Tannoy speakers

[Prometheus]

Hi all

I have just taken delivery this morning of a set of 5 Tannoy saturn S8C speakers. they are being sold by Tannoy direct via Fleabay for a knockdown price of £60.00 each. They are brand new old stock from their warehouse an fully boxed (as you would expect being new) These units were £300.00 each when they were released (about 6 years ago). They utilise Tannoys dual concentric driver technology and I am listening to them now. The bass is very tight and punchy (thanks to 8" cone size) and the trebles are very clean and acurate, at least compared to my B&W 600's that these have just replaced - there is no comparison!! I also like to listen to my music loud on occasion and these babies are taking a good warm up with no complaints so far. In fact if anything the more I crank them up the better they are sounding . they are fantastic, the imaging is superb and I'm told that they can take 50-100 hrs or so before they begin to really reveal themselves.

The only point to make is that the only model that they have available in the Saturns is the S8C which is essentially the centre speaker in the range, but there is no difference at all to the Left and right units except for the placement of the driver in the cabinet. This is fine for me as I intend to mount them landscape studio monitor style anyway but there would be no problem mounting them portrait if you wanted (the badges even clip off and can be attached in the portrait position ). If anything I believe that the centre unit has the full plate shielding making them very solid indeed at 12.5kg each. Ironically though, they are a bit unwieldy to use as centre speaker as they are the size of large standmounts in their proportions. The quality of the finish is excellent with gold plated bi-wirable posts and a front firing tunable port (ie, it has a bit of sponge in it )

As I said I bought five of these beauties for the price that a single one would have cost a few years back, in fact I have seen them selling on a current USA website for what they call their sale price of $400 each for the S8C's .

I just wanted to share this with everyone because they sound so amazing and to get five matched dual concentric Tannoys (the same technolgy as the prestige and dimension range which cost £thousands) for a surround system for the price of a pair of reasonable floor standers is to my mind a phenomenal bargain for getting a very high quality sound. As far as I'm aware you would have to pay more than this price just to buy the drivers for any Tannoy dual concentrics. They may not be to everyone's taste as far as the design goes but I love them as they have champagne baffles which matches my decor & my denon amp (a small point but worth mentioning).

Here is a link to a page with the specs of the range (remembering that they only have the S8C - and I have asked). You can see from this page that the centre and LR models have exactly the same spec.
http://www.dvdscan.com/tannoy/tannoysaturn.htm

Here is the link to Fleabay, I also have a telephone number to ring if you want to buy 5 like I did, if you PM i'll pass it on (is this OK mods?)
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=14991&item=5749252994&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

and finally i've taken a couple of photos of two of them I haven't unpacked the rest yet. yes that's right my praise is based on two of them set up as left/right fronts!!!

I confirm that my opinions are my own, and despite how it might sound I have no affiliation to Tannoy, i'm just quite blown away by these speakers. Whilst I'm sure that you can buy speakers which are better than these I cannot imagine that you could buy 5 of them for this money. Surely this is a bargain deal, if you go for it you won't be sorry. If you have any other questions please feel free to ask I'll answer if I can.

For the Mods - I have passed on forum details to the guy in charge of shifting this stock, and explained briefly about the powerbuy system. He has checked out the forums and he was very interested although he only has about 50 left and they are going fast, he may get back to you with future deals..... here's hoping.

 

[Flimber]

Thanks for the tip mate, sometimes looking at a bargain sideways is the best way Will look into these.

Cheers,
Mike.

 

[Daneel]

I'd call that a bargain. Well done.

 

[Prometheus]

Just in case anyone hasn't checked the URL and checked other items for sale they also have Tannoy MX2's for £62 a pair and a revolution centre speaker for £54. These are buy-it-now prices the start prices are cheaper still if you wait till the auction end.
In my opinion though these are not a patch on the Saturns.

Also I Think It's worth mentioning that If anyone does make a purchase could they mention AVforum.com as there is a possibility that Tannoy sales will use the 'Powerbuy' system to get rid of New Old Stock in the future, which at these prices is a great benefit to forum members

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"Certitude belongs to those who only look in one reference book"



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[mhuk05]

What do they sound like with music?

 

[Prometheus]

What do they sound like with music?

Hi Mhuk05

Sorry for the delay in replying, I saw your question earlier today but was in the middle of something .

