Tannoy Mercury V4 Floorstanders

StevenKay

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Hi Everyone

Re: Tannoy Mercury V4 Floorstanders

Have read a lot of praise in 'What Hi-Fi' and elsewhere about these floorstanders.

I am thinking of buying them to pair with Marantz PM 6003 Amp and Marantz CD6003 CD Player.

Has anyone tried them? It would be great to get a feedback from the owners about their overall performance, strengths and weakness if any.

How would these compare with Monitor Audio Bronze BX2 and Dali Lektor 2s (though in a different bookshelf category)?

Thanks

Steven
 

gregory

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Depends on your room size, the Tannoys are quite bass heavy, nice speakers and they like free space from what i've heard, i just think floorstanders need a lot space to sound at their best, just from experience.
 

StevenKay

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gregory

Thanks for the response. The room where I intend to install these speakers is 15'x20' in size and there is enough free space to allow the speakers to showcase their brilliance.
 

Esra

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Your selection of speakers doesn´t show a clear line as these sound very different.As soon as you go for an audition you will understand what is meant.Then you can decide what preferences are important to you and what you liked.
 

StevenKay

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Esra

Thanks for your comments. I agree with you but have you auditioned these speakers? Did you like the sound? My quest is to know if these Speakers are pretty good value for money as being hailed.
 

wharfe

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Well.. I won't be able to compare them really to the BX2 and lektors... but my experience tells me that the tannoy will be in a very different league, I currently use wharfedale diamond 10.1 as fronts and they are not all they are cracked up to be, they sound nice but the bass is very wooly for me and they don't like high volumes . If I were looking to replace them and use standmounts.. I woudn't go for the Dali or the BX2. No standmounts I have ever owned really gave me an exciting experience and are more for the casual listener at thier price range. anyway... i'm very much looking forward to the Tannoys and will test them with a wide range of music and post my thoughts A.S.A.P
 

StevenKay

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wharfe

Tannoy Mercury V4 Floorstanders

Thanks for the update. You might have got the pair by now. Shall look forward to your opinion / experience.
 

wharfe

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OK.. I couldn't resist.... for just a few moments I maxed the volume with an " infected mushroom " album

(converting vegetarians)

Diplomatic mode off.....HOLY ****!

Diplomatic mode on... no distortion..powerful punch..unfettered bass depth.. powerful highs but none of the tones were overbearing.
 

StevenKay

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wharfe

That's a great review. I am happy to note that you find the Tannoy Mercury V4's so good. I had a feeling these would be worth buying after reading the high praise in What Hi-Fi. Your experience with them re-inforces that view. Great!

I have already used a Marantz Amp with Tannoys earlier too and was quite satisfied with the combination. I am now considering adding the Mercury V4 to pair with the Marantz PM6003 Amp which has just been delivered.

Wishing you many many hours of happy listening to music on your new V4s.

Thanks.
 

wharfe

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For those may not believe in breaking in speakers... these showed the evidence more than other speakers i've owned.. during the first 3 day use.. there was a distinct harshness to the treble and an un-even volume level across the frequencies... after continuous use.. the treble is now smooth and the volumes are even. I'm consindering switching cables though..... bi-wire cambridge audio ultra 100 silver plated cable may be better than a single QED xt silver cable, I feel i'm missing out on pure bass punch at medium volume.
 

CnoEvil

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wharfe said:
For those may not believe in breaking in speakers... these showed the evidence more than other speakers i've owned.. during the first 3 day use.. there was a distinct harshness to the treble and an un-even volume level across the frequencies... after continuous use.. the treble is now smooth and the volumes are even. I'm consindering switching cables though..... bi-wire cambridge audio ultra 100 silver plated cable may be better than a single QED xt silver cable, I feel i'm missing out on pure bass punch at medium volume.

FWIW My advice would be to try some Atlas (good bass punch) as well before deciding. Silver plated stuff can be bright....at first it sounds very detailed, but after a while it can get fatiguing.

If Atlas isn't available, stick with all copper.

Just my opinion

Cno
 

wharfe

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i'll look into it.. as the V4's use silver plated wiring from crossover to speaker, i'm not keen on using plain copper in the form that is actually affordable. The V4's ability to produce awesome detail at the price.. I feel it has to be silver. the QED xt is very good but maybe a little more for the delicate stuff of classical.. the cambridge 100 bi-wire cable maybe more for the allround music?

