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Opinions on Tannoy Canterbury SE?

I've been running the Kensington SE (2 models down in size) for 3 years. An in-home audition of Yorkminster SE -- and a recent listening of my Kensingtons in a smaller room (19'x14') -- has revealed that my speakers are slightly undersized for my room. No doubt I can coax out satisfying bass response, but it took substantial tuberolling (and "gear" rolling), and that last bit of bass extension is clearly lacking in comparison to the Yorkminster (29Hz vs. 23). Also, it's a substantial audible jump from 93dB to 95/96. It's amazing what a difference that extra size makes -- and the Kensingtons aren't small to start with.

I would've bought the Yorkminster, but 1) I dislike their looks, and 2) their midrange seemed a touch dry and less "sweet" in comparison to the Kensington. I've very much attached to that midrange. This issue may perhaps have been mitigated with further burn-in, but in the end I decided to look towards the Canterbury SE as my only potential upgrade. I'm not considering anything else; it's Canterbury or nothing. Also, I won't be plunging into the world of dual subs; I like everything coming from 1 point source.

I figure those of you with notable listening time on the Canterbury SE might also have experience with other Tannoys. Would like to solicit your opinions of how they stack up to the others, especially those of the Prestige line. How "sweet" is their midrange? I like it sweet :) Would also like to hear whether their bass extension provides a noticeable improvement over the Kensington (on paper it's only 28Hz vs. 29). I won't be able to audition these before purchase.

Mike
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Showing 1 response by pryso

pryso
1,905 posts
 
Hi Mike,

A couple of years ago a local dealer added the Tannoy line. I first heard the Westminster Royal at his showroom in a demo for our audio club. That was set up in a home theater demo room and left some things to be desired. Even so, I could hear past some faults and found many elements of natural, musical presentation that impressed me.

Shortly after that a friend arranged with the dealer for home auditions. He didn't try the Kensingtons but I got to hear the Yorkminsters while he had them home. He then tried the Canterburys and bought those.

I was so impressed with the overall Tannoy musical presentation that my own interest was stirred. Due to budget limitations and room configuration, the only model in the Prestige range I could consider was the Kensington. But the dealer didn't have those at the time. Then at last year's THE Show - Newport, I had the chance to audition the Kensingtons. I don't know if they were brand new and not broken in but I found them a huge disappointment. So much so they fell out of consideration for me.

I really enjoyed both the Yorkminster and Canterbury models. They present a rare combination of detail (many times over done by high end components in my opinion) and musical accuracy (meaning tone, presence, and body). The choice between the two could be determined by your budget and room.
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