Strong on voice and ´natural instruments´

Nothing really for that price

What can I say? After a serious burn in they do sound simply astonishing good. Especially the human voice handling is exceptional. Bass got much better over time. I highly recommend them. One hint: They form a team with an active subwoofer of good quality (Lynx)

Equipment used:
Technics SL-D2 + Pickering P/AT-1
Cambridge Audio CD6 CD-Player
Cambridge Audio A500 Integrated Amp
Audio Selection Interconnects
Mainhattan Mainline 4mm² Speakercable

Similar Products Used:

JM Lab DB22
Magnat Integra Professional
Tannoy M1

In this review I will try to avoid words like: outstanding, unbelievable, awesome, shocking etc… Let's save these expressions for the above-$2000 equipment, even though it's very tempting to use them here. Although it's beyond the strength of anyone addicted to Hi-FI, I'll try to do my best and be objective :-).
SYSTEM: Pioneer PDS-904 CD, Dual 5060 amp (25 lbs. German high current audiophile design), Sony MD 510 deck, Nordost Blue Heaven interconnects, Nordost Flatline Gold MKII speaker cable.

After having a short and unfortunate meeting with the M2's from Tannoy (box resonance spoiling the otherwise great sounding speaker, this could've been a slightly faulty pair - I'm not sure) I decided to go for the M2.5. Technically the dimensions of the box are the same as the M2. The bass driver features a better magnet (I think it's just bigger but I've also heard it's a double magnet design - not sure which one is true) and a phase corrector - unlike the M2 center of the bass driver points outwards. The crossover has been upgraded with so-called audiophile components :-) (at this price let's just say they are better) and the bit that is the most important for me, the box became stiffer and therefore less resonant after reinforcement with internal cabinet bracing. Tuning foam plugs are also included - a good idea for small rooms. Still, there's no biwiring option.
After running in (ignore the 24 hour period stated in the manual, I gave them about a week of non-stop operation - it really paid off) I was immediately aware of dealing with something special. Knowing that they probably need a few months more to reach their top performance makes me even happier. There is a really big difference in sound between M2.5 and M2 and the longer you listen the better you can hear it.
Having heard a few speakers in this price range and above (I've tested Mordaunt Short MS20i, B&W 601-602, Acoustic Energy One, Castle Isis) I found myself thinking of the Tannoy as a definitely most satisfying design. Having a much greater scale than the 601 and blowing away the MS20i and the AE1's with bass response, the only rivals where the B&W 602 and the Castle each costing almost twice as much. The 602 while having a good bass, gave up on the treble sweetness sounding hard and relentless with frequencies from soprano saxophone/high pitched guitar/cymbals region (maybe this can be tamed down by the system). The last contender was the Castle. The Tannoys gave more scale and bass while it must be said that Castles sounded more expensive in the midband region. The difference was in fact quite small so I wouldn't want to trade the scale of the M2.5 for the Castles. It's worth noting that M2.5 has a much better controlled bass compared to the M2. While M2 could produce incredible amounts of LF for the price, it sometimes sounded like cheap thrills rather than music. None of that in the M2.5 as it has roughly the same amount of bass but it's more tuneful and controlled, probably thanks to the bigger magnet and a stiffer box. By the way, before a decent run-in there seems to be very little bass in the M2.5 - don't panic, give them time and they'll blow you away.
Given the fact that where I got them there was no price difference between the two this is a cracker.
Five stars don't do them much justice but what else could I do after having promised not to use the words stated at the top of this review?

kit :
denon tu-270 tuner
nad c340 amp
marantz cd63 mkii ki sig
sony mdsje 520

tannoy mercury m2.5 hooked up to the c340 with cabletalk 3.1.

speakers sound great, can't fault them. sounded better when i stuck them onto a pair of mission stands.

what more can you say ?

