Speaker Asylum General speaker questions for audio and home theater.

---

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] Thread: [ Display  All  Email ] [ Speaker Asylum ]

---

[ Alert Moderator ]

---

Tannoy Definition Series

Posted by DevillEars (A) on September 2, 2007 at 00:13:13

In Reply to: Yannoy D 500 Speakers posted by AudioSoul on September 1, 2007 at 11:05:35:

I've had these D700's almost 14 years and agree totally with JeffH - they are damned fine all-rounders, provided you partner them with the right amplification.

The range has now been discontinued by Tannoy, but comprised six models: one standmount (D100), four floorstanders (D300/500/700/900) and one center-channel (D750).

The range was typified by a cabinet design that was trapezoidal in cross-section - in other words, if you looked from the top, the shape resembled a triangle with its top angle cut off and the base represented the front baffle.

The three mainstay models were the D500/700/900 and all were basically the same fundamental 3-way design and differed only in the driver size:

a) D500: 8"
b) D700: 10"
c) D900: 12"

The D700's driver complement, while appearing to be only two units, was in fact three:

1) 10" Polypropylene-coned woofer
2) 10" Polypropylene-coned mid-tange
3) 1" horn-loaded metal-dome tweeter (mounted concentrically with midrange)

If you look at the picture above, you can see the tweeter in the center of the upper drive unit.

Since getting the D700s, I've auditioned both the D500 and D900 and found them both to be very similar in overall performance to the D700 - the D900 offering a bit more in the LF and D500 a bit less.

What has consistently amazed me about the D700's is their ability to project a rock-solid soundstage of almost palpable 3-dimensional depth with lateral image stability second to none.

Another area of particular strength lies in their "dynamics" - they really have "slam" in large doses. This is true at virtually all volume settings.

The factory-supplied spec sheets shipped with the units claim a sensitivity of some 93dB/W at 1m with a maximum SPL of 118dB (also at 1m). Living with them has demonstrated that these claims are not that wild.

What is very pleasant is that the sonic signature or timbre does not alter much between very low playback levels and roof-raising ones - the balance remains virtually the same.

The amount of low frequency energy pushed out by the D700's can overpower with certain disks. They do provide "port bungs" to limit the low frequency output, but I have found that, if inserted, they can - in certain rooms - have a tendency to shut in the sound.

The quoted frequency response at +/- 3dB is from 35Hz to 30KHz and the lows on certain disks (organ and synthdrum particularly) don't contradict the lower limits. The only slight criticism I have about the D700's is that the highs can sound a bit bright with certain poor recordings.

One area to be wary of is the load they present to an amplifier - although their nominal impedance is quoted as being 6 ohms, the load is reactive and does dip quite low (around 3 ohms).

Listening, as I do, to a wide range of musical genres ranging from Classical (Symphonies, Piano Sonatas/Concertos, Violin Concertos) via Jazz (most types) and New Age to Rock from the 60s/70s, I have found the D700's to be close to that ideal - a "Master of All Trades". They handle everthing from the gentleness of the second movement of Grieg's Piano Concerto to the raw power of Janis Joplin's "Mercedes Benz" with equal ease.

And this is where Jay and I disagree - unless he is redefining the term "audiophile" to mean fans of SET tube amps.

PARTNERING AMPLIFICATION OVER THE YEARS:

I started with a lowly Audiolab 8000A (60wpc) integrated and it certainly was unhappy with the load - its overload protection circuitry became a wee bit overactive.

I then added an Audiolab 8000P (100wpc) power amp and this offered some clearly-discernible improvement over the 8000A.

Next, I switched to a Classe' pre/pwr combo (CP-50 and CA-100) and, while also a 100wpc design, it had a more robust power supply than the Audiolab gear. A further improvement was the result.

Just over 3 years ago, a burglary resulted in the replacement of the amplification with a Classe' CP-500 pre-amp and a pair of Jeff Rowland Model 201 monoblocks. These Rowlands deliver 250/500 wpc into 8/4 ohm loads respectively and also have a current delivery capability of ~35 amps. The D700's have finally found a suitable bedmate and are now singing as they were intended to do.

I've been to a number of audio expos over the last few years and have yet to find another speaker that comes anywhere close to the D700s at a price that is not at least 2-3 times that of the D700. In fact, what I've come to enjoy over the last 3 years (since the last amp change) is coming home from an audio expo, sitting down in front of the system, cueing an album by either Holly Cole or Diana Krall and being reassured that there was nothing at the show that, within financial reason, would offer any improvement worth the outlay.

Finally, if you keep half an eye on eBay/A'gon, you won't see too many Tannoy Definition Series examples offered for sale - they're as rare as hens' teeth - giving an indication that few if any owners will willingly part with them. (Those that are offered typically get snapped up pretty quickly).

My $0.02 worth...

DevillEars

Edits: 09/02/07

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:

Atma-Sphere Music Systems, Inc.

---

[ Top of Page ] [ Contact Us ] [ Support/Wish List ] [ Copyright © 2025, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]

---

[ General ] [ Speakers ] [ Tubes ] [ Vinyl ] [ Digital ] [ Hi-Rez ] [ Video Asylum ] [ Cables ] [ Tweaks/DIY ] [ Music ] [ Films ]

---