Tannoy Prestige Series...Or Something Else?

Hi. I'm really interested in Tannoy, especially the Tannoy Kensington speakers in the Prestige line. I was given an approximate quote, I think they are right around $16K. I love the reviews, the looks and what others have written on line about them. The only trouble is that I don't know where I can audition a pair. A dealer in my state can order them for me, but I hate to plunk down $16K+ without listening first.

There are plenty of other brands and dealers for me to turn to and I'm also interested in Sonus Faber, Devore Fidelity Orangutan 0/96, possibly Harbeth and I'd be open to other suggestions. But I REALLY don't want to at least not audition a pair of Tannoy or I'm afraid I'll regret it in the end. As great as B&W is, it's not a sound I really care for. I prefer something more lush, laid back and refined as opposed to something more detailed and forward. And price wise, I'm looking at speakers in the $15-20K range, not looking for used, although I would also be open to a less expensive pair if they are "giant killers".

So what would really match my McIntosh C2300/MC452 combo best out of these options? Is anybody running a pair of Tannoy with McIntosh? Any thoughts are most welcome and much appreciated!

 

I went from the B&W 805D with a MC6600, to the Kensington GR with the same McIntosh integrated. Abosolutely no complaints or regrets with the Kensington's. I had to buy them 'blindly' too as there was nowhere close by to audition. I did lots of research online, and was also considering Focal's, Sonas Faber's, B&W's, and Wilson Audio. The Kensington's just happened to be the best match in regards to size, footprint, sensitivity, and sound signature that I wanted. If I had more room, I probably would have strongly consisered Wilson Audio.

Having lived with them for over a half a year now, i like them even more. They have 'burned in' now and the midrange and imaging has really improved. I plan on upgrading the MC6600 at some point in the future, but for my situation right now, it sounds great and provides enough power to keep me happy.

 

Barnabas - I like Tannoy a lot - I have the smaller Mercury models on my A/V system and find them excellent.

The only thing putting me off of the larger Ta nnoys right now is the local dealer advises to set the toe-in, such that the axis crosses just in front of the listener.

This leads me to believe the sweet spot is extremely narrow, whereas my existing Gershman's have a much larger sweet spot (and a lot less toe-in)

Shucky Ducky - how do you have yours setup - any setup issues - toe-in or otherwise?

The Tannoy models I've auditioned at the dealer produce some extremely nice results. There's just something about the Tannoy sound that captivates when playing vocals and big orchestral pieces, whereas other seem to be left wanting.

Hope they work out for you

 

Here's a pair of big Westminster Royal Tannoys owned by someone with an MC-225, an MC-240, and a pair of MC-30s.

http://jeffsplace.me/wordpress/

 

Harbeths: smooth, refined, soft-dome tweeters, non-fatiguing, lovely.

Tannoy: horns, boomy bass, bombastic, aggressive...the most sophisticated of the high-efficiency horn speakers, but still brutal beasts. We also get into the territory of questioning the physics behind proper implementation of a 10", 12", or 15" two-way, which I do not believe is a realistic option.

Pick your poison according to taste.

 

ummm Tannoys aren't horn speakers- and I wouldn't describe my Tannoys as bombastic or aggressive in the least (are you thinking of Altec A7s?). Tannoys can sound boomy if not properly set up and as SteveReeve mentioned my Tannoys do have a narrow sweet spot.

 

Not sure where boomy and aggressive comes into play when describing the Prestige series. Not at all what I would say about any of that line.

To me (as a Tannoy dealer), I think the Kensingtons are the sweet spot of the line. Lots of the characteristics of the larger, more expensive models, without having to spend super big bucks (not that $16k is cheap! lol). Also have a nice footprint and relatively easy to setup/place.

For the most part, my customers run these with some type of tube gear, but I would imagine that Mac would be a nice combo as well. The 452 has tons of power, so you will certainly not be lacking there.


What is the room like where these will be going?

 

Tannoys with SS Macs are great
One of the nicest combinations about.

S/F are nice in the mids/highs but hopeless in the bass
Harbeths are ok but perhaps a bit soft in the leading edge

Unsure what Tannoys the poster above has heard {Or what chemicals they may have consumed} One can only assume a some flea powered amp may have been involved = Tannoys shine with power

 

Really? I am listening to 15" Glennairs as I write with zero toe-in. With toe-in, they sounded like bad horns.

 

If you read the Tannoy owner's manual, they do usually state to have them cross over in front of the listening position.

I've never done this however as prefer them crossed behind the position or even with very little toe.

Not saying which is right or wrong, but to me, I prefer them my way.

 

I am not saying which is right or wrong either. I played with different positions for a month before coming to no toe-in as ideal. I should have mentioned that I listen in nearfield.

Let me also mention that I use the fifth (ground) binding post connected with cheap speaker cable to my amp's grounding post, very good Stereovox biwire jumpers and the speakers sit on the largest DH cones and pads.

And a note about Klipsch speakers. I listened to a system with some new Cornwalls crosssed before the listener's positions and they were terrible. I also listened to some Heresy III speakers placed on their own short "stands" in an all tube set up last week and they were also hopeless. However, I took my own (cheap) tube amp to a Clipsch dealer 200 miles away, wher we listened to the same Heresys placed on top of some other Klipsch speakers (Belles?) and the sound was excellent.

