Audio Note AN-E and Tannoy Canterbury GR (battle)

[Marco]

Hi James,

I find writing from a small phone is difficult but I wanted to get my view across as the OP asked for a direct comparison of Tannoy and AN-E speakers. This what I gave, this delivered on the back of seven or eight years relevant experience.

And it's both much appreciated and relevant. However, don't you also have access to a laptop or PC, certainly at home, which you could use for your, shall we say, more 'in-depth' contributions? I didn't request paragraphs for any reasons of pedantry, simply to make what you've written quicker and easier to read.

It would be a shame for folks simply to skim passed your erudite observations (as I admit I did), as they're difficult to decipher, simply through your posts containing a lack of paragraphs.

Something perhaps to bear in mind in future?

If my view diverges from the prevailing view espoused on AoS surely that should not be relevant.

Absolutely not. All that matters is that your opinion is based on relevant experience, which yours is. I haven't yet got to assessing your views on Tannoys, as I need to go through the thread properly.

Do remember that, in a smart phone age, you may stifle debate if you prioritise delivery over content. Or was that the idea?

Not at all, but on AoS we value quality more than quantity, so well-presented and carefully considered opinions, both in terms of context and visual appearance [ease of reading] will always be more valued than numerous rushed and untidy responses, quickly typed on phones. Where possible, we always seek to raise standards.

That said, if the 'rushed option' is the *only* one available, due to time constraints or whatever, then fair enough. However, I often find it's also down to laziness and the propensity to rely on using a smartphone. Try enjoying the use of a proper sized keyboard for a change - you never know, you might grow to like it!

Also apologies to anyone hurt that I have an alternative view to the primacy of Tannoy DC speakers: It is not intended as a personal affront, it is just one person's view on a forum.

Lol... I'm sure that there's no-one here 'hurt' by views expressed that are different to their own. It's only a pair of speakers, not life or death!

Marco.

[hifinutt]

we value your thoughts james very much as well as everyone else on these matters . as tom says he spent a small fortune on AN-e `s and its easy to waste a lot of time , money and effort for nothing

[montesquieu]

Well I have had three pairs of Tannoys come and go and I do not miss them at all. I bought them at high-priced because I so wanted them to work. None were Canterburys though. My AN-E have remained throughout as they are so much easier to listen to for extended periods, less coloured, and more lucid to my ears in my room.

In this room the alleged 'pseudo bass' is just extended, it is nice to get to 28Hz flat, and down to 20Hz at - 7dB, Tannoy 15" never came close, tailing off nearer 50Hz, not even pseudo full range although crisper and more tuneful, so this makes them a better choice for eg. Bass players and rock music fans. And some like the tweeter, it certainly has a way with cymbals, but again I find the AN-E soft dome more natural and far better integrated with its bass unit (I always seem to prefer soft dome tweeters, not just an AN thing)

. Both suffer from crossover artifacts, in different ways, so sometimes Tannoys sound just alive on violins and vocals, other times shouty, and have a 'papery' metallic treble. AN-E can sound fab on piano, mine are not too good at violin tone which is sad for me as an ex-violinist, and someone on here criticised the treble as being plasticy. Horses for courses.

I agree with far-flung star that 20W helps with AN although my 300b SET is fab as well, but amps do make a significant difference, even if they are an easier drive than Tannoys.

What can I say, it's your ears and your room, you owe it to yourself to hear both in that room before making your decision, the room may well prove to be the most important part. I sometimes wonder if AN aren't tailored almost model by model for different room sizes they are so variable, and provoke such divided responses from different folk. If they work in your room there's not much that will beat them.

Sent from my GT-I9195 using Tapatalk

Hi James you and I have had this discussion privately and I certainly find the divergence of opinion interesting. My experience the last time a pair of E's were here (when I was evaluating where to put my £5k speaker budget, a big outlay for me, after I sold my Autographs) was quite dramatic.

After days of trying to get along with them I plugged in my cheap, stop-gap Tannoy 12in Golds in borrowed but rather battered Chatsworth-dimension boxes, roughly wired to some borrowed HPD crossovers. Loosely positioned in front, I just burst out laughing ... The Tannoys were so much better. This with the 300b WAD amp at the time which you'd think would favour the E's.

Having said that the reason I wanted to hear the E's (and persevered though multiple trials) was that I have heard them sounding good, so it's no surprise that to some ears in some rooms, they should work well. (At the time had a bunch of Audio Note/Kondo source components as well and actually really, really wanted them to work - I was being offered what I thought was a super deal on them as well). Even at their best though I was never sure about the quality of that low bass, which is certainly there but to my ears, far from convincing.

