Imaging and brightness ?

[YNWaN]

'Imaging and brightness - is there a link' in short, no there isn't.

[Macca]

My guess would be that the Tannoys were better speakers but had a flatter, more accurate response than the Epos which probably are punchier in the mid bass. Neither speaker will deliver proper deep bass since they are way too small so lack of emphasised low midrange plus better overall quality and design gave the 'out of the box sound' you liked with the Tannoy.

In short it is a trade-off. It is one you don't have to make but that means much bigger,better and therefore potentially more expensive speakers. Which will also need to work well in your room.

My own preference for the trade off would be the toppier, bass-light sound with the boxes dissapearing - I'll sacrifice a bit of perceived bass weight for that since I find it is easier to forget you are listening to a mechanical device.

I also think there is a difference between toppy and bright. Toppy sounds fine but lacks perceived bass weight. But if someone describes a system as 'bright' or 'fatiguing' - the two often go hand in hand - I would say the cause is more likely mid-range distortion than a treble peak. And mid-range distortion is probably not the fault of the speaker but what is upstream.

[Reffc]

My guess would be that the Tannoys were better speakers but had a flatter, more accurate response than the Epos which probably are punchier in the mid bass. Neither speaker will deliver proper deep bass since they are way too small so lack of emphasised low midrange plus better overall quality and design gave the 'out of the box sound' you liked with the Tannoy.

In short it is a trade-off. It is one you don't have to make but that means much bigger,better and therefore potentially more expensive speakers. Which will also need to work well in your room.

My own preference for the trade off would be the toppier, bass-light sound with the boxes dissapearing - I'll sacrifice a bit of perceived bass weight for that since I find it is easier to forget you are listening to a mechanical device.

I also think there is a difference between toppy and bright. Toppy sounds fine but lacks perceived bass weight. But if someone describes a system as 'bright' or 'fatiguing' - the two often go hand in hand - I would say the cause is more likely mid-range distortion than a treble peak. And mid-range distortion is probably not the fault of the speaker but what is upstream.

Not quite so sure about the bit in bold Martin. Most sources are pretty much spot on with FR these days. In fact, it's almost unheard of to have high midrange distortion in most digital sources. I have however come across plenty of speakers (including big name brands) which shocking mid distortion, mostly due to crappy (ie cheap and profitable) crossovers where little thought or attention has been put into relative phase integration between drivers but also because of a lift at crossover points in the mids where it's most noticeable. Not saying that's the case here, but it certainly isn't uncommon.

[Macca]

Most sources are pretty much spot on with FR these days. In fact, it's almost unheard of to have high midrange distortion in most digital sources. .

I agree but the source is not the only thing upstream of the loudspeaker. The interaction between the source and the amplification, and the cables, can sometimes throw up this issue IME.
Also IME you can put cheap but competent speakers (say a Wharfedale Diamond for example) on the end of a set up that does not have the problems and get a sweet, distortion free sound.
But I agree the culprit can sometimes be the loudspeaker

[struth]

Better bright than dull and uninspiring neutrality.

[Audio Advent]

Better bright than dull and uninspiring neutrality.

How can neutrality be uninspiring per se? Nuetrality means you're hearing the balance of frequencies as intended.

If it's uninspiring, then it's not to do with the frequency response, it's to do with other things.

That's in general though.. every person's hearing differs! So if you need the mid's more promentant for you to hear it as neutral to your brain, for example, then so be it.

[awkwardbydesign]

I haven't seen anywhere on this thread which Tannoys they are. In my experience point source speakers tend to image better than spread source (is that a thing?) speakers. So single driver or dual-concentrics may well be better. Brightness is another matter entirely.

[Macca]

It's in the o/p - Tannoy DC6 which is a small dual-concentric.

[walpurgis]

Not all smaller Tannoys are forward in balance. The System 800 nearfield monitor images beautifully, has an even presentation and I've never heard them sound overbright. They have more weight and depth than the six inch units too. If you enjoyed the imaging you were getting perhaps a pair would give you what you want. They are very good.

[awkwardbydesign]

It's in the o/p - Tannoy DC6 which is a small dual-concentric.

Ah, sorry. I missed that, it's all the lower case stuff. Bloody texting generation!