Tannoy Revolution XT 6 Speaker Review

[Coffee_fan]

I still use my Dad's DC200s, they sound unbelievable, far superior to any speakers I brought until I inherited them. So I myself am not 'sorry' for our engineering. I am tempted to send Amir my Arcam rPAC for testing though, just to see......

I am also very happy with the XT6s I got them at a good price and my wife likes them (most important ) and I like them very much in some aspects. This not a subjectivist forum, so I won't go beyond that. I do like very much the approach @Amir is bringing to the table of using more and more measurements based on the science we're learning everyday, so it helps me guide my next set of commercial speakers or DIY projects. Life is good.

 

[uwotm8]

https://www.stereophile.com/content/tannoy-revolution-xt-6-loudspeaker-measurements
Not sure if that have been posted ITT. Stereophile got somewhat worse results measuring these but still it's rather acceptable (but specific tho).

 

[jeroboam]

So is it an indication that because the xt6f uses the same concentric woofer/tweeter arrangement that it will measure equally as bad or will the extra volume and woofer have any mitigating effect. Grateful for your opinions.

 

[Coffee_fan]

So is it an indication that because the xt6f uses the same concentric woofer/tweeter arrangement that it will measure equally as bad or will the extra volume and woofer have any mitigating effect. Grateful for your opinions.

Whatever I guess, is really a "guess" and the only way to know would be to measure. IMO There are very complex effects going on in a speaker cabinet to be able to fully anticipate the response of one speaker based on the measurement of the smaller sibling. You can anticipate a certain tonality possibly, but beyond that, hard to tell.

 

[bellyofthebizd]

I've got Tannoy Revolution xt 6f and i love how they sound, the coax speaker is so good for jazz (trumphets f.e.) it has nice sound from low to high volume. I don't really care about this measurments and i would buy it again.

 

[pierre]

flipflop@ computed an EQ for this Tannoy that works very well:

On axis improved a lot:

So does the PIR:

Pref score jumps from 1.7 to 5.6.
EQ is available here.

 

[MZKM]

flipflop@ computed an EQ for this Tannoy that works very well:
View attachment 76142

On axis improved a lot:
View attachment 76143

So does the PIR:
View attachment 76144

Pref score jumps from 1.7 to 5.6.
EQ is available here.

Yeah, when I first saw this speaker measured on Stereophile, I thought it could be an LS50 competitor if extensive EQ was applied. Would be interesting if any oweners see this and can test it out.

BTW, your Spinorama graphs have switched colors for some curves.

 

[maty]

Hummm, I think it is a bad idea more than +/- 3 dB, at least to listen to very good music recording without synthesized instruments and voices without autotune (vade retro). Too much agressive and too much filters.

Filter Settings file

Room EQ V5.19
Dated: 24-07-2020 18:21:49

Notes:Tannoy Revolution XT 6 IIR

Equaliser: Generic
Tannoy Revolution XT 6
Filter  1: ON  PK       Fc     432 Hz  Gain  -3.0 dB  Q 2.389
Filter  2: ON  PK       Fc     511 Hz  Gain  11.9 dB  Q 3.125
Filter  3: ON  PK       Fc     514 Hz  Gain  -8.1 dB  Q 5.000
Filter  4: ON  PK       Fc     652 Hz  Gain   1.8 dB  Q 5.000
Filter  5: ON  PK       Fc    1114 Hz  Gain  -0.6 dB  Q 5.000
Filter  6: ON  PK       Fc    1361 Hz  Gain   2.7 dB  Q 5.000
Filter  7: ON  PK       Fc    1820 Hz  Gain  -1.7 dB  Q 5.000
Filter  8: ON  PK       Fc    1940 Hz  Gain   4.1 dB  Q 4.797
Filter  9: ON  PK       Fc    2140 Hz  Gain   6.0 dB  Q 5.000
Filter 10: ON  PK       Fc   13300 Hz  Gain   6.0 dB  Q 7.000
Filter 11: ON  PK       Fc    2667 Hz  Gain   4.0 dB  Q 5.000
Filter 12: ON  PK       Fc    3115 Hz  Gain  -1.5 dB  Q 5.000
Filter 13: ON  PK       Fc    3164 Hz  Gain   2.8 dB  Q 5.000
Filter 14: ON  PK       Fc    3679 Hz  Gain   4.0 dB  Q 5.000
Filter 15: ON  PK       Fc    4216 Hz  Gain   3.2 dB  Q 5.000
Filter 16: ON  PK       Fc    4937 Hz  Gain   8.5 dB  Q 5.000
Filter 17: ON  PK       Fc    6233 Hz  Gain  11.2 dB  Q 2.618
Filter 18: ON  PK       Fc    6497 Hz  Gain -28.8 dB  Q 1.000
Filter 19: ON  PK       Fc    6828 Hz  Gain  10.4 dB  Q 2.235
Filter 20: ON  PK       Fc    8716 Hz  Gain   7.2 dB  Q 1.894

