Tannoy Arena 5.1 Speaker System

TANNOY ARENA 5.1 SPEAKER SYSTEM REVIEW: Good Looking and Smart Too

October 2006 By ––Clint Walker

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Anyone who has spent time surfing the Web in search of speaker ensembles has likely come across some pretty wild stuff. Gimmicks meant to lure unwary buyers exist around every portal and some are almost too good not to try.

It seems these days that the sexier a speaker looks, the worse it sounds (sounds a lot like my college dating life). When Tannoy unveiled its latest addition at the Consumer Electronics Show this past winter, many journalists could not see past the clean lines, candy colors and euro styling. But having had experience with Tannoy in the past, I knew better. Tannoy has a long standing reputation for delivering on its “gimmicks.”

Unpacking the Arena 5.1 sound system at home was nothing short of mesmerizing. Not only is each piece packed with careful attention, but a hands-on examination of these speakers had me buzzing. The contour and lines are simply fabulous and the build quality is exceptional. The units I received were copper in color and the finish was simply stunning.

Tannoy offers a variety of mounts for the Arena ensemble. And I was a bit taken aback by the notion of having to pay an additional $160 for a “centre channel stand.” It seems that at least a simple stand should be integrated into the design on this component particularly. Having said that, the mounts for the Arena Centre and Satellite speakers are absolutely outstanding and for $150 per pair (sat mounts) they should be. The floor stands are another cause altogether. At $250 per pair, they are again sleek and sexy, but seem to quickly pass the point of diminishing returns. I wouldn’t recommend floor stands for carpeted surfaces.

Getting into the heart of the Arena ensemble, we uncover the Dual Concentric speaker. This design is what set Tannoy apart from the industry several years ago, and the company has only improved upon it since, with the development of the SuperTweeter and the advancement of its WideBand technology.

The Dual Concentric speaker (or speakers) basically installs the tweeter into the midbass (or midrange) driver so that they are on the same axis. I say “basically” because there is much more to this design found in the crossover network. The end result, however, is quite simple: perfectly aligned timing of the mid to upper reaches.

This has become a staple for Tannoy’s line of speakers and absolutely sets them apart from the rest of the industry.

With the speakers in place, I use my 100-watt per channel Rotel receiver as the engine to drive the Arena. This proves to be a wonderful match as the Arena proved to be a masterpiece performance right out of the box. Nevertheless, I allow a run of 24 hours before pushing them further.

The top-end was everything I anticipated it would be. Having owned a much pricier Tannoy Eyris ensemble years ago, I reminisce with excitement and surprise at the promise the younger sibling delivers—brilliant.

The WideBand technology is present, delivering vocals and midrange notes that are impeccable, while the 300-watt, 10-inch Arena Subwoofer establishes anchorage dead center of the sound. It seems almost a shame to abuse these speakers during a theater evaluation.

During cinema testing, the Tannoy Arena really establish themselves as a well-rounded speaker ensemble. What I enjoyed about them during music evaluations, I simply love during the cinema testing. Here, the WideBand Dual Concentric speakers deliver a wide soundstage with a remarkable ability to pinpoint individual sounds during complex scenes. Did I mention these speakers are also good looking? yy