Tannoy is one of the longest established audio companies in the world, having been in the loudspeaker business for 85 years
Few companies’ products have such a profound impact on our lives that their names enter the dictionary as generic descriptions for their inventions. There are notable exceptions such as Biro, for its ballpoint pen and Hoover for its vacuum cleaner. But in the audio field, Tannoy stands alone for its success in developing early public address systems and then continuing its reputation for pioneering audio solutions. The word Tannoy is synonymous with sound, appearing in the dictionary as: ‘a communications system with loudspeakers, used for making announcements in public buildings.’ The phrase ‘Over the Tannoy’ is universally used to describe a PA announcement.
The company’s core business is, and always has been, loudspeaker design and manufacturing. For the past 36 years, the hub of this activity has been in Coatbridge, near to Glasgow, where the company’s Scottish headquarters and manufacturing facility are located. Tannoy has been an important employer in the area since making the move to Scotland from its original London base. Manufacturing is split between the facility in Scotland and a range of sub-suppliers, with world markets serviced through a large network of country specific distributors.
Tannoy has been around literally from the outset of the audio and AV business, often playing a leading role in the industry’s development. Audio related manufacturing commenced at Tannoy in the late 1920’s at a time when other landmark industry events were beginning to take place. It was the decade that the film The Jazz Singer made Al Jolson a star, and transformed the movie business forever by bringing soundtracks to film. This era saw the first commercial electrical recording by HMV and, soon after that, the first release of records from The Decca Record Company. At the same time the company became interested in the world of Public Address and early in 1930 Tannoy won a contract to supply the most famous circus in Europe, Bertram Mills, with a sound reinforcement system. From that time onwards the company never looked back.
Much technological development has taken place in the intervening years and, despite being steeped in history, the company has never dwelt on its past. Proud of its heritage and the credibility built up with its long association with the professional recording industry, in particular, Tannoy has always been an innovator where quality sound reproduction is concerned.
In parallel with its success in professional audio markets (recording studios and commercial installations such as shopping malls, airports, railway stations, stadiums etc) Tannoy has built its popularity in residential audio, where it has achieved and maintains a mammoth reputation around the world. Its famous and long-running Prestige range of loudspeakers is unique and distinctive, transcending mere fashion and capturing the imagination of music connoisseurs all over the world. In particular, Japan, one of the world’s most discriminating audio markets, has bestowed the famous, Scottish-based manufacturer with numerous awards of excellence, for the sound quality of its loudspeakers.
Tannoy’s new flagship loudspeaker, Kingdom Royal, represents the pinnacle of the British company’s rich 85 year heritage and world-renowned acoustic engineering.
From the outset, Kingdom Royal was designed to out-perform the wealth of already exceptional loudspeakers available in the ‘over $50,000 US’ category. Capable of resolving musical detail like no other, with power and passion of delivery that encapsulates the magic of live music with breath-taking precision. A true no compromise loudspeaker, built on cutting edge technical innovation, cost-no-object development and an intensive four-year R&D programme. Kingdom Royal brings together proprietary components, a radical cabinet design and the finest quality materials in the world to deliver a true musical reference.
At the heart of the Kingdom Royal is the very latest development in Tannoy’s proprietary Dual Concentric™ driver technology. Constantly refined and developed since first invented by Tannoy over 50 years ago, this driver technology puts the high frequency tweeter at the centre of the mid-bass driver for pure point source articulation through the key music frequency range. The technology has underpinned Tannoy’s loudspeaker design since its inception and remains the basis for the company’s loudspeakers from residential applications to commercial installations and pro-audio.
The Kingdom Royal’s top-class build quality is complimented with a sumptuous finish that mixes textures and colours in a contemporary evolution of Tannoy’s Prestige loudspeaker range. Traditional wood veneer side panels are finished in contemporary deep gloss lacquer, while the smooth black satin baffle complements the gold trim and natural Italian leather. Subtle, sophisticated and classically good looking with the heavyweight weave-cloth grille in place, yet bold, imposing and dynamic with the grilles removed, the Kingdom Royal is a speaker that spans stylistic genres with ease. Built in Tannoy’s UK factory to the very best engineering and quality standards, each Kingdom Royal loudspeaker weighs 120kg.
The pinnacle of materials technology and the summit of Tannoy’s technical excellence, the Kingdom Royal offers an acoustic performance and musical integrity unmatched by any other loudspeaker on the market today.
It is Tannoy’s vision to continue down the path of providing cutting edge audio solutions into all markets in which they are active. A rich heritage, class leading technology and an inspired team of people combine with a classic brand name to ensure that the company will continue to make history by living up to its mission statement: Tannoy is a leading innovator of premium audio solutions utilising cutting edge acoustic, electronic and digital expertise.
For further information visit: www.tannoy.com Email: [email protected] or Tel: +44 (0) 1236 420199
