I'm a longtime Tannoy fanoboy; I own Canterbury SE and had Kensington SE
for 3 years before that. Love my Tannoys, but I think realistically you have to
qualify their microdetail/resolution as being great *for dynamic driver
implementations*. You won't be fooled into thinking you're listening to a top
'stat here. I'm basing this on a recent audition of the Stax SR-009 electrostatic
headphones, which quite honestly blew me away with their resolution. Of
course, 'stats just can't do convincing bass impact for me, either.
What sets Tannoys apart is the coherence of their point source, which is
unique for a full-range dynamic speaker (coming from high-end headphones,
I require this coherence). You also get a touch of warmth/sweetness in the
mids (pepperpot models), which I find very pleasing and musical. Add in the
dynamics and you get a big musical sound and visceral experience with good
resolution. I prefer them to the Magico S5 for these reasons. On the downside,
these pepperpots' treble also has a slight tendency towards shrillness that
must be mitigated through proper setup and system matching (for example, I
find the S5's beryllium tweeter to be excellent, with no such issue).
The dynamic range of the bigger Tannoys is great, but the Westminster (which
I've not heard) should vastly exceed the Canterbury/Kensington in this area.
Honestly, you may not get quite as much low-end extension, dynamics, and
impact from the Canterbury as you'd expect from a 15" -- surprisingly
the now discontinued Yorkminster did better with a mere 12", but then I
didn't like its slightly recessed and dry midrange (compared to Canterbury &
Kensington).
for 3 years before that. Love my Tannoys, but I think realistically you have to
qualify their microdetail/resolution as being great *for dynamic driver
implementations*. You won't be fooled into thinking you're listening to a top
'stat here. I'm basing this on a recent audition of the Stax SR-009 electrostatic
headphones, which quite honestly blew me away with their resolution. Of
course, 'stats just can't do convincing bass impact for me, either.
What sets Tannoys apart is the coherence of their point source, which is
unique for a full-range dynamic speaker (coming from high-end headphones,
I require this coherence). You also get a touch of warmth/sweetness in the
mids (pepperpot models), which I find very pleasing and musical. Add in the
dynamics and you get a big musical sound and visceral experience with good
resolution. I prefer them to the Magico S5 for these reasons. On the downside,
these pepperpots' treble also has a slight tendency towards shrillness that
must be mitigated through proper setup and system matching (for example, I
find the S5's beryllium tweeter to be excellent, with no such issue).
The dynamic range of the bigger Tannoys is great, but the Westminster (which
I've not heard) should vastly exceed the Canterbury/Kensington in this area.
Honestly, you may not get quite as much low-end extension, dynamics, and
impact from the Canterbury as you'd expect from a 15" -- surprisingly
the now discontinued Yorkminster did better with a mere 12", but then I
didn't like its slightly recessed and dry midrange (compared to Canterbury &
Kensington).