I love this comment about Tannoys and if you have a musical soul it sums up the listening experience perfectly.They must be on a wide baffle though or they do not have the magic.This is for Yorkminsters.
"I just bought these speakers one year ago my stereo system is: mcintosh 2275 + Tw acustics Raven One with dyna vector mk II+ Cd marantz 15 SA + phone stage Vk -p10 and in my living room the music is so real....i just say this is heaven....my body melt on the sofa....unreal.....just outstanding : )"
|
tannoy is tanntalum alloy , really ? ? what connection woth driver from tannoy?
Give them a break -- Tannoy is an OLD company, established in 1926. The founder, Guy R. Fountain, trademarked that very alloy and started the company at that time.
And this is also an ancient thread, but unfortunately not a lot has changed in 20 years with regards to Tannoy’s market penetration in North America. It’s still hard to find places to demo. It’s still hard to get legitimate information and spare parts out of Tannoy or their parent company (Behringer / Music Tribe). Though to be fair, I had a good experience with Music Tribe support a couple years ago.
NA distribution has been taken over by Upscale Audio in California (you can demo Tannoys at their shop), which has been a significant improvement. IMO Kevin’s done a good job pimping the brand and getting word out about how great Tannoys sound. However, we still don’t really know WHAT is going on for the manufacturing side of things. I think most of us have resigned to the fact that all current Tannoys are essentially Chinese production, despite hand-waving around "maybe" a new factory in Scotland, or that stupid rumor of a toy/furniture factory in Poland (purportedly for building Prestige and Legacy series cabinets in the EU).
You’ll also hear a lot about Fyne audio, which is the new speaker company comprised or former Tannoy employees. They also focus on an (updated) dual concentric design. Their premiums lines really are made in Scotland, and (hopefully) maybe they’re more transparent and easy to deal with than the old Tannoy? That said, I'm a die-hard Tannoy aficionado and see no need to jump into Fyne from my 4 beloved Tannoy sets (with spare drivers).
|
what sound diference betwen tannoy m2 and mx2?
|
tannoy is tanntalum alloy , really ? ? what connection woth driver from tannoy?
|
|
States, I could not find a single Hi-Fi store to audition Tannoy speakers in my state. It seems B&W speakers are much more popular in the States.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back in the days, I am sure I would have liked the tannoys,
B&W's I always hated, although as you say, popularized, USA loves adores commcerialISM/ConsumerISM. WE worship big **trusted* names.
But today, 2021, those brands are about extinct and can I say, Good riddance. To all *House Sound* speakers, The Vandersteens, Thiels Walsh's ,etc **Signature sound*
There are new kids on the block and they mean business.
|
|
I had the same problem. I had been looking into them for years on the web, and having read all I could find on the prestige line became very fascinated with them, for a lot of reasons. I went to a show just to see if the Tannoy room had them, even on display, which they did not. I ended up -investing- in a used pair of Turnberry's so I could hear them finally, and in my system. They were all that I was looking for mostly. Read my post here somewhere else "Tannoy vs ATC", for more info... I think they are fine loudspeakers. |
It is a shame that Tannoy does not get the press or acclaim they should. I have owned a pair of Westminsters and loved them. They ended up being too big for the room they were in but I also have a pair of Definition D700's for going on a dozen years now and really have no intention of selling them, I still love their sound.
I once visited a dealer who is close to me, about 60 miles away, and he had a pair of Canterburys set up, which is a step down from their top of the line, and the sounded very hi-fi-ish. I know it was the set-up but if that was the impression a dealer was giving to prospective customers, then its no wonder they don't get the accolades the brand deserves.
Mike
|
However, I fell head over heels over the System 10DMT. LOL! that's the exact speaker that I have in one of my systems - the DMT10 Mk2 (I realize you really liked the rev1 version of this speaker). like skoczylas i will not part with this speaker willingly. It does not have any WAF but, boy, is it a really good speaker to listen to or what? Easy to drive (really flat impedance curve) & being a dual concentric the radiation pattern is 90 degrees from the cone thus the soundstage does not change even a little bit whether i stand or sit on the floor & listen. It's really a superb speaker that will take on many other speakers in the market many more times its own cost.... Ignore this brand at your own peril. |
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've followed Tannoy line for many years, The higher end tannoys, i.e. those having 10" drivers and bigger, are best suited to larger spaces. They can be a little challenging to setup, but very rewarding once good setup is acnieved. Toe-in is important and acute. Even those models with the smaller 6" drivers can present problems especially if acoustic room treatments have not been dealt with. Compared to more "modern" designs many models appear a little "old school" but with all things in audio - let your ears be the judge. If you compared them to other speakers in the same snack bracket on sound quality alone you might be surprised at performance level of the Tannoys. They often better many higher priced brands/models. I own various Mercury models for use in my A/V system simply because they offered the best bang for the buck. I often listen to larger models at a local audio store and am still amazed at the superb reproduction qualities of solo vocal and full orchestral tracks - which I believe demonsrates their ability to handle acoustic subtleties, whilst being very adept at maintaining clarity as the decibels climb. They are pretty efficient, so matching to amps is relitivelly problem free, but there are some amps that seem to dislike them, so do your research. A Comment from my local tannoy store owner... "Tannoys tend to be the last speaker we sell to our customers" Hope that helps |
tannoy is probably the largest and oldest brand that I have never had an opportunity to give a serious listen to. On paper, I like them a lot.
