Looking for opinions on Tannoy Prestige line.


I have been looking around at the Tannoy Prestige line. I was curious about how these compare to more modern designs. I am a little burnt out on "hi-fi" and I am having an "enjoy the music" moment. I demoed a few pairs of Tannoys when I first got into audio and I remember liking them pretty well but it has been awhile scene I have heard them. I would be looking at the Kensington SE (and down) or either of the Glenair models. I do not have room or budget for anything bigger. I would be looking on the used market and have no dealer in my area. I am currently using Thiel CS2.4s.

Do they have much horn coloration? Does the bass have punch (I like hard rock and typical audiophile stuff too). How detailed are they compared to more modern designs?
james63

Showing 4 responses by mulveling

I've had the Kensington SE in my system for 2 years now. I've also heard the 2 Glenair models. I fell hard for the Tannoy sound a while ago, and though I do enjoy the attributes of certain other speakers, the dual-concentric sound has become deeply ingrained in my hi-fi experiences & perspectives. It's hard to imagine going to a different speaker line anymore. An example of some attributes I've enjoyed from other speakers (in every case these setups were lovingly tweaked and used excellent upstream gear):
* Audio Physic Tempo 25 threw an incredible soundstage
* Harbeth 40.1 were awesomely musical at moderate volumes
* YG Carmels were very fast and resolving
Then on the other hand, I've heard big boys like the Wilson Maxx and McIntosh line arrays at a high-end dealer, and walked away unimpressed in all respects - hard to compare since that was an open house event and seemed to be more "right from the can onto your plate" system setups (though the upstream gear was all hellaciously expensive). The lone speaker I was impressed by at that open house: the B&W Diamond Signature mini floor-stander. It actually reminded me more of a Tannoy, sound-wise.

What Tannoy does for me is a lovely mix of dynamics, resolution, musicality, coherence, and imaging. Most importantly, they can do spectacularly with rock recordings at higher volume levels. My vinyl collection is NOT typical audiophile fare. They can play clean & loud, and give you a non-fatiguing sound that's listenable for hours. This is all dependent on the room & system of course, as I'd occasionally been fighting a bit of brightness on my Kensingtons, with stock (Russian) tubes and modern high power PPP tube gear. On the other hand, they can easily swing to the side of "too warm and thick" with vintage tube gear, and/or more than 1 set of Mullards in the chain. In that sense they're FAR more revealing and sensitive than I'd ever expected. Every tube and component change is major and extremely apparent! You have to get the overall system balance right.

The Glenairs are excellent, but the Kensingtons SE has a bit of midrange magic that wins me over every time - heard as a touch of "sweetness", ala the upper line Koetsus. The Glenairs can be considered a touch more neutral, or a touch more dry, depending on your perspective. I was really shocked at how much the 10" version improved with some real power behind it - the Rogue Apollo monoblocks brought them alive and made them sound much more powerful than their modest size would indicate. I've got a couple of friends that actually prefer the 10" model over the 15", citing the midrange as the reason (one of them has a theory that the 10" dual concentric is the sweet spot for midrange). That said, the 15" model was certainly dynamic as all hell with those same Apollos.

The other alternative of course, is to consider running SET with these speakers - an avenue I've not explored. Lowest I've gone is 25 Watt/ch vintage PP....and unless in a small room, I love having the extra power!

Oh, and I definitely prefer the Prestige to the lower Tannoy lines, no question.
James63,
75dB is definitely lower than I listen, and I've got the system balance optimized for my (higher) preferred levels. Our ears' frequency response sensitivity changes with SPL (e.g. Fletcher-Munson curves), so I would definitely set the system up differently. That said, the Kensingtons are so responsive to upstream gear (e.g. tube changes) that this should be achievable.

My current system is built with an emphasis on a warm, sweet and prominent midrange, with smooth top end (that won't kill my ears) and strong bass. For lower SPL levels, I'd want to focus relatively more on treble & bass. At my levels, the bass feels deliciusly plentiful and powerful, with no artificial boost necessary. In other words, there isn't any 1 system configuration for any 1 speaker that will be optimal at different volume levels. That said, the Kensingtons are capable of superb bass reponse - and here you can truly say "excellent bass reponse" without the usual qualifiers: "for a small-ish floorstander" or "for a monitor". Anytime I see a qualifier like that, no matter how sugar-coated, I stop reading further! You need serious size for real bass quality & quantity; the Kensingtons are the entry level to "big boy" sizes, and Tannoy knows how to use it.

Going a step further - I know how you feel when you look at the Glenair 15" and start thinking it must have even better bass response. I've heard them on my own amp & preamp (though only for a couple of hours), and though awesome, they didn't fully blow me away. The slightly sweet midrange of the Kensington wins it out for me. I didn't hear it give significantly better bass response either; it may be (wild guess here) that more of that extra size went to efficicency rather than bass extension. I should also note that both the Glenair 10" and Kensingtons seriously hopped-up their bass response when driven by a super-powerful tube amp (Rogue Apollos). Also, a couple of my friends heard the same setup and feel that the midrange on BOTH the Glenair 10" and Kensingtons are superior to the Glenair 15". I personally didn't hear any anomolies that could be attributed to the crossover; I just liked the Kensigtons better. Didn't do quite enough comparison to formulate my own midrange opinion on Glenair 10" vs. 15"; but my feeling is that it's close.

I've also heard the Churchill Widebands in a fully different system, and now THAT'S where the Tannoy 15" shows superior bass response! Seriously, seriously wicked dynamics in that system - best I've ever heard. Clean and neutral overall tonality. But again, the Kensingtons have a touch of midrange sweetness that I'm just drawn to - like an RCA black plate 12AX7/12BH7 or a Koetsu Platinum. When I looked at the Yorkminster & Canterbury I wondered whether they would have the Kensington's mids PLUS the Churchill's bass and dynamics. However, my friend with the Churchills has heard the Yorkminsters, and says that the mids on the Kensintons are just unique - in fact he said his Tannoy contact said they've got the best mids in the Prestige line. This friend also recently bough the Kingdom Royals, which I'm going to have to hear soon :P
James63,
If you ever swing by Atlanta, you should be able to get a good demo of the Kensington SE, possibly Glenair 15, and maybe even Kingdom Royals too. The Prestige dealer in Marietta (Northwestern suburb of Atl) is located just down the street from me :)

Also, I've discovered something very interesting and unexpected in the past month - the VAC Ren III preamp has MASSIVE musical synergy with the Kensington SE...and it's consistently been in full force EVERY night I've sat down to listen ever since. No more "on" days vs. "slightly off" days. I've switched to using its built-in MC phono stage, too.
Cptaz,
Size-wise I think the Kensington or Yorkminster would be a ideal for that room.

Mike