In conjunction with their announcement of the Stirling III LZ Special Edition, Tannoy is also offering up a new speaker line, the Super Gold Monitor Series. This series consists of three sizes: 10, 12, and 15 inches, and offers a classic vintage look with the same core features designed to deliver great sound in a variety of settings, from the recording studio to the living room.
Tannoy’s Monitor Gold loudspeakers were originally launched in the 1980’s, and were used by high-profile recording studios when mixing and/or mastering some of the most iconic albums and soundtracks in history. Artists like Michael Jackson, Elton John, The Eagles, Billy Idol, Depeche Mode, Christina Aguilera, and soundtracks for films like Top Gun, Breakfast Club and Catch Me if You Can had Tannoy speakers as the final link in the signal chain in the studio.
Super Gold Monitor Series
The Super Gold monitor speakers are the perfect companion when listening to music with fast transients and plenty of attack, such as Funk, EDM, Jazz, and World Music. This is accomplished through several features.
Construction: The Super Gold Monitor speakers incorporate 19 mm (3/4″) Particle Board, MDF with plywood internal bracing. The bracing uses DMT (Differential Materials Technology) to couple driver to cabinet
Dual Concentric Drivers: Tannoy invented the dual concentric speaker in 1947, and it has been refined and improved continuously over the decades. The Super Gold incorporates the latest improvements.
In a Dual Concentric design, the woofer and tweeter are merged; with the main benefit being the coherency of the sound coming from a single point. Since sound is coming from the same point, it supports point-source imaging, adding to a spherical wavefront that ensures even dispersion both vertically and horizontally. This provides a wide sweet spot that doesn’t require that the listener sit dead center to experience great music listening with an accurate soundstage.
The dual concentric drivers incorporate ferrite with copper demodulation rings in combination with a high flux magnetic circuit, which performs better than the original 1970s Alnico-designed concentric drivers.
Bass Reflex: To support sound quality further, the Super Gold Monitor speaker enclosure also includes front-mounted ports. The 10 and 12-inch models include two ports, and the 15-inch model provides 3 ports. Mounting the ports on the front allows near-wall or soffit placement, supporting optimal low-frequency performance.
Level and Crossover Control: The Super Gold Monitors provide an easy-to-use front panel two-way energy control system. This allows users to adjust the high-frequency output level and crossover slope to fine sound reproduction to the room environment or listener preference.
Connections: The Super Gold include heavy-duty 24-carat multi-layer gold-plated speaker connection binding posts for optimum signal transmission and integrity. The connections are Bi-Wire compatible.
Tannoy Super Gold Monitor Speaker Line Comparison
| SGM 10 | SGM 12 | SGM 15 | |
| MSRP | $5,998 | $7,998 | $11,998 |
| System | 2-Way Standmount | 2-Way Floorstanding | 2-Way Floorstandng |
| Enclosure Type | Dual Port/Bass Reflex | Dual Port/Bass Reflex | Triple Port/Bass Reflex |
| Low-Frequency Driver | 1 x 10″ (254 mm) paper pulp cone with twin roll impregnated fabric surround, 52 mm (2″) edge wound voice coil | 1 x 12″ (300 mm) paper pulp cone with twin roll impregnated fabric surround, 52 mm (2″) edge wound voice coil | 1 x 15″ (380 mm) paper pulp cone with twin roll impregnated fabric surround, 52 mm (2″) edge wound voice coil |
| High-Frequency Driver | 1 x 1.3″ (33 mm) aluminum/magnesium alloy dome with edge-wound voice coil | 1 x 1.3″ (33 mm) aluminum/magnesium alloy dome with edge-wound voice coil | 1 x 1.3″ (33 mm) aluminum/magnesium alloy dome with edge-wound voice coil |
| Frequency Response (± 6 dB) | 40 Hz – 30 kHz | 38 Hz – 30 kHz | 35 Hz – 30 kHz |
| Recommended Amplifier Power | 20 – 200 W | 20 – 250 W | 20 – 300 W |
| Power handling (IEC) | 100 W continuous 400 W peak | 125 W continuous 500 W peak | 150 W continuous 600 W peak |
| Sensitivity (1 W @ 1 m) | 89 dB | 91 dB | 93 dB |
| Impedance | 8 Ω | 8 Ω | 8 Ω |
| Crossover Frequency | 1.2 kHz | 1.2 kHz | 1.1 kHz |
| Adjustments | ±3 dB over 1 kHz to 30 kHz shelving, ±3 dB over 1 kHz to 5 kHz shelving, 2 dB to -6 dB per octave over 5 kHz to 30 kHz slope | ±3 dB over 1 kHz to 30 kHz shelving, ±3 dB over 1 kHz to 5 kHz shelving, 2 dB to -6 dB per octave over 5 kHz to 30 kHz slope | ±3 dB over 1 kHz to 30 kHz shelving, ±3 dB over 1 kHz to 5 kHz shelving, 2 dB to -6 dB per octave over 5 kHz to 30 kHz slope |
| Connectors | 5 x 4 mm 24ct Tannoy customized binding posts, Bi-wire compatible | 5 x 4 mm 24ct Tannoy customized binding posts, Bi-wire compatible | 5 x 4 mm 24ct Tannoy customized binding posts, Bi-wire compatible |
| Finish | Walnut veneer and high acoustic transparency nylon grill cover | Walnut veneer and high acoustic transparency nylon grill cover | Walnut veneer and high acoustic transparency nylon grill cover |
| Dimensions (HWD) | 350.5 x 309 x 523.2 mm (13.8 x 12.2 x 20.6″) | 447 x 308 x 863.3 mm (17.6 x 12.1 x 40″) | 650.2 x 424.9 x 1033.5 mm (25.6 x 16.7 x 40.7″) |
| Weight | 18.5 kg (40.8 lbs) | 29.4 kg (64.8 lbs) | 50 kg (110.2 lbs) |
Included Accessories
- Accessory pack (included)
- Bi-wire bridge connectors
- Tannoy High-End Loudspeaker Wood Wax
- Rubber feet
Pricing & Availability
Tannoy Super Gold Monitor (SGM) Speakers are available through Tannoy and authorized dealers and distributors at the following prices (per pair).
Related Reading
