Tannoy Factory Matched Pair DC-3000 Dual-Concentric Rare Bi-Amp / Bi-Wire MSRP $1,600

Rare & Delicious Factory Matched Pair of Tannoy Dual-Concentric DC-3000 Tower Speakers that are Bi-Amp / Bi-Wire Compatible. Sublime Sonic Gems with Renowned Bass Response Down to 30 Hz in Excellent Condition with All Original Drivers That Are Wired with Van den Hul Interior Cabling and Very Attractive Non-Resonant Black Ash Cabinet. Made in England / MSRP $1,600!

The 85 year old Tannoy brand is one of the oldest and most prestigious names in high end audio, having begun in 1926 out of Scotland. They pre-date such venerable iconic companies like JBL, Klipsch and McIntosh by more than two decades, and continue to be a viable and innovative force in the audio industry. They are famous for developing and manufacturing the “Dual Concentric” point source speaker systems used both in professional studio and extreme high end home environments, and are installed in these incredible speakers. Tannoy is also known for their proprietary drivers and exceptional overall design and build quality that is second to none. Vintage Tannoy Drivers can fetch a small fortune on the used market in pristine condition – a pair of rare 50 year old Tannoy 15” Silvers just sold recently on AudiogoN for $15,000. These are sought after not just for their rarity, but for the stunning beauty of their sonic presentation. While Tannoy is famous for their sonic clarity, their high efficiency, their sublime midrange and their exceptional engineering, they are truly prized for their ability to render the elusive emotional soul of a recording. In the right system they are magic. However, they can be ruthlessly transparent, and will expose harsh sounding amplification or weak elements in your system.

These Tannoy DC3000 speakers are exceptional examples of Tannoy’s famous “Dual Concentric” speaker design – the DC in the model number stands for Dual Concentric. The DC3000 was the Top of the Series 90 Line (DC1000, DC2000 and DC3000) which employed the ground breaking DC2025 8” DMT Dual Concentric driver. These DC3000 speakers are a bit unusual for a Tannoy in that they are voiced much more like the B&W line of speakers, and have both the augmentation of the lower midrange frequency and the excellent dynamic response that B&W is famous for. Unlike many Tannoy speakers, these are live and dynamic - superb rock and roll speakers that not only can rock the house, but they can also deliver the same nuanced vocalization and detail that attracts so many people to the Tannoy brand. Unlike many speaker designs that claim “lower bass through better design”, these Tannoy DC3000 speakers let you fell the results in a real and visceral manner. Room placement is important for thee speakers as you need some breathing room for the rear ports from the back wall, and the Dual Concentric horns are somewhat directional and need to be toed in to the listener for optimum effect. These Tannoys are a 3-way system, with the tweeter handling the frequencies above 2,300 Hz, the 8 inch Dual Concentric midranges handling frequencies from 400 to 2,300 hz, and the lower 8” woofer handling frequencies below 400 Hz. They are a rear ported design with a very interesting slotted rear port right at the bottom of the rear panel. The terminations are set up for either Bi-Amp or B-Wire configuration, and I have the original factory shorting pins if you want to use standard 2-cable speaker wiring.

Functionally the speakers are flawless – they sound fantastic! Cosmetically the drivers have no blemishes or issues. The Dual Concentric design of these speakers is unusual in that the interior tweeter horn is exposed in the center of the upper mid-woofer, and at first glance looks like it is missing the wire or cloth mesh dust caps that Tannoy typically installs in their Dual Concentric drivers. However, nothing is missing, and this is just the way it was designed. This could be an issue if you are in a very dusty environment because the voice coil is exposed, and it would not take much to get lodged in the narrow gap of the voice coil. The cabinets overall are in great shape, with one bumped rear top corner as the only real blemish, although there are numerous other tiny marks and scratches. The grills have been re-covered and look fantastic. Both the cabinet badges and the grill badges are in place.

There is an excellent Tannoy PDF brochure online that describes the design and benefits of these DC3000 speakers as well as other Tannoy Series 90 loudspeakers available from the Tannoy web site.

Tannoy DC-3000 Speaker Specifications:

* Design: 3-Way Design Employing Dual Concentric Coaxially Mounted Tweeter and Midrange, and a Separate Rear Ported Woofer in a 50-Liter Chamber, Bi-Wire / Bi-Amp Compatible

* Drivers:

… High frequency: 25mm (1") soft dome Tannoy model TW2025S
… Mid frequency: 8” DMT Tannoy model DC2025

… Low frequency: 8” Woofer Tannoy model WO2026

* Frequency response: 30 - 25,000 Hz

* Crossover Frequencies: 2,300 Hz / 400 Hz

* Power handling: 10 – 175W

* Sensitivity: 92 dB (2,83V/1m)

* Impedance: 6 ohms

* Dimensions:

… Height: 35.8” (910 mm)

… Width: 10.2” (260 mm)

… Depth: 11.8” (300 mm)

* Weight: 60.8 lbs ea. ( 26.7 kg.) unpackaged

* Colour: Black Ash Cabinet

These excellent Tannoy DC3000 speakers were manufactured entirely in England between 1988 and 1991, retailed for $1,600 and very rarely show up here in the USA. It is so rare that the AudiogoN Bluebook does not have them listed, and I have only seen two sell in the USA in the past 3 years. Here is a terrific opportunity to buy a set that plays like new and is in excellent condition with just minor blemishes. Note that these are large and very heavy speakers, and my preference is not to package them for shipment. As such, I am seeking a local sale. I am happy to deliver for free if you are local to me in the San Francisco, Berkeley or Marin County area.