Wondering if people in US find them a worthwhile value these days?
|
Tannoys are overall my favorite loudspeaker. Very accurate and smooth, but exciting as well. Noted throughout the recording industry for accuracy, they're also known to be "easy on the ears," that is, they don't fatigue the listener. The dual concentrics are also noted for their excellent imaging properties-the single point-source thing. A pleasure to listen to-I find it very easy to become engrossed in the music and forget about the gear, which to me is the ultimate goal. As a musician, I prefer the single point source loudspeaker over the multi-way reflective speakers, but then, although I listen a lot for enjoyment, it's all critical listening to a large extent. I don't have music on as "background;" if music is on, I listen to it. N.B.-This is not any sort of negative comment towards folks who like music playing in the background. As a matter of fact, I think for people who enjoy music playing for ambience, there are undoubtedly better loudspeakers, because in my experience, single-point style speakers seem to require the listener to be in a certain spot, or focal point, whereas the reflective speakers "fill" the room with sound, which many like. Along the same lines, many Altecs (the older ones, when Altec was still on its own) are excellent, too. BTW, Tannoy is still winning new friends in the recording industry; their inexpensive litte powered two-ways are regarded by many as the best "budget" monitor. Anyway, Tannoys are fine speakers-if you still had your Devons, I'd bet you'd still like them, if you like the conventional style of speaker. |
Tannoy are quite reputed for their speakers. Apart from their Westminster, Canterbury, etc (I remember ogling over as a kid) they now have a series called TD(?) with dual-concentric drivers (mid-bass) and hi-rez tweets on them. I heard one of these models, the 12 (if memory serves) that I assume is the biggest... It was beautifully finished and sounded very good, very musical, phase correct (as far as I could tell) & quite "full-range". Don't know about the pricing though -- I think it's expensive... |
Tannoy is a popular brand in the pro audio area. Their products are very well respected. |
Of course the name was synonymous with pa loudspeakers in England. When I ventured into my first hifi store 30 odd years ago, as opposed to the cal stereo, university stereo and pacific stereo chains, I was shown a pair of hifi speakers, said to be accurate from 50hz to 15khz, and told that 20-20k was just marketing hype and irrelevant.
I couldnt afford one at the time, but ever since, I have associated the name with real hifi.
Is it the same company, and are their current products good? |
The late great Dr Gizmo aka Harvey Rosenberg, used a set of Tannoy Westminster Gold and loved them with his SET amps. |
Don't know why, but Tannoy's ( for many years ) have been very popular in Canada. In my opinion, I wouldn't even look at anything less than 25 years old. The Golds, Silvers and Royals, and even HPD 385's were all fabulous duo-concentric drivers and could all be driven by low powered SET's - too bad they've all been out of production for years. (by the way Tannoy, is a short term for Tantalum alloy, for those that didn't know.) |
heard a pair of 2-way coaxial's (no idea which model) years ago at one of the shows, & was impressed enough that the memory stands out to this day. Nice coherent speaker with pleasing tonality & great PRaT |
http://www.tgina.com/professional/index.html
Check this link and contact the regional rep. I know there are several dealers in the Chicago area, so I have no trouble finding them. A store that specializes in British audio products (NAD, NAIM, Linn, etc.) is likely also to carry Tannoy.
I happen to like the Tannoy Mx4 a lot (have a new pair I might be willing to part with!). |
Comments? Well, back in the early 90's, I worked in a small hi-fi store. A Tannoy representative came knocking and left a few samples of speakers for us to audition hoping we'd become their dealer. My boss wouldn't even listen to them. A co-worker and I hooked a few up. My co-worker were less than enthused about them. However, I fell head over heels over the System 10DMT.
I feel my boss, coming from a business point of view, saw Tannoy has no consumer demand, so he ignored the speakers and the Tannoy rep. My co-worker, I feel who is brain washed by Stereophile, didn't like the speaker because it wasn't a class C or above component.
So, it is pretty much a viscious circle. You have virtually no marketing dollars spent by Tannoy in the State (push), no consumer demand (pull); therefore, no dealers are willing to take the plunge in becoming a Tannoy dealer.
But, because Tannoy isn't a big presence in the States, this allowed me to purcahse a used pair of Tannoys from ebay for almost a quarter of its retail price. So, there is an up side at least for me. |
