Good question and something I have wondered about also.
I own vintage Tannoy HPDs in new custom made cabinets. I would not part with them willingly. They are extremely musical and a pure joy to listen to for a range of music - from jazz to rock to classical. They don't sound great on pop or electronica - but many hi fi speakers do not. They also have a unique characteristic of sounding great with many amps - they are the least amp dependent speaker I have heard. This is not to say amps don't matter - just that the amps I have tried don't change the sound as much as they do on other speakers I am familiar with.
I think viggen makes many good points about the lack of push, pull, marketing and demand. I will add to his analysis that if we were to put speakers on a scale from 'musical to clinical' Tannoys are generally on the 'musical' side. Listening for a long period of time, I can't say the sound is exactly rolled off, but it is somehow more musical and warm than clinical or detail oriented. That said, the image very well - perhaps artificially well with a 3D effect at times in the right set up. Right now, most hi fi shops, magazines and many listeners in America seem to focus on the other end of the spectrum - with lots of emphasis on detail. For this reason, I think Tannoys will not be popular in America right now.
As to the new ones vs. vintage ones - the vintage are truly special. They aren't for everyone, but if you like what they do well (musical, 3d sound, soundstage, beautiful mids), they are hard to beat. The new ones I have more limited experience with, and they are expensive. I would probably go with Harbeth if I were to purchase new speakers in that price range - but Tannoy is a close second. They both have that magic I find lacking in a lot of new speakers that are popular in America these days.
I own vintage Tannoy HPDs in new custom made cabinets. I would not part with them willingly. They are extremely musical and a pure joy to listen to for a range of music - from jazz to rock to classical. They don't sound great on pop or electronica - but many hi fi speakers do not. They also have a unique characteristic of sounding great with many amps - they are the least amp dependent speaker I have heard. This is not to say amps don't matter - just that the amps I have tried don't change the sound as much as they do on other speakers I am familiar with.
I think viggen makes many good points about the lack of push, pull, marketing and demand. I will add to his analysis that if we were to put speakers on a scale from 'musical to clinical' Tannoys are generally on the 'musical' side. Listening for a long period of time, I can't say the sound is exactly rolled off, but it is somehow more musical and warm than clinical or detail oriented. That said, the image very well - perhaps artificially well with a 3D effect at times in the right set up. Right now, most hi fi shops, magazines and many listeners in America seem to focus on the other end of the spectrum - with lots of emphasis on detail. For this reason, I think Tannoys will not be popular in America right now.
As to the new ones vs. vintage ones - the vintage are truly special. They aren't for everyone, but if you like what they do well (musical, 3d sound, soundstage, beautiful mids), they are hard to beat. The new ones I have more limited experience with, and they are expensive. I would probably go with Harbeth if I were to purchase new speakers in that price range - but Tannoy is a close second. They both have that magic I find lacking in a lot of new speakers that are popular in America these days.