[Review] Tannoy Reveal Nearfield Monitors

Tannoy Reveal Nearfield Monitors

Tannoy Reveal Nearfield Monitors



I recently creaked open my wallet and purchased a pair of loudspeakers primarily for PC use. So here's a short review.

The Tannoy Reveal Nearfield Monitors are part of Tannoys Professional range designed for monitoring purposes in the recording studio. Available as both active and passive versions (the active version providing true bi-amplification with electronic crossovers) the passive version are those I've purchased here.

To briefly describe the difference between conventional hi-fi loudspeakers and studio monitors (for those who may not have encountered studio monitors before).

Hi-fi loudspeakers are designed to sound musically pleasing. What this typically means is a generous mid-bass response and a smoothed off treble response. Studio monitors on the other hand have only one design goal; absolute neutrality with the flattest possible frequency response that can be engineered for the money.

Build Quality

The Reveals have a substantial 40mm MDF front baffle and a16mm high-density particle board enclosure. The front baffle has a red satin finish with grey 'suedette' finish sides and back.

Drivers compromise a 25mm (1â€Â) soft dome tweeter and 165mm (6.5â€Â) woofer. Both are shielded for use close to a monitor. Single loudspeaker binding posts are fitted.

Build quality is very good, as expected from Tannoy. The overall aesthetic is perhaps a little prosaic with the grey matt finish of the enclosure. However the striking front baffle more than compensates in my opinion.

Sound Quality

Used with my PC via analogue soundcard output and a Rotel RA840BX integrated amplifier the improvement over my generic PC 'speakers is staggering. All of a sudden I have real bass and appreciable midrange clarity and detail. High frequencies lack refinement tho' I suspect this to be a product, to some extent, of a rather cheap soundcard DAC (which of course can be upgraded). Overall comparable, I'd say, to a good budget set-up.

To get a better idea of the capabilities of the Tannoy Reveals I placed them in my main hi-fi set-up to compare against my existing loudspeakers; home built affairs with ScanSpeak and Volt drivers.

Having used studio monitors before (the ubiquitous Yamaha NS-10M's) I was expecting paint-striping-at-twenty-paces-high-frequencies. Not what I got. If I had to use one word it would be balance – everything in equal measure and the high frequencies are as smooth and unfatiguing as you like. Perhaps a touch of hardness through the upper midrange but this can be forgiven for such a 'flat through the crossover' response.

Compared to my ScanSpeak/Volt loudspeakers there is not so much composure at volume and the bass appears particularly lean - again I suspect this is because I'm used to more generous mid-bass response.

Other than this the presentation is insightful, entertaining and vivid.

Especially good with rock music – the nihilistic Sabbath-esque riffing on the latest Queens of the Stone Age CD 'Lullabies To Paralyze' comes across superbly!

Price

The best bit! Just over a hundred quid at the moment. The original rrp was in the region of £240. Tannoy are in the process of replacing the Reveal range and consequently the older models are being heavily discounted.

www.tannoy.com/Reveal
www.dv247.com

 

its nice to see some pro audio stuff getting mentioned and reviewd favourably, my memories of the tannoys in a shop were that the bass was very tubby.

IMO, pro audio stuff can be better than hifi for a lot cheaper, and you also get more rugged build and very good consumer support/product information, unlike some hifi companies which are sadly think info. on their stuff is to be kept secret. we hifi types are like mushrooms...kept in the dark and fed manure.

 

I've still got the Reveals on my main system LCD to give 'em a damn good thrashing and because, as I said, they're an entertaining listen.

The bass reminds me of a sealed enclosure, even but ultimately lean. The port tuning is 30Hz (according to specs) which is a good octave lower than hi-fi loudspeakers of similar size. This makes the mid-bass hump of a typical hi-fi reflex enclosure conspicuous by its absence.

Certainty there is some coloration at low frequencies but hey these are Tannoys and not several £K of ATC's! I agree with all of your sentiments about pro audio kit and hifi tho'.

 

active reveals at 249 look like a budget hifi bargain.

pair with a cdp and a pre and you're away!

 

a bit more money but a great speaker....

http://www.tannoy.com/System15DMTII

a bit of a beast !

 

woah darryl they look awesome.

studio GRFs!

I got shopping after I saw your link. It looks like they are $4,650 new or about $2,000 used. If I was speaker-less I'd be seriously tempted!

wonder if Dev's seem them yet!!

 

just found its big brother..

http://www.primalgear.com/tannoymon007.html

I really should do some work now!!

 

Look good don't they! I've got the System 12's on my short list of possible 'speaker upgrades, should funds suddenly materialise.

regards,

Stuart.

 

Yes I remember posting about them a while ago. I think it was when someone (Michaelab?) complained that Westminsters were fugly.

 

One of our recording studios (shut down now) used to use them. They were alledgedly used for mastering Kylie Minogue's "Can't get you out of my mind" track. So it has a lot to answer for.

 

hi dev

just been round my mates studio and he had hired some cause i said i did'nt like his other main monitors and i had heard some other tannoys and he found these beasts to mix with.
i have to say they were awesome i've been asking around about the smaller ones but i am a bit worried that as the driver gets smaller that the reflex port may start to intrude higher up the bass octaves and lose what the big-uns do so well.
i suppose i better chase some up and listen for myself but any opinions would be nice....

 

The manuals for the various models of Tannoy monitor can be downloaded from the website as pdf darryl, showing the frequency response curve. Those that I've seen have been admirably flat through the bass region – as you'd expect from a monitor design.

The output from the port should be augmenting low frequency response but not in a way to cause low frequency 'humping' typical of ported hi-fi loudspeakers. In other words the port output should not intrude even with the smaller designs tuned to a higher frequency. The net effect is a subjectively lean bass compared to a ported hi-fi loudspeaker of comparable size.

Of course no amount of clever engineering can make a 6†or 8†driver sound like a 12†or 15†driver – and get away with it convincingly – perhaps this is what you were saying.

Those big-uns do look the business! :MILD:

 

I think the most attractive thing about these monitors is their price, compared to HiFi equivalent kit, especially if you are prepared to buy second hand. Also, the pro kit should normally outlast the domestic equivalent.

 

hi guys

yeah i have to say of these pro tannoys , that they all offer such good vfm compared to hi fi speakers. i'm not anti port loading but just my experience seems that the smaller cab and drivers don't quite deliver the better bass end of the big 15" so maybe i will try some at home later in the year.obviously speaking in terms of music quality rather than raw specs as not many 6" drivers are ever gonna do what a 15" can do....i found the big-uns so fast for a driver that big ...really enjoyed them !

 

My experience with the (non-pro) Tannoys is that whatever the size of the driver, you need a big cab for them to sing (same goes for Altecs and, I guess, other point-source speakers). The smaller "large" Tannoys such as the Canterbury lack the ease and drive of their bigger siblings, there also seems to be a faint tizziness at times, but that is probably my imagination.
A german speaker I am interested in is the M.E. Geithain which are pseudo-point source. Apparently very good, but gen-u-ine fugly speakers.
http://www.me-geithain.de/

 

nice link

what an interesting speaker quite impressive tech stuff there.
regards.
darryl.