Smooth & uncolored with excellent bass and awesome mids & highs

If not setup or matched correctly, they can sound boomy & flat

These are really great mid-fi speakers that will shine with the right system if setup correctly. I was initially disappointed when I hooked them up to my NAD 317 amp + Arcam Alpha 8 CD system, but they improved tremendously with the following 'tweaks':

1. Changed interconnects from Kimber PBJ to DH Labs BL-1 -- a slight, but noticeable opening up of the higher bands
2. Changed biwires from AQ Type 4+ to DH Labs T-14 -- the AQ's provided nice, strong bass on my old B&Ws but were way too bottom heavy for these Tannoys
3. MOST IMPORTANTLY, added 20lbs of lead shot to each speaker -- this should not be optional! The bass became tight, imaging sharp and dynamics sharp. Without adding this weight, you're listening to a totally different and, IMO, much inferior speaker.

As a result, these speakers just disappear and produce smooth, yet detailed sound. Perfect for jazz and vocals, but can handle rock and well-recorded classical. They sound great with NAD and similar British amps.

Clarity, neutrality, control, tight base, good looks and build quality.

Perhaps a little laid back.

The clarity and control of these speakers is a pleasure to listen to. In comparison, the R3s sounded muddy and muffled while the Monitor Audios were more forward but could become fatiguing. I have not regretted my purchase at all.

Similar Products Used:

Tested with Cyrus 7 amp and Cyrus dad1.5 CD player.
Also compared with Tannoy R3 and Monitor Audio.

sound, appearance

the dealer may have jacked the price up on me

I have an almost overwhelming desire to relay my whole stereo shopping experience to you folks, but I'll try to keep it under control. Just tell me about the speakers, right? Well, my audiophile vocabulary is weak - I generally agree with the reviewers below (except for the Barry Manilow listener - if I were a speaker and had B.M. running through me I might opt for suicide too). Better yet, I direct you to a review from some British magazine called What Hi-Fi? proudly displayed at the Tannoy website http://www.tannoy.com/tannoyhifi/hifi_reviews_page.cfm?ID=3

However, I do have to testify to the wonder of these speakers by saying that I knew absolutely nothing about them before I heard them and within a few minutes I knew I had to have them. My experience on hearing them was totally different than my experience listening to all other speakers/systems. Basically, I would do my homework about a brand and model of speaker in my price range, find a dealer, and listen to them critically, identifying flaws and scribbling notes. Even in the speakers I really liked, and strongly considered buying (Mirage FRX 9P, Jamo Model 7.7, Linn Tukan) there was always some imperfection that kept me from being swept away. Not so with the Revolution R2's. I was immediately excited. I wanted to move to the music. I was not capable of calmly analyzing them. Great soundstage depth. Clear, controlled bass. And most important to me, they sounded great with all of the music I played. Most of the speakers listed above sounded good-great with the jazz CDs I would bring, but most of them would fail me when it came time to play old rock and roll. Many had too much emphasis on the upper mid and treble range, making Clapton or the Faces sound thin and fatiguing (Vandersteen 2CE, JM Lab Cobalt 810, KEF Q55, Cantons, Klipsch), others had low end that was just too boomy/undefined (NHT 2.5i, Dynaudio Audience 60). Dealers would tell me that I couldn't expect a decent loudspeaker to make older recordings sound good.
Well, they were wrong.

Another notable exception is the Mirage FRX 9P. If you are a true fan of bass, consider these speakers too. Each speaker comes equipped with its own 100 W amplifier to independently drive the subwoofer, along with tone and volume control. They certainly rock at will and are very well balanced, but they didn't quite have the presence of the Tannoys. And they look like they were designed by the producers of Star Trek. Kindof futuristic and dorky looking. Of course, their inability to sound as groovy as the Revolution R2s may have been a funtion of the electronics. I listened to the Mirages (and the Linns and B&Ws) through Rotel. The Tannoys were run through NAD (and intitially, Audio Refinement).