I change my copper £5 per meter to the QED and it opened up the bass and everything else. I've already reached my budget and the cambridge is affordable and available.....hmmm decisions decisions.
 

CnoEvil

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wharfe said:
i'll look into it.. as the V4's use silver plated wiring from crossover to speaker, i'm not keen on using plain copper in the form that is actually affordable. The V4's ability to produce awesome detail at the price.. I feel it has to be silver. the QED xt is very good but maybe a little more for the delicate stuff of classical.. the cambridge 100 bi-wire cable maybe more for the allround music?

I change my copper £5 per meter to the QED and it opened up the bass and everything else. I've already reached my budget and the cambridge is affordable and available.....hmmm decisions decisions.

Fair enough..at least you are experimenting and know what you like.

The only reason for my comment, stems from the fact that (IMO) combining two metals with different resistances/properties, is not ideal.

The signal which passes through the silver/outside of the cable (ie. the trebble), travels quicker than the signal that travels through the copper part (ie. the bass), due to the different conductivity of the two metals. This can lead to the brightness.

It's of absolutely no consequence if you like the silver stuff better...many people do.

Regards

Cno
 

wharfe

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Just wanted to make one last post.. I don't wish to divert from Stevenkay's original question as I kind of did earlier.. I'm still experimenting with cables to get the best out of the V4's according to my amp's capabilities...the latest cable i'm testing is from Maplins (bass flex 2.5mm copper) it has a solid core with thin multistrand, so far.. the bass punch is alot better but the treble is harsh and midrange is too strong but I will run it for a few days.

Rest assured though.. (after i've now tried 6 different types of cable.. mostly all copper by the way.. each sounded very different)..... the Tannoy V4's have been a highly engaging experience and I hope they will continue to be for many years to come.
 

StevenKay

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wharfe

"the Tannoy V4's have been a highly engaging experience and I hope they will continue to be for many years to come."

I am very glad to read this. That's what actually matters. I am not sure if changing cables could make a major difference to your listening pleasure. Hope you continue to like the Tannoy V4's as long as you use them. Your opinion has helped me to go for them in due course without doubting their capabilities. Thanks once again.
 

wharfe

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Well.....

I'll start first the downside. They use those god awful black spikes with a small nut that seem to go out of thier way to make the speakers wobble! luckily though I have some good spikes with lock discs so on they went! :) but even with those..it's quite fiddly to level them, but worth it.

I'm NOT going to play them loud yet.. patience is needed to wear them in but, with all new speakers/amp's/CD players etc etc.. I use Mike oldfield's Tubular bells 2.

I've got them 30 centimeters from the front wall (that's the most I can do really)

I know it's not ideal but I use a yamaha AV365 amp. The room is about 18' x 24'

I have a great big smile on my face right now! the detail is excellent! the soundstage is spot on and the bass?... wow! superbly deep and nicely detailed, vocals are excellent too.

I had a max budget of £350.... i'm so glad I spent it on the V4's.

StevenKay... your amp is a goodie! so are these speakers.
 

wharfe

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forgot to mention... they may produce an obvious odour when pushed hard.. it will pass in time, not sure if it's the glue or sealant from the port or cabinets or maybe the internal damping material.

I still can't believe how much speaker I got for my money (BIG GRIN).
 

Cypher

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Taken from the WH review ;

"And, it’s only when you place them up close against a wall that the bass becomes a little intrusive – we’d stick to 60cm or further away for the best results"

So it's a real problem with 30cm away from the wall ?
 
A

Anonymous

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Hi there! :)

I'm a new happy Tannoy Mercury V4 owner. I think there's little to add to what have been said about these speakers. I'm really happy with them so far (Mine arrived last Thursday).

But I've a doubt: can banana plugs be connected? :quest: At the moment I'm only using untermitated cable because I don't know how to connect bananas on these

Any help is welomed :cheers:

PS: And I do have my pair placed about 30 cms from the rear wall, skipes placed, and so far I do not have any problems with resonances. Great bass response, not boomy 8)
 

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