The Tannoy Westminster Royal GR Loudspeakers represent the pinnacle of Tannoy’s development in Dual Concentric technology and artisanal craftsmanship.
For a background History on Tannoy, and the incredible Dual Concentric Loudspeaker, head over to our recent Blog on The History of Tannoy Loudspeakers. Back in the ‘here and now’ however, let’s take a look at these utterly magnificent, world-class loudspeakers…
Tannoy Westminster – The Flagship of the Prestige Range
The Tannoy Westminster Loudspeakers sit atop the Tannoy Prestige GR range, as the absolute flagship model in the Prestige range; a range which embodies traditional Tannoy manufacturing and engineering, in a package fit for the 21st Century.
The entire Tannoy Prestige range has undergone a makeover in recent years; an evolutionary, rather than a revolutionary range, the ‘Prestige GR’ series represents a modern makeover for a very traditional range of Loudspeakers.
The Westminster loudspeaker line dates back to the late 1980s and is named in homage of the original Tannoy loudspeaker system installed at The House of Commons in Westminster. Few Loudspeaker manufacturers can boast a history and prestige like Tannoy.
Traditional Design – Exceptional Performance
At just under a meter and a half in height, and a meter in width, the Tannoy Westminster Loudspeakers wear the badge of ‘flagship’ with pride, with an imposing, traditional presence. These are loudspeakers for those with grand homes and grand ambitions.
The heart of the Tannoy Westminster Loudspeakers is a whopping 15″ Dual Concentric driver. At the centre of the driver is housed the famous, Dual Concentric HF tweeter, in this instance sporting a massive 2″ throat.
This remarkable driver is then housed within a truly furniture grade enclosure, handcrafted using traditional artisanal methods, with fine veneers and beautiful cabinetry.
Horn Loaded for Exceptional Efficiency
The Tannoy Westminster Loudspeakers utilise a very traditional method of Loudspeaker cabinet loading, known as a ‘compound horn’. Horn enclosures were pioneered in the pre-war cinema era, where highly efficient speakers were an absolute necessity.
Horn loaded enclosures are a highly efficient method of coupling the loudspeaker driver; the larger the horn, the more efficient and wider the bandwidth. The huge internal volume (530l) of the Tannoy Westminster Loudspeakers contributes to their remarkable specifications.
The frequency bandwidth is quoted as 18Hz to 22kHz, and thanks to the efficiency of horn-loading, an incredible sensitivity of 99db! The Tannoy Westminster Loudspeakers, therefore, would be an ideal companion for valve amplification.
What paper specifications can’t tell you, however, is the highly transparent and natural sound afforded by a horn loaded enclosure; many modern, multi-driver, multi-enclosure loudspeaker cabinets, use aggressive filtering to achieve a flat frequency response.
In contrast, horn enclosures produce an extremely natural ‘open’ sound; when coupled to the famously transparent Tannoy Dual Concentric driver, the results can only ever be breathtaking.
A Lifetime Investment
There’s no escaping the fact that the Tannoy Westminster Royal GR loudspeakers are expensive; £32,449 to be precise! If one is to view remarkable speakers like this as a lifetime purchase, however, that price becomes much easier to comprehend.
Like a Land-Rover Defender, or perhaps a pair of Holland & Holland shotguns, the Tannoy Westminster Royal GR loudspeakers are quintessentially British; utterly above the whims of fashion, and befitting of the status of generational heirlooms.
Now, isn’t something as rare and special as that worth going the extra mile for? Contact us at Audio Affair to find out for yourself.