The more than ample bass, and the 'beyond the box' sound.

Slightly ' boomy' bass.

I PURCHASED THIS SPEAKERS AS A SUPPOSED 'BANDAID' UNTIL I COULD PURCHASE A FLOORSTANDING SPEAKER, OOPS! I NOW INTEND TO ENJOY YEARS OF PLEASANT LISTENING. THESE SPEAKERS TEND TO TAKE A WHILE TO BURN IN SO BE PATIENT.

Good bass range

upper frequencies with incorrect speaker placement

Have used these for a few months and am very pleased. Had to play a lot with placement for good balance and imaging. Lost a lot of the upper range when placed to close to a wall, must be the port on the rear or something. Have them about 3 1/2 feet from a wall now. Would recomend these for bookshelfs if someone asked.

Several reviews mention box resonance problems with the Tannoy M2. One of the speakers of the pair I have mail ordered has shown the same problem. The resonance is caused by the bass/mid driver not making tight contact with the cabinet. Tightening the screws helped but was not sufficient. I took the driver out and placed a thin roll of blue tack around the isolation rubber at the driver's back side and screwed it back into the speaker. Voila - no more resonances! If you have a resonance problem with the M2s, try this solution, but be aware that by opening the speaker the warranty will become void. And be careful when tightening the screws - the ring around the mid/bass driver is made from plastic and breaks easily.The M2's are very cheaply made, but also very cheap to buy (in Switzerland I paid the equivalent of US$ 220 for them). Still, I believe even in a budget product there should be a minimum of quality control and major problems such as the one described are not acceptable. This aside, they are amazing value and sound very much better than parts and build quality would suggest.
Having a very musical and inoffensive tonal balance, the M2s will sound perfectly acceptable if combined with modest gear in their price range, but they respond enthusiastically when partnered with something a bit more upmarket, so there is a worthwile upgrade path. I'm using a Sony TA-F3000ES amplifier and a Sony XA50ES CD player and the M2s are showing qualities one would not expect in such a modestly priced speaker. Good pace and rhythm, surprisingly deep and tuneful bass, sweet yet informative highs, first rate imaging and sound staging way above their class (good stands are mandatory). They have an always involving musical presentation with enough resolution to do justice to good recordings but, unlike many expensive audiophile speakers, they don't make your teeth fall out with today's many harsh and overprocessed productions.
Even if you have more money to spend, give the Tannoy Mercury M2s a listen. I have chosen them over a handful of much more expensive speakers. Objectively, you may sacrifice some detail and air, articulation and bass slam and whatever other audiophile term may come to your mind. But the M2s need no excuses. They invite you to the music with so much charm and emotion that you soon forget all audiophile considerations and simply enjoy the music. And that's what it's all about. Highly recommended.

We had a low budget and decided to go even more affordable then these speakers but I didn't compare them to several other brands and have to say if we had that extra money these would have probably been our purchase. They're right up there with speakers over twice there price and most of the time better. I don't own these but if there as durable as they are great sounding I would recommend them to anyone.

I am using a Denon PMA-980 Integrated Amplfier with a Sony CDP-Xe500 Cd player and Vampire Cables. Previously, i was using a pair of the "OLD" Tannoy Mercury Series Speakers. They've been with me for close to 5-6yrs now so i figured a change of speakers would change the whole sound setup. My room dimensions are pretty small...roughly 6metres X 2.5metres. I auditioned a few speakers on my shortlist, most of them were the entry level bookshelves costing around S$300-S$450. I had a listen to the Tannoy M2s and first impressions, they have a tremendous soundstage!! It could be the room acoustics at the studio but i was impressed by it's ability to play all kinds of music genre from Hard hitting Rock to slow Jazz! The control with regards to the sound is excellent. Bass was totally awesome for a bookshelf of that size. Try listening to some Fusion/Jazz like Spyro Gyra and the likes and you can see for yourself. THe speakers are pretty new so it will take awhile before the sound can get to it's optimum level after some burning in but i am impressed already by these minis! What it is probably lacking is the detail.......just a little bit lacking and i guess it makes up for that with the excellent bass and low bass which i might stress again is beg to differ to individual tastes. I love detail but when it comes to price, the Tannoy's are the way to go. I have not seen any other speaker that can match this when it comes to the S$300 level. Of course i wanted to go for the B&W DM302 but sadly, the agents are not planning to stock them till December!! TOSSER! Well i probably would keep the M2s for a little while...until god sends me more cash so that i can buy a Jamo Concert perhaps!! Hehe
I would give the M2s 5 Stars for value...Well worth it's price. And most of you who mentioned that the sound gets better when you crank it, hey hey, you're right!! it does get better....with my 90watts amp, it sure is more than enough power to drive the speakers. I might go for an Arcam amp in future and perhaps a Sony XA7ES player and at last, i can say i got the sound i went for :) Cheers

