Tannoy system 2 sound review and tear down etc

[@johnwright8814]

The Tannoy name is now owned be Behringer,, and produce the "Gold" series of monitor speakers in China, cashing in on the reputation of their "Tannoy Gold" monitors that were used in studios, recording "Dark Side of The Moon" and such like. The original Tannoy design engineers are based in Scotland and are called "Fyne Audio", but their products aren't cheap.

[@BastianUllr]

but they are SO good. They are not the regular current Hi-Fi Speaker, so not for everyone. They are not the flattest of the bunch, and dispersion is very directional. A blessing for untreated rooms, but for people who enjoy ultimate air and the enhanced feel of echo that makes your home transforming into a church, a cave, a hangar, or a small studio, it would not get you so there unless you are sitting RIGHT on the sweet spot. By toe-ing the speakers ever so slightly, due to the rapid roll-off of the upper HF (12khz+) one can effectively adjust the air and echo feel. I personally like a more "opaque" speaker in that area, so things sound more in MY room rather than in ANOTHER room. I find the echo and the texture of elements sounds just more believable (natural?) in that "opaque" way. (Detail is still there, in spades, with fantastic microdynamics conveying exceptional body and depth to the elements on the recording, if the recording is good that is.) I believe they are also into adding some warmth with a target curve on the X-over design. But what people do not get is how versatile it is their X-over point, and that bi-amplification takes you a long way by changing presence and sense of depth and sharpness with adjustments of half dB up/down. I have had Tannoy speakers before, and some people liked them better... specially the crowd that likes vintage Monitor Gold. I personally liked their Precision/Definition series quite a bit (in spite of their difficulties dealing with busy passages in classical music), and once I heard a Fyne speaker I was not ashamed and swapped over. Very capable drivers, fantastic 2-way implementation. Classical is not a problem anymore, especially if one uses a High Pass filter and adds subwoofers. They make me stand in awe once and again and again.

[@johnwright8814]

@@Welcome-t1u I used to have some Mission speakers; 763. I now have the Tannoy Gold 7 monitor speakers. I like them, I'm using them with subs. I was interested in the concentric design and how it gives an even off-axis response. It works. Sound stays consistent as you move about the room. They're inexpensive too, compared to other monitors.

[@paulhansen447]

the original Tannoy engineers that designed, developed and patented the Dual Concentric are long gone. Fyne was established by several ex-Tannoy staff including the Dr Paul Mills. On this channel Paul pays homage to the original engineers and admits that he took a brilliant product and used new materials to bring it into the 21st century. Indeed, if you look at what is in a Fyne point source product and compare to a Tannoy, you may be surprised.

[@WyreForestBiker]

And all but the most expensive Fyne speakers are made in China ... as all budget electronics is . Behringer's service base is up the road from me and my friend is a service engineer there ... they buy good company's and then churn out Chinese crap with the badge on ...

[@vinyl-maniac6400]

Please do a room tour setup, show us how you listen to your music.

[@26Jorgeb]

Hi Kelvin.You're spot on! I had these speakers and I changed them with Dahlquist 905's. I'm happy I did.However,I can't bi wire my Dahlquists but that's ok,I'm happy the way they sound.Thanks for your videos!

[@RobertDoyle1]

I recently found a pair of 905s.i agree, they are really good.

[@beslemeto]

It does not matter if you can't bi-wire them.If the design of the speaker is suitable for bi-wiring then you can think about it.Otherwise you are perfectly fine!I have speakers who have bi wiring options and i thought this is must for detailed sound.And then i bought old speakers with only 2 way inputs.They sound more detailed and better.So it is more up to the design of the speakers rather than bi-wiring that gives you the better sound!

[@johnwright8814]

I had some Castle Harlech speakers, bought from a charity shop which needed replacement woofers due to foam rot. I kept them for years, with the idea of replacing the woofers with some modern equivalents, but eventually I thought that they weren't worth refurbishing. For good sound, I bought some Genelec 8030C studio monitors. The "box" is die-cast aluminium, and doesn't have one straight panel anywhere. Very curvaceous and cute, but this is designed for the sound; minimal diffraction and controlled dispersion determined the shape. Technology sometimes leads to improvements.

[@aussie_philosopher8079]

Hey kelvin, have you heard the B&W DM 560 speakers? I bought some, recapped them with Jantzen caps and the sounds is good (not great obviously) the tweeter is hot and not silly smooth.