 

[pierre]

Hummm, I think it is a bad idea more than +/- 3 dB, at least to listen to very good music recording without synthesized instruments and voices without autotune (vade retro). Too much agressive and too much filters.

Filter Settings file

Room EQ V5.19
Dated: 24-07-2020 18:21:49

Notes:Tannoy Revolution XT 6 IIR

Equaliser: Generic
Tannoy Revolution XT 6
Filter  1: ON  PK       Fc     432 Hz  Gain  -3.0 dB  Q 2.389
Filter  2: ON  PK       Fc     511 Hz  Gain  11.9 dB  Q 3.125
Filter  3: ON  PK       Fc     514 Hz  Gain  -8.1 dB  Q 5.000
Filter  4: ON  PK       Fc     652 Hz  Gain   1.8 dB  Q 5.000
Filter  5: ON  PK       Fc    1114 Hz  Gain  -0.6 dB  Q 5.000
Filter  6: ON  PK       Fc    1361 Hz  Gain   2.7 dB  Q 5.000
Filter  7: ON  PK       Fc    1820 Hz  Gain  -1.7 dB  Q 5.000
Filter  8: ON  PK       Fc    1940 Hz  Gain   4.1 dB  Q 4.797
Filter  9: ON  PK       Fc    2140 Hz  Gain   6.0 dB  Q 5.000
Filter 10: ON  PK       Fc   13300 Hz  Gain   6.0 dB  Q 7.000
Filter 11: ON  PK       Fc    2667 Hz  Gain   4.0 dB  Q 5.000
Filter 12: ON  PK       Fc    3115 Hz  Gain  -1.5 dB  Q 5.000
Filter 13: ON  PK       Fc    3164 Hz  Gain   2.8 dB  Q 5.000
Filter 14: ON  PK       Fc    3679 Hz  Gain   4.0 dB  Q 5.000
Filter 15: ON  PK       Fc    4216 Hz  Gain   3.2 dB  Q 5.000
Filter 16: ON  PK       Fc    4937 Hz  Gain   8.5 dB  Q 5.000
Filter 17: ON  PK       Fc    6233 Hz  Gain  11.2 dB  Q 2.618
Filter 18: ON  PK       Fc    6497 Hz  Gain -28.8 dB  Q 1.000
Filter 19: ON  PK       Fc    6828 Hz  Gain  10.4 dB  Q 2.235
Filter 20: ON  PK       Fc    8716 Hz  Gain   7.2 dB  Q 1.894

You need -6dB on the preamp to prevent issue which is slightly high.

 

[Coffee_fan]

flipflop@ computed an EQ for this Tannoy that works very well:

Pref score jumps from 1.7 to 5.6.
EQ is available here.

Thanks @pierre I will give a try to these EQs and see how they work. As @bellyofthebizd I like very much these speakers for classical music, violins, pianos and trumpets.

My informal subjectivist acceptance test for speakers I have: I put them as my listening speakers for a while compare with my impressions with the previous one. I listen to them for between a few days and a month until it's time for the next one. After a while I have gone through 5 or 6 pairs, if I keep coming back, to specific speakers, I like them. Anyhow, these keep coming back time and again. Same with the KEF LS50 and the SP-BS22-LR .

By the same token, as an objectivist, I am very interested in the harmonic distortion tests that Amir did. I would like to see how the KEF speakers measure up using these new tests. In my definitely subjectivist opinion, the KEFs sound more "crowded" in the mid-range and I am very curious to see whether/how that maps to some distortion in the Coax or is just a figment of my imagination.

 

[Bazz]

I'm British and am sorry about our speakers. One day we'll get one right

Tannoy are not British and have not been for about 18 years now. Tannoys are now made in China. Some of the former British staff have set up Fyne Audio. B&W and KEF are not British either.

