Tannoy Mercury M2
Setup: Arcam Alpha 8 integrated amp, Sony CDP XE-500 CD player, Lovan Imperial 2400 stands

I first reviewed the M2s last December after I had them a month. I have been using the M2s for a little over a year now and in the course of the year have witnessed many improvements in their performance. In terms of price vs. performance, the M2s are a true bomb. They are priced at $350.00/ pair. One can all too easily spend 5x that amount to match their performance.

I noticed great improvements to the M2's sound when I switched from a Denon home theater receiver to the Arcam Alpha 8 integrated amp. A former tendency toward glare in the lower treble dissappeared. Furthermore, upgrading to heavier, better-damped stands tightened up the sound even further. Resonances are a thing of the past.

My Tannoy Mercury M2s now sound wonderfully transparent. Imaging is the best that it has ever been (thanks in large part to the stand upgrade). Voices float in a wide soundstage between and behind the speakers, giving the impression of singers being in the room.

Integration of treble, mid-range, and bass is much improved. It sounds seamless. The bass performance is transparent in that it is un-boomy, but still present when needed. The M2s routinely shake the floor and rattle the windowpanes. (The un-boominess of the bass is probably a result of positioning two feet out from the rear wall and four feet from the side walls.) The mid-range now sounds superb. Voices have a natural timber and instruments sing. I would recommend 24-inch high stands, as 29-inch stands proved too high for the M2s resulting in mid-range uneveness. Treble remains detailed, but sounds much sweeter and less obvious. The integration of the treble and the mid-range is greatly improved. High-hats and treble percussion sting and ring out from the mix. Overall, the sound of the M2s is transparent, vivid, and involving.

The M2s still thunder dynamically. They have never suffered from compression and play very loud, very easily with no noticeable distortion. They can also play quietly and subtly, this quality being greatly enhanced by rigid, fully damped stands.

The M2s are sounding wonderful with classical music. They respond faithfully to every swell and breath of an orchestra, from the the softest whisper of a flute to the most thunderous timpani. The M2s always sound in control. They are never caught off guard dynamically. Moreover, they present instruments and resolve detail with a transparency that illuminates the densest mixes. Tiny orchestral forces are never drowned out by larger forces. The whole hangs together beautifully.

The M2s do not sound rich and luxuriant though. Their balance is crisper and more resolving, but no less enjoyable. Furthermore, that bass sounds very agile and overloads very gracefully. Cannon shot does not shake plaster loose through the M2s, buy does rock the room to a surprising degree.

Rock and dance music will have you, well...rocking and dancing when reproduced by the M2s. Again the M2's tuneful, beautifully timed bass and seamless integration, from bass to mid-range to treble, are the keys to their success.

Jazz, small band music, quintets, trios, duos, solos, and vocalists are a special talent of the M2s. The way that the M2s recreate singers and instrumentalists tingles the spine. More than once, I have looked to find out who had snuck into the room.

I could go on and on. I am describing a speaker that sounds universally assured. The M2s are not the best with every genre and are certainly not perfect, but they rarely, if ever, sound flat-footed. They sound like far larger (and more expensive) speakers. The M2s are capable of titanic scale and excellent imaging and can boogie with the best. Moving to a more civilized amp and better, heavier, properly damped (with sand) speaker stands has greatly improved their performance. My Tannoy Mercury M2s are now sounding shockingly good and perform way, way above their class! They are most definately a steal, and I rate them six stars ******!

After being blown away by the KEF Coda 7s that I bought used for $100, I decided I had to hear some other top quality affordable speakers. I heard Mordaunt-Short
MS30s,Energy XL-16s, and Tannoy M2s. The Tannoy blew away the others, including the Coda 7s, and just about every other speaker I've ever heard at any price.
So, I bought them. I now keep saying to myself "so that's what it sounded like in the control room when they mixed it!". Every CD I have has never sounded better, even on vinyl, but that's also due to the 20 bit DACs in my new Kenwood Dolby Digital receiver. Balanced, Dynamic, Detailed and Involving are the key words.
Five Stars!!!
Kenwood VR209 Receiver
Technics SL-PG480A CD Transport
Sony Toslink Interconnect
Straightwire Quartet Speaker Cable
Radio Shack Speaker Stands

It isn't the most detailed of speakers, it isn't the fastest, nor is it the prettiest looking one either. What it is, is that it is the most musical sounding pair of bookshelves I have come across, and that's an A+ in my books any time!
And the price is embarassingly cheap.