[@waytodave]

Stateside these are Tannoy E-11's. Early 90's. I love mine.

[@botany500kojak]

What do you think of the old Mission speakers Kelvin?

[@RobertDoyle1]

Great job Kelvin I'm a big fan of vintage equipment and love discovering the still good older stuff. One thing I've noticed is older Japanese speakers are quite inexpensive. Have you considered taking a look at them?

[@stereoreviewx]

Hi Robert well Just generally speaking whilst the Japanese made some good sounding Amps et cetera they were really lacks I would say on the speakers even Sansui who tried hard with their amplifiers just didn’t take their speakers seriously someone said they actually didn’t make themselves. Generally speaking there are some on old ones around that are good but the general picture is not much love went into them the British were serious about speakers in the 70s that’s for sure Thanks for the question cheers K

[@joeygonzo]

That's a solidly braced enclosure.

[@drs-Rigo-Reus]

Metal tweeters sound fenomenal these days. I much prefer them to dull softdome fabric.

[@snuffpappy]

I agree that early metal tweeters were horribly harsh and unmusical. I haven't heard any in years... hope they've improved.

[@johnsweda2999]

just need some work on them and they can sound great

[@BastianUllr]

Oh, I am running currently Titanium dome compression tweeter... smooooth and gives excellent texture. No ear fatigue after hours of listening, amazing. Beryllium sounds even more so. It's so subtle and gentle. The Aluminium ones I've heard are a bit sharp and splashy, but then again PSB has them and I liked a lot what I heard from their Imagine Towers when I had the chance, but I had not had them home. But Kef, Focal, Klipsch I have had... all of them I had Aliminium and I could not enjoy their tone signature. JBL I also had, but I am unsure if they were Titanium or Aluminium diaphragm and they were nice!

[@MichaelYates]

Educating as always, nice tearing down

[@robertjschroff6307]

Great review as usual! I am the same like, you, "listening MUSIC". I'm listening classical music, various jazz records and some others, but no pop rock and definitely not metal etc. I am definitely about quality sounds rather than plenty of power! Now I have a Luxman vintage turntable with and older Ortofon moving magnet cartridge, a very cheap preamp just now, a Denon AVR 1604 receiver and Wharfedale Diamond 8.3 speakers. I am quite glad with the sounds but I have a sense that the music ( by the records ) would open up for me a bit more or much more if I would change a few components. I have average budget and happy to choose vintage stuff reasonably. What would you recommend to keep or change? Many thanks, Robert

[@Sladovsky1]

Tannoy System II is the model?

[@andyhorobin1605]

Very good honest review I had mercury mk11 in mid 90s similar but bit bigger replaced with wharfdale E70 much older but far better. I have had so many amps and speakers over the years and agree with a lot you say. Especially the quality going down from established brands like tannoy,Misson,wharfdale,jbl etc very disappointing

[@stereoreviewx]

Thanks for the feedback I was starting to think it was only me

[@BastianUllr]

I had Tannoy Precision LE and they were nothing short of astonishing... at the time. Much better to me than the KEF R500 that they replaced to my liking. The KEF R500 had a cleaner midrange during orchestral playback (3-way vs 2-way small cone issues) Other than that, sweet sweet speakers.

[@stereoreviewx]

Bastian Felipe S. Interesting thank you I’m not familiar I will check them out K

[@nnaheim.]

I replaced the tweeters in mine, they sounded terrible before that.

[@janchrzciciel]

Have you had any experience with the Tannoy Mercury Mark II (the older, gold ones)?

[@wirelive1003]

I appreciate your objectivity sir. You do say they sound OK to you, but they are not your cup of tea. They don't excite you in any way. I have a pair of E11's that look exactly like these system twos you've reviewed here. There maybe a difference in size but the cabinets and drive units are identical. And in my humble opinion the Tannoy E11 is not a boring sounding speaker , especially if you consider its price category (£130 in 1990 ). I've been through a lot of 'budget' speakers in the last 30 years and to this day I wouldn't say my Tannoy E11's are inferior. I wouldn't criticise build quality so much because they are built to a price point. Don't know how much those B&W's cost in their day but comparison should be in context.

