REVIEW: Tannoy XT6F vs XT8F floorstanding speakersCategories: Reviews, Speakers

Tannoy XT6F and XT8F speakers reviewed and rated; Tannoy’s hugely impressive Revolution series floor standers.

Tannoy’s Revolution XT series of floor standing speakers have been collecting acclaim in the Hi-Fi press, receiving numerous awards and glowing reviews. Your author was understandably excited, then, to give them a “test drive”.

Settling in once again to the very comfy sofa at Audio Affair HQ, it was time to see “what’s what”…

Tannoy XT6F

The Tannoy XT6F and XT8F concluded your author’s listening tests and reviews at Audio Affair; unfortunately for the XT6F and XT8F, they had to follow on from a thrilling demo of the magnificent Tannoy Arden Legacy speakers.

Adjusting, mentally, my expectations, Audio Affair’s helpful staff plugged up the Tannoy XT6F floor standers directly to a Naim Uniti Star, which provided both pre and power amplification duties. Cuing up, once again, Grace Jone’s bass-heavy “Libertango” over Tidal, I braced myself for a letdown…

There’s only one term to describe the combination of depth and width afforded by a floor standing speaker of this size and price; that description is, literally, jaw-dropping. The legendary dub rhythm section of Sly & Robbie presented in an entertainingly punchy and deep manner

The signature Tannoy Dual Concentric detail is there; stereo sound-staging is superb with a stereo image which always stays put, wherever the listener is in the room. Detail such as hi-hats are crisp and vocals sear with refined presence.

Speakers that like to Party

The Tannoy XT6F’s have an overwhelming character; these are speakers which like to rock, they like to party. They’re dynamic and exciting, and thrive on powerful amplification and being cranked up loud. With that in mind, AC/DCs rock classic “Hell’s Bells” was cued up.

The level of detail retrieved by the Tannoy XT6F’s is good enough to hear the hiss on the master tape. Again, the soundstage is wide and exciting with cymbals appearing at the very extreme of the soundstage. You’ll find yourself struggling to stay sat in your seat.

With that said, there’s perhaps one “Achilles Heel” of the XT6F’s, and that’s how they perform with Classical and uncompressed material. Cuing up a 25/96kHz recording of Pavarotti performing Puccini’s “La donne é mobile” the performance is clean and faithful but not as engaging. Time to wheel in the XT6F’s bigger brothers…

Tannoy XT8F – Refined Power

Switching directly to the Tannoy XT8F, the character is much the same as the XT6F but with an additional quality: the low midrange is more apparent and the low-end integration is much more refined, with deep bass more apparent. The increased cabinet volume and size of the drivers clearly paying dividends.

There’s an immediate sense that the XT8’s are a little more integrated, and sound less “pushed” and stressed than the XT6’s – they also play loud… reaaaaalllly loud! This extra sense of scale and open dynamics really shows itself on classical material, where the concert hall is brought into your living room.

“La donne é mobile” is presented much more cohesively on the Tannoy XT8F, the extra low-end definition benefits the recording enormously, reinforcing the operatic drama of the strings. Pavarotti’s voice is smooth yet defined. For the Classical enthusiast, with the space and budget, the XT8F’s are an outstanding choice.

Switching back to Grace Jones, I’m astonished to find the Tannoy XT8F’s go almost as low and deep as the Tannoy Ardens; no mean feat in and of itself. Cueing up Goldfrapp’s “Systemagic”, the rolling portamento bass line is deep and tight with the vocals feeling somewhat more integrated.

It’s no overstatement to say that the Tannoy XT8F are capable of approaching nightclub levels of scale and drive when coupled to the right amplification. They possess all the crispness and definition of the XT6’s but are at the same time (here comes that term again) more integrated and “welcoming”.

A Contemporary Hi-Fi Bargain

The exceptional fit and finish, coupled with a very classy contemporary design, signals out the Tannoy XT series as high-quality products. The XT6F and XT8F are desperately impressive performers which can hold their own against considerably more expensive competition.

Wholeheartedly recommended and endorsed, could these be the standout Hi-Fi loudspeaker bargain of our time? Book yourself a demo at Audio Affair and judge for yourself; be warned, however, that you may end up taking a pair home with you.