Natural sound, high WAF(wife acceptance factor)

The center(mxc) could have used the same size woofer

I started out with the Mx2's as my front L/R. When I came across the Mx4's for about the same price, I bought them and moved the 2's to the rear surrounds. These are matched with an RBH 12SE sub and all of it is powered by a Marantz SR-19. This is the most natural sounding system I can imagine without spending 3 times as much. My other choices here, locally, were Polk and Boston Acoustics(both overrated and overpriced), Definitive Technology(no room for the towers), JBL(they play loud, but...), and Crapsch(I mean Klipsch). If you can find these Tannoys, test drive them. You'll be impressed. I listen to music without the sub( they go down to about 35hz). Movie watching is a joy because the sound is just "there". Movie soundtrack music envelops you while the movie is happening in front of you. The only reminder that there are extra speakers in the room is the occasional "wow, honey did you hear that?" I found that many speaker makers are very proud of their products in the form of price. When you look at the maple veneer workmanship and listen to these for a while, you'll know where the "pride" entered in(it's not the price). I have not been disappointed in the least.

Similar Products Used:

JBL Hts series, PSB Alpha's

Linear response down to (very) low frequency, medium and highs are just great, bass are powerfull enough to avoid using a subwoofer in small rooms => high sound quality for the price

I cannot miss them anymore

Comparison
I spent 3 month comparing the market's offer in the price range before I bought the Tannoy's (including bottering some dealers during more than an hour trying my own CD's on several pairs). The arguments to enter the contest were: cost less than $600/pair, be able to sound good in home theater as well as for allround music (from Clapton Unplugged to Mobby, Texas or Vivaldi), look nice enough to convince my wife that floorstanding speakers wouldn't look uggly in our design interior... I will only consider here the speakers that I had the opportunity to extensively experiment.(JMLab chorus, Mission M70, Tannoy MX)

The JMLab always sounded metallic in highs .Furthermore,I never understood whats the advantage of their 2 1/2 way architecture since they don't sound good in bass nor in medium. Why were some magazines so enthousiast about JMLab's package?
The Mission's where quite close to the Tannoy's but the center speaker that goes with is not a serious proposition. They would probably be hard competitors if they would be part of a consistent offer.

Now my opinion about the Tannoy's:
About Hi-Fi usage
The medium and high frequency range are so brightly and clearly played back that I keep on discovering new nuances in the plays I though I knew by heart. Some CD's that I didn't play for years suddenly turned out to be amoung my favourites.

About HT usage
Another great point about these speakers is that they go so deep down to low frequencies (successfully tested at 37 Hz with a CD containing reference tones) that they dont need help from any powered subwoofer, even when used in a home theater set (my amp as a loudness function that can enhance the bass if needed). The sound is always well balanced and you really feel involved in the scene... without having you seat shaking and the icecubes ringing in your glass.

The last but not least argument I can give about those pieces is that my girlfriend who used to complain about the loudness of the sound now enjoys the experience with me...

For that price range, Tannoy made a masterpiece. When listening to my set, my father suddenly wanted to replace his 10 years old $1000 KEF speakers.

My complete set is made of :
Yamaha RX-V620 amp
Toshiba SD210E DVD player
Sony MDS-JE500 MD player
Tannoy MX3 main speakers
Tannoy MX2 surround speakers
Tannoy MXC center speaker
It is used in a 30m2 living room opened on a 20m2 dinning room.

Similar Products Used:

Mission M73, JMLab Chorus 715

clear and transparent sound. Very revealing, even on old much-listened CD's you'll hear new things going on. Punchy fast bass.Fantastic for classical music.

bass doesn't go deep, you'll need a subwoofer if it's for Home Theatre. I found it a tad "honky" with piano and cellos

I bought them purely based on a great demo at the store, follwed by a home test. Originally as part of a home theatre set-up I use them more for CD's now, they are so revealling and smooth without being dull. Maybe I need to fill them with sand as I'm sure the panels are vibrating to give it that "honky" sound in the bass occasionally. My next purchase will be an Energy 10 subwoofer, as the tannoys have little deep bass. Not recommended for rock or dance music

Similar Products Used:

TDL Rtl 2's, Kef Coda 7's and 8's

I've been using the tannoys for more then half a year now, and I've never been happier with the sound I'm getting.
It took a few tweaks to get the best out of them though, they need good setting-up to sound at their very best. But if you get that done, you'll be hard pushed not to be amazed by what these speakers can, certainly for this kind of money.(I know people whose powercords cost more than a pair of these). they sit with spikes in on a granite plinth,and that plinth sits on four big screws that go into the floor. I have it set-up só that they lean backwards, to get the timing spot on, with a lot of toe-in. the cable I'm using is biwire qed original mk2, which sounds astonishing for the money, but I'm planning to upgrading to silver anniversary when funds allow, for even more openness and clarity, without sounding harsh. The system is underpinned by a nice REL, but it doesn't need that to sound great. It's just that with the rel, it sounds magical. You can't help but listen, you must feel what the song wants you to feel and that is such a shame when you should be studying, like me.
anyway, this was not my first review, but I think I've gained a lot of experience in tweaking and setting-up, so they sound better than ever, and I would make the same choice of purchase again if I had to now.
I'm also glad to see that Andrew has also given them a review, I hope you're happy with them !
Cheers,

koen

Clear Sound, good bass

made in taiwan

I just bought this speakers to match my Yamaha RXV800 receiver, and they are great.
They have a relly clear and good sound, and the bass can blow you away, very good for HT and for good music.
I got them in such a good price and I was amazed for the performance in this price, it's even better then similar products that are much expensive.
I dounf only one weakness: allthought it's designed in scotland, it was made in taiwan, but it has a good finish and great sound and that's what important.
for conclution: great price for great speakers, a must if you under badget.

Stellar midrange and top end, decent bass for the size. SO much fine sound for SO little money.

Slightly cheap looking finish, but not bad for the price.

I had never heard of Tannoy before finding these speakers at a dealer in Ft. Collins, Colorado. I'm glad I found them! After listening to several speakers under $1,000 US (Acousic Energy, Paradigm, B&W, etc.), I found these to be the truest sounding for the money.
The thing that sets them apart from the rest is the midrange. Magic. The tone is fantastic. The top end is natural and detailed, but never edgy or aggressive.
These speakers seem to be best used with acousic music, such as classic jazz, classical, blue grass, vocals, etc. They can rock if you want them too, but they will never be as forward or over the top as many rockers might want. They are true bargains and I urge you to give them a good long listen.

Very Good

none

The Best Price/Quality

Similar Products Used:

Monitor Audio

Clear sound, good bass, cheap price.

Slightly cheap finish, grey grilles "glow in the dark"

I bought these as part of the MXAV3 package (with MXRs and MXC). I`ve got a Yamaha RXV596RDS, which I`ve never been totally impressed with, due to my old speakers (JPW fronts + Akai surrounds). I have now discovered that my Yamaha has a Doldy decoder fault, but this review is based on normal stereo performance. The good news is that the stereo performance is excellent. At first I was dissapointed (due to the fault on the Yamaha), but switching off the Dolby ProLogic, bi-wiring, mass loading with sand, and running the speakers for a couple of hours, has proved that my choice of these speakers was a good one. Bass is now present (was poor on the JPWs), treble is smooth and the clarity is excellent. I`m no expert on HI-FI, I just try to buy the best gear for my money. These speakers are great, I think they may improve after further use. I was torn between these and some Mission M73s, I didn`t audition either of them (I know that`s a bit silly), but I am sure that the Tannoys were the right choice. I really don`t think that listening to other speakers would have made my choice easier, different speakers would have sounded diffent in my room anyway. I`m just very pleased with my purchase. Please also note that my choice of the MX3s was helped by the good reviews of the MXC centre speaker. The MXC is also very good, far better tham my Akai centre. I paid £270 = $380 for the 4 speakers, not bad value, bearing in mind that I live in "rip off Britain". I`d like to give them 4.5 stars, 5 stars (far better than I expected) is a bit over the top.
If you think you may like the MX3s, BUY `EM !

Looks, clarity, finish, overall performance

I am using an MX3 together with a whole ensemble of tannoy MX speakers for my home theater. I am using an MX3 for the front, MX1 for rear, MC and Msub 10. I am using an Onkyo DV535 DVD player and an Onkyo 595 receiver. Boy, do they deliver.

Put it this way, the minute I get home, I turn it and start waching for hours. The only thing missing is the popcorn.

They deliver as well if play audio cd's on them.

Musical & High Dynamic

None

Great Sound! It's pretty good both in music & movie.