Description
Tannoy Fusion 2 Stereo Speakers. Stunning sound and dynamic speakers for size, absolutely mint condition, in original tannoy box. Weight 14.5 kg, sent fully insured. Hence the cost for postage, obviously prefer collection. One 1 Nitro-urethane Layer-dampened Woven Polyester Dome Tweeter, One 6.5 Paper Cone Woofer Reflex Design Crossover: 4th order acoustic Linkwitz- Riley, at 2.8 kHz Recommended Power: 10-85 Watts RMS Peak Power: 120 W Sensitivity (2.83 Volts @ 1m): 88 dB Impedance: 8 Ohms MFR: 48 Hz - 20 kHz 3 dB Dimensions: 15 H x8 W x 11 D Weight: 14.1 Pounds Each, 6.4 kg Finishes: Apple, Dark Oak The Design Fusion 2s are front-ported reflex designs. The cabinets are completely rigid - a rap on any of the panels with knuckles produces a completely resonance-free knock. Clearly the internal bracing design and implementation works well. The starting-point for the design is simple, based on a straightforward (though excellent!) LF driver and dome-tweeter. So, the acoustic and electrical design have fewer parameters to play with than with more complex designs. The fact that the speakers sound so good - and they do - is a real tribute to the designers. The crossover unit is clearly well-matched to the woofer and tweeter, and the whole thing presented no problems whatsoever in being driven by my Quad. Provision is made for bi-wiring and bi-amping. Its good to see substantial links being provided for use when single-wiring is adopted. The binding posts have been bored out 4mm to receive suitable plugs directly. I make the point because I missed the fact initially! I hadnt noticed that the sockets are plugged with neat little colour-coded stoppers, as per the European Electrical Code. Appearance Family members have dubbed Tannoy as Style Gurus! So, I can take the speakers as fitting very comfortably in the domestically acceptable bracket. The (removable) front grilles are a tasteful deep ruddy brown, which is a departure from the traditional charcoal gray. I prefer the look with the grilles on, but minimizing the disruption from drive-unit to ear has to be a good thing when the highest fidelity is being sought. Tests As always, a variety of known material was used. Im always anxious to try out the Sarah McLaughlan CD with new speakers, but only after what I consider more mainstream music. The whole of this album comprises ideal test material, and every track is recorded to an extremely high standard. No tone controls were in use, and the levels varied from quiet background sound to rather loud. The speakers loosened up during the run-in period and from then on I made a point of listening for any distortion. Vocals were crisp and clear, almost as if there had been no electronic chain between us. With plenty going on in the mix, such as in the title track, it was still possible to pick out individual voices and instruments, such was the low interaction between elements in the music. Stereo imaging was accurate and stable - also borne out by Abbey Road. More specific tests, and out came Sarah McLaughlans Surfacing and the track I Love You in particular. This track has a low frequency element which can trip up speakers that are trying too hard and still failing. Without having heard the track over full-range speakers, Id have been content to listen to the track on the Fusions and thought that track sounds terrific, I really like it. So I played the track with a flat response from the Quad and indeed thoroughly enjoyed it. Now the investigative part. I gave the bass a boost of +2 and tried again. The bass simply kept on marching down and down, so controlled and smooth - it must have been way below the nominal cut-off of 48 Hz before there was nothing left. I presume this new bass must have possessed more distortion than before the boost, but none was audible to me, even at medium to loud sound levels. Again, the coloration must have been greater (theres no chance the bass-boost on the Quad exactly matched the bass tail-off of the speakers), but I heard no peaks and troughs in the response. The lower sensitivity of the ear in this region would help in this regard, of course, but then why wouldnt audio manufacturers capitalize on the human hearing response? It all makes perfect sense! For the ultimate quality its right to go for a no-compromise design which holds onto its neutral response throughout the audible range, but a bookshelf speaker isnt addressing this market and the Fusions make the best of whatever compromises were needed in the design process. The only other test I performed with tone controls in use was a check on whether treble boost introduced sibilance or other HF distortion. None was noticeable but then all the source material was well recorded and the speakers are flat over the audible range. Again, back with tone-controls set to flat, the only departure from audibly-flat was with some of the George Harrison All Things Must Pass (remastered) vocals. I felt there was a slight tailing-off in his higher register. Id never noticed it before but cannot tell whether the Fusions were being more revealing than other speakers or just a case of difference attention on the part of the listener - me. Again on the topic of paying attention to ones older material, I needed cheering up one afternoon, so I popped on Out of the Blue, and that worked a treat, coming out of the Fusions. The explosions in the otherwise-acapella fast section of Turn to Stone had the greatest impact Id ever heard them. Conclusions The Fusion range, as represented by Fusion 2, must come in for consideration as a cost-effective set of speakers. The units tested punch above their weight, competing favorably with some others that are more expensive, and certainly within their own price range. On the assumption that this is a balanced range, Id trust Tannoy such that you could extrapolate the Fusion 2 findings over the entire range. The frequency response is perceptibly flat, and distortion was low at all levels. Some speakers can sound constrained at low levels, needing plenty of oomph before they get to you with any sort of impact. Not the Fusions - theyre involving at all levels. As mentioned earlier, an increase in bass extension would be the main difference one should notice in comparison with full-range floor-standers. If thats your market, theres a Fusion option available and Id guess well worth auditioning. For bookshelf units, I think Ive praised the Fusions response enough to let you know that they handle that aspect of listening very well in their own right. My overall reaction to Fusion is smooth. Nothing to annoy, low distortion, involving, interesting with impact and absolutely fabulous value for the money. I still prefer the open, probably colored, sound of the classic Goodmans speakers but cant stop wondering now where could I put a pair of Fusions? Extensions in the dining room perhaps? Around the TV for surround? In the spare bedroom as Hi-Fi for guests? The possibilities seem to be endless!
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