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Tannoy Cheviot Update, FYE
It’s been a few weeks so I figured it was time for an update on the Tannoy Cheviots. I bought these used but they were still quite new and needed some break-in. After 50 hours or so, and several hours of active listening, I’ve decided to send them back. After all, I have a life to lead and the musical reproduction of these speakers makes it impossible for me to do anything else. I sit in the living room to do some work, then find myself staring into space, lost in the richness of tone. I sit down with a pile of laundry to fold, and Jeff Buckley’s version of Lilac Wine puts me in a stupor. I look down 20 minutes later to find I’ve only half-folded a single shirt. A game of chess with my daughter, I snap to when she’s frustrated with how long it’s taking me to make the opening move. But hot damn, how do they make music sound so smooth while sacrificing so little detail?
It wasn’t always this way. When I first got the Cheviots going, they sounded good but were very laid back. They sounded dull for a stretch too. It was during these moments when I really appreciated the crossover controls on the front of the speakers. It was so easy to play with the treble levels and roll off, I could tweak the sound to add a little more energy and/or make the speakers work better in my room. I tried a couple of different speaker positions. These speakers aren’t very fussy about placement, but it does make a difference. I followed
this guide to determine their final position — final before I send them back, of course — and it’s the best so far. The Cheviots are also short for floor-standing speakers. So while the tweeter doesn’t need to be at ear level, when standing the sound was clearly focused on the seated position. So I cut some MDF into small stackable panels and raised the speakers 4”. Problem solved. Now I could slouch in a chair AND stand, and things sounded great.
Then it happened: On a whim, I decided to replace the 6CA7’s that I’ve been loving in my PL/Focal combo, with KT150’s. Oh. My. God. Between these speakers and the PL, the music is like… bacon: Rich in flavor, lots of nuance and texture, yet slides down oh so smooth. But bacon will also clog your arteries.
A friend of mine listening to all of this unfold commented that all that I need now is a nice cigar. I disagreed. I told him with this sound, I don’t need anything at all. And that’s the problem. I have a life to lead. I have children. So the Cheviots are going back. Soon. Very soon.
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