Tannoy Sandringham SE visiting my place.

[PHC1]

Initial impression is very positive. The Tannoys sound very coherent and very musical. There is an overwhelming sense of purity of tone and wholesomeness to the sound. There really must be something to that concentric driver.

Tweaking the setting for a -1.5DB attenuation on the highs for my not yet treated room instantly brought the tonal balance into the pleasant, relaxed and warm range that was very easy to listen to. After removing the cloth grilles they sound very open and spacious while retaining that musical quality and warm and inviting charm about their sound.

Spiking the speakers instantly brought about an enhanced focus and improved imaging and removed the trace of bass bloat. Very easy to place in the room, they behave very nicely.

The 2301s are total overkill with these speakers as they amps are barely getting out of 3w range and mostly under the 1w range with these speaker's 8 ohm nominal, 90dB efficiency. I have a feeling these tube friendly speakers love tube amps of even very low output.

So far the best way I can describe what these Sandringham SE are like is to say that they are like an old friend, someone you are instantly comfortable with and happy to sit and talk with over by the fireplace while sipping your favorite brandy. Just feels good and brings you warm and cozy feeling.

I do like their sort of "old school" appearance.

[TommyC]

I like the "old school" look as well!

[audiosalons]

Beautiful, however Kennsingtons would be a more fitting match with your 2301 amps. This is where the Alnico magnet system begins plus musicap and vishays are used in the crossover...a superior speaker in every way.

[schaefer11]

Very nice. Love the Prestige look. I would really love to hear the Prestige line, but finances force me to stay away!

[Jerome W]

Originally Posted by TommyC

Your dealer is awesome, dropping off so many gears for you to audition.

Tommy, I believe that he does not give this service to any customer.
Serge is a customer anyone would die for !

[PHC1]

Originally Posted by howiebrou

Nice one Serge. You really need the Canterbury or Westminsters to do your 2301s justice but the Sandringhams are very good for their price category as well.

Serious eye candy the Prestige line.

Howie, those two would probably feel a bit cramped in this room. I do have another room in mind for Westminsters if I ever decide to go that way.

[PHC1]

Originally Posted by Still-One

Talk about a different sound than the Sophia's. Very interesting to see what you think after a few days.

Jim, I can already appreciate the differences and strengths of each but I am not trying to compare them at this point. This is just an experiment for me to explore what Tannoy is. I think if I really had to compare I would have to make it fair and compare with at least the Kensington models that are closer to the Sophia 3 price range.

[PHC1]

Originally Posted by howiebrou

Beautiful!! The Wilsons must feel like the ugly bug ball.

No one in my family calls the Wilsons ugly (at least not in my presence ) but my wife and my son both really liked the sound and looks of the Sandringham. My son especially found them to be very cool and great sounding for his taste, go figure...

[PHC1]

Originally Posted by audiosalon

Beautiful, however Kennsingtons would be a more fitting match with your 2301 amps. This is where the Alnico magnet system begins plus musicap and vishays are used in the crossover...a superior speaker in every way.

The Kensingtons is what I had in mind when I wanted to try the Tannoy but so far the Sandringham is all that we could get from the rep for an audition. We'll have to work harder to get the Kensingtons in, the Sandringham has peaked my curiosity to explore higher up their range.

[PHC1]

Originally Posted by C220MC275

Tommy, I believe that he does not give this service to any customer.
Serge is a customer anyone would die for !

I have a great relationship with a few dealers in my area.