[steve@soundbp.com]

Hello,
Does anybody have any experience of Tannoy V series speaker boxes?Especially the V12? They seem to be very cost effective boxes that won't break the bank if one bulk purchases!Usage looking for: Conference audio, small gig boxes & stage foldbacks in conjunction with a large FOH main PA.
Many ThanksSteve

[paulears]

They've changed the V series recently, with a new but similar range coming on stream. I think Tannoy users have a bit of a 'club' thing going on, a bit like the 'bose' club. You either love them, or hate them, like Marmite. I quite like the sound - it's just a little different to systems with separate drivers. The dual concentric speakers do have a tone of their own, but it's one I like. I installed some in a nightclub venue and they were all flown - plenty of hanging points, and sideways mounting works fine. Back in the late 90s I had a pair of 12" studio versions too, and loved them. I'd recommend you have a listen, because they do have a characteristic sound. I'm not sure if its the way the drivers are aligned, but the sound balance stays pretty constant as you move side to side. They don't blend well with other conventional loudspeakers. I tried adding them as fills in my venue when the nightclub closed, but they seemed to fight with the other system, and I couldn't seem to find a matching eq so that the two systems blended together - no matter what I did, there was a difference to the sound of the Tannoys and the rest. Both, on their own were great - they just did not work together. This wasn't a problem when we tried them as stage monitors. For their size, I found the Tannoys would run very loud for the input.

[cedd]

I have a set of 4 very poorly V12's currently sat in my garage. They've come out of a local venue and are currently awaiting a financial decision on if it's worthwhile going ahead with a repair. All 4 HF drivers are shot and 2 of the LF drivers are as well. They've suffered some pretty intense abuse!

I don't believe any of the above reflects poorly on them at all actually - like I say, they've been hit with the audio equivalent of a sledgehammer, it merely explains how I come to know the cabinets;

When they were working they sounded pretty nice. I'll echo Paul's sentiments that they do sound slightly different to a standard cabinet arrangement. I can't quite put my finger on what it is. I actually prefer these. Especially for theatre work they sound a little more, dare I say it, "gentle", maybe "warm". I hate woolly audio terms like that, but I haven't heard enough of them to start talking numbers and frequencies so generic words will have to do!
I can speak with a bit more authority on their construction though. First thing's first, they're heavy! The 90x90 dispersion pattern makes them a really useful box for filling a space. The foam covered grilles are a little susceptible to damage, though it's only superficial to the foam, the grille itself is actually pretty sturdy. Flying points everywhere! These 4 have yokes to hang them on their side which look pretty useful. They've got the usual black wooden cabinet finish, though I'd say maybe they're built more for life flown on a bar than life in the back of a truck. Look after them and they should be fine though.
There's a nice little trick they've built in for arraying them where (apparently) if you flip one box upside down and stick it next to another one, the slopes on the trapezoidal cabinets mate to give you the optimum arraying angle. Never tried it!

I've got a few of them open at the minute, so if there's any specific info you want on their construction then let me know.

[Original Beef]

I have used the V8's and V12's on hundreds of occasions whilst working as a freelancer for a conference company. I always found them to be nice sounding boxes with no issues at all in a conference environment. I've used them for monitors for bands on a few occasions and had some compliments from the band members.

The only negative I can think of is that I have had to replace some drivers for this company in the V8's over the years and once in a V12 (when other people have used them!!!) but I guess any speaker will blow if abused enough.

[steve@soundbp.com]

I have not really seen these speaker boxes but do they look quite bulky?

Esp when being used as foldbacks??

[paulears]

They're not really too bad - size wise. They were quite good for bands on risers. Probably not low profile enough for some uses, I agree. Dual concentrics do behave a little different for holdback use because on many designs, the HF spreads quite wide, but isn't too tall, and a bit of movement can make the HF feedback response a bit easier to cope. With the dual concentric design - HF response is of course circular, so left to right aiming is a bit more tricky to get right.