Greetings, audiopals! First of all, i would like to state that i am an amateur audiophile and i have only listened to expensive high-end gears in exhibits. I bought the M2.5 to replace my M1 as my front channel speakers and complete a home theater set-up without a center channel. The M1s are now utilized as my rear channels. I can get very good imaging from the side and behind me using the Chase Technology HTS-1 surround (guess 'ambience' is the better word) decoder. I have experienced very good 360 degrees imaging with this passive decoder - of course this is not possible w/o the Tannoy Mercury's help. Check out Mortal Kombat: Annihilation - I heard Sindel laughing around the sweet spot (i.e. MY listening position) even without a digital surround set-up! However, these speakers are guaranteed to give quality imaging in stereo mode. Before moving the M1s to the rear, I did an A-B comparison of these two 'siblings' in stereo mode. They differ in sensitivity so it was quite difficult for me to get the correct loudness - M1 is 87dB while M2.5 is 88dB. Nevertheless, after the comparison, I can conclude that they have very similar sonic characteristics in terms of imaging and resolution although i tend to like M1 more. The M2.5 sounded in control and the sonic presentation is at par with the M1. Los Lobos' KIKO sounded great with depth and lateral imaging. Instruments seem to come from the speakers' outer sides. Willie Nelson's STARDUST sounded realistically studio recorded. His voice and guitar (and other instruments) sounded elegant. They have no problem with female voices. Never have I heard Holly Cole, Rebecca Pidgeon, Margot Timmins, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper and the 'Irish' singers (in A Woman's Heart album) so... feminine. But I still kept wondering how female vocals can rattle some glass/wood in my room - check out Rebecca Pidgeon's Spanish Harlem and Holly Coles' I Can See Clearly Now. Tried them with Classical, Big Band, Jazz and Pop albums and they are presented with zest. The music - whatever they may be - sounds very inviting. I re-listened to my CD albums and they all sounded better and the experience was very revealing. I heard things that i never really heard before.
The Off axis imaging is also quite impressive. The soundstage is well kept even when I sit on the side of the room.
Going back to the A-B comparison, since the M2.5's are bigger, they have more bass that gives more dimensions to vocals and instruments, although the M1 is more revealing maybe due to the midbass not being present. However, this can only be discerned on a strict A-B comparison. I noticed that the plucking of strings (of a bass or a guitar) is more natural with the M1. (M2.5 is rated down to 48Hz while the M1 is 55Hz). Transparency is another virtue of these siblings. They just disappear and present the music.
M2.5 comes with plugs for the rear ports. These can be used to fine-tune the bass output depending on one's preference. Without the plug, the bass has more weight but loose while with the plug, the bass is tight and fast. I prefer the plugged version, but of course there is always the 'unplugged' version >:) While listening to some female vocals (holly cole, rebecca pidgeon), some glasses and woodframes inside the room rattled. This may be due to the vocals hitting 50Hz. The M2.5 can deliver clear sound even at loud volumes - although loud in this sense is subjective. Doing this will give you an impression that these are floorstanders and it is very impressive. I have tried this pair with a Pioneer compo system (30W/ch) in a smaller room and placed near the wall and the BASS was even more impressive - even with the plugs stuck in the rear port.
Conclusion: NHT Superzero is listed as a Class D component in Stereophile. Based on what I heard in my room, M1 being able to outperform the Superzero in dynamics, imaging and midrange/treble presentation, I can safely say that M2.5 and M1 can be listed on top of Class C components. And with a BASS help from REL Quake subwoofer, these speakers are worthy to be listed as Class B (Full range) components which - in my honest opinion - far better than the NHT sub/sat combo.


Gears used:

Yamaha AX-570 integrated amp with 100W/ch in 8ohms
Marantz VCD-500K CD player
REL Quake subwoofer
Chase Technology HTS-1 passive surround decoder
Tannoy Mercury M1
Sony MDP-A2 LD/CD player

5 stars for price/performance ratio and musical enjoyment provided.
4 stars for transparency.
3 stars for overall music and soundstage presentation - 4/5 stars are reserved for more expensive high-end gears which i honestly believe SHOULD outperform the Mercury M2.5/M1 - but in the bookshelf and even floorstander arena - this is a tough contender... 5 stars!!!

Enjoy the Music!!!

My system: Marantz 63 MkII K.I. Signature CD player, NAD C 340 integrated amplifier.
I originally planned to buy Tannoy Mercury M2 (based on different reviews) but in the audio-shop I decided to compare it to Castle (don't remember the model - about the same size) and new model from Tannoy - M2.5 (which I was truly content to find in the shop).

I did not like Castle at once - Marantz 63 MkII K.I. Signature is famous for it's highly detailed sound and with added Castle high-medium frequency responce - was just too much for my ears. M2 sounded amazingly BIG for its size compared to Castle and quite musical as well - but seemed like having its high-mid sound too soft and hiding many-many details that were so obvious on Castle (which is a German speaker famous for it's 'defined' and strict sound).

So what about M2.5? It sounded little smaller in the low and low-mid freq. than M2, but... it was a revelation to hear its high-mids and highs (as if somebody has taken a curtain off M2 speaker) - it was not a pain for my ears as Castle, THOUGH, amazingly accurate and detailed. It is not crushing you with sound, but relaxing and involving.

So Tannoy socrified some of the M2 supernatural biggness in the low-freq. end on the altar of M2.5 generally very balanced and accurate sound with superb musicality.

Takes 50-100 hours to burn in these speakers - results in significantly improved soundstage/imaging. Sounds very musical/natural/balanced/honey-like. Not sure if it's speaker or CD player - voices and strings sound simply alive. And it looks like this speaker has a potential. Two obvious drawbacks - low-freqs are too soft (try putting closer to the rear wall - 5"-6" - lows are more profoud BUT get a bit woofy and less defined) and very highs are a bit straight forward - kinda slightly ahead of a band/orchestra, slightly 'apart'.

At the price of $270 it is given a sure 4 stars - close to 4.5 (in this price range).

Well balanced treble and midband, punchy too

Finish

I was quite surprised when I got this pair of speakers from the shop because I was looking for Tannoy Revolution 3. I was forced to buy a pair of bookshelf becuase of the smaller apartment I moved in. I paid no expectation until they were hooked up to Onkyo 757.
With this price range, I started to understand why Tannoy's M1 had been so successful. They are definitely brighter than my previous Mission 732i but lacks the sweet treble that 753f offers. After all they are just a pair of budge speakers.

Similar Products Used:

Mission 732i, 753f

Super low bass. Clarity and appearance

none

This is the best buy i have ever done.
I didn't have any expectations to this speaker.
Actually, I just bought it because I needed to listen to music while i was saving money to buy the bigger Tannoy saturn. The sound and looks of these guys really surprised me. I have never heard any speaker within the same pricerange, sound like this! It was great. I just laughed when i first hooked them up! This is a winner!!

Similar Products Used:

Mordaunt-Short