I actually agree with you on Tannoy bass, in certain cabs vintage Tannoys (which is what you had) in particular can have extremely variable performance .. in some boxes including some factory ones, either they can have little or no deep bass regardless of the size of the cone (if the box is too small), or sound boomy, uncontrolled and under-damped (if the box is large and insufficiently braced). Vintage crossovers and wiring that need attention can degrade the treble. Tannoys of any era are also very sensitive to being used with the wrong amp - the bigger cones in particular don't generally get along with SET amps (not enough control). And then there are room interactions of course.

All that's fixable though and Tannoys sounding well can be absolutely glorious.

The original question though was specifically E's vs modern Tannoy Canterburys which is arguably the best of the factory Tannoys (without the efficiency of the horn designs like the Autograph and Westminster, but without the compromises either). For me that really is a no-brainer though as you say no-one could advise spending that amount of cash without hearing all the options, in your own room if possible.

[User211]

Best Tannoy I have ever heard is the Kingdom Royale Carbon Edition with Thrax amps and MSB DAC.

I can't stand Westminsters.

Second best Tannoy I have ever heard, and I have heard a few, are Tom's.

I have heard AN/Es loads of times over the years. Variable to say the least - from dreadful to coloured but coloured in a pleasant way.

Biggest shock I have ever had with AN/Es was attaching my 80 Watt push pull 211 amps to a pair. I have heard them with a lot of different AN amps up to Tomei level and the only amp to get close was the Tomei, but even that couldn't muster as much authority and control though it does sound similar in many, many ways to my 211s and I am sure in some respects the Tomei is superior. One is single ended (Tomei), the other push pull but it can actually dump way more than 80 Watts - double that + for short periods.

So Es with juice come alive and perform way above yer average pussy power AN amp. Really. I wasn't shocked without reason.

I'd take Tom's Tannoy's over any E I have heard but you need to be careful. Cos I haven't heard another Tannoy sound as good as Tom's anywhere, above exception noted. Which I have to say was well above Tom's system but just look at the price.

[Jazid]

Thanks Martin for sorting out my paragraphs in post 14, appreciated!

Since I can now see my posts on a big screen I can see that even post no.19 has erratic spacing which wasn't apparent on the phone. Hey ho, technology. Marco - it isn't always easy to get to a keyboard, I work outdoors, and my desktop is in my basement (along with the man-cave), so off limits once my wife is back. Phone is my only link during family hours I'm afraid!

I really do think the OP should make the effort to listen before he leaps, however tiresome and slow, or be prepared to box-swap (I have learned the hard way). I have had Harbeths, Kefs, Tannoys, Snells and ANs of various guises in here, all excellent speakers, 'my kind of speakers', yet only one pair has stayed the course. It is not a criticism of the other speakers, more a critique of my room which is actually rather unremarkable.

Tom and I have opposite and oddly mirrored experiences. My motivation to keep trying with the Tannoys came from listening to his set-ups, especially his GRFs which were a real surprise. What they did well they did really well in his room. Of course I too I have heard AN-Es sounding lumpy and boxy in rooms, and the famous 'Tannoy honk' from Pauls nicely reworked DCs. Splitting the choice of speaker from the room it will be used in will likely lead to frustration or disappointment, and reinforcement of prejudices about how speakers sound.

[Marco]

Marco - it isn't always easy to get to a keyboard, I work outdoors, and my desktop is in my basement (along with the man-cave), so off limits once my wife is back. Phone is my only link during family hours I'm afraid!

Lol - I get it! However, it's a somewhat different set-up, chez-moi. Both my wife and I have separate laptops, and just as it is right now, use them together in the living room. She's currently doing some homework for college (she's an art and English tutor) on hers, and I'm on here, on mine!

And we chat to each other in between. No need for either of us to be 'locked away' in our own room...

Marco.

[Marco]

Best Tannoy I have ever heard is the Kingdom Royale Carbon Edition with Thrax amps and MSB DAC.

I can't stand Westminsters.

Second best Tannoy I have ever heard, and I have heard a few, are Tom's.

You've still to visit me, daftee, and hear my 'ol wardrobes', as has Tom!

Marco.

[User211]

You've still to visit me, daftee, and hear my 'ol wardrobes', as has Tom!

Marco.

Nope. Are the cabs and overall sound as good as Tom's, though, I wonder? Only a visit can tell...

[Marco]

No idea - I haven't heard Tom's! However, let's just say mine are considerably better than the 66s you heard (and loved), with most of the equipment that makes up my current system, at Scalford

Marco.

[Rait]

Thanks very much to everybody for their time to discuss my question. I placed order to AN-E Spe HE just now. Biggest argument wast that AN’s sounded in my room very well and to actualy buy speaker without listening is not normal. Their were more colored than Harbeths but it was nice color, as mentioned also in this thread several time. I hope that I can listen Canterburys in future and like them, because I like how they look and wanted to have Tannoy big dual driver one day. Also AN’s were much cheaper and money left for future
My current Harbeths 30.1 are also good detailed speakers, but after five years my ears wanted some change.
Good night from windy and cold Estonia.
Rait