In May 2014, I took a look at Tannoy’s Precision 6.1 standmount loudspeaker – a beautifully designed, well-engineered, and great-sounding product. Here we have its bigger brother, the floor-standing Precision 6.2.
Aesthetically, the precision 6.2 offers the same beautifully curved cabinet and high gloss finishes as the 6.1 model. It’s tall, slim rear-ported cabinet fits well in many living spaces and compliments any decor – with its sturdy, cloth-covered wooden grilles reaching almost all the way down to the plinth, protecting the front of the cabinet and its array of drivers from harm.
Those drivers include a 150MM (6”) Precision Dual-Concentric driver, situated above a second 6” bass driver. Tannoy’s dual-concentric driver design places the tweeter, a 1” titanium dome unit, in the throat of a 6” woofer. This design is commonly referred to as a ‘Single-Point Source’ design, and, as its name suggests, allows all frequencies to emanate from the same point in space, so they reach the ear concurrently.
These custom-designed drivers feature Tannoy’s latest titanium dome high freuqncy unit, coupled with their signature Tulip Waveguide™. The midd/bass drivers feature a cone made from an ultra-fidget Multi-Fibre Pupl material, with a rubber roll surround and double magnet motor system to enhance focus of the magnetic field in the voice coil gap. The drivers are coupled to the cabinet using Tannoy’s unique DMG (differential materials technology),
The 29.3L cabinet employs a stabilising plinth, similar to that found on the Revolution DC6T SE model. And that curvy cabinet isn’t just designed to look good – the flat front and rear baffles and curved sides are designed to reduce internal standing waves, resulting in a cleaner, clearer sound that more accurately conveys the message in the music.
The precision 6.2, and its bigger brother the 6.4, include a Mass-Loading Cavity (MLC) – unscrewing the plinth reveals a round compartment into which dry sand or other materials can be added to add weight and increase the speaker’s centre of gravity, resulting in greater stability and tighter bass response. I found that adding mass to the cabinets does indeed make a difference, and certainly makes them more stable. The fixings securing the inner compartment cover could be improved – on my speakers, they would often slip out of the wood as I was screwing the cover back into place.
The plinths also feature top-adjustable spikes. These spikes screw in from the bottom, with large locking nuts keeping them tightly locked in place. They can be adjusted via holes in the top of the plinth using the provided key, so there’s no need to tip the speaker over to level things up. Substantial floor cups are also provided to protect wooden flooring.
The precision crossover is a hard-wired design. Hard-wiring, as opposed to using a PCB results in a cleaner, shorter signal path with less signal loss. The crossovers boast high-specification components (including low-loss laminated core inductors). The crossover here is designed for perfect integration between the Dual-Concentric driver and bass driver. Crossover frequencies for the Precision 6.2 are 170HZ/1.6KHZ.
Around back, you’ll find the plastic bass port, as well as Tannoy’s unique 5-point terminal block. This terminal block features terminals for bi-wiring, and an earthing terminal used to earth the speaker to the chassis of the amplifier to further reduce interference. Small wire jumpers are provided should you wish to use the speakers in single-wire mode. The terminals themselves are plastic, but well-engineered and substantial – no quality complaints here.
Indeed, high build quality and attention to detail is consistent across the board. Even the packaging is well designed, each speaker wrapped in cloth to protect the finish and reinforce the luxurious feel. The grilles feature wooden frames unlike the plastic found on many speakers at this price point, and they’re held in place by strong magnets concealed within the front baffle.
As with any speaker equipped with a dual-concentric, or ‘Single-Point Source’ driver, proper positioning is a must to obtain the best results. The speakers should be place between 1.5-4.5M apart, depending not eh size of your room. Ideally, the aim is to form an equilateral triangle between your listening position and the speakers themselves, with the speakers angled inwards by roughly 15 degrees so that the centre of the dual-concentric drivers point towards your ears when seated. Your seating position should also place the centre of the dual-concentric driver approximately at ear height.
Due their their rear-ported design, the Precision 6.2s don’t take kindly to being pushed up against a rear wall. Ideally, placing them 60CM or so from a wall will yield the best results, though you can get by with half of that if necessary.
Before any serious or high volume listening, it’s imperative that you give these speakers some run-in time. I found that over a period of 2 weeks providing background music, the Precision 6.2s opened up considerably. There was far greater extension in the low frequencies as the cone suspension loosened up, and the highest became much sweeter and more detailed. However, even fresh out of the box, the Precision 6.2s offer a up a sweet, warm presentation that is in instant winner.
The 6.2s are just as comfortable with Jack Johnson’s ‘Better Together’ as they are belting out Queen’s ‘Fat Bottomed Girls’. Position them properly, and the stereo image is beautifully defined and 3-dimensional. There’s a definite sense of height to the 6.2s presentation, giving a greater sense of realism especially during live recordings.
In summary – Just like their little brothers, the Precision 6.2s are fantastic sounding speakers. There soul-stirring sound is instantly likeable, and they get better the longer they’re played. Pair them with the right amp and these speakers will take you on some memorable musical journeys. Highly recommended.
