What Hi Fi Sound and Vision
16 AUG 2006
Tannoy HTS200
A decent system, and its unique style should win it plenty
of friends in this class
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Yes. it uses floorstanding speakers for the front left and right channels, but Tannoy’s new HTS200 has been designed to be as slim and stylish as possible. The front towers are just 12cm wide, making them comparatively elegant affairs that should match with most flatscreen televisions well.
However, the cabinet dimensions do impose their own restrictions, and the Tannoys’ 7.5cm mid/bass drivers look a bit small. All three front speakers get round this by using twin drivers for better air-shifting, and therefore additional extension.
They’ll never shake the fillings from your teeth, but the Tannoys do manage a pleasingly full sound. The subwoofer, with its 20cm drive unit and 100 watt amp, is surprisingly good, combining well with the towers and centre to produce a potent, impressively ‘big’ front soundstage.
However, it’s less musical than some: instead of snappy timing and a lucid midrange, you get a more muddled and uninspiring presentation. It’s not offensive – but neither is it especially involving.
Of more concern is the sonic gap in the soundfield when effects move from front to rear channels. The HTS200 uses much smaller speakers on its surround channels, lacking that extra mid/bass unit, but though the rears do sound commendably similar to their front-chanel siblings, the tonal match isn’t quite spot on. As a result, a weighty front-to-rear effects shift – the bike-chase sequence in
The Island, for example – doesn’t sound quite as convincing as it should.
The Tannoy system is competitively priced, and it avoids the need for speaker stands at the front of the room, saving you a few quid. It’s also largely competent with movie listening, and at least worth an audition.