Tannoy Precision 6.2 review
Writer: Asadi Muguro
Verdict: As beautiful to hear as they are to visually behold, and with
stereo imaging not only to die for but which can take you (and the whole
listening room you’re in) on a journey to a place where the senses are
treated like royalty.
Price at review: £1099 (Gloss Walnut)
Pros:
Outstanding stereo imaging and spacial creation
Detail in instruments and vocals faithfully reproduced and realised
Visually beautiful curves and gloss finish (optional) with sturdy plinth
Cons:
Bass could be tightened slightly (cabinets can be mass loaded)
Tannoy is a name that is famous for public address systems. Just like
Hoover, Sellotape or Hacky Sack, their name has become popular enough to
become generic… and there’s a reason for that.
You can read about their history, WW1 origins, installation in the Sydney
Royal Opera house and the 1st dual concentric speaker here.
History means a lot but fast forwarding 90+ years… has that level of excellence been maintained? Let’s jump in and find out.
History means a lot but fast forwarding 90+ years… has that level of excellence been maintained? Let’s jump in and find out.
Build quality and appearance:
I’ve unpacked many things in my life: simple things that have been wrapped
excessively 12x over and things that have been wrapped beautifully. Unboxing
a Tannoy Precision 6.2 (Walnut gloss) speaker honestly ranks up there in the
top 3 of things that make you actually stop and think “wow!”. Whether it be
the smooth, glossy quality finish with curved contours and attention to
detail or the high quality cloth that the speaker comes wrapped in, one
can’t help but relate the experience to undressing the fine linen robes of a
Greek goddess, if that was ever possible. These speakers ooze quality before
they’re even out of the box; even the cloth they are wrapped in resonate
this impression. Let’s juts say you know you’re in for a treat!
The build quality of the cabinets is sturdy and the fixed plinths do a great
job to prevent the speaker from falling over. Although it is slightly easier
to pull the speaker forward that it is to push it, it’s unlikely the speaker
will fall by accident; the push would have to be intentional. Note: Best to keep any hating mates away and let them have a listen over
the phone. The bottom line is don’t breakdance around the speaker and you’ll be OK.
The height of the plinth spikes can conveniently be adjusted from above with
the provided Hex key, avoiding the need to repeatidly lift or turn over the
cabinet. The curved sides of the speaker which lead to a smoother and
more controlled baffle step, when compared to a square design box, are both
acoustically and visually welcome. Think of a rectangle with curved sides.
The front grilles come with magnetic padded attachments as not to scratch
the gloss finish, and have a strong magnetic fixture that works well. No
hideous holes cab be seen scouring the front face of these 1m tall shiny art
pieces.
These speakers are Bi-wireable, have gold binding posts and come with
Tannoy’s 5th grounding terminal which does noticeably work to the improve
clarity and cleanliness of sound and interference. A connection to a
grounding point on an amp should do the trick here.
SOUND: To the left, to the left, everything you own in a box to the right
This speaker does 2 main things and boy does it do them well! I’ll be honest
with you, in order to realise these you have to give your time to this
speaker. To get the best, it’s important to be in a good position in the
listening field, you can’t be running around or watching a YouTube video on
you phone and expect these speakers to serve you. Think of it as fine
dining: You don’t go to a classy restaurant and expect to experience the
rewards of fine dining by eating whilst typing up that office report on your
laptop, or eating hurriedly whilst you try to book cinema tickets for
afterwards; the rewards you get from speakers of this quality, and trust me
there are many rewards to be had, depend on the time and attention you give
the speaker. Don’t misunderstand me, you don’t need to give them effort,
just a little attention and you’ll be pleasantly surprised, and rewarded.
Now on to the things they do well…
Stereo imaging
When What HiFi concluded that the Precision 6.2’s are “…with a stereo image
to die for”, they were spot on. I would even say they have stereo imaging to
make you evaluate what you’ve been doing with your ears for your entire
life, but that might be frowned upon. If you’re in the market for a
seriously good pair of speakers then honestly, stop reading this and get out
there and audition the Tannoys. Get a great choice of tracks and get down to
a dealer… if there’s no dealer near you, or you’re reading this at
go-to-bed-o’clock then read on. You don’t have to supply the Tannoy
Precision 6.2’s with the best of the best source of audio equipment; supply
them with a high quality unit and they’ll reward you, supply them with an
excellent quality source and the rewards will be greater. I’ve always found
stereo to be the best form of audio, even though surround sound is great,
for some reason nature has decided that information coming from the left and
right channels hits the sweet spot. Mind you with that said, don’t be fooled
in thinking these speakers just output sound coming from the left and the
right!
Load up Black Skinhead from Kanye’s Yeezus album and you’re in for a very special stereo treat. The Tannoys
clearly detail the sounds and samples as they move across the front stage
from left to right, then back to centre and even wider to each side than
before. The vocal samples of tribal wailing and calling that move around the
room as the beat is played centre-forward, works outstandingly to build up
the front stage. The sampled panting and breathing can also be heard sitting
slightly beyond the speakers width with each one clearly distinguishable as
not only it’s own sound but as an individual recording; bear in mind all
this is happening as the image pans from left to right. There are even times
where the wailing sounds are thrown behind the user. The dual concentric
cones that are upgrades of the previous model - found in the DC6T Revolution
Signature speakers - work well to create a wide focal space where
instruments, vocals and synthesised sounds can travel and move around to
create a 3 dimensional sound space. You do have to be located in the sweet
spot, which admittedly can be slightly narrow (probably as a result of the
dual concentric cone design) but once the speakers are set up appropriately
this shouldn’t be much of an issue. Just make sure your seat is in the
middle or adjust the amp balance accordingly.
