on a Vinyl Nirvana TD145 to a Herron VTPH-2. Amps are dehavilland Ultraverve + Pass XA.25 and Mac 4100. Room is 24x16.
For jazz, acoustic, etc. Soundstage is best on the LaScalas. Like the band is in the room. Unbelievable. For rock, funk, soul or anything with thump I find myself wanting to listen to the tannoys. So much that I’m kicking tires on some Arden’s. They blend the treble with miss and lows exceptionally well. Not a fan of the 4301B, they sound clinical to my ear, but are small studio monitors, so maybe should be expected. Anyway. My $0.02.
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“Even amplifiers which sound really good on most speakers like Accuphase and which are known for their refined treble do not sound good on Tannoys”
@jtgofish
That’s interesting, which Accuphase did you try with your Tannoy’s. M6 experience was quite opposite than yours…I preferred the E-650, Class A-30W paired with Canterbury’s over Dart’s CTH-8550 and T+A PA3100.
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Lots of speakers have come and gone but my Tannoy Monitor Gold 15s in Canterbury style boxes stay.I also own horns and have owned several high end purist audiophile speakers like Dynaudio C5.To me the appeal of the Tannoys is the coherence and timing that comes with the point source /time aligned arrangement Plus a fair bit of the ease and dynamics you get from horns.
The only caveat is that they are far more amplifier fussy than many people think.The compression drivers are highly revealing things and will show up weaknesses and tonal annoyances in many amplifiers .Some people say they do not like the treble but it is not the speaker it is the amplifier.Even amplifiers which sound really good on most speakers like Accuphase and which are known for their refined treble do not sound good on Tannoys.I suspect anything with a fair bit of negative feedback and high damping factors are not the right choice.Which is why push pull tube amps of around 20 watts or more are favoured.The best amp I have used however it is a Darzeel NHB 108 copy.Which is class A/B SS but it has no negative feedback and a highish output impedance by SS standards.It sounds more like a triode tube amp.
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At Axpona '23 and '24 the larger floor-standing Tannoy's were stand-outs. I could have listened to them all day. Best of luck.
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Thanks @jayctoy
+1 @veerossi
@gthirteen
There aren’t many speakers that are capable of connecting you to the music so intimately and emotionally like the way Tannoy does so effortlessly. It takes little getting used to birch wood cabinetry (some dig it others don’t). I am sure you’ve already read about dual concentric drivers so I won’t take up your time here. Just like anything in audio, I recommend an audition with ‘right’ electronics. Your M600 are very likely a match made in heaven with Tannoy’s.
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Lalitk has them if Iam correct. He is very familiar with them. He might be able to help you.
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I’ve heard them at axpona 2024 they are beautiful speakers. Their set up it sounds too laid back for me.Audition them if you can.You never know.
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Have listened at Upscale, they are super nice folks. They will do what they can to create a no surprise situation when you take the product home. I listened to some Tannoy (Kensington perhaps) hooked to a Marantz source for streaming and amplification. It curled the toes. The Tannoy was magical.
As a owner of JBL's, in various types, I would be sure that you keep your JBL's. There is a sound that is special to each, the "california sound". I gave one of my son's a pair of 4312's I had, and found I had to replace because of the specific sound.
Look at as much as you can with your ears, using amplification that best matches what you have. Your ears will tell you if you're doing the right thing.
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FYI, Upscale has a pretty good sale going on right now on their entire Tannoy line....
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I appreciate the responses.
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I think that you had better hear those before you jump in to the Tannoy pool.
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Curiosity killed the cat.
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I own a pair of Coatbridge built Legacy Ardens, and the footprint of my room is close to yours at 17’x13’. The speakers do not overwhelm the room with excessive bass given their front ports, and are quite flexible regarding placement. However, toe-in makes a significant difference in sound. Cross-eyed toe in works best in my room.
I think the main difference between any Tannoy and your JBLs is the point source design vs. the compression horn of the JBL. The Tannoy may sound more cohesive at the expense of sound dispersion. There is a sweet spot when sitting in front of the Tannoy and it’s not the widest if you’re chasing the ultimate in sound staging.
If you’re looking at the Arden (Upscale’s “blem” pricing is attractive), you’ll want to consider raising them up depending on your seat height. Mine are lifted 8” off the floor to raise the tweeter.
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+1 @veerossi regarding the imaging and soundstage, you can literally walk around the room. I’d also add exceptional bass and efficiency to what I love about my Tannoy Churchill’s, no sub needed! They can be both intimate sounding when desired, and thunderous when pushed. They are amazing and remain my forever speakers. Good luck and enjoy.
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I’m close to Upscale and purchased Tannoys from them after experiencing the Tannoy magic. If you’re into imaging and soundstage, you will not be disappointed. I listen to all kinds of music and they rock. Of course there are also a pair of REL subs that add that bottom end I desire. I go there to audition speakers often and still haven’t heard anything that I’d rather own…including their current newish line from from Fyne I will say the Tannoys took forever to break-in but I did it the old fashioned way…listening. From my experience, I’d go Turnberry and higher in their line.
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Upscale audio has them in calif the Tannoys
You cannot replace that compression driver in the Jbl's
Id keep them and get a second pair of a More refined speaker
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I listened to sterling and smaller monitors along with Top tier speakers back in 2021 . My goal was to listen to Ardens but they were not available . I spent two-hours with my own playlist . Tannoy speakers were not for me , they were just ok to my ears . I ended up buying a pair of B&W804 D3s and they are specular . If you don't need a tower speaker and don't listen to loud head banging music Harbeth 30.1 s are a great speaker I can't get out of my head .
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I listened to sterling and smaller monitors along with Top tier speakers back in 2021 . My goal was to listen to Ardens but they were not available . I spent two-hours with my own playlist . Tannoy speakers were not for me , they were just ok to my ears . I ended up buying a pair of B&W804 D3s and they are specular .
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