Bad idea to use pro Tannoy speakers for home use?


This may possibly be a dumb question, but I found "pro" model Tannoys for sale, that seem to have the same drivers of much more expensive Tannoy home models. Specifically, I'm referring to Tannoy V300s.

Is there any reason I shouldn't use these speakers in a home environment? Apart from aesthetics which are arguably awful? They are referred to by Tannoy as sound reinforcement speakers and are apparently the same as used in the Sydney Opera House. I figure they must be high quality given that installation, but again - open to being told why I should walk away. I have other Tannoys - just need others to replace Magnepans going out the door (not suitable around my new baby).

Thanks in advance!
mpequignot

Showing 2 responses by bombaywalla

i personally do not think it's a bad idea to use Tannoy pro monitors/loudspeakers for your home audio. In fact, I do the same - have a pair of DMT10 Mk2 speakers, which i think are really very good. Not as ugly as your soon-to-be V300s but reasonably close. ;-) but the sonics are fantastic & the looks can be overlooked & lived with (for me).
I see what you are saying....
my DMT10 Mk2 have a specified sensitivity of 94dB/1W/1m & they are rated for 250W RMS & 350W peak, if memory serves me correctly. my speakers do get loud in a hurry as i turn up the volume control (as expected) but my DMT10 Mk2 do not distort at the higher volumes - they maintain their composure & then some. These speakers sound even better with a high current amp (I tested this in my primary system). So, don't let the high sensitivity lull you into pairing these speakers with a small or modest amp. Pair it with a high current amp & don't excessively kid-glove this speaker - it's meant to boogie without losing its composure .
I believe that these pro monitors like the DMT10 were designed to operate in sound-mixing rooms which trend toward anechoic chamber type acoustics meaning that all/most the sound has to come from the speaker without much/any help from the walls/ceiling/floor, etc. I suppose these sound mixing rooms are done this way to get a truer feel for the actual music without anything else getting in the way. The mixing-wallas must be cranking the volume during the process hence the high max power handling rating.
In a similar vein if your pro speakers are meant for public spaces then they'd want max volume with min amp power (to keep cost & heat generation down) hence the even higher sensitivity for the V300 & the even higher max power handling rating.
I've found the dual-concentric design to be really very good - i can sit on the floor with my ear under the driver height or stand up with my ear well above the driver height & not hear much change in the sound. Reading the manual informed me that the sound pattern was a 90 degrees around the dual-concentric driver. I believe it!
I found the sonics to be very true - no sugar-coating (which is OK with me) - and well very well balanced. No part of the audio spectrum sticks out giving the sound a cut-from-one-piece-of-cloth sound. After I installed the speakers in my 2nd system & turned on the music, I did not do a "wow" (as I was expecting myself to) but as I kept listening, i discovered all the music was there in its right form. And, that was the "wow" for me - it wowed me by just being true to the music. I also found out that my DMT10 Mk2 have a 1st order x-over, which is very much to my liking as I believe that 1st order x-overs have the least phase distortion (this parameter has a lot to do with listening fatigue when it is high with higher order x-over ckts).
Based on this I would recommend your listening to the V300. See if you can get a 14-day/30-day home trial. it might save you a trip & you'll only be out of a small amount of return shipping money. FWIW.