Tannoy 800A
Our Score:	Imaging	9
D+	Dynamic Performance	7
	Frequency Response	7
	High Volume	7
	Sound Quality	7
	Price / Performance	5.5
	Overall	68 D+
	List price	Approx $1895/pr
	Web site	http://www.tannoy.com

The Tannoy 800A is a biamplified system featuring Tannoy’s “dual concentric” speaker design which places the tweeter in the center of the woofer’s voice coil. The philosophy is that the identical bass and treble point sources reduce phase coherence and time alignment problems present in conventional designs. In a sense the woofer performs a function similar to the waveguide horns found on other systems.

The cabinet is a ported design with a pair of smallish round ports in the front baffle. The 800A is driven by a pair of 90 watt amplifiers, making it the lowest-power monitor in our roundup. The 800A is also the smallest and lightest speaker of the bunch, but only by a small margin.

The 800A features the usual complement of controls: input trim, low and high frequency contour switches, and a power switch. All of the controls are on the back of the unit. No bass cut switch is provided, so if you want to use the 800A with a subwoofer you’ll need some other way of crossing over to the sub.

Much has been written about Tannoy’s concentric-speaker approach both pro and con. On the pro side, advocates of the design claim accurate time alignment as well as improved imaging resulting from the point source. On the con side, detractors claim treble distortion at higher volumes due to the compression effect of the woofer as well as the distortion caused by using, in essence, a vibrating tweeter horn.

I find a little truth in both camps. I do think that Tannoy’s speakers, including the 800A, offer good imaging. A recording containing good imaging information does seem to have a little more space on the 800As. On the other hand I am confident that I can hear treble distortion when playing back bass-heavy recordings that get the woofer hopping. In particular, modern music containing heavy sub-bass information was clearly distorted. Even Loreena McKennitt’s “Marco Polo” exhibited treble distortion from the bass content, which is rich but not overbearing.

In the end, the cons outweigh the pros for me. To me, a spectrally-balanced, low distortion sound is the most important attribute I look for in a monitor, and at least at high volumes, the 800A doesn’t do it for me. The midrange is always good, but when faced with heavy bass content, the treble response of the 800A starts to break up perceptively. And though the imaging was good, it wasn’t the best of the bunch. Moreover, the bass performance of the 800A is definitely inferior to that of the Dynaudios, Mackies and Genelecs.

In the end you will have to decide on the Tannoys. If you like the “Tannoy sound” then perhaps the 800A is just the ticket. For me, I found them to be less than I expected.