Neutral, detailed, clean sound. Aesthetically pleasing.

Lacking a plinth to provide stability.

I invested quite some time listening to a variety of speakers before purchasing these monitors. I listened to models from B&W, Boston, Mission, Paradigm, Polk Audio, PSB, Totem, and LINN, to name a few. The lesson learned during this ordeal was it is extremely difficult to do a fair, objective comparative analysis. Basically, there are too many variables to control to enable such a comparison. For example, the amplifier, CD player, and room acoustics of one audio retailer will differ from what another retailer can offer. This input mix undoubtedly affects the output (the sound of the speaker). For this reason, I will not criticize the other speakers here, but I will emphasize the strengths of these particular speakers.

The R2’s are very neutral. There are no exaggerations of the lows or highs, making these speakers well-balanced and very easy to listen to. Unfortunately, if compared to less neutral sounding speakers, one may mistakenly conclude that they lack bass. On the contrary, after listening to a variety of recordings (alternative, R&B, R&R), it is obvious that these speakers are capable of producing very deep detailed bass. Variations in bass are the result of the R2’s neutrality, and can be attributed solely to the source material itself. Even in recordings lacking bass, there is always a fine weight to the music.

The R2’s have a very smooth and detailed mid-range. Vocals, acoustics, percussions and pianos sound live. Furthermore, these speakers have great depth and scale, allowing them to be driven loud while remaining extremely clean.

Finally, the R2’s are very aesthetically pleasing. They are proportionally balanced, and the front baffle is simple and clean. The slim design and cherry wood finish adds a level of sophistication, making them look better than most pieces of furniture. However, the slim design also makes these speakers easy to topple. They are in need of a plinth to provide a sure footing.

I would like to conclude that these speakers are worth a listen if you value a neutral, detailed, clean sound, presented in an aesthetically pleasing package. To achieve this sonic result, my input mix is as follows:

DENON AVR 2800
JVC XV-SA70 DVD Video/Audio

TANNOY Revolution Center
TANNOY Revolution R2 (x 4)
12 gauge copper speaker cables

Similar Products Used:

Tannoy Mercury MX2, MX3, MX4.

These speakers drew my immediate attention with their good looks when I came into my local listening room. I compared several floorstanding models in the same price range. When we got to the brand new (the dealer only had them for a week) pair of Tannoy Reference R2 it quickly became obvious that these stood out from the crowd. The treble is very clear without being sharp while the basses are very "dry" and firm. This is probably due to the very solid build of these speakers. Spatial reproduction is excellent in my opinion.
Since I like instrumental Classical music (chamber orchestra and large symponic works) this is what I tested them with. The relatively neutral behaviour of these Tannoys might not be to everyone's liking but it suits me best.

Some technicalities: Floor-standing model, 92cm x 17cm x 23.5cm, Rear ported reflex (a foam damper is supplied), volume = 17 litres, weight = 13 kg, 1 x 25mm soft dome tweeter, 2 x 13mm long throw woofers, Bi-wiring is possible (I'm using them that way), Real Cherry veneer.

I think these speakers give you excellent value for your hard earned money!

I recently bought a pair of R2s having gone to audition a completely different range of speakers, both floorstanding and stand mounted, including the well reviewed Kef Q35s, in the same price bracket.
I was looking for a neutral pair of speakers, which could cope with a wide range of musical styles and also look nice in quite a large front room, but in the £300 bracket because whilst my (Linn) system probably justifies spending more, I simply don't listen to it enough now to warrant it.

The shop suggested the Tannoys as an option so I spent an hour switching between speakers and came to the conclusion that they simply coped best with any type of music and provided a lot of detail but without sacrificing a transparent and relaxed presentation, with good pace and some real bass.

One of my test discs was the Prodigy's 'Fat of the Land' which can be difficult to manage at quite high volumes and only the Tannoys were able to separate out the vocals (where all the others lost it...especially on 'Breathe') and keep the bass tight and under control. On other discs I was noticing elements of the mix which I hadn't heard before, which is a good sign.

On closer inspection the real cherry veneer finish is very well done with nicely figured wood which sets off the matt black drivers....and you get three for your money here, with a rear facing bass port which can be tuned with a foam bung. The base of the speaker can apparently also be loaded with lead shot but I haven't had time to investigate yet because they seem very stable without it. Adjustable carpet spikes are provided and you don't need a separate plinth. Bi wire screw terminals are provided at the back.

Since getting them home they have coped with everything from Mozart to the Chemical Brothers and their attraction remains their neutrality....you just get to hear whatever disc you stick on and you forget about how the speakers are sounding. Excellent sound quality with the bonus of real wood veneer means the only question is how the hell do Tannoy make a profit on them ?

It may look too thin, but its does look good. Bass is so good, nice and deep.build is amazing, very solid indeed. treble IS crisp and detail is fine. good stereo imaging. This is a top quality speaker for the money. very relaxing, can listen for hours.

erm...............none really..........dunno.......they dont hold a good conversation!!!!!!

i am a 16 year old student, i have not much money and i was looking for a bargain, i found one. i payed 250 quid at richer sounds. i thought they may be a bit slim and feeble lookin but they aint, they are stunners. i love bass in my music and i heard the mission 773e were a bit bad in that area, kefs were sposed to be to crisp and the mission m74's looked cheap with there big and cheap looks. the r2's are made from real wood, if you tap the top you might expect a hollow sound, NOOOOO. You get a nice hard sound, QUALITY. These are classy speakers that sound fat with bassy music,oooooohhhhhh. i am no geek so i wont balls on about sounstaging, monoblocs and all that low fat malakay. they sound real nice, smooth, controlled and bassy. get these speakers and u have a bargain.