I had come to the Tannoy dealer just before closing to listen to the JM Lab Cobalt 810s that are reviewed so positively elsewhere on this site - mostly to check it off my list and feel better about choosing between the Mirage FRX 9P floorstanders or the Linn Tukan bookshelf (*amazing* for their size). The JM Lab Cobalts were light and airy and clear, but didn't grab me at all. Fine I thought, I'm outta here and I'm going to buy the Rotel RCC955 5 disc CD player and either the 100W Rotel RX975 receiver or the 100W RA-985 integrated amp. Then the dealer hooked up the Tannoys and stopped me in my tracks. Then I had him hook it up to the 50 W NAD C340 int. amp and the NAD Model 515 5 disc CD changer. It sounded warm and wonderful. I was aching to hear the Tannoys hooked up to the Rotel electronics, but it was not to be. I bought the NAD + Tannoy system the next day (after it passed the hungover listening test with flying colors) and spent $400 less on electronics. I imagine having only the 50W amp will catch up to me eventually when I want to put speakers in another room. But for now - I'm a happy camper.

Notes on other worthy speakers I listened to during that month and a half listening & learning frenzy...

Jamo Model 7.7 - Probably the finest speakers I listened too - and they should be considering they go for $1,800 a pair. But I fretted that they would point out every flaw in much of my music collection when run through electronics I could afford. I considered them, however, because the delaer (Charos in Southampton NY) would sell them for $1,100. Good luck finding a pair to listen to.
Linn Tukan - I didn't listen to as many bookshelves as I did floorstanders because you sacrifice so much on the low end. But I recommend these without hesitation. I think I will buy these to give as a present to my wife.
Linn Keosa - Good floorstander value for the money. 3-way (which I think gives a much nicer balance). A little better than the Tukans. "Only" $800/pr.
Vandersteen 2CE - I wish I had listened to these with electronics other than the Arcam set up the dealer had. I now think the brightness that bothered me was an artifact of the Arcam gear.
B&W 603 and Paradigm Reference studio 60 - These speakers are easy to find, but you can do better.

Similar Products Used:

Mirage FRX-9P, Linn Keosa, Jamo 7.7, B&W 603, NHT 2.5i, Vandersteen 2CE, etc...

Balance sound

non

The speakers are well balanced with depth. Strongly recommended for jazz or vocal.

Solid bass. Excellent clarity.

I had a budget of about £400 and started to check out what was available on the market for around that price point. I heard a lot of talk about floorstanding units and, because I have a fairly large living room, decided that this is the type that I will go for. I discovered 4 different speakers within that price point: Mission 773e, Accoustic Energy AE109, Tannoy r2, and KEF Q35. I never actually auditioned any of these speakers because I couldn't find the time, so decided that I'd try my luck with the Tannoys since they seemed to be getting more glowing reviews, particularly on its bass performance (I listen to R&B/Rap).
I eventually got them for £260 from Empire Direct (mail order) and connected them up to my Arcam Alpha 8r amplifier. I was quite impressed with the results but then realised that there is a rear port with a foam bung that can be removed to improve the bass. The results were absolutely superb. The Tannoys are capable of producing punchy and DEEP bass while keeping the midband and treble well under control. The whole sound is very even and fairly neutral with a remarkably clear midband/treble range. These speakers improved after about 3 days (Tannoy say it takes about 24 hours playing to run them in) and impress me every time I use them.
The speakers are bi-wired and, with my Cambridge Audio CD4SE cd player, I get a very enjoyable sound at a great price.

This speaker is very easy to drive, sounds very good when it has been given its run in time, classy looks, good quality binding posts

None

I have tested these speakers using a number of amps, ranging from a Akai mini system to a Marantz PM-17 and every time they sounded great.

Similar Products Used:

Tannoy M4/Mm

Rich Crisp sound, deep bass, look absolutely gorgeous.