Kanye West: Black Skinhead
Another example of where travelling stereo can be heard is how the Tannoys
portrait depth and approach as heard in Monica Kahn’s: Tarantula. Vocals are focused in the centre of the sound stage, as if a centre
speaker were active, accompanied by instruments being played much wider
across the edges. The sound can be felt retreating behind the walls of the
listening room and then suddenly and rapidly approaching as the chorus
whacks you upon introduction and the bass kicks in as if to signify the
point at which the approaching sound wall passes through you. Every
instrumental detail is communicated and (depending on the quality of audio
production of course), each sound slots into a specific space and lives
there. Sometimes the entire space (the front stage) can shift, and sometimes
it retreats and advances. If that’s not what stereo imaging should do then I
don’t know what it exists for.
Realism and accuracy of sound
Feed the Tannoys a quality sound source and they will not let you down. For
example fire up SBTRKT: Gon Stay and the hi-hat cymbals, bass guitar strings, keyboard and vocals can
all be heard, understood and depicted with clarity and precision. Whilst
some speakers can be analytical and clinical of sounds, which can be
considered as a bad thing that can lead to a lack of warmth, the Tannoys
work well to present the sound accurately whilst keeping things musical and
adventurous. Clarity is so good that you can gain insight into the room
dynamics from which recordings took place but never feel like your listening
to a mixture of sound instead of a musical track. You can hear the
characteristics of the room, subtle echoes, the openness that can be heard
where vocals are recording and even what type of material is being used to
create what sound. Again all helping to form an impression of the recording.
This may sound a little over-analytical but when placed together on a good
music track, things fall into place and work very well.
SBTRKT: Gon Stay
Alternatively if you prefer to audition an acoustic number then fire
up Somerset Closes' cover of Hey Ya (Outkast cover) to hear the delicacy of each pluck of every guitar string and the
beauty in the vibrato of her voice. Notice how the mood is conveyed
convincingly and how easy it is to be taken on the journey where the
listener pleasantly builds a mental picture of the scene as it is being
performed. The “journey” being the key expression here: The track sounding
as if the singer and guitar are in the room, or the room being where the
vocalist and guitarist originally recorded. Again the imaging helping
increase the convincing perception.
Somerset Close: Hey Ya (Outkast Cover)
With all that is good that’s been said about the Tannoy’s there is one
slight improvement that could be made. The frequency response of the
speakers is specified as 34Hz - 35KHz and for such a detailed speaker this
can be a wide range to focus on. The bass overall is excellent, fast,
in-time and cohesive. Take for example the roaring tones of Kanye’s
Skinheads, which sound more like 5m tall 500kg robotic totem poles revving
up to do some serious damage (your senses will encourage you strongly to ask
a very simple yet effective question at this point: “WTF is that?”) or the
fast paced demands of Miike Snow: Silvia (Roboberget Remix). All are met well, however I couldn’t help but feel that the bass
occasionally could do with a little tightening. It would be more of a
preference than an issue and to be fair the Tannoys are mass loadable:
turning the speaker upside down reveals a port that can be mass loaded in
order to tighten bass response and improve stereo imagery (OMG!! Il est
impossible!!!). Also room dynamics play a part here, and for the majority of
users mass loading will probably be unnecessary. Again it came across as
more of a preference than necessity.
It’s worth noting that these speakers work well without a subwoofer. For
those that are bass enthusiasts or movie buffs, a subwoofer is preferable
but not essential, however for most music listening the speakers alone
should be enough.
Conclusion
These are a pair of speakers that encourage you to stop and listen. They
reveal great subtle details in audio that you probably haven’t heard before,
but the icing on the cake is that they do this and present a form of stereo
imaging, compounding the offering. What this does is create an experience
that adds value and emotionally engages the listener with each track. I
actually found myself and my ears becoming worked when listening to some
tracks on Yeezus, not because these speakers are hard to listen to or that I
had to unscramble any information at the fault of the speaker, but because
there was so much being revealed in all 3 dimensions. My ears frankly
weren’t used to being introduced to so much incredible detail and
information in one go. It’s like performing an exercise and using muscles
you don’t normally use; you’ll be tired the next day. The treat and audio
journey are worth every second. These speakers will give you a new level of
appreciation for what audio actually can be. It’s hard to go about your day
without such quality and imaging being everywhere you go but having that
everywhere would just make these another “normal” pair of speakers;
something that they’re very far from. If you want to go on an audio journey
and rediscover your favourite music collection as well as wake your senses
up, then give these an audition. Throw acoustic at it, vocal, synthesised,
indie… give it anything of quality and it will return just that. The bass
goes low and for all but the slightest instances is taunt, punchy and
accurate. The cabinet can be mass loaded to tighten things up if preferred
but I found this overall unnecessary. The speakers did take some time to
burn in, but once they’re in, you’ll ask them to bring some friends.
The name Precision doesn’t appear in the name of these speakers by
coincidence. Audition them and you’ll get a great insight as to why, get to
know them and give them you’re time and you’ll soon fully experience the
treats they have waiting instore.
Excellent: Very Highly Recommended
