Impressive bass, hence really fill the big rooms too.Very well balanced tonally, but they need some space
to breathe.....
Tonnoy M1 suits smaller rooms better, but M2 really
rocks!

neutral, warm, nice looking box

boomy bass

MA Bronze 2 have better reviews, so I sold my M2. But after 6 months of 6 hour/day listening to the bronze 2, here is my opinion:
I was listening to this Jazz CD on the M2 and I can hear the wind coming out the mouth of the saxophonist or the fingers on the guitar, but I can't hear those on the Bronze 2. I thought I was missing a lot of cymbals and highs on the M2, but it was too forward on the Bronze 2. M2's are more pleasant to listen to, just like a friend of mine says. Good thing somebody wants to buy my Bronze 2. This time I will get the TANNOY R-2.

Similar Products Used:

MA Bronze 2, Mirage(?)bookshelf speaker

December 2,1997Music: Classical,Jazz,Rock,R&B,New Age,Dance....
Current Setup: Denon AVR-2500,Panasonic SL-PD469 CD
As you can see from my musical tastes, I needed an all-rounder. The M2s do fit the bill. I found them after listening to many, many speakers & encouraged by very good reviews, I bought a pair. The M2s are dynamic, detailed & somewhat fussy when it comes to partnering(I changed my receiver 3X & spent a great deal of time getting the wiring right),with very good bass ext. for a speaker this size, although the treble is a shade too bright & the mid-range could be richer. Moreover, their marvelous overall performance is spoiled by box resonances.

When the M2s are happy(wired correctly & given at least 80 watts of amplification), they are little short of amazing. By luck I got the wiring & amplication right for the first listen. I was immediately impressed with their scale & dynamic range. Turning the volume up well above normal listening levels resulted in enormous improvements to the sound without a corresponding increase in loudness, strain, or distortion. The M2s love power. They seem to suck it up and sound like different speakers from normal to higher (past half-way) volumes. For a speaker this size, the scale is titanic, with beautiful detail & excellant imaging. At lower volumes the M2s sounded more ordinary.

When I changed receivers, the Tannoys were far less happy and some of the M2's flaws were revealed. The treble began to sound over-bright & the mid-range un-even. For example cellos began to sound like violins & voices were a bit pinched. Most disappointing were box resonances which became more & more noticeable & were particularly destructive of piano music. In my opinion, the M2's construction of 16 mm panels does not mate well with such powerful drive units.

A month of tweaking & an amp upgrade to the more powerful Denon AVR-2500 have restored the M2's performance to those original levels with a corresponding reduction in box resonances. They still amaze after I think that I quite know their character. The M2s are hapiest with symphonic, rock, & dance music (where their amazing bass ext. is revealed). They are less successful with piano music, but can make a jazz quartet sound as if the are in your listening room. The M2's bargain price make them an excellant value for their class but remember that they thrive on power(though not too much) & sound best at higher volumes where they simply soar.

I would just like to say that previous messages are what inspired me to buy these puppies. Up until now I've been listening to Tannoy Cheviots. Awesome speakers, but they just don't cut it in my small apartment - (after having moved out of a house) - Man, these things are amazing. The Cheviots being my only reference speaker (and some sony speakers here and there), you know something is right when you start hearing good things you never knew existed!I listen to alot of electronica (techno) as well as some classical.
Imaging is freaking amazing with these things. I too have listened to William Orbit and been blown away - *grin* - Try listen to Goa Trance on these puppies. Sit yourself down in a chair, close your eyes, pop in Juno Reactor "Bible of Dreams" and prepare for warp! You'd think you had speakers surrounding you! Since I don't have much to use as a reference, I'll have to give them a 4, which rates *AMAZING* on my scale. Not only are they worth the money, beautifully made, but I have received upstanding service from Tannoy CA.
My system includes a 20 year old Nakamichi 610 Amp and Preamp. (which, by the way, if anyone has any comments regarding these, they'd really be appreciated. Should I be looking for a newer amp? Is anyone familiar with this?)

