Announced at the Munich High End Show is the new Prestige Gold Reference loudspeaker range from Tannoy, combining the handbuilt cabinets of the Prestige range with new versions of the company's Dual Concentric drivers.
The drivers feature new cone materials in the 15in unit used in the Canterbury GR (above) and Westminster Royal GR, new high frequency compression diaphragms upgraded crossovers and extensive use of deep cryogenic treatment of components.
The driver technology is derived from the flagship Kingdom Royal speaker (left), shown here in Munich in both red and black Kingdom Royal Carbon Black versions, selling at €62,950 or £51,950 a pair.
The other speakers in the range use Tannoy's traditional hand-built wooden enclosures, now with revised veneering and gold-finish trim, with the original Tannoy 'lightning flash' logo once again featured prominently.
The Prestige GR models feature Tannoy's Alnico powered motors and Pepperpot Waveguide, plus a new heat-treated aluminium alloy compression diaphragm for the treble, bonded to a revised copper-coated aluminium voice-coil.
This, plus a new Mylar surround, is said to give the speakers a sweeter, more natural treble response.
Revised low-loss laminated core inductors and new thick film resistors are used in the crossovers throughout the range, while the Kensington GR, Canterbury GR and Westminster Royal GR models also use Deep Cryongenic Treatment of the entire crossover and cabling.
This is said to 'enhance audio characteristics at component level and offer end-to-end improvements in the metallic crystal structure of the entire signal path.'
The range starts at €4950 or £3950 per pair for the Stirling GR, with the Turnberry GR at €5950/£4950, the Kensington GR at €11,950/£9950, the Canterbury GR at €20,950/£16,950 and the Westminster Royal GR €33,950/£27,950.
Written by Andrew Everard