Couple of problems recently with buzzing from the right midrange woofer. Bright midrange with my system. Depends on tastes though. (This was compared to some dull sounding Eltaxes and Missions)

My system comprises of:

Marantz CD-6000 OSE CD Player
Marantz ST-4000 Tuner
Sony TAFB-940 Amp
Tannoy Revolution R2s
Cambridge Audio Pacific and Arctic Cables.
Gale 160 BiWire Speaker Cable

I had a good listen to this combo in lots of shops and it sounded very different in the various listening rooms. I thought the bass was severly lacking in some of the rooms which made me a bit unsure.

I decided to go for them in the end and they sounded great at home. (i also had them in student halls for a bit which did nothing for the sound).

I hear from many people that these speakers sound much better biwired and as a result I started off with them biwired so I cant comment on the differences. Big chunky binding posts though so you can use good thick speaker cable or banana plugs.

Acoustic instruments sound very nice, jazz and drum n bass especially. They are also equally capable with rock and dance.

The only problem I have had was recently when a crackling and buzzing sound started occurring in the right midrange woofer. I am going to speak to richer sound and tannoy about this. I dont know whether this is a problem with the woofer or something inside has come loose. The sound only occurs with beats but it doesn't occur all the time - has anybody else had this problem (email pls)

If I can get this problem sorted then I have a great set of speakers at a nice price £250 from richer sounds. If the problem is unfixable then it will be an annoyance.

Have a listen before you buy and compare with other similarly priced speakers - if possible listen in different listening rooms.

Hope this helps, if anybody has any questions then feel free to email me and i'll have a go at answering them

Similar Products Used:

Other Tannoy Floorstanders (MX and M series), Eltax and Mission speakers

Clear and natural sound, very good bass (not as powerfull as others in the same price range), nice look, well built...

for some not to deep and powerfull bass

My first speakers were Tannoy MX2. They are wery good speakers for the price.

I also listened to B&W 602 S2. Hu, also great speakers. but then came the day, when I got lucky and bought me a pair of Tannoy Revolution R2 speakers. Second hand just a month old. I payed for both around 400 USD. In shop they cost around 800 USD. The salesman made a mistake end sold both for the price of one.

I hooked them to my NAD C 350 and Onkyo DV-S535 player. For the connection between my DVD player and amplifier I use IXOS 1002 Gamma interconnects (advice from the salesman where I bought NAD C 350, but I think, as soon as possible I'll go for Van den Hul The First). And for the speakers I use Van den Hul MkII Hybrid cables. I could say my entire system has a natural feeling.

I can not tell if this is a perfect combination, but I know, what I hear. And what I hear is a perfect music for me from these speakers. They are the closest to the live music I heard on U2 Elevation concert in Vienna (of course at this price range), and I'm big fan of U2. Listening to U2 music with these speakers with my eyes closed I could imagine I'm on the concert again. Vocals where separated from the music (Bono in my living room? No, It can't be...) I like quality, clear and natural sound, good and realistic bass-not to deep. And the Tannoy Revolution R2 speakers give me all that. You can't go wrong.

Only problem is that my room is to small to get full potential from my system.

Similar Products Used:

Tannoy MX2, B&W 602 S2

Pure and uncolored sound

None

I received a few e-mails regarding what my entire system comprised of based upon my earlier review. I guess I will also give another five star rating in order to offset "Don's" review. Is he for real?

My system:

Denon 2802 A/V receiver
Denon DVD-2800
Tannoy Revolution R2 (fronts)
Tannoy Revolution R1 (rears)
Bose VCS-10 Center (I know, I know...but it does an adequate job when tweeked-up a couple of decibles)
Polk Audio PSW 300 subwoofer

Similar Products Used:

Klipsch, JBL, Bose

neutral, fine mid range, good looking

bass is quite deep, but lacks scale.

these R2s have been with me thru quite a few phases of my audio system, and has shown itself to be a worthy partner thru each stage.

