Few brands have had as much impact on sound reproduction as Tannoy. In fact, in many countries it is common for people to use the term "Tannoy" when referring to a public address speaker system. "I heard an announcement on the Tannoy." For us, however, the name Tannoy is synonymous with crystal clear musical reproduction.
While many brands employ exotic materials, space age measurement techniques, and wild cabinet designs, Tannoy prefers to build on tradition. Their dual concentric driver was developed in the 1940's and is the foundation of all Tannoy speakers today.
So what makes the dual concentric driver special? By placing the high frequency driver (tweeter) inside the bass driver (woofer), a Tannoy loudspeaker produces all frequencies from the same source. Unlike a traditional woofer/tweeter arrangement where the high frequencies are emitted from a different location than the low frequencies or even worse when you have to split things up into 3 or more drivers. Having all frequencies emit from one place is much more natural than having to separate them into multiple drive units. For example: When a person speaks, sound comes from their mouth. Not their neck, forehead, or chest. However, when a 3 way loudspeaker is asked to reproduce a human voice, you will hear all 3 drivers working together. As a result, a Tannoy loudspeaker has a huge advantage when attempting to paint a musical image, otherwise known as a sound stage.
Another unique feature of Tannoy is the high frequency driver is not a traditional soft or metal dome tweeter. Instead they use a compression driver which is much more common in professional applications. A compression driver has a wider frequency range than a typical tweeter, therefore allowing a much lower crossover point. This is why you see Tannoys with 15" woofers not requiring a mid-range driver. A compression driver can also play much louder than a conventional tweeter and it is more efficient. The challenge with compression drivers is making them sound good and Tannoy has been perfecting this for over 80 years!
Tannoy speakers have pretty much looked the same since day one with subsequent generations receiving technical improvements as better materials and engineering techniques are developed. They are a lot like a Porsche 911 - a car that has kept the same basic shape for 60 years but has been refined into one of the greatest sports cars of our time. Just like the Porsche 911, the Tannoy Dual Concentric driver has been refined over the decades into one of the greatest musical reproduction devices of our time.
We are thrilled to welcome Tannoy. After one listen you will want to welcome them into your home as well.
