Tannoy Westminster SE vs. Sonus Faber Amati Futur

If you buy things for their "designer boutique" looks then get the Sonus.

If you want the most musical, realistic sound, go Tannoy.

As to the guy who had the Westminsters and thought they were too analytical or revealing, I would say you had a very flawed system or you never really had them. Musical and natural is the hallmark of great Tannoys and the Westminster is arguably the greatest. Folks live with Tannoys for decades, more so than any other speaker I have ever seen, for precisely that reason: they state that "they sound like music".

If there is any flaw on the Westminsters, it is that they can be lacking on the ultimate extension on top (the opposite of "ruthlessly revealing"!) and can be a little warm (again, the opposite of the above poster's claim).

Search Google for "Tannoy Westminster" and you'll see that the overwhelming consensus opposite to the above poster's description. Except for the size, they are extremely easy to live with.

Sound's real, you don't get it man, it's a COMPRESSION DRIVER, there's huge energy in that 2 incher. Studios need to be able to play LOUD, musicians demand that, and there have been more of those drivers used in mastering recordings, over decades, and still in use, than any cone driver you can name. There's a reason. Dynamic as all get out, efficient, and as you yourself mention, a wide range driver so no crossover garbage in the midrange, no different voices from different drivers through the critical regions. Nearly all cone speakers sound like a box of drivers after experiencing a wide-range, low distortion driver like that.

But unlike you, I don't sell retail, I have no vested interest in any speaker products, so I understand you need be aware of where your "bread is buttered".

Thanks Shakey. PM sent to you, check your in box.

Most folks don't even realize that these Tannoy mids really are horns, and that the woofer acts as a continuation of the horn for the central compression driver.

On the Westminster, the enclosure itself then takes over as an extension of the horn formed by the woofer.

The woofer also is backloaded by a folded horn in the enclosure. This all brings the efficiency up to 99db per watt.

Sound Real, your logic is faulty here. You clearly don't understand the nature of the transformer (the horn) that takes the load off that 2" driver, compared to a "bare driver", to the tune of an order of magnitude.

It's useless to argue with someone (you) who obviously has no technical understanding of the subject, and who not many years ago was asking Audiogoners what to carry! Seems to me the general consensus in that thread was that you should go learn something, and that still applies. Don't just spout off before learning the subject matter. Rather, do the mature thing and go learn about the compression driver and horn loading, from a technical standpoint, then go test several of the best models, involving several brands. Do some measurements to correlate to your listening experiences. Then come back and talk, you'll at that point be able to bring something to the table. A couple decades more experience and studying and you will then REALLY bring something to the table.

Unlike you, no commercial affiliations here. I don't do retail, I'm not in the speaker business, I own both cones and horns.

Remember one of the first rules of credibility: know what you are talking about before you throw dogmatic statements around.