 

I can make the 15" Glennairs sound boomy by using their own spikes. But I used Symposium Fat Pads or DH cones and pads instead.

I can also make them sound aggressive by using toe-in.

These are some very tweaky speakers.

 

Good question on the room. I'd say it's medium size, not huge. The size of one and a half bedrooms, I'd say. I've actually never measured it. That was the other reason I gravitated towards the Kensingtons in particular is that they don't appear as large as most of the other speakers in the Prestige line.

Eventually, I'd like to get hooked up with some tube gear but I just barely got the MC452; I'd love to own a pair of MC30s one day or even a nice old Fisher receiver.

 

You need to measure your room.

 

The classic Dual Concentric Tannoys are most certainly horn speakers (see cutaway diagram). The design features a paper cone woofer with a Concentric horn mid/tweeter in the middle. Not confusing them with Altec A7s. Have owned both and very familiar with the difference. Both are amazing speakers and have wonderful strengths, but are unfortunately the unsolvable issue is horn shout, which is a fundamental aspect of the design. Another problem is the crossover point, which if memory serves is around 1200Hz. Expecting that a 15" cone is going to do midrange is a fantasy and the result is a significant dip in the response. Of course all speakers have their imperfections and it becomes a matter of which you can live with and which are intolerable.

http://www.44bx.com/tannoy/images/TannoyCutAway.JPG

 

OK sorry- I guess when I think of horns I think of large horn enclosures ala Altec or Klipschhorns etc- carry on

 

I had them set up for several days with the toe-in directly in front of the listening position (like the manual says), but they didn't sound right. I then toe-ed them in to intersect a foot or two behind the listening position (recommended by many) and that opened up the sound. I talked with my dealer about this last year, but he had no idea why the manual would recommend that type of toe-in.

The only issues I had with the Kensington's was they sounded kind of wonky (almost scary) for a day or two while they were breaking in. After that initial burn-in, they sounded great and kept getting better. I also listen nearfield like Triple, and my listening room is treated with fabric to cut down on reflections on all four walls.

 

The current Kensington GRs are some of my favorite Tannoys. If you can put at least 100 watts into them, they're among the best Tannoy has made for the vocal range, and there's generally no problem at all running with Mac. The MC452 is a little bit of overkill for the Kensington, though, with more than enough power to pop the cone out of its frame if you overdrive the speakers. It's also going to leave a good bit of the alnico subtlety on the ground. I wouldn't worry about it, though. You can always get another amp later. The biggest issue is going to be your room. The Kensington just doesn't thrive in big spaces. It definitely doesn't thrive on romantic symphonies in big spaces. If you have to fill a stupidly giant room -- and if you like big, complex music -- you probably want to look elsewhere. If your current Linn speakers are working well, the Kensington is probably close to an ideal match.

But… Well… How do I say this?

Sixteen grand? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? That's a lot to spend on blind faith in the word of some gobshites on an internet forum. You may wind up talking to some idiot (like me) with a Tannoy fetish (like me). I'm not sure I'd cut a check because some guy who looks like a stock photo gave me the go ahead. I'd probably try to craigslist or eeeeeebay up a pair of decent, vintage Tannoys to decide if I liked the house sound before dropping sixteen large on a vague daydream.

Somebody up in your neck of the woods is selling Arthur Loesch's old pair of 10" Tannoys for under $3k on the 'bay. Why not pick 'em up? Sure the new GR is going to be more refined and more detailed, but you can still buy them once you decide whether a 10" Tannoy is going to do for you. Heck, the old models have already suffered all the depreciation they're going to. YOu probably won't take a bath when you sell them down the line.

 

Couldn't disagree more with this. What Tannoy have you actually listened to? Then again I find Harbeths squeaky and boring and inefficient and lacking in dynamics so....

 

The OP is looking at a 10. I've heard it. It does midrange just fine.

 

I've listened to and owned more pairs of Tannoys that can be counted on two pair of hands, vintage modern, and mid-period. Let me know if you have any specific questions.

 

Even an 8" is pushing it as far as doing midrange properly. Any 10" driver will have significant problems as well as a 12" or 15". It's just the way it is. It would be like expecting a 3" driver to make deep bass. There are physical limitations. Getting back to Harbeth, perhaps the most significant reason that their speakers are special and certainly why they are the greatest implementation of the classic BBC designs is the 8" Radial cone. It's performance is light years ahead of any 8" driver before it and this is why the speakers have such a coherent and natural sound. Typically, an 8" driver will run out of gas somewhere before it meets the tweeter. The 10" two-way is dead technology for the most part. It doesn't work.

 

If I was going to drop that kind of coin on a pair of speakers, I'd spend what it takes to go somewhere I could give them a good, long listen.

 

Yes yes. Of course. And, of course, you trade those drawbacks for some other benefits. Don't be such a fundamentalist. After all, if you don't mind the narrowing radiation, a giant midrange can do wonders for tactility and dynamics. If your belief system requires you to attend the Church of the Holy Four Inch Midgrange, then godspeed, young man -- but skip my house when you're dropping off your pamphlets.

Besides, I've listened to and owned more pairs of tannoys than I care to count (I'm down to two pairs, though), and my feeling is that they can be fantastic speakers. I wouldn't let my worst enemy buy them without a serious audition, mind you. They ain't even close to perfect.

What they do, though, they can do very well indeed.