Tannoy Reveal Series - The Review

Tannoy has a good reputation. That says a lot about their products because a good reputation takes time to build and in their case, more than half a century.

With names like Michael Jackson, Tony Maserati, Beyonce and just about anybody who's anybody in the global music hall of fame written on the package box, you know you've made the right decision right?

Well that depends (I'll explain why soon, just read on).

This post is a personal review of the Tannoy Reveal 502 and it's safe to say since the technology is the same across all siblings in the reveal series, the following should also be true about the 402 and 802.

Physical Appearance

I wouldn't say Tannoy Reveals are the cutest monitors to look at and I would have preferred an LED at the front not rear panel just for aesthetics and to make you more aware your speakers are on. 

Oyibo have a name for everything and one I was particularly happy to see was "poke resistant tweeter". Say you're trying to bring out the monitor from it's package box and accidentally press in the tweeter dome, fear not, it will spring right out once pressure is released.

They also have a front bass firing port and insulation pads underneath them.

I was pleasantly surprised to find two power cables and also pair of mini jack cables for aux/monitor link operations. It was very thoughtful of them to consider multimedia application in the design. So next time someone wants to play a beat or voice note (I know right?) from a phone or tablet, you got the person covered.

Lastly, I thought the labelling on the room control EQ wasn't so intuitive. Rather than "HF cut", "Neutral" and "HF boost" knobs, a "Low cut", "Neutral" and "HF boost" seems more in tune with how most people are used to tweaking their recording spaces. 

However, there might be a reason they chose this approach as the monitors aren't necessarily "boomy", so why cut of more low end right? 

Sound quality

Overall I'd say the speakers produce a tight and well defined bass sound, very present high mids (or low highs) in the 5khz range and rather unflattering highs. The low mids are present too but just enough to sweetly complement other frequencies in the spectrum.

Altogether, a beautiful "one-monitor-fits-all-genres" type of sound emanate from their cabinets. Mix engineers for hiphop, rnb, rock, alternative music, bluegrass and so on will find a sound that's musically pleasing in the reveal series.

Mixing vocals, guitars and percussions on Tannoys would be a thing of joy. Hearing Santi Gold's "Rendezvous Girl" on the speakers revealed a natural warmth in the song that I knew was present but hadn't appreciated that much.

In all honesty, they've been truthful about their claims, and the wide stereo sweet spot so frequently boasted about isn't a hoax too. 

Price

They are fairly priced in between M-audio's BX Series and KRK's Rokit series. A reveal 502 pair costs about N90,000 on SHM Pro Audio.

The Tannoys are undoubtedly great bang for your money when compared to the quality of sound they give.

So why did I initially say admiration for these monitors depends on some factors? Well, monitor love is largely subjective. Some people naturally favour the brightness of a Yamaha or the warmness of a KRK or the openness of an Alesis. 

But then again, who says you can't have more than one studio monitor?



Written by,
Chidi 'Tite' Nnadi