These speakers absolutely cannot be beaten at the price point or at even at triple the price point (IMHO). There is a wonderful wholeness and balance to the sound.
I recently hard the chance to compare them a to the M2.5 . While the 2.5 gives a more delicate sound and better imaging (my opinion), I suspect the M2 are still the speakers if you like to listen to assorted types of music from pop, rock, jazz to classical.

I paired them once with a Cambridge Audio A3i, their CD6, DHLabs cables throughout, and that was the best combination I have ever had! For me, the "ultimate" system is achieved when all different sorts of music sound 'right'.

Is it any wonder that Ken Ishiwata himself once recommended a combo of the CD63KI, PM66KI and a pair of M2 speakers? According to the press present, the sound literally blew them away.

Tannoy M2's do hit lower than the most bookshelf speakers, however you do sacrifice in the quality of bass. It sounds a little boomy, loose, and not very defined. It's an excellent choice if your budget/room doesn't allow for a separate subwoofer. It does a very good job reproducing string instruments, piano, and vocals. They prefer slow music rather than fast-paced, conjested kind of music. The build quality is what you would expect in this price range, could use an internal bracing to reduce resonance. The midrange clears up considerably as they get broken in so don't be surprised if they sound a bit muffled when you first hear them. Combined with NAD C340(Also British), they produce never-tiring laid back sound. Compared to smaller bookshelves, the added bass response contributes to wider dynamic range, thus more musicallity. Gets five stars if price was under consideration.
My budget system consists of:
Denon DCM-560 CD Changer
Kenwood MD1050 MD Recorder/Player
NAD C340 Integrated Amp
DH Labs T-14 Speaker Cable

I recently decided to "get serious" about my music. Having to deal with budget constraints and my wife's insistence on small bookshelf sized speakers the Tannoy's were an easy choice. When I first brought them home I wasn't as imoressed as when I heard them in the showroom. They got a little better after a week or so of listening. I had them connected to an SAE I-102 and T-102. Yesterday I set up my new system. I purchased used a Yamaha c-60 pre-amp and a Superphon Maxx 80b. I still haven't gotten over the goose bumps!!! This is what I was looking for! With the power reserve of the superphon amp (40 watts, but will drive a 1ohm load!) and the clean pre-amp the Tannoys now sound even better than what they did in the showroom. I was considering a subwoofer but now with the new system I have all the bass that I need.
My basic recomendation is that you can't go wrong with these speakers as long as you have a good source to drive them. I am looking forward to many years of enjoyment from these speakers. I also recomend the superphon equipment if you can still find it!

Though I agree with a lot of what was said, one should note the lack of transparency (not helped by its dark tonal balance). Most $500 standmounted speakers sound far better. Its also rather large (good bass I suppose), but this makes the sound boxy.
my M2s are now my rear surrounds. Good value under list at a mass marketer but a little bit more money can buy so much better (eg: Tannoys R1)

I did extensive research for the perfect speakers in my price range. I heard all types and read all sorts of reviews; in the end, the winner was Tannoy. My pair of Tannoy M2 speakers can not be beat! Perfect sound in my opinion, not even close to anything else in that price range. I was even comparing them to speakers in the $1000 - $1500 range and still opted for the quality of the tannoys. If you like perfect sound and clarity... I highly recomend then.

M2 is a very musical speaker. It has a overall good tonal balance. It may sound a bit laid back for certain listeners but this character might be more comfortable for a long listening time, you will seldom feel harsh. The lower end frequency response of this speaker is comparably well extended than most of the bookshelf speakers available in the market even at a higher price, this is one of the most obvious advantage of M2. However this speaker might not suitable for techno lovers where the higher and harder bass is not its strength. other than that, M2 will be sweet for most type of music reproduction especially vocal. I rate this speaker 5 star for the natural and balance sound reproduction.

Amazingly low bass for size, price, smooth sound, soundstaging

None that I can detect yet. I am in a very small listening room, so I cannot comment on large room performance

I have been listening to the Tannoy Mercury M2's for about a month now. It is paired with a Linn Classik Integrated Amp/CD Player. The sound is smooth, and soundstaging is excellent. The bass it puts out for the size is amazing. Unlike the B&W DM601 S2, the sound is not very revealing, but the tweeters put forth sweet highs, such that a woodblock and cymbals are very real. It has good bass, but not as tight as I would like. For the price, it is a very good value.

Similar Products Used:

B&W DM601 S2, NHT SuperZero, Paradigm Atom