New at the High End Show Munich is the Tannoy Definition DC10A loudspeaker, using a high-power Alnico motor system for its 25cm Dual Concentric drive unit, and high-gloss cabinet in a choice of cherry, black or walnut.
Seen above left alongside the new Precision 6.4 floorstander, the DC10A will sell for £11,500 a pair when it goes on sale in the next couple of months and, says Tannoy's Tim Lount, is basically a version of the company's popular Kensington speaker in a more modern and stylish cabinet, with some serious added tuning along the way.
Lount, the company's VP of Residential Sales and Marketing, says that the Kensington, along with other models in the company's retro-styled Prestige range, remains a favourite in many export markets, but there has been a demand for retailers for a smarter version of the design.
That's where the Definition DC10A comes in.
But though he says that the Japanese market, affected by last year's major disasters, is now beginning to recover, and the company is seeing good growth in territories such as Singapore, Vietnam, Laos and South Korea, Lount emphasises this isn't just a statement model designed for the Asian market.
Instead he also sees it being aimed at US and European buyers, as well as consumers in other growth areas such as Russia, Ukraine and Serbia.
Standing 113.5cm tall including its integral plinth, the speaker uses a 25cm paper-cone bass unit with a 5.2mm voice coil and that Alnico magnet system, using a ferrite alloy including aluminium, nickel and cobalt.
This has long been a favourite magnet material for high-end speakers, and here it also provides the 'motor' for the 51mm dome tweeter sitting in the throat of the mid/bass unit, and tuned using a 'pepperpot' waveguide.
The crossover linking the two parts of the driver is built to be as simple as possible, and after construction is subjected to Deep Cryogenic Treatment – super-cooling and then slow thawing – before installation.
The cabinet is made from birch ply, the wood being chosen from cooler regions where it grows more slowly for the best acoustic properties, has twin rear-venting ports and a chamber the user can mass-load with filler material to stabilise and damp the speaker.
As already mentioned, shown alongside the Definition DC10a was Tannoy's Precision 6 range, comprising the £899/pr 6.1 bookshelf speaker, the £1199 6C centre, and the 6.2 and 6.4 floorstanders, at £1899/pr and £2399/pr respectively.
Those prices are for either gloss black or gloss walnut finishes (gloss black only for the centre), and the floorstanders are also available in satin walnut at £200 less per pair.