I first bought them to go with my Marantz cd17/pa17 (first generation), and it immediately proved to be an enjoyable experience even though my setup was far from ideal (one speaker located in a corner). the clarity (neutral midrange) was the most immediate strength. I kept experimenting with the plug in/out and each has it's own plus/minus.

a week later I filled the bass chamber with iron fillings and the bass became more solid. a word on the bass of the R2, it goes deep, but it does not fill the room the way the mid range does. I guess it has to do with the limit of the 5" cone. as such it is best for chamber music, vocals and jazz.

two months later I added a MSB Nelson DAC to the source and the improved detail and resolution came thru clearly. The R2 clearly has the resolution to partner with much better source/amps. a month later I changed the amp to a NAD C370 and the sound became much more controlled. the NAD made the sound stage and instrument placement of simple chamber music and jazz even better, not quite pin point but very well defined already.

I thought I was happy enough with the system, until I did some reading on the net about active biamping...

upon reading , I couldn't help but want to try it myself. I bought a NAD C270 power amp and a professional 3 way active crossover to do this. quick word on professional (ie PA) gear: they usually sound great and are much cheaper than hifi gear.

I initially setup the x-over as a 2 ways system and had the C370 driving mid/treble via the R2’s passive x-over and the C270 driving the bass in active mode. what an improvement! most obvious was the growth of image height (not so much width or depth, both were already very good). a taller image translated to much more lively music, even for studio recorded material.

later I bought a digital room correction kit to sort out corner placement problem. funny thing happened here, while the overall improvement in tonal balance and bass resolution was dramatic (though bass still lacks scale), with room correction, I could no longer drive the R2 with the port opened. it just had to be plugged or the sound (not just the bass) will go out of control.

my system had reached a stage where it was imminently listenable, I could have lived with it for a very long time. except that my friend decided to call me about a new tube amp...

I have never owned tubes because while it has a lot of strength, it's inherent non-linearity means that you are not listening to "honest" music and I don’t like my music to be spiced over, however good the end result might "taste". I have always made one exception (actually 2) to tubes, the AD1 (extinct) or the 2A3 (American version of AD1). these triodes are so linear that Intel could have built a CPU (low performance, of course) with it if they wanted to (they don’t, of course). until recently, most 2A3 amps were out of my budget. the Consonance Cyber 300 came along in dec 01 and at a retail price of USD499, it was a no brainer for me. I decided on it after a 1 hour audition and took it home to be my tweeter amp.

so now my system looks like this

transport: old JVC cd player (I gave my marantz to my mom)
DAC: MSB Nelson Link
digital room correction
amp 1: NAD C370 (as pre and power amp driving mid range)
amp 2: NAD C270 (power amp for bass)
amp 3: Consonance Cyber 300 (for tweeter)
3 way active x-over
cables: stock cables (deliberate)

I added the 2A3 amp at the same time as I removed the passive x-over that divided the mid/tweeter of the R2, so I cannot say how much of the improvement came from the 2A3 and how much from removing the passive x-over. the major improvement was in treble sweetness, piano now sounds very much live like and vocals much more realistic (I played some news reading just to test this). imaging also went from well defined to pin point, instruments also became much smaller, and the reduced instrument size was replaced by a surrounding of almost breathable air.

my R2 went from passive to bass loaded to part active to full active. now it’s no longer a pair of speakers, but a musical instrument. what a beautiful pair of speakers! what I get out of them is so good that 80% of the time I don’t even miss the bass scale which it does not have. I listen to chamber music or piano pieces at night and often fall asleep after 30 minutes- that’s how pleasant they are.

highly recommended, even if you don’t do any of the mods that I did and listen to them as shipped (well, may be everyone should experiment with the port plug and the bass loading)

Similar Products Used:

b&w 805