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Tannoy Legacy vs Harbeth

novak

pfm Member
Hello all,

Does anyone have any experience with the Tannoy Legacy range? Ideally the Eatons.

– Are they picky about placement, and do they require a 'sweet spot' seating position?

– What is the sound signature? Warm? Detailed? Natural? Lively?

– What about stand heights? Can you get away with a low stand and not have the tweeter at ear height?

– They seem to 'review' well in the blogs/ mags. What about any gripes? Anything they don't do well?

– How do they compare to Harbeth? I currently have Harbeth P3ESR. How do they compare to these, and also SHL5+?

Any thoughts much appreciated! Thanks :)
 
The old Eatons were much more "lively" than SHL5+ ime
A completely different presentation
A must hear, different taste, each to their own.
Not sure if Legacy are same presentation?

Allways found the SHL5 bas-notes too slow ( in price range)
Something you may not suffer from your own P3, which admittedly do have some lovely mids.
 
I had both on dem a few months ago for a couple of weeks. Ended up with the Harbs. The Tannoys did most things well but lacked the detail and space of the Harbs. They were punchier and did rock very well. Ultimately, to my ears, the mids sounded slightly cuppy and shut in. I think the dual concentric gives a sound signature that is unmistakable. They sounded too close to my much loved Kef ref 2 (which are no slouches themselves) and could not justify the expense for the same sound.

On the Harbs I think it is the supertweeter that gives the space and air. It's a very different presentation to the Tannoys.

Personally if you want to find Tannoy magic I'd go higher up the range to a bigger cabinet but you might need a big room.

The Harbs also worked better in my 5 x 4 room.

Note the regular SHL5+ are noticeably brighter than the anniversary edition.

If I were buying for looks then the Tannoys win hands down...lovely retro look. Having said that some of the veneers on the Harbs are beautiful.

I've not heard the P3 but did hear the C7 next to the shl5+. I think as you go up the box size you trade mid range for bass extension albeit the same sound signature.

Good luck!
 
Note the regular SHL5+ are noticeably brighter than the anniversary edition.

? I was auditioning both recently and found the opposite. maybe it was the partnering kit? Both were very similar through the mid and top, with the Anniv... just winning the 'clarity and detail' race, by a nose.
 
I thought they were supposed to sound identical, just in a prettier cab?
Who said 'supposed to'? It wouldn't be Harbeth at that premium, and with those pages explaining development ('explaining, at least, on Harbeths usual terms) and it wasn't me when i posted my review, or bought the Annis! :)
 
I've seen it mentioned quite a lot but I can't find the thread where I read it last.
I did get involved in a few 'they can't be worth that much because blah blah threads'. I heard quite clear differences. Some may not. Always the same isn't it? :)
 
Well, to add to the confusion - some of the Harb anniversaries have updated crossovers, as well as snazzier components and wiring (30.2, P3). Some (the 5's) seem to just have snazzier components. And some of the 5 anniversaries seem to have port dampening, some do not. So...
 
The old Eatons were much more "lively" than SHL5+ ime
A completely different presentation
A must hear, different taste, each to their own.
Not sure if Legacy are same presentation?

Allways found the SHL5 bas-notes too slow ( in price range)
Something you may not suffer from your own P3, which admittedly do have some lovely mids.

As far as I know:

- having limited low frequency extension does give an impression of "faster bass"

- the same is true for floor-bounce cancellation

- manufacturers may intentionally shape the frequency response (voicing) for "faster bass"

- combined amplifier/speakers response may be affected if the amplifier has high output-impedance, and may result in less damping control over the woofer

- ported cabinets tend to sound subjectively "slower", particularly if the tuning frequency is high and the system is underdamped
 
Does anyone have any experience with the Tannoy Legacy range? Ideally the Eatons.
yes , replaced the harbeth shl5plus with tannoy eaton legacy . could not get on with the harbs which did not seem to do deep enough and becuase they were near walls did not get on well in my room. loved them in my loft room but ultimately too much for my lugholes

P1050239 by , on Flickr



– Are they picky about placement, and do they require a 'sweet spot' seating position?

the eatons can go near walls , they have incredible imaging . remarkable

710d07bd281792c513ca34e88525aa76da578137 by , on Flickr

P1050287 by , on Flickr

What is the sound signature? Warm? Detailed? Natural? Lively?

this i find is very sweet and non fatiguing . you can of course adjust them to your room

P1060716 by , on Flickr

What about stand heights? Can you get away with a low stand and not have the tweeter at ear height?

i have mine just about the same heigth as the shl5plus i.e 51 cms from the floor to base of speaker

They seem to 'review' well in the blogs/ mags. What about any gripes? Anything they don't do well?

any gripes ..well i have to keep the grills on as they are hardly lookers !!!

How do they compare to Harbeth? I currently have Harbeth P3ESR. How do they compare to these, and also SHL5+?

they go deeper than the shl5plus . had an organist here who is nuts about playing organs all over the place and he loved them . they may not have the same incredible midrange as the shl5plus but you can listen to them all day with no fatigue

the p3esr are remarkable and had these recently , i would say the eatons have the same sweet sound but just much BIGGER

Any thoughts much appreciated! Thanks :)
 
the legacy do so sound different with various amps .
so far had Thrax integrated valve amp [10k] . utterly incredible sound that blew a few away who heard the combo

bel canto /msb [16k] softer spacious sound

schitt freya/firebottle hybrid monoblocks [1.5k], very lively punchy sound with incredible transparency

lavardin integrated [3k]softer sound

sugden a21se [3k] ; awesome grunty deep sound with amazing dynamics . very very good indeed

bel canto / icepower amps [1k] warmish but beautifully natural and engaging sound, drums and vocals sound particularly realistic . this combo is the cheapest and actually superb
 
How do they compare to Harbeth? I currently have Harbeth P3ESR. How do they compare to these, and also SHL5+?
they go deeper than the shl5plus .
I'm afraid to say @hifinutt but that isn't right.
Harbeth SHL5+ 40th A.E.
UwozJt.png

Tannoy Legacy Eaton
mvURLV.png
 
In my experience with the shl5 plus, good bass response is all about suitable placement.

It's of course not of movie sub bass quality, nor the fastest you may ever experience, but it's certainly more than decent given a suitable amp and requiste free space.

Having limited free space really can fudge things in respect of its bass quality, and worth considering - better still home demoing.
 
Thanks, useful to read the replies.

My room is around 5m x 6m, so a decent size. Suspended wooden floor. Might the Tannoys be too boomy? I also wondered whether the Cheviot Legacy might be good, but perhaps too large-scale in sound?
 
I'm afraid to say @hifinutt but that isn't right.
Harbeth SHL5+ 40th A.E.
UwozJt.png

Tannoy Legacy Eaton
mvURLV.png
[/QUOTE]

not too good at understanding that diagram but amazed if on paper they go deeper . very amazed . My son loves dubstep and music that has a `drop ` the harbeth were useless in this respect !!! the eatons can shake the floor and certainly to my ears , sound better at organ
 


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