The Spendor sp100's had a long run, but it's time for a change. I am looking at new speakers and considering Harbeth 40.1, Avantgarde Nano, Tannoy Kensington to name a few. Has anyone in BC land experienced Tannoy with Blue Circle gear?
My system is listed by Gilbert in BC system forum as "BC pic of someone system".
The new gear will be going in a dedicated soundroom being built in basement.(15'.5x20'x8'.5)
BC and Tannoy
I have the Tannoy Turnberry SE, model just below the Kensington, in my living room system powered by a Blue Circle Katlas and fronted by a BC501ob. Also tried it with my main rig BC109CP1/BC204-NT-KQ. The combinations work extremely well in my living room and sounds captivating from almost anywhere on our main floor. These speakers, in combination with my BC gear, have a very engaging and emotional quality that just seems to effortlessly pour out of them. I’d listen to this system all the time if it didn’t disturb other family members. I actually wanted to use these in my main system in the basement but found that they didn’t work well there. My basement system is compromised by a low ceiling and a near-field set-up which I don’t believe works in favour of these speakers. Coincidentally, my basement speakers are Harbeth SHL-5’s which work much better in that environment.
The Tannoy Prestige range are probably my favourite speakers ever, and if I had the means I would own the beautiful Tannoy Westminster Royal SE’s, BC208’s, a suitably large listening room and a very comfortable chair.
Let us know what you end up with.
Attilio
The Tannoy Prestige range are probably my favourite speakers ever, and if I had the means I would own the beautiful Tannoy Westminster Royal SE’s, BC208’s, a suitably large listening room and a very comfortable chair.
Let us know what you end up with.
Attilio
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noddyholder
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Thanks for info Atillio. I listen to my Spendor's nearfield(8') in a 16'x 24' room and they are placed on the long wall. The room has a couple openings and they sound best close up in this environment.
Do you think if my basement room is acoustically treated, the Kensington's are a bit too much?
In a word what best describes the difference between the SLH-5 and Turnberry's?
Those Canterbury's really make me drool along with the Westminster's.
If looks are an indicator the Prestige line is a classic indeed.
Do you think if my basement room is acoustically treated, the Kensington's are a bit too much?
In a word what best describes the difference between the SLH-5 and Turnberry's?
Those Canterbury's really make me drool along with the Westminster's.
If looks are an indicator the Prestige line is a classic indeed.
My basement listening room is just under 12’ across and the speakers are 6’ from the listening position. The ceiling height is 7’. Something about that environment just kept the Tannoy’s closed in. Not sure if it was the room width or height or a combination of factors. Given that your room is much wider and higher I would guess that the Kensington’s would have plenty of room to breathe.
My main floor living room is about 20’ long, 12’ wide and 8’ high and I have the Turnberry’s firing down the length and they sound magnificent in there.
One word that comes to my mind when comparing the Turnberry’s to the SHL-5’s would be visceral. They sound bigger, more alive, more tactile. The Harbeths are more self-effacing or buttoned-down.
If you do get to try the Kensington’s please tell us about your experience. The alnico magnets and pepperpot waveguide found in the premium Prestige models like the Kensington are supposed to be a significant enhancement.
Hope this helps.
Attilio
My main floor living room is about 20’ long, 12’ wide and 8’ high and I have the Turnberry’s firing down the length and they sound magnificent in there.
One word that comes to my mind when comparing the Turnberry’s to the SHL-5’s would be visceral. They sound bigger, more alive, more tactile. The Harbeths are more self-effacing or buttoned-down.
If you do get to try the Kensington’s please tell us about your experience. The alnico magnets and pepperpot waveguide found in the premium Prestige models like the Kensington are supposed to be a significant enhancement.
Hope this helps.
Attilio
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noddyholder
- Member
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Fri Mar 09, 2007 5:58 pm
Thank you again Attilio. Sharing those room dimensions really helps getting a handle on things.
If there is a word that makes me want to hear the Tannoy's even more-it's visceral. The descriptions you give on both speaker's are just enough to give a good bearing on their differences.
Your opinions are very helpful.
The other change in system will be the KQ upgrade for the BC28 mono's After auditions I will be sure to share.
Next step is to start construction of listening room
I better cram on some acoustic books and consult with my interior designer BeeBee the Beagle!!
Thanks,
Noddy
If there is a word that makes me want to hear the Tannoy's even more-it's visceral. The descriptions you give on both speaker's are just enough to give a good bearing on their differences.
Your opinions are very helpful.
The other change in system will be the KQ upgrade for the BC28 mono's After auditions I will be sure to share.
Next step is to start construction of listening room
I better cram on some acoustic books and consult with my interior designer BeeBee the Beagle!!
Thanks,
Noddy
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noddyholder
- Member
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Fri Mar 09, 2007 5:58 pm
Fred Sanford!! lol The eclectic junk look! BeeBee is for hire and has a very unique interior touch , I think she out styles Freddy Sanford in her sleep.
The KQ upgrade, I was skeptical until I read some posts and then exchanged e-mails with Master G. As you know Gilbert tends understate things a little, but his excitement about KQ was easy to surmise. And that's good enough for me. Really looking forward to that one.
Noddy
The KQ upgrade, I was skeptical until I read some posts and then exchanged e-mails with Master G. As you know Gilbert tends understate things a little, but his excitement about KQ was easy to surmise. And that's good enough for me. Really looking forward to that one.
Noddy
I am a dealer for both Blue Circle and Tannoy Prestige. The Tannoy's sound great with BC gear. Despite their efficiency, they like power and respond well to it. Tubes and solid state can both work well. The Tannoy's are about music, emotion and involvement. Many speakers will outperform them on specs and audiophile measures (imaging, sound staging, resolution, etc).
They are a kind of destination speaker. The music just shines through and you stop thinking about what the speaker is actually doing. I think the magic is largely due to 80 or so years of Tannoy refining the dual concentric technology. This is what really sets them apart. On the Prestige range, I find that the alnico magnets and pepperpot wave guides are significant. These features show up in the higher range models. I tell people to buy the biggest driver and cabinet they can afford and fit in. Even the big cabinets work surprisingly well in small and medium sized rooms. I demo the Canterbury model, 15 inch driver.
They are a kind of destination speaker. The music just shines through and you stop thinking about what the speaker is actually doing. I think the magic is largely due to 80 or so years of Tannoy refining the dual concentric technology. This is what really sets them apart. On the Prestige range, I find that the alnico magnets and pepperpot wave guides are significant. These features show up in the higher range models. I tell people to buy the biggest driver and cabinet they can afford and fit in. Even the big cabinets work surprisingly well in small and medium sized rooms. I demo the Canterbury model, 15 inch driver.