IMO they sound great with music, I have been listening to them with music 80% since I've had them. There is no doubt that they are significantly better than my B&W 600 series. I am currently using them with the port bungs in as I have them quite close to a wall at the moment and without them the lower end tends to be a little boomy, as I say though this is a location issue. I will say that the trebles are extremely good which I imagine is much to do with the DC (Dual Concentric) design which gives the tweeter a horn loaded design using the woofer cone as well as the single point source profile, although being honest I don't think that I can tell the difference between this and conventional separate tweeter & woofer designs, That's to say that I didn't notice any phasing or other issues which the DC design apparantly solves . I am currently using them alongside my BK XLS200 sub which really helps to round out the bottom end (as you would expect) I have given them a listen today just on their own so I could reflect on your question and although it's difficult to be unbiased because I normally use the sub, I would say that they are perhaps a little lacking in the lower end if you were to use them alone, although as I said I am using the bungs to tone down the boom effect. Therefore it might be fair to say that if you used them without the bungs and located them correctly in the room this aspect could well be different as I have read a review which claims that the bass is very good (see links below). My needs though are more than well met with sweet highs and a warm mid to lows that integrate very well with the sub to fill out the spectrum . As I said earlier I don't think that there is anyting else that you could buy for the same money that these cost which would give you the same quality of audio IMO, bearing in mind that I have listened to very few systems compared to all that is available, but I did a lot of research before trying these out and I couldn't find anything that compared for the money.

I apologise if my description of these speakers is a little lacking, I'm afraid I find it difficult to describe the way that they sound other that they are great

By way of a second opinion below is a copy of an email from someone who I emailed from the feedback rating on ebay which showed that they had purchased several of these units thus I was asking his opinion. this is followed by some links to reviews that I read to help make my mind up.

Hello Dave

I'm glad to hear you that thinking of purchasing a set of five. I'm also glad I noticed
these speakers when I did; I was originally intending to purchase a pair of system
800 studio monitors. I read the engineering brochure from Tannoy and I was impressed
by the point source and very low distortion <0.1% THD. As far as I can tell, the S8C
is the same driver in a slightly different box, so these are a great deal, I've
managed to buy a whole set of five for less than half the cost of a pair of System
800s!

Regards,
Chris.


Here are the links.(please bare in mind that some of these reviews refer to the S8 and not the S8C, I have included them because they have the same driver in them so the only difference is cabinet size and the addition of the extra bass driver, use a sub instead )

1.) http://www.hometheatersound.com/equipment/tannoy_saturn.htm
2.) http://www.innerear.on.ca/reviews/vol11-2reviewstannoy.html
3.) http://www.audioreview.com/PRD_122587_1594crx.aspx
4.) http://reviews.iwon.com/pscAudioReview/Speakers/Main+Speaker/Tannoy/PRD_122586_1594crx.aspx

I think that I'll stop here as I'm getting writers cramp
I hope that this helps you and anyone else who may be interesed, If your going to have a go don't wait too long as Tannoy said that this is a one time offer to clear their warehouse of old stock and they don't have that many left. "When their gone ....their gone". Good luck

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My opinions are my own as I have been kept in a sealed environment since birth



Best regards all. Dave.

 

[biggy7]

nice review mate!

so i take it these can be used as a centre speaker in a 5.1DD set up yeh?

seems like a good buy?

cheers

 

[mhuk05]

Phew! thanks for that. Have you listended for MS Premier Plus? If you have, how do they compare?

 

[bowlhead2000]

Also one question - you said you were using them with bungs because they were close to a wall- I thought they were a front ported design so they wouldnt have a bass port at the back, so it wouldn't matter if you put them up against a wall?

I've only read a couple of reviews on them thus my lack of knowledge, but I do like Tannoy sound- might consider getting a set for surround duties - have just upgraded my hifi kit in another room and have upgrade-itis!!

But if I can't ram them right up against a wall I probably will look elsewhere (or at least actually plan what I'm doing instead of buy on impulse )

 

[Prometheus]

Biggy7:
The S8C is actually the centre speaker of the Saturn range. It is exactly the same as the Left/Rights but the cabinet is designed to be positioned horizontally. As mentioned before you should bare in mind that the S8C is quite large in it's proportion (Dimensions (mm) 244h x 450w x 290d ), so whilst I think that it is an excellent sounding centre speaker you must have a lot of space to position it. I think that it too large to place on top of a TV (not impossible but looks a bit unwieldy) so you should consider a wall mount or locating it under the TV. As for the 5.1DD bit, this is how I am using them with a mere denon 1802 and no problems driving them at all. I think that they are a very good buy IMO, £300 for 5 speakers original RRP for 5 £1500 !!!

mhuk05:
Sorry I haven't heard the MS Premier plus range, so cannot comment I'm afraid. Worth noting that they seem very highly regarded by forum members, do a search and find some opinions, but I cannot provide a direct comparison. I will however say that given the choice again I would still choose the Tannoy's and the BK XLS200 combo, which I believe is a comparable total cost. I may be in the minority when I say that I am not keen on the look of the MS units, I think they look a bit weird , I prefer a more traditional look Hi-Fi speaker look. I guess it takes all sorts.

bowlhead2000:
I know what you mean, seems to make no sense as you say they are front ported. Perhaps someone with more technical know-how on such things could enlighten us further. This is the quote from the Tannoy leaflet accompanying the S8C's :

BASS TUNING:
To provide some control over bass performance, all saturn loudspeakers are provided witha foam bung for the reflex port. In smaller rooms where the loudspeakers are to be used close to rear or side walls, the foam bung can be inserted into the reflex port to give additional damping and control.

