Which ones should I choose? Tannoy Kensington Gr or B&W 804 D4


Dear Bro,

I'm in a dilemma about which speakers I should take, Tannoy Kensington Gr or B&W 804 D4? I dont have chance to audition those brands at the same dealer so plz give some advices. I'm going to pair speakers with MC 8900. My room is about 19 sqm (3.5m x 5.5m).

One more thing, are Turnberry Gr Speakers much difference from Kensington Gr.

Thank you very much

Steve

stevevn

From a purely aesthetic prospective I like the Tannoys. Two very different looking speakers obviously. Which one of them satisfies your eyes. I think that’s important too. Not as much as sound but you do want something that’s nice to look at. 

I have heard both and own the B&W. It is impossible to answer as the speakers are so different. However you should get a good idea auditioning at different dealers simply because they sound so different.

Personally I much prefer the B&W. Also your room size is not so large and the 804s sound fantastic up against a wall in a smallish room, and they are easy to place, sounding good in most situations. They have a very clean bass sound which means they don’t really trigger bass modes in the room, so avoid any boomy bass that other speakers may stimulate in a smallish room like yours. And with your amp the B&Ws will work a treat.

The Tannoys are a more risky investment as they are less tolerant of room size and placement. However you may get lucky with your room/speaker interaction and if you like the more muddled but rich tone of the speaker you may enjoy them more.

If you go with the B&W I thoroughly recommend putting them on Isoacoustic Gaia feet and sit these directly on your floor if you have a hard floor.  If you have carpet put the speakers with the Gaia feet on a cheap slab of granite kitchen chopping board. Honestly, this makes a fantastic difference, particularly if your room has a suspended wooden floor (like most older British homes do)

I would always urge testing a speaker in your room first. The speaker/room interaction ultimately defines the sound of the speaker.