 

[Xyrium]

Tannoy are not British and have not been for about 18 years now. Tannoys are now made in China. Some of the former British staff have set up Fyne Audio. B&W and KEF are not British either.

Though I'm with ya, I'm pretty sure the reference was to the origin of the company....and potentially, it's ongoing management/corporate HQ.

Let's face it, KEF makes a living off of it's current cash cow, the LS50 line...and I bet it's not made in England.

 

[thewas]

Let's face it, KEF makes a living off of it's current cash cow, the LS50 line...and I bet it's not made in England.

Depends how we define the country of a product, for example an Iphone is also produced in China, does that make Apple Chinese and Neumann Irish?
By they way the top models of KEF and B&W (which are both owned by non-British large multinational companies) are still assembled in the UK and the development and design of all of their loudspeakers is still done there.
Its all complicated and unambigous nowadays, depening more on each individual definition.

Tannoy are not British and have not been for about 18 years now. Tannoys are now made in China. Some of the former British staff have set up Fyne Audio.

I guess the cheaper Fyne Audio series are also produced abroad?

 

[Xyrium]

Depends how we define the country of a product, for example an Iphone is also produced in China, does that make Apple Chinese and ...

Exactly...in addition to the fact that many of those products designed in one place but built in another, seem to enjoy reasonable to high quality if the product company maintains high standards.

 

[Bazz]

Though I'm with ya, I'm pretty sure the reference was to the origin of the company....and potentially, it's ongoing management/corporate HQ.

Let's face it, KEF makes a living off of it's current cash cow, the LS50 line...and I bet it's not made in England.

LS50s are made in China and always have been. Kef are not British, they owned by GP Acoustics which are based in Hong Kong I believe. Apparently LS50s don't make much money for Kef, have you seen the prices, hardly gone up in the last 8 years, whilst some other brands prices have increased considerably.

Tannoy are now owned by Behringer since 2015.

 

[Xyrium]

LS50s are made in China and always have been. Kef are not British, they owned by GP Acoustics which are based in Hong Kong I believe. Apparently LS50s don't make much money for Kef, have you seen the prices, hardly gone up in the last 8 years, whilst some other brands prices have increased considerably.

Tannoy are now owned by Behringer since 2015.

Indeed, that's exactly my point about the LS50's. I don't believe it's apparent about them not making much money from that model, however. The are hyperfocused on it, and it's offshoots for a reason, and it's not just for it to be the gateway to their Reference line, IMO.

I didn't know that about Tannoy though! Behringer really has come a long way, imitation is the most sincere (and cost effective) form of flattery I suppose. In the meantime, they are actually having specialized parts (primarily IC's) designed for them, and other top brands, and boutique makers are buying from them.

 

[Bazz]

Some fair points about products designed and then built in China but that is not the case with Tannoy anymore, this is not a British company making speakers in China. It is controlled by Behringer, they said they would build a new factory in Scotland but it never happened, now the Coatbridge factory has closed down and all production has gone to China. Not even sure they have an office in Manchester anymore, information is hard to come by.

 

[howard416]

The F-M curve overlaid onto the 100 Hz harmonic spectrum - is the x-axis for that curve log or linear? Because the 100 Hz harmonics are linear...

 

[djigibao]

I have a bigger brother than these (Tannoy XT6F) and I wonder if it's better to set up amplifier to 4 Ohm than on 8 Ohm (my amp has a choice of 4 or 8 Ohm?

I have seen measurements of these larger ones (XT8F) and there it says that min is 3.5 Ohm.

This is the picture of test XT8F:

 

[kukocz]

I have a bigger brother than these (Tannoy XT6F) and I wonder if it's better to set up amplifier to 4 Ohm than on 8 Ohm (my amp has a choice of 4 or 8 Ohm?

View attachment 193049

I have seen measurements of these larger ones (XT8F) and there it says that min is 3.5 Ohm.

This is the picture of test XT8F:
View attachment 193048

According to THIS review XT 8F's have 2.9 ohm at 100Hz. Bass region is much more power hungry therefore I would rather use 4ohm setting. I also have these Tannoys and they are really nice speakers. I would like to see the ASR measurements of these as their bookshelf version didn't do very well.
Big difference in impedance vs frequency can possibly affect sound reproduction when paired with tube amps.