After frequently visiting this site for information I thought I'd add my own comments on a recent purchase. After casually searching for a new speaker to replace my NHT Superzeros/SW2pi combo, I think I've finally found the speaker that fits the bill.
I agree with all the positive comments said about the Mercury M2. They are detailed, natural sounding and nicely balanced. I've been looking for replacement speakers for a long time and have considered Hales, Mission, PSB, Paradigm, Mirage, KEF, NHT, Magnepan, Coincident Technology, and a few others. While I have heard better sounding speakers, none can match the price/performance ratio of the Tannoy M2. They are exceptionally great sounding speakers. Anyone looking for speakers under $1000 should definitely consider an audition. They won't disappoint.

Type of Music: jazz/classical/vocals-ballads/pop music/System used: locally assembled power amp/pre-amp vacuum tube/Nad 502cd/CAL DAC/
Monster Speaker cables M-series/Van den Hul interconnects

I have been using this M2 series Tannoy speakers for quite sometime. i replaced my Tannoy 605 speakers and i am very pleased with my decision. Actually, a friend auditioned this M2 speakers to me and it took me a week to finally buy this speaker. The imaging is right with powerful bass, smooth midrange and a very detailed sound especially if your'e hooked in listening to instrumental music like Accoustic Alchemy/Salinas/and the likes.

i think that this speaker will stay with me for a long time since it delivers the kind of musicality that suits my taste. This speakers works perfectly fine with my vacuum tube amps and pre-amps. The sound is so natural and detailed. Less fatigueing and you will appreciate the music the longer you listen. Maybe because of the characteristic of a vacuum tube amps and pre-amps which delivers a very detailed and untiring music.

My recommendation is very straightforward. Its one of the best speakers that i have used and definitely not harsh on my budget. Rating is five star....

Good bass extension, sweet treble

Bass can become boomy, midrange can sound coloured, treble not terrbly extended

Good product with the main strength being superb bass extension for the price and size of box. However, especially with modern music e.g. Prodogy, Craig David the bass can become boomy. Positioning away from walls helps, but if this is unavoidable (eg. small room) then covering the rear ports with foam bungs similar to that given with the Tannoy M3 speakers works wonderfully without sacrificing extension, but improving "speed" of the bass.
Midrange is clear, but can sound "nasal" and coloured. Using rigid mass loaded stands helps.
Treble is unfatiguing and very musical, although not particularly extended.
Imaging very good. Very low levels of distortion. Speaker works well with budget components.
Much better sound than the Mission 731i, a direct competitor at the time. Please not newer speakers like the Eltax Libery 3+ totally outclass the Tannoys for the same money. Such is the pace of progress!!

Similar Products Used:

Eltax Liberty 3+, Mission 731i

I own my Mercury M2 for my second system : Marantz CD67SE and NAD701 Receiver.They are good for the money. Warm midrange, full bass, and smooth high.
But they're not as transparant and neutral as my PSB Stratus Silvers.
Nice for pop music, but I prefer PSB for serious listening.

Very Well rounded deep bass at a solidly affordable price.
Loudness to Cabinet size ratio...

No bi-wiring, but this makes sense for a budget shelf speaker..

I only very recently bought these incredible little speakers...
For its price, it features incredibly controlled bass, excellent vocals and a fair soundstage(remember, however, for the price the soundstage is unbeatable)
I found the cabinet very stylish, I have the cherry colour ones but the grey one is equally good...
I reckon the cherrys would look really nice with the R3s I plan to buy soon!!!

At the moment the speakers are being powered by a NAD-C340, (the speakers and amp are a perfect match) as they both provide an astonishing bang for your buck...

In conclusion, a mere AUST$450 I payed for these speakers felt like it went a really long way.. A top buy for audio lovers on strict budget!!!!

Similar Products Used:

None, well at least not at this price!!!