I can confirm that I have found this to work for me as I have mine positioned almost right against the back wall and the without the bungs in position their is a clearly audilble booming quality to the sound, but with the bung in place there is no problem. I'd love to know the technical reason for this myself so .......anyone know the correlation between front port and wall/speaker location?

Bowlhead also, check out the links in the post above to the location of some reviews that you may not have read, they certainly convinced me.


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"The future is retro"



Dave.

 

[Aodh]

I'm also looking to purchase some saturn speakers and have messaged the seller about quantities but as of yet have had no reply. Prometheus did you purchase all 5 in one go or did you have to purchase them seperately.
Thanks for the heads up, what a bargain

 

[Tomfoolery]

Contacted the seller and should now be getting 3 at £60 each, £18 delivery.

Thanks for pointing these out to us.

 

[Prometheus]

Hi Tomfoolery

Good choice . Will you be using them as a matched front row or centre and surrounds? I'd love to know your thoughts when you get them.

regards.
Dave. Aka - Prometheus.


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Men stumble over the truth from time to time, but most pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing happened



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[Tomfoolery]

I'll be using them as front left right and centre. Probably need some new rears speakers, but haven't got room to use these as rears too, nevermind the money - I've been spending way too much recently

They should be arriving on Friday, will let you know how I get on! Also ordered a XLS200 from BK last week, being sent out on Friday! Looking forward to it.

 

[Prometheus]

Zebedee eat your heart out

 

[Tomfoolery]

By the way, how are you finding yours now you've had them for a few days?

 

[Prometheus]

Really great, considering I'm still only using a pair as front left & rights. I am going through my music collection playing all sorts just to appreciate the nuances that I never heard before, it's intriguing how music you know so well can sound so different, just more exciting and engaging.

As for the rest, I am re-arranging my whole set-up and still finishing new flooring etc. I have QED silver Anniversary wire to run round the room for the rears and I need to move my TV for which I am building a custom AV shelving unit to fit in my Bay window. These things never go as fast as I hoped.

Unfortunately one of our cats which we've had for 10 years had to be put down at the weekend, which has proved to be a very emotional upset in the household, so the system has quite rightly not been the highest priority and playing loud music and movies has not been the order of the day. However patience is a virtue and time will see all things coming to fruition in due course. I'll let you know as the picture unfolds.

As far as I'm concerned If I only had the two speakers for the £300 I'd be quite satisfied, it's great to know that I've got three more waiting in the wings without having to spend any more .


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Without deviation, progress is not possible.........Frank Zappa.




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[Aodh]

I've ordered five and will hopefully receive them on monday. I'll let you know how I get on once they are set up and my ears have "tuned" to the new setup. Exciting

Thanks Prometheus

 

[Tomfoolery]

Sorry to hear about your cat, I had to have my 13 year old dog put down last year so know what it feels like.

Glad the speakers are still impressive after a few days, so it wasn't just novelty of having something new.

 

[Prometheus]

Thanks Tom.

Anyway here's a bit of fun. Here is a picture of two drivers........... one of them is from the Saturn S8C £120.00 a pair on special offer and the other is from the Studio 800 monitor £550.00 a pair current model......... both passive systems with 8" drivers and equivalent specs.

but which is which ????? ??????

 

[Prometheus]

Heres your answer in case you wanted to see

http://www.hhb.co.uk/hhb/uk/products/detail.asp?ID=1239

and see my photo's in the first postin the thread. What's the difference?

..........erm. I make it about £400.

 

[tom_painter85]

afternoon chaps

I've just emailed a guy at tannoy (RE: 'I've lost my bungs' thread ) and dropped into the conversation this forum, asked him to let us know in advance if any big sell-offs are due...might be of some use to you all



i'll keep you all posted

Regards

Tom

 

[Tomfoolery]

Received my 3 today. Although he said they'd be the cherry colour with grey like in your photos, they're actually black. Great for me because I preferred the look of the black ones.

Haven't had much of a chance to listen yet, or used for long enough for them to be run in, but sounding good so far. Good treble and bass. Will maybe post pictures once they've been set up. Need to move my screen around a bit as they're a lot bigger than my last speakers

Edit: Just got your PM and replied to it.

 

[Prometheus]

Nice one Tom, Good to hear that they have the Black ones still too. I just PM'ed you to see if you'd got them yet, How's the XLS200 too.

Did I mention that I love my Saturns, just been listening to them cranked today and the honeymoon is nowhere near over

 

[Tomfoolery]

Here's some pics of the black ones if anyones interested. One pic one of the S8Cs compared to my old centre speaker (huge difference in size!)

Other pics show how it's going to be positioned, and a closer one of it on its own. Only shown the one as I need to sort out mounting the other two at the front somewhere (need to go above the screen as they get in the way of the door!)