This year we presented DSD music at the London Audio Show 2024. We had the pleasure of presenting our music through Tannoy speakers, and the equally great pleasure of meeting Daniel Raggett of Symphony Distribution who supplied and set up the speakers in our room. I was so pleased by the sound of the Tannoys that I wanted to feature them somehow on our blog. Daniel agreed to write a piece about Tannoy, giving a bit of the history and current goings-on of this impressive and immortalised legacy company. Please enjoy this brief introduction to Tannoy, written by Daniel Raggett.
Established in 1926, Tannoy is the fifth-oldest hi-fi company in the world and in just over 18 months, the company will be celebrating its centenary in the Highlands.
The last 18 months has seen the company introduce some stunning new models, including a whole new range in the three-strong SUPER GOLD MONITOR SERIES.
Based in Hamilton, Scotland, Tannoy was founded as the Tuslemere Manufacturing Company in 1926 by Guy Fountain and by 1928, had changed its name to Tannoy, which was derived from the materials used in the manufacture of its rectifiers: Tantalum/Lead Alloy.
The company’s early products were in the automotive and public address system sectors and later, Tannoy played a huge role in the war effort (World War II) with its public address systems being used for Prime Ministerial speeches, including those by Winston Churchill.
Following WWII, the word ‘Tannoy’ was immortalised and added to the English Oxford Dictionary because of its huge significance to the UK. In 1947 the company’s famous Dual Concentric Driver was invented – a system still used to this day.
Today, Tannoy’s range comprises hi-fi, pro, installation and consumer products, and its iconic Dual Concentric drivers, finessed over many decades, continue to immerse music lovers in high-fidelity music with the unrivalled sonic qualities its drive units have become known for.
Their immediacy, dynamics and seamless coherence are even more valuable in today’s high-resolution music era than ever before. Music streaming, downloading and NAS drive playback in high-resolution has put the spotlight back onto replay equipment and its ability to deliver the full potential of studio-quality sound.
Tannoy’s decades-long experience in recording and mastering studios, gives the company valuable insight into the demands of today’s music-making professionals and how to best deliver the music as the artist intended.
It’s recently introduced aforementioned SUPER GOLD MONITOR SERIES and Stirling III LZ (as well as more exciting forthcoming products) distil almost a century of know-how into a range of loudspeaker options for the modern music lover, all with a timeless vintage aesthetic.
Discover the full range at tannoy.com.