Tannoy

Tannoy is a British audio brand associated with loudspeakers, studio monitors, public-address systems, and installed sound. Its history began in 1926, when Yorkshire-born engineer Guy Fountain established the Tulsemere Manufacturing Company at a garage in Dulwich, London. The business initially produced battery chargers for wireless radio sets, reflecting the practical electrical-engineering market of the period. In 1928 the company adopted the Tannoy name, derived from “tantalum alloy,” a material used in an electrolytic rectifier developed by the business. The company later operated under the legal name Guy R. Fountain Limited, while Tannoy became the consumer-facing and trademarked identity. The brand expanded from electrical components into sound-reinforcement equipment and became especially prominent through public-address installations. During the Second World War, Tannoy systems were supplied to the armed forces. In 1945, a Tannoy public-address system was used at Buckingham Palace for the announcement of the end of hostilities. The company also supplied speakers to factories that relayed the BBC radio programme Music While You Work. After the war, its systems became familiar at British holiday camps operated by Butlins and Pontins, where announcements to guests helped make the brand name part of everyday British life. Tannoy’s widespread public use had an unusual linguistic consequence. In British English, “tannoy” came to be used informally as a generic noun for a public-address system and as a verb meaning to make an announcement over such a system. The company has continued to protect the Tannoy trademark and has encouraged publications to retain the capitalized brand form rather than use it generically. The brand is particularly identified with loudspeakers using its Dual Concentric design. This coaxial arrangement places the high-frequency driver behind the centre of the bass or midrange driver, allowing the two acoustic sources to occupy a common axis. Tannoy has used the design across domestic hi-fi, monitoring, and professional sound products. Its Prestige range is known for large, traditionally styled cabinets and Dual Concentric drivers, giving the line a distinctly heritage-oriented appearance. Other historical and current product families have covered home audio, studio monitoring, installation, and touring or fixed public-address applications. Tannoy’s manufacturing