Posted on Tue, 23 May, 2017
Posted by Bob

The Tannoy Revolution XT Mini may well qualify as the world’s smallest, true Dual Concentric speakers, delivering big performance in a small package.

As audio enthusiasts, big-box speakers are loved near unanimously; big impressive boxes that rattle one’s fillings loose and make a big statement. There’s that word though, BIG, and sadly life often requires us to make sacrifices in terms of size and budget.

Enter, the Tannoy Revolution XT Mini; a teeny-tiny speaker which promises big performance at an extremely reasonable price…

Tannoy Revolution XT Mini

Tannoy Revolution XT Mini – Genuine Dual Concentric Performance

The Tannoy Revolution XT Mini is the smallest of the Tannoy Revolution XT line; Revolution XT represents Tannoy’s efforts to bring genuine Dual Concentric loudspeakers to an affordable price point.  Tannoy’s Dual Concentric technology is the cornerstone of Tannoy’s heritage, and it’s great to see it in a package this small and accessible.

Dual Concentric loudspeakers (and *only* Tannoy can call their speakers Dual Concentric) place the high-frequency driver at the centre of the mid/bass driver. This ensures the legendary phase coherence, time alignment and transparency that made Tannoy Dual Concentrics the monitoring choice of some of the world’s most famous studios.

Small on Size – Big on Quality

Tannoy’s baby Dual Concentric occupies a particularly compact footprint of just 272 x 152 x 199mm. In real world terms, they’re about half the size of a typical bookshelf speaker. This makes them ideal for situations where physical space is at an absolute premium.

Got a home office? Need to gain some valuable desk space back? XT Mini! Need a pair of unobtrusive speakers for the bedroom perhaps? XT Mini! Their small size makes them *true* bookshelf speakers, in the modern sense – being barely larger than a hardback novel.

Tannoy Revolution XT Mini Rear

Build quality, fit and finish are superb, with a choice of attractive Dark Walnut or Medium Oak veneers. The cabinets themselves follow a trapezoidal shape to reduce colouration and enhance detail. A carefully designed rear port arrangement is designed to allow bass punch below 70Hz – very respectable for a cabinet of these dimensions.

Big speaker specifications in a Small package

Just because you’ve had to compromise on size, doesn’t mean you should have to compromise on sound or specification. To this end, the Tannoy Revolution XT Mini packs specifications worthy of larger speakers at larger price-points.

Sensitivity is a credible 88db with recommended amplifier power 25-100w; a good pairing then for most any modern integrated amp, or indeed an excellent upgrade for a high-end ‘all in one’ system’s bundled speakers.

Tannoy Revolution XT Walnut

Frequency response is quoted as 68Hz- 52 kHz – a remarkable HF extension for any speaker; whilst it’s true that trouser-flapping bass isn’t on the cards here, bass can always be augmented, whilst a coloured, inaccurate presentation can never be escaped.

We’d perhaps recommend pairing the Revolution XT Mini with Tannoy’s compact, TS2.8 Sub if deep, low LF extension is required. The partnering would create a wide-rage system which would integrate into virtually any domestic situation with style and ease.

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