Naim Nait 5si
New version
of classic
integrated
gets a boost
PASSION FOR
R SOUND
Denon deluxe
Plush AH-D600 cans for
sumptuous music on the go
December 2013
Super
stars
Issue No. 378
RECORD
STORE
REVIVAL
W
hy vinyl still
matters
Six fabulous floorstanders
raise the roof!
One for all
Peachtree Audio:
hybrid amp & DAC
39
PRODUCTS ON TEST:
Chord,
C
hord
d, D
Dali,
alli, M
Musical
usical F
Fidelity,
Ruark, Tannoy and van den Hul
DECEMBER 2013
PRINTED IN THE UK
Arcam DAC
£3.99
US$9.99
Latest rSeries box – great
flexibility, sound and price
DAB radio
Four portables for
everyday listening
FLOORSTANDING LOUDSPEAKERS
£1,000-£1,300
GROUPTEST
ON TEST
Tannoy
Revolution DC6T SE £1,000
The only speakers here with a Dual Concentric tweeter
and mid/bass driver were always going to be special
DETAILS
PRODUCT
Tannoy Revolution
DC6T SE
ORIGIN
UK/China
TYPE
Floorstanding
loudspeaker
WEIGHT
16.4kg
DIMENSIONS
(WxHxD)
256 x 950 x 292 mm
FEATURES
O Two-way, reflex
ported loudspeaker
O 1x Dual Concentric
(25mm tweeter,
150mm mid/bass),
1x 150mm mid/
bass unit
O Claimed
sensitivity:
90dB/1W/1m
DISTRIBUTOR
Tannoy Ltd. UK
TELEPHONE
01236 420199
WEBSITE
tannoy.com
annoy has a redoubtable
history of hi-À speakers
too, with a unique selling
proposition of the Dual
Concentric driver. Basically, this is a
‘speaker within a speaker’; by setting
the tweeter inside the mid/bass unit,
it brings phase-coherence to the
sound, and the music arrives at you at
the same time, from the same place.
Audiophiles call it ‘point source’, and
as soon as you listen to one you can
see (and hear) why. The DC6T SE
sports this technology – with a 25mm
titanium dome tweeter and Tulip
waveguide, set inside a 150mm pulp
cone mid/bass, married to an
additional 150mm pulp cone driver
without the tweeter inside. Basically
then, it is a two-way, crossing over at
1.7kHz via a low-loss crossover with
silver-plated, high-purity oxygen-free
copper internal wiring.
The cabinet is a tall, slim affair that
comes in an espresso colour real
wood veneer, which looks almost
T
black in some lights, but blends in
with the decor beautifully. Although
a nice colour, it still manages to look
like vinyl wrap, though. The box
sits atop a metal plinth with topadjustable levelling spikes (with spike
cups supplied) and contrasting satin
black Ànish. The particle board walls
feel solid enough and the speaker has
been extensively cross braced inside.
The rear-Àring bass port is such that
these speakers seem to work best a
foot or so into the listening room.
Tannoy claims 90dB sensitivity for the DC6T
SE, but our pink noise figure of 88.4dB
suggests this is a little optimistic. So too is
the 8 ohms nominal impedance, a minimum
modulus of 3.1 ohms indicating that 4 ohms
is more appropriate. Impedance phase
angles are large enough to reduce the EPDR
to 1.7 ohms at 98Hz, with another dip to 1.8
ohms at 39Hz. On-axis response errors are
the group’s highest at ±7.7dB and ±7.0dB due
to the switchback treble typical of Tannoy’s
dual concentrics. Pair matching was also
worst in test at ±2.1dB. Bass extension is a
little disappointing at 61Hz and the near-field
response shows a dip at 153Hz,
corresponding to a hump in the impedance
curve, so the length mode of the interior air
volume appears poorly suppressed. The
CSD waterfall is mostly clean, but shows
distinct resonances at about 5.5kHz, 10kHz
and 16kHz. KH
RESULTS AT A GLANCE
Sensitivity
+0.47
Impedance
+6.3
Response error
+76
Sound quality
These Tannoys soon mark themselves
out as the ‘character’ speakers of the
group; there’s no mistaking the
bright, vivid, upfront and engaging
sound they deliver – allied to a lovely
spacious soundstage and Àne image
placement. The High Llamas track is
a barrel of fun, the 6s setting up a
breezy, pacey groove with lots of
detail – such as the chiming guitars
and tight snare drum work – pouring
out. Vocals are really direct, the
listener seemingly able to hear Sean
O’Hagan’s every breath and subtlest
vocal intonation. Behind these, those
lovely harmonies soar like the Beach
Boys have just walked into the studio.
The whole effect is bouncy, energetic
and enjoyable. The speakers are
timed very well, capturing the way
that the instruments stop and start
rather beautifully.
The New Order track shows more
distinctive features of their
presentation; Àrst, they don’t do
depth perspective particularly well.
Whereas the Spendors and Acoustic
Energy offerings give a sense of a
good physical distance from the
music, where you can sit back and
survey the whole recorded acoustic,
the Tannoys seem to throw everything
right forward and etch some of the
lead instruments right on your
cranium. It makes for a seat-of-thepants sort of sound, very involving,
but lacking in subtlety all the same.
Also, it’s obvious that the Tannoys
don’t worry too much about the low
bass. In a sense this is good because
you don’t hear the boxy boom of, say,
Pair matching
+56
Bass extension
+6.7
KEY: Group average
% below average
% above average
the Focals, but on the other hand it’s a
bit lighter than some of the other
loudspeakers on test here. All the
same, bass is unerringly fast, Áuid and
incredibly fun.
The Beethoven piece shows an
element of colouration to the sound;
where the Spendors give the sense
that they dissolve out of the mix, the
Tannoys are always there in the
picture, so to speak. Like the Focals,
their drivers lend a bright, fast, vividly
etched feel that hides some low-level
detail and instrumental texture, but
unlike the Focals, the Tannoys are
dynamic and time very coherently, so
it’s far easier to enjoy them. A great
way to play music O
OUR VERDICT
SOUND QUALITY
LIKE: Great fun to
listen to; excellent
soundstaging
VALUE FOR MONEY
DISLIKE: Cabinet
finish looks cheaper
than some here
BUILD QUALITY
EASE OF DRIVE
WE SAY: A real
character speaker that
makes music magic
OVERALL
DECEMBER 2013
37