Similar Products Used:

kef q55, acoustic research aegis 3, mission 773e, mission m74

Invisible speaker (sounding), power handling, excellent built

Just don't try to use cheap amplifier

Ok... Here is my short review : Buy Those speakers

For the longer one, here it goes,

I used this pair of speakers on 3 different amp configuration... The first one is not worth talking about. The second one was a Marantz SR-48 MKII mixed with two marantz ma-500 monoblocks. Must say that, at the time, I was really impressed by everything that came out of this exceptionnal speakers but now that I use my Roksan Caspian Pre/Power amp and cd player, everything is just wonderful!

The high band is crisp and clear and the mid range is perfectly harmonized. For the low band, I had to balance the
amount of lead shot (3.5 Kg) I added before it bacame perfect but now, I must say the bass is deep dan really precise!

Finally, I really recommend the Tannoy R2 speakers to everyone who want a really good pair of speakers.

Similar Products Used:

Jbl, Monitor Audio, Infinity

Pure, uncolored sound

None

Excellent, NATURAL sound. Lyle Lovette sounds like he's performing in the room with you and the new Dave Matthews Band - Everyday - sounds perfect. I use these also as my home theater fronts... they perform dynamically. Plently of low end. I noticed some people think the low end is not enough, but I'm convinced it depends on the DVD or CD recording. Plug in Star Wars - Episode I and crank it up... or any DVD that contains DTS sound. It's unbelieveable. I may never go to the movies again.

Similar Products Used:

Klipsch, JBL, Bose

Clear sound,natural

If you want to hear EXTRA bass you couldn't; It's natural.

Bi-wiring doesn't change anything, but my amp. is a cheap one,perhaps depend on it. Some frequencies, when the music is too crowded you may see some noise in music I don't want to say this is from speaker but I want to say that you have to test with a music some big chorus, or some hard-rock. I think for jazz and classical music it's very good speaker with it's natural sound! Listen violin with it...

Neutrality, capability to play any style of music, variable bass, easy to drive

none

These speakers are perfect in their price range. The most noticeable feature is their neutrality. As opposed to the magnat, wharfedale and mission speakers I tested them with, the Tannoy R2's are really neutral. This makes sure that they can play any type of music you want, without losing sound quality. If you play music with a deep very present bass, you are still able to hear the vocals. On the other speakers the vocals where blurred by the heavy bass. This also brings me to the next point: any speaker can be judged by the way it plays the vocals. A good speaker "places"the vocals in front of the speaker and the instruments preferably slightly behind the vocals but enough distance to hear clear vocals and clear instruments whichever way they are mixed. The Tannoy R2's actually do this, the others don't. In this priceclass ($300 per speaker) this is a rarity, most speakers (especially the mission) throw vocals and instruments on the same level, blurring the sound.

For someone who wants to have a stronger bass, you can remove the dampeners on the rear portal.

I played several types of music on them from mozart to the verve, metallica, smashing pumpkins Natalie Imbruglia, Portishead and some oldies like The Bangles, The Eagles, Genesis and came to the conclusion that the Tannoy R2 is capable of playing them all, with no exception they all sounded better on the Tannoy R2 than on the others I auditioned.

They are also very amplifier-friendly, almost any amplifier can drive these units whereas the magnat speakers need an amplifier with a considerable power-unit to decently drive them(due to the heavy bass the magnats have) the Tannoy R2 doesn't have any needs at all and can be linked with any type of wiring.

Component quality, althoug these speakers are not very expensive the quality of the parts is very good (else they couldn't sound like this), and actually igves them the component quality found in more expensive speakers ( I compared the components with those from my previous DALI suite 2.5 units and notices that the quality was equal to the DALI's which cost $600 per speaker).

Finally they look great as well, a strong (18mm thick) MDF chassis with wood veneer covering the MDF.

Verdict: sound 5 stars definitely a reference speaker in the $100-$600 price range and finish: 5 stars because they look very nice and fit any interior.

Similar Products Used:

mission 773e and 774s, Wharfedale Emerald, Magnat vector v50, Tannoy M3 and M4, B&W 600

Nice Wood

Bad Sound

These look pretty but have no real sunstance. Maybe I was unlucky, but I wired these up and cranked them up with some Barry Manilow. The woofers grooved for about a minute before blowing their coils out onto my carpet. Close inspection of the internal construction shows some cheap materials. I now know how Tannoy makes a profit on these - cheap quality parts not up to the job.
I cut my losses an changed them in for some decent Mission 774s - Sweet.

Similar Products Used:

Mission, Monitor Audio

Great, even sound. Good bass extension, wide and deep soundstage. Excellent build and looks.

None yet.

Currently running with NAD 7125 receiver (1984) and Sony 5 CD changer. Produces a great sound. Recently added 3.5 kg lead shot to each and bass is much improved, soundstage wider and even greater detail and clarity - the solo triangle in Shirley Bassey's Moonraker theme is fabulous.

Similar Products Used:

Mission 773e.