Loa tannoy m20 made in britain by tannoy lta

The Tannoy M20 loudspeaker warms the ear the way a good 20-year-old single-malt Scotch whiskey warms the palate. Even the real rosewood veneer finish radiates that warm glow you see when you hold a glass of whiskey in front of a candle. (The M20 is also available in black ash.)

Tannoy, a venerable name in British loudspeakers, has passed through many hands in its long history. The current owner aims to recapture the glory of Tannoy`s past, and if the M20 is any indication, it`s succeeding. With the M20, Tannoy engineers forgo technological razzle-dazzle for a return to proven but refined loudspeaker design.

Removing the front grille reveals some of these refinements. (For those who dislike grilles, Tannoy finished the baffle underneath it in wood veneer, just like the sides of the enclosure.) The 1-inch aluminum dome tweeter includes a diffraction grating to disperse the soundwaves smoothly. The 8-inch polyolefin co-polymer (a fancy name for plastic) woofer shows excellent attention to detail in its construction.

The rear of the enclosure contains two pairs of gold-plated five-way speaker terminals. The additional terminals allow bi-wiring the system. Many audiophiles insist that separate wires to the tweeter and woofer from the amplifier or receiver improve the sound; some laboratories have measured a slight decrease in distortion with bi-wiring. Also on the rear is the bass port, a tuned tube that acoustically amplifies low frequencies. With this rear port, the M20 sounds better placed away from the wall.

The M20`s warm sound does not come at the expense of definition or clarity. Often a warm sound, with a rich reproduction of male voices, comes at the expense of other parts of the sound spectrum. The M20 was just as favorable to bass drums, female voices and violin overtones. The speakers create a believable stereo image, providing the illusion of natural placement of instruments and voices.

Just like a good Scotch whiskey, the M20 keeps its edge but goes down smoothly. You can listen for hours without tiring. Unlike Scotch, the speakers lack smokiness. They are not as transparent and analytical as some speakers, but they reveal musical detail.

At very loud volumes, the M20 suffers some degree of power compression, which reduces dynamic range. Power compression at its worst resembles driving a car into a brick wall at high speed. By comparison, the M20 crumples a bumper.

Any receiver or amplifier can power the stable impedance of the M20. According to published tests, it never dips below five ohms. Tannoy suggests a minimum of 15 watts per channel, but 20 watts per channel is a more realistic figure.

Tannoy sets a realistic price of $600 per pair for the M20. This makes them a good value among bookshelf speakers. Unlike Scotch, the pleasure they provide lasts indefinitely.

– – –

If you want to see high-definition TV but have never found a way to sneak into the Consumer Electronics Show or National Association of Broadcasters convention, now`s your chance. Toshiba is demonstrating HDTV Friday and Saturday at Douglas TV, 350 Lake-Cook Rd., Deerfield. Call 708-945-9000 for the details.

Toshiba shows an HDTV production system, not a broadcast system. It consists of an HD videotape recorder and HD monitor.

This is the ultimate HDTV quality, not necessarily the quality that will reach your home after being broadcast.

If you happen to be visiting New York soon, the Ed Sullivan Theater on Broadway is premiering one of the first HDTV movies: ”War and Peace.”

Although HDTV cannot equal the quality of 35 mm film in most aspects, electronic HD production and videotape distribution cost less than film and may be the wave of the future.