Regards,

Leon

these are very good spks ( right price & good sound ) detail treble & goodbass (for the size ) suits budget amp & plays loud
4 stars rated

The Mercury M2s are really amazing speakers. For the price, I don't think that any other speaker can beat their performance. I recommend that these speakers be used with good speaker stands which will result in excellent bass response. Of course, I need not have to again tell about the excellent midrange and treble quality.
My system consists of a Marantz CD-63SE CD-Player, Marantz SR6000S Receiver, Onkyo 610 AV Surround Amp, B&W Solid Speakers for my rear speakers, and a Tannoy subwoofer. The Mercury M2s are excellent by themselves when listening to pure music, especially classical. They seem to be at their best when playing classical music. However, they are also good at pop. I was totally knocked out while listening to Michael Jackson's BAD album (The beat and heavy bass was delivered in such detail!) Also, I enjoy watching movies, and that's when I turn on my AV system. The M2's also perform excellent during movies.

I just love these speakers. These are sure winners...

Am very pleased with the Tannoy M2. Units are currently being used with a Revox B251 amp & Revox B225 CD. Found the very low end somewhat lacking but have solved that with introduction of an REL subwoofer. The two match very well.Switching to Cable Talk 3.1 speaker cable also had a positive effect, so too removal of the grilles.

Music: House, Jazz, Funk, Indie, RockSystem: Denon F07 Mini-System CableTalk cabling and Atacama Stands

For the price these speakers are great. Having only a small room I didn't want any really big speakers. The clarity is exceptional, especially on the stands. Having previously used some big cone Kenwoods, which gave out to much bass all the time. Switching to the M2 was just a completely different experience. Just listening to the same CD, you can hear things that were unaudiable on the Kenwoods. The finish is also pretty good with the black ash case and cherry baffle (looks well cool with a light wood floor) they look as good as any of the high price models

All in all an excellent package. Excellent sound qualiy and with a price that wont break the bank (especially if your student like me)

Buy Them. You won't regret it

Have listened to these speakers at a local dealer,and was very impressed,it has a very full range sound for such a small speaker and doesn't make your ears bleed as others do,on the top frequencies.Someone looking for a low cost system,need look no further. Combined with a Bryston B60 or one of the Cary integrated's,and a Rega cd player,the combo is MUSICAL! -Also,check out the B&W 602's.

Hi, I am a proud owner of Legacy Focus, a very fine speaker by any price/performance standards. Recently I have picked up a pair of Tannoy M2 speakers for surround sound purpose, but before I put them to work I used them as mains speakers to get some impression how they compare to other speakers I have heard/owned. So I used my Sunfire Ciema Grand and hooked up the tiny Tannoys and here are my thoughts on it..
High frequency range- Very well extended, not bright, not dark smooth, but could be sweeter.

Mid/bass- great impact for such small speakers only a 6" woofer driving them that is pretty amazing, Vocal is great!!! Very natural, and excellent imaging, I have to say probably image better than my Focus in my room 20x15x8. Very detailed an leaves no coloration as some other speakers (ie. PSB Alphas, Paradigm Titan)Bass extends to probably 34 hz or so nice and tight, amazing for its size.

Final verdict: The best speaker I have heard under $600, The Energy C-2 might be sightly sweeter on the vocal and stronger/lower in the bass, but NHT,PSB,Paradigm, B&W, can't touch this speaker for under $600.00, the finish is nothing to brag about, but it is a very musical speaker. If music matters to you I suggest you give these fine mini-inexpensive speakers an audition they are around $350.00ish but they really worth that much.. And if you can reach $600.00 range get the Energy C-2s, The M2s have 90% of the sound that Energy C-2 produces at 1/2 the price.. for this amazing price/performance ratio.. I give it a 5 star.