Tannoy Signature DC6T review

The Tannoy RS line-up consists of four stereo pairs and two centre-front models and this £1,199 per pair DC6T is the larger of two pairs of floorstanders.

It's a two-and-a-half-way design based on a 150mm dual-concentric main driver, backed up by a cosmetically similar 150mm bass-only driver.

Tannoy's famous dual-concentric driver is a coaxial design, using a horn-loaded tweeter firing through the middle of a bass/mid cone, assisting crossover integration with full off-axis symmetry. This latest variation combines a 150mm alloy frame with flared 115mm doped paper bass/mid cone, crossing over to a 25mm titanium dome at 1.8kHz.

Matt styling

Said drivers are mounted in an attractively shaped, real wood veneered enclosure in either
light oak or a darker 'espresso' finish. The deep grain and matt finish used here makes a rather attractive alternative to the high-gloss surfaces that seems to be fashionable right now.

The 30-litre enclosure is loaded by a front port and the front panel is necessarily wide enough for the drive unit, while the very slim back only just has room for the five terminals.

The top and base are flat, but the sides form a quite tight curve, which stiffens the structure, distributes the horizontal standing waves and disperses reflections. Although spikes are included, no separate plinth is supplied.

Four terminals are quite normal for a two-and-a-half-way loudspeaker; the fifth is a Tannoy initiative that allows the main driver chassis to be earthed back to the amplifier to minimise RF interference.

Unfortunately, few (if any) cable brands supply a five-conductor speaker cable, so the practical use is limited. The grille is held in place by hidden magnets, avoiding unsightly lugs if it's not used.

Speaker positioning

Whereas the DC6 standmount definitely required close-to-wall bass reinforcement, this T-for-tower variation with its extra bass unit and enclosure volume has ample bass output for operation well clear of walls.

That is true enough, and the DC6T has an impressively even and well extended bottom end, albeit one that's a little lacking in authority, grip and drive. However, the anticipation that such positioning would necessarily result in low midband coloration didn't really turn out to be the case, because the midband is rather over-projected here and not particularly smooth with it either.

As a result the speaker delivers lots of detail, especially at modest listening levels and does so with agreeably low box coloration, but it also has a regrettable tendency to sound edgy and aggressive if played loud.

Squeaky tendencies

Listening to a live Promenade Concert of Shostakovich 4, with Haitink and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, my notes refer to: "slightly squeaky tendencies", as the presence and/or top end don't sound particularly sweet.

That said, the speaker is encouragingly light on its feet, with good timing and an excellent dynamic range. Speech shows fine intelligibility in spite of a modest degree of timesmear and stereo images are well formed, with good sharp focus.

However, despite the attractive presentation at a very sharp price, the sonic whole doesn't quite manage to be more than the sum of the parts.