Tannoy ST50 Speaker

Tannoy has been in business since 1926. They were founded in London, England and are now based in Coatbridge, Scotland. The top tier Tannoy products are produced in their factory in Scotland, where more affordable equipment is produced offshore, most commonly in China as every other major brand has.

The Tannoy supertweeters were introduced a few years ago as they were incorporated into some of their high-end loudspeaker designs. They have branded their versions and implementations as Wideband sound. This relates to the frequency bandwidth of the speakers and  the added range that the use of their supertweeters permit. Most loudspeakers have a frequency response that only extends in the upper range to around 20kz and some high fidelity units commonly  reach 25khz without too much loss. In very recent years, a few makers have been able to produce tweeters with extended range response out beyond 35khz, which both significantly reduces distortion at the highest audible frequencies and allows more realistic sound reproduction. The supertweeter allows this extended range performance to be added to loudspeaker systems which do not otherwise included such and extended range tweeter. Thus older Tannoy loudspeakers can be brought up to the performance level of the more recent designs.

The ST50 supertweeter is one of three models produced by Tannoy. It represents the most affordable model by the use of a plastic housing and fewer crossover settings. Performance is similar to the other models minus the greater adjustability.

Being a Tannoy dealer for over a decade, I have extensive experience with their products, both in terms of their performance and build, and how they compare to other products. Tannoy has consistently produced exceptional quality products for many decades. Their product lines consist mainly of loudspeakers and they offer high fidelity units for the home, studio monitors, and sound reinforcement products.

Connecting the ST50 supertweeter to a high fidelity loudspeaker which has a warm sound will significantly increase the ability of the speaker to acoustically place recorded sounds in proper space in relation to the loudspeaker cabinets. This is known as the acoustic image and soundstage. Obviously, high frequency extension is improved as well but this is not as important as the life-like 3-dimensional soundscape created. The most notable effect and the most unexpected is the tightening of the bass response! It is uncanny how adding the ultrasonic range can effect the low frequency reproduction of a speaker system but it does not only effect it, it is really the most significant contribution of the device. By allowing all of the energy of the harmonics generated by the lower frequency fundimentals to be reproduced without distortion, the bass comes alive and takes on a more more fast and accurate sound, faithful to the original drum beats, piano hammers, and bass string plucks. This must be heard to be believed but it is absolutely true.

While the Tannoy supertweeters are not a cheap accessory, they are the best way, and perhaps the most afordable way to upgrade an older Tannoy loudspeaker. Much higher quality than some other super tweeters on the market, the Tannoy units will offer lower coloration and better dispersion than others, making for improvements to other proven brands of loudspeakers lacking in HF extension beyound 25khz. There are more cost effective ways to improve a system that has a loudspeaker with good HF extension but if you are not includiing the information beyond the 20khz range with your present set, then these can offer a much more clear window onto the performance.