[@stereoreviewx]

Yes the BMWs have better build quality I think it was basically cheaper to do this in the 70s

[@arisg9857]

I do have the Tannoy mercury 1 and B&W 602 s2, according to my ears, the sound (despite a big difference in size) it's very similar

[@jeroenmeester9528]

It's a pair of M 2s right? The 1s would be cheaper, but I like the 1s better, the 1s don't have that double connection, but they have a great silk dome tweeter and the tweeter and woofer are closer to each other.

[@paulwarrington1966]

I have a pair of Tannoy E11 Limted Edition speakers which I bought in 1991. They look just like these, same speaker units in the box, except the tweeter is below the bass cone. Ported at the back too but the hole is at the bottom of the box, and the biwired inputs are at the top at the back. Tannoy did something to the E11 speaker for the Limted Edition that makes it a bit better than the standard E11. Better bracing and a different magnet in the base cones I think. I'd like a bit more projection and sparkle in the treble. The base is tight and controlled but you don't get a 'thump'. They sound best with cello, or acoustic guitar but rock music just merges together too much, can sound hazy. I want to upgrade my speakers but am not sure what to buy. I have a Rega turntable P1 which I have put a better cartridge on, wool turntable pad, better band, adjusted the weight, and I have a Cambridge Audio A34 Asur A340 SE amp. I am thinking about getting a pair of big vintage speakers which I hope will give a warmer, more organic sound. Any recommendation/s gratefully received.

[@stereoreviewx]

Well generally speaking you get a big warm sound from early 70s celestions

[@paulwarrington1966]

@@stereoreviewx Thanks so much.

[@m00nraker39]

Another excellent video! 😎🎧

[@stereoreviewx]

Thanks ✌️

[@bartvanransbeeck1341]

Very honoust review, thanks a lot , i share the same experience with the dm4's,

[@AN-ci6iy]

Sir I have 2 pioneer CL 70 speakers with impedance 8ohm and max input 30 W. And an onkyo tx8210 amplifier . So my question is can I attach these speakers with this amplifier? Is it a sound combination and if it's not than what can be the solution sir? TiA

[@stereoreviewx]

Yeah pretty sure you can plug those in no problem sound wise from here I would nt like to say Cheers K

[@Gary_M]

Particle board isn't the best material, but that's actually some pretty serious bracing in there.

[@АлександрОвчаров-щ6ж]

Как по вашему мнению TDL RTL 3 ?

[@theaudioman4446]

The Arcam Alpha 3, is awfully made, however it has a really fresh lively sound, bordering on dangerously raw. It's a lot of fun in its own way, the volume dial often crackles on them. But yeah, Alpha 3 is really nice, if you can forgive it's faults

[@jonathanparry6512]

Agreed. I have an alpha 3 which i rotate with an A65 and an old Sansui AU-D101. There's something about that alpha 3 sound which works well

[@milojenikolovski7522]

Very good video, I agree with You 100%

[@Mickparrysstepdad]

A very nice budget speaker is the JPW AP2 or AP3.

[@Radfordperson]

+1

[@raceingdemon6464]

Love My Tannoy Mx1s And Mx2s Super Little Speakers Nice Review Kelvin Not One Of Tannoys Best Methinks Regards mike.

[@nigeljenkins5515]

System 2 NFM was one of the studio monitor series which also included System 8 NFM, System 10 DMT, System 12 DMT and System 15 DMT. System 2 had seperate drivers, all of the others were dual concentric. They are boring, they have no special character, they are very even throughout the frequency range, and that is what makes them good monitors for a recording studio. By design they are made for neutrality not enjoyment.

[@beslemeto]

I agree that you have to keep the quality,but how can you improve something which is already perfect?You are talking about NAD 3020 which is more than 40 years old and it was quite cheap.Can you imagine something perfect in present days for similar price?I doubt so...So that makes the point that perfect sound was achieved decades ago...25 years ago i remember my physics teacher telling me that equipment for perfect sound is already available.I responded him that this is far from true,because i never had proper hi-fi equipment those days and my idea was far from what the best speakers at the time were capable of... He laughed of course...It is just our curiosity or lack of equipment that makes us buying new fancy looking audio product!

[@daniel89ph]

Make a review of new Mission LX 2 speakers. They are highly acclaimed, buy I do not believe them. I own them. Mission LX 2.

[@iscmiscm]

Tannoy's last UK factory was shut a few years back after the last takeover, so no, they are not the same as before.

[@martindevon3204]

Soap powder has a very "clean" sound though....

