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

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.

Best way is auditioning both speakers at home, convince the dealers they will understand.

The BW speakers are brighter but the older one gets,  the more they compensate for hearing loss. 

Tannoy - no contest. I have two different pairs of bookshelf models.  They actually sounded better than my older Focal 1027 Electras.  One pair - the D-100 (long discontinued) - even has provision for bi-wiring.

Vanson1 +1

I'm getting close to 70 and I switched to B&O about 2 months ago. I can hear the higher frequencies that I've been missing for a few years. I wouldn't be surprised if better ears found my system to be a bit harsh, but it's just right for me now.