Tannoy is gearing up to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the iconic Autograph loudspeaker by introducing the highly anticipated Autograph 12 at Europe’s prestigious HIGH END show on 9 May.
Tannoy’s latest speaker model, the Autograph 12, is a tribute to the brand’s legendary dual concentric drive unit, combined with modern enhancements. Attendees can get a sneak peek of this cutting-edge speaker at HIGH END 2024 in Munich from 9-12 May, before its official release later in the year.
The Autograph 12 continues the tradition of Tannoy, integrating advanced technology to deliver the numerous advantages of dual concentric design to today’s audiophiles.
A two-way floorstander, optimised for larger living spaces, the Autograph 12 is assembled in Tannoy’s UK factory in Hamilton, Scotland, including the speaker’s latest-generation 12-inch dual concentric drive unit.
Handmade from high-density birch ply, the cabinet boasts a premium construction and is elegantly finished with a walnut veneer that effortlessly complements any interior design.
Dual Concentric Driver Technology explained:
The Dual Concentric delivers even dispersion in the horizontal and vertical planes, providing exceptional off-axis performance.
TANNOY is renowned for developing the first true point-source transducer – the Dual Concentric driver. First developed in 1947, the technology has been subject to constant evolution and refinement over successive decades, taking advantage of new materials, manufacturing methods and ongoing acoustic research. The latest iteration of this technology is found in Tannoy’s industry leading loudspeaker products across a wide range of commercial install and sound reinforcement applications, including premium in-ceiling, in wall and surface mount systems
Unlike ordinary drive units, Dual Concentric is two drivers physically merged into one. The high frequency unit is positioned on the back of the low frequency driver so that they are effectively on the same axis.
Dual Concentric Driver Technology
Sound energy is propagated from exactly the same point and delivered through the centre of the low frequency cone- a true point-source. The Dual Concentric delivers a spherical wave front that ensures even dispersion in the horizontal and vertical planes, providing exceptional off-axis performance.
Discrete driver speaker systems using non-coaxial sources have an inherent design flaw in that each drive unit is an acoustic source of its own. While the components are physically aligned on one axis, they are displaced in source and can only be coherent at one specific listening point. When delays are applied to compensate for driver alignment, signals can only be aligned along a narow listening plane on one axis. Even systems with ratatable horns suffer from a significant ‘suck-out’ in the crossover region, and no amount of DSP processing can correct this phenomenon. The constant directivity characteristic of the Dual Concentric overcomes such time alignment problems