[@stevechang3045]

They dont look good because they were not meant to be used at home. Tannoy came up with this line for high power handling in the studio. System two is the lowest low with a two way design. If you want to see properly engineered cabinets, look up the coaxial system II 8, 10, 12, 15 and 215 (8", 10" and so on). Tannoy also has the domestic speakers and they are tuned differently from the system series. These are sold in the 90s not thru hifi shop.

[@stereoreviewx]

Okay thanks I really didn’t know that K

[@blipco5]

That is not a wood screw. A wood screw has a taper. That looks like a flat head sheet metal screw type, but it probably holds best in that material.

[@bradakteam5360]

try tannoy lsu red monitors. or gold monitors

[@justyna4276]

Nice one

[@johnsweda2999]

They shouldn't sound as bad as what you're describing, I noticed there was no gaskets on the driver I could see, should be a gasket use a pizza disc cut one out. Nothing wrong with chipboard it's a good material actually and there is some thought using both materials the crossover could be faulty old, boxers get weak flabby should have sounded taught when tapping it. I think they're from about 85 to 89 as a guess. Where the drivers out of phase listen to one speaker not both speakers together play a mono signal from both channels into one speaker and switch between the speakers to see if there's any difference that can cause what you're describing a lack of emphasis Sometimes they come from the factory like that they get marked up on the driver and get me wrong it can be design out-of-phase deliberately, But both speakers should sound the same. getting triple A battery run positive and negative to the speaker and keep touching it if it's in phase correctly as marked the speakers should push forward if it pulls inwards and you've got it marked as plus and negative, then it's been misaligned in the factory sometimes that can happen on the crossover have seen it once on a B&W Any chance of getting pictures of crossovers flash it on the screen I always like to see a crossover turns me on lol Get a tube of builders adhesive and go all around the joints on the corners and on the bracing

[@stereoreviewx]

Thanks for all that info and tips I now think the date is around 19 1992. At normal volume the speakers don’t sound bad I’m not really saying they are bad they just don’t do anything great. CheersK

[@johnsweda2999]

@@stereoreviewx yes it don't sound great could be as I said a phase problem that could be causing the issue! I wonder if you could let me know! I'm on the lookout for an amplifier if you come across any leave it in the comments I'll give you my email if you do, AVI lavatory s21, integrated. ideally with phono stage some come with some come without, don't want to go above £700 but may consider! It's got to be in the South East no further than Birmingham, let me know if you see one about or you pick one up cheers there's no rush.

[@freeindeed1426]

hi,everyone,i used these on an off for about a year cost £90.00 with stands used them with all kinds if amps easy to drive even my decware valve amps 6 watts only for some reason they seemed to sound better inverted, igeneraly agree wth most of the reviews here but not this one anybody on a shoestring budget im sure would appreciate these

[@stereoreviewx]

I would agree you will get these very cheap and for that reason they are fine it’s not that I hate them I just don’t love them in anyway Appreciate your input I will try inverting them not something I thought of Cheers K

[@freeindeed1426]

@@stereoreviewx thankyou for your reply, I do love watching your channel, you recently reviewed b&w dm4 I had a pair of D4s would make interesting comparison still can be had fairly cheap but prices are rising

[@PlaybackMansion]

You took to reviewing like a fish to water

[@bradakteam5360]

you are talking about 10pouns speakers

[@stereoreviewx]

Yes well probably more than £10 I did it on purpose I wanted to point out some of the things that changed from the 70s early eighties to the 90s Cheers K

[@dvoglavaazdaja]

Tannoy 20£ speaker is better than b&w 50£ speaker

[@vdklippe]

A little to Bright.

[@paulhansen447]

Kelvin, your reviews are as you say non-scientific and therefore subjective. Your ears are probably excellent but you never tell us what you hear only what you think in general. To be honest absolute rubbish!!! Go on let us know what you can hear and your objective opinion rather than hollow narrative.

[@stereoreviewx]

There are about 50 videos of me talking about sound in different ways what exactly is the way you want to hear about it

[@paulhansen447]

@@stereoreviewx Kevin, have to admit, I've been a bit harsh, so apologies. This was the only review I'd seen on this channel. You clearly have lots of experience but I just didn't get this review. For example what effect does a resonating (vibrating) cabinet have on sound and how do you counter it? Why is the Tannoy made the way it is - is it because it's a near-field monitor that you wouldn't turn up loud in any case because you are likely to be within 1 - 2M range? Your delivery is brilliant. Cheers.