By this time the range had expanded to include 12-inch and 10-inch models, while the speakers’ superb reputation had filtered through to the domestic market, with many hi-fi enthusiasts building their own cabinets to house them. 1958 saw the introduction of the Monitor Red, which, alongside the Monitor Gold (1967), became the most revered of all Tannoy Dual Concentrics. The original design was so good that it remained basically unchanged for almost 30 years, although modifications were made along the way to give improved power handling and sensitivity. This approach eliminates the subtle phase shifts that all conventional multi-driver speaker systems suffer from to a certain degree, and provides very accurate and natural sound reproduction that is, in some ways, similar to electrostatic panel speakers. The main benefit of Tannoy’s patented Dual Concentric design was that it performed as a point-source, with the full-frequency sound emanating from a single spot rather than having several drivers handling different parts of the audio spectrum at various points across a monitor’s front baffle. This original design boasted a power handling capacity of 20 watts and was efficient enough to be driven to high SPLs by the low-powered valve amplifiers of the day. Originally marketed as the Concentric Dual but more usually known as the Monitor Black, this loudspeaker was a coaxial design, meaning that the high-frequency driver (tweeter) was situated in the centre of the 15-inch main woofer cone. Fifteen years later, the company launched its most iconic product, the Dual Concentric loudspeaker. The Tulsemere Manufacturing Company was formed in 1926 by Guy R Fountain, with the name Tannoy – an abbreviation of tantalum lead-alloy – appearing in 1932. Just as the name Hoover is often used to describe any make of vacuum cleaner, certain types of public address systems – such as those installed at railway stations, sports stadiums and schools – are commonly referred to as Tannoys. If all the legendary pro-audio brands that we have featured in this series, only one can claim to be so well-known to the general public that it has earned a place in the English dictionary.
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