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Review 2 of 2 Summary:
Hello…
Why did I decide to buy the Tannoy Definition 900 speaker? I was searching for a replacement for my Wharfedale Modus One-Six loudspeakers. They sounded OK, but hadn't the power handling I needed. I saw the Tannoy D900 speakers at a local HIFI-dealer, and was very impressed by their looks. But although they had a special introduction price, it was above my budget.
So I kept looking for a suitable speaker for my needs for half a year, but couldn't find any that were to my likening. When I blew the midtone speakers of one of my Wharfedale's (Yes, I like it loud…), I decided to get new speakers. I wanted a speaker with huge power handling AND a good sound. Half of my music collection is Heavy Metal that doesn't make things easier for a speaker. :)
Because I couldn't forget the D900 speakers I saw half a year ago at the HIFI dealer, I went to the Tannoy web site to look up the specifications of the Definition Range. The description of these speakers was exactly what I wanted from a pair of speakers. So I went to the HIFI-dealer to take a look. The D900 speakers they had on sale were already gone. I asked if I could get another pair for the special price. Fortunately that was possible. Original they sell for fl 5499 Dutch guilders (about $2500 USD) per speaker, but they could get them for 4000 Dutch guilders (about $1800 USD) per speaker. They had a pair of D700 speaker in a listening room and I listened to those with my music for a while. I decided to go for the D900 speaker, so I had the top of the line..
After a week or so they arrived. Because they're 65 kilo's and huge, unpacking wasn't easy. At first I was very satisfied by them, because they sounded a lot better than my Wharfedale's. But soon I had the idea that there were a few things wrong in my system. First of all, when I was experimenting a bit, and by accident connected my speaker cables out of phase to my speakers, I discovered that my speakers sounded BETTER…
After some experimenting I came to the conclusion that there was something wrong with my D900 speakers. I called the representative from Tannoy in the Netherlands, and he came to listen. He agreed that there was something wrong with them, and I would get a new pair of speakers.
When after a few weeks the new pair arrived, they sounded a lot better. I was very satisfied with the service that the Tannoy division in The Netherlands provided. But the representative also said that they still sounded half as good as they should…
My second problem was I now had speakers, which were twice as expensive as all the rest of my HIFI system. I thought if I'd buy good speakers the sound would be good, after all that were the sound comes out. Wrong… So I needed to upgrade my system. At that point it was as following:
- Harman-Kardon HD7600 MkII CD player.
- Monster MK400 interlinks.
- NAD 116 pre-amplifier.
- Van den Hul D102 mk III balanced interconnects.
- Mackie FR 1400 amplifier.
- Regular speaker cables.
The sound was very harsh and direct. Also it sounded flat, there was no liveliness in it… At that point I was very disappointed by my Tannoy D900 speakers. The main problem is that they represent a difficult load for an amplifier. I think it has something to do with their impedance. It's nominal rating is 6 ohm, but I have the feeling that it can go lower sometimes… I tried a Marantz PM14, a $2500 USD amplifier with 2x190 watts RMS at 4 ohm, but it couldn't handle my D900 speakers (well, not at my volume levels anyway)… I tried an Arcam Alpha 10; It was even worse than the Marantz PM-14. The Rotel Amplifiers I tried (RB 991 and RB 1090) could do the job.…
Over the last 3 months I upgraded everything in my system… It's now as following:
- Marantz CD-17 mkII CD player.
- Van den Hul The First Ultimate interlink.
- Rotel RC 995 preamplifier.
- Van den Hull D102 mk III balanced interconnects.
- Rotel RB 1090 power amplifier.
- Van den Hul The Wind speaker cable to the LOW bi-wire input of the D900 speakers.
- Van den Hul The Revolution speaker cable to the HIGH bi-wire input of the D900 speakers.
This is still not the final set-up; I ordered a van den Hul Revelation speaker cable for the HIGH bi-wire speaker input. Also a van den Hul balanced Thunderline to replace the D102 interlink between pre- and power amplifier.
After this story now my final conclusion:
Because I had so much trouble with my set-up, it came clear that the Tannoy D900 speakers are excellent speakers! They sound as good as your system gets…
At present I'm very satisfied with these speakers. They can indeed handle a lot of power and always sound good.. At low volume levels and at high levels. When I change a interlink in my system, I can immediately hear the difference… I can also hear clearly if the power-cord of my CD player is plugged in wrong or right !!!
For those who don't know already: It can be very important how you plug your power connector in your power supply socket!!. If it's wrongly plugged in, the sound appears to be out of phase. Van den Hul even has a special device to measure if your equipment is plugged in right…but CD-players are the most sensitive for the right connection to their power supply. Go to the van den Hul site for more information: www.vandenhul.com
The only thing with these speakers is: If the quality of the music source, for example a good recording , is good, the sound is great. If the quality is less, you also hear it… These speakers do not hide something for you… The sound you put into these speakers, comes out of them…. Even the really low bass tones, you can FEEL them when you crack up the volume…. I like that a lot…
AND you have to have a good amplifier witch can handle these speakers….
If you don't need the power and do not want speakers which are so direct and honest, maybe you should look on... Your other HIFI equipment has to be good...
If you want high power handling and good sound, these are what you're looking for… They are not cheap, but they're worth their mony...
Robert
Strengths:
Sound quality, Power handling, good bass reproduction Weaknesses:
They can represent a difficult load for some amplifiers Similar Products Used:
None in this price range.
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5 of 5
