Tannoy D700, 500 How do they sound?

I'm listening to D-500s right now. They're new, and need break-in time, so they're a bit raw; but they bode very well. Tremendous ease in the bass -- very, very relaxed there; they're just still a little harsh in the mids and edgy in the highs. The jury's still out, since I'm still fiddling with the right interconnects, room acoustics, positioning, etc., but they impressed me enough at the shop to buy a pair, and once I get them tweaked out, I'm pretty sure I'll come to love them. I catch myself, when I'm not being too critical since they're so new, smiling. They make a lot of noise for a little power, so if you don't have a big room, I'd go with the 500s. I was thinking about 700s, but I'm pretty sure they'd have punched holes in the walls, judging from the efficiency of the 500s. Jeff

I have only heard the D700 at a dealers and so will not comment directly on the sound. However, the reputation of these speakers is that, despite their efficiency, they present a reasonably difficult load and need lots of current to control those big cones. Some say SS amps, or very good and powerful tubes. This might end up being a problem for you with only 40W of tube power. Otherwise my brief listen suggests they might fit with your desire for "smooth, fun, dynamic, deep tight bass".

Try the Tannoy Saturn 8's and THEN audition the Saturn 10's for a big improvement in bass (smooth, not boomy) and clean, revealing hf/mid ranges. I like their truthful, detailed rendition of female vocals and related jazz percussion (guitar/bass string plucks and drum brushes) plus their dynamics for rock music. The big plus is they are easy to listen to for long periods and are, imo, a better choice for home use than Tannoy's pro monitors (same dual concentric drivers) but cost more for similar sized drivers, aren't floor standers and look rather industrial. The pro series Tannoys are VERY revealing and fun for hearing new details on familiar music...like the first time you heard a favorite LP on a good set of phones. They're just more unforgiving, as good monitors should be. Saturn 10's come in black or very light "cherry" vinyl covered cabinets with black grilles over dark gray baffles. They list for $2200 but can be bought for about $1500/pr. which is less than half the cost of the D700's real wood veneer models. You can spend the savings on a new preamp! As for your amps, it depends on their ability to drive nominal 6 ohm loads at desired levels. Their specs recommend 30-200 Watts but they are fairly efficient at 93 dBSaturns aren't as hard to drive as Thiels. I've heard a single SS 50 Watt BEL 1001 drive S10's better than my 250W Bryston that really controls them well.