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Old 01-10-2019, 10:43 AM
Sonic Guild Sonic Guild is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mulveling View Post
GRF 90 is no longer limited - it's been a regular production part of the Prestige lineup fo a while now.

I owned Kensington SE (prior version to GR) before upgrading to Canterbury SE and then Canterbury GR. I've also auditioned Yorkminster SE in my system, which at least on paper - if not cosmetically - is sort of the GRF 90 predecessor. All of these model Tannoys should do very well in your room size.

The Kensington SE had a wonderful midrange, which I preferred to Yorkminster. The Kensington's weakness is that it struggles to fill a larger room with bass, and will start to sound a little lean and anemic down low as you stretch it thin with room size. In your room, with properly matched amplification, I think you should be OK. Furthermore, the GR series's updated woofer cone should help here too.

The Canterbury has an even slightly sweeter midrange than Kensington, plus a bigger lifelike image - it better projects the perception of performers on the stage in front of you. And it's amazing with classical/orchestral music. The Canterbury SE model's main weakness was treble extension, by far. The GR series brought a BIG improvement there.

The Yorkminster SE had the best bass out of all of these. No question. Look at the extension spec on the Yorkie and the GRF 90 (about the same); though that extra 5-6 Hz lower (to 23 Hz) than Kensington/Canterbury doesn't look like much, the audible difference was HUGE! The 12" driver, in that cabinet size, with a more traditional reflex port seems to impart a large advantage in bass vs. the distributed port system of the others. And you'd think the 15" driver of the Canterbury would give it a bass advantage over the 12", but it doesn't work out that way. But also, the Yorkminster didn't have as rich/sweet a midrange as Canterbury/Kensington. And it probably has the biggest soundstage, but it's not as lifelike a presence as Canterbury, again. Believe me, I wish like anything I could magically graft the Yorkminster's bass extension onto my Canterbury GR - it would be my perfect speaker! But with the models as they are, the Canterbury GR is still by far my favorite overall. My dealer also strongly recommends Canterbury GR over GRF90, though I haven't hear the latter myself.

Btw you can find great deals on the black-ash Kensington GR's right now; makes them a LOT cheaper than the GRF 90.

I've only heard Focal Sopra 3's of the other brands you listed, and in my dealer's system. I LIKED them a lot! Great speakers. However, I firmly remain a Tannoy man!

Thanks a lot!

I care the most about image and soundstage with dynamics.

I am surprised that u didn’t find the Focal bright and enjoyed it. How it is compared to the Kensington?

I do have a pair of REL 5 subs, will this make the Kensington complete with no issues at all?

I am looking for a soeaker that doesn’t make me feel wanting to upgrade for a loooong time. What brought me to the Tannoy’s territory is the dual driver but never heared Tannoy before.
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