Just got Tannoy Monitors and loving them

[tubino]

I just got a pair of Tannoy System 12 DMT speakers. For years I've heard these at a friend's house (his audio webpage) for years, and they have always impressed me.

Now that I set them, even in a hasty on-the-floor way, in my humble system I am even more impressed:

Noticeably low distortion.
Excellent dispersion, even nearfield.
Same balanced sound near and far.
Very source-coherent, the way single-driver speakers can be.
Great potential for imaging when I get them off the floor etc.
Very good efficiency (96db, 2.83v@1M)

These speakers were replaced by the System 1200's, but I prefer the cabinets on the older ones.

With the dual-concentric design, these are almost the antithesis of kabuki. The picture below was swiped from a scanned version of the glossy brochure, and the two white dots are from the holes punched in the original, I guess. Anyway, they aren't on MY speakers!

I know Tannoys are not a secret, but I find it surprising that these are not more popular with audiophiles. There are current and recent production models, replacement parts are available, and you have lots of monitor models to choose from, from the 600 and 800 and up to the 15" for lower F3 and still better efficiency. No, they aren't cheap (at ~$800 mine were at the lower end of ebay prices, and new is around $2K/pr), but there are lots of ways to spend more, and folks do all the time. You can put these right against the wall for HT use or greater WAF (no rear port, they are often wall-mounted for studio monitor use). The nearfield qualities are very seductive.

Anyone else using Tannoys? I think I'm hooked for life.

 

[Billfort]

Not surprised you like these tubino, I would echo the same lists of strengths with the dual-concentric design I use (Altec 604's). I have heard some 15" Tannoy's (I think they where Golds), various Altec, Adire (Eminence) and B&C speakers that use similar dual-concentric layouts and most of the points you made where there with these as well. It's kinda like getting some of the major benefits of a single driver along with decent treble extension and good bass performance.

My personal preference is Altecs and Tannoy's but at a much lower pricepoint the Adire's are very nice as well. I love some of things Lowthers and Fostex full-rangers can do but speakers like the Tannoy's actually deliver the goods at the extremes and are something you can live with long term. In a space limited room, I can't think of any speaker I'd rather own than a 604 or Tannoy.

 

[DanTana]

Very nice speakers, I think it's a good idea to use the woofer as an excursion device. Don't think I've seen that tried before. Your friend gave a very nice, honest opinion on those Tannoy's and they sound like a very sweet speaker. Tell him if that NAD tuner uses 4558 op-amps that he would be well ahead to put in some 2604's in their place. I have a Proton, exact tuner as NAD, and the sound quality went from very good, to near excellent, especially in the midrange and treble areas, bass seemed mostly unaffected except maybe a little more clarity to it.

 

[GordonW]

The store I work for sells Tannoy, and I'm glad. I've really never heard one of their speakers I DIDN'T like. It's nice to have something, that you can almost universally recommend, and know they'll work well.

Tubino, you'd probably get a kick out of what's coming in at work. We've arranged to have a pair of Tannoy TD-12s on demo display. :yippy: I can't wait for these to arrive! Basically, a very similar driver to your 12DMTs, but with the new 7-ingredient paper/fiber cone and a larger cabinet. That, hooked up to the VAC amp/preamp combo that's also coming in... well, I might never go home again... :smlove:

Regards,
Gordon.

 

[Bauhausler]

Cool! I'll bring some favorite CDs and look forward to monopolizing your system for a while on Sunday.
Important question: do they rock?

 

[tubino]

Originally posted by Bauhausler
Cool! I'll bring some favorite CDs and look forward to monopolizing your system for a while on Sunday.
Important question: do they rock?

Bring 'em on!

You've just got to be forgiving as this is just stuff thrown together on the porch while we get a room in the front ready for renovation, which we want to finish in August before we completely rebuild the porch this fall as a four-season room with sliding glass doors and fireplace... with intent to make IT the main listening room! But hey, I tell my wife that with these Tannoys I'm way ahead on the stereo acquisition side!

I'm envious of your 24' x 36' space! The only place I have to park my EV Georgians is my office! But after you come take some stuff off my hands, I'll be closer to liberating the large space in the basement, which I'm going to finish using audio sales proceeds and set up as an insanely great listening room, with the Georgians on one wall and the Jensen backloaded horns on another... After that, world domination should be a cinch, but I'll probably just decide to listen to music instead.

 

[Billfort]

Important question: do they rock?

The 15 inchers sure do! Went to a local bar this weekend that was putting on a small Blues fest and listened to a great band Saturday night. I believe the guitar players and drummer played together regularly in the Grand Rapids MI area but 3 different singers/harp players shared the stage.

Pretty decent acoustics in there, all Fender tube amplification on stage and a pair of Tannoy 15" dual-concetrics up at ear level used for the PA. The mix was nice, not too loud and the band was rockin but what struck me was how nice those Tannoys sounded. No pant-leg flappin bass but a smooth, dynamic sound that filled the room and held up well as you moved around the place.

If I ever see a pair of these for reasonable bucks...

 

[tubino]

Originally posted by Billfort
The 15 inchers sure do!
[snip]
If I ever see a pair of these for reasonable bucks...

Then you better see them before I do. Used ones don't come up often. Efficiency is ~98. They weigh 100 lbs and they aren't small, but are still much more manageable than many if not most real horns. Seems they might be available for a bit over $3K new if you shop around. Maybe $2.5K for demos if you're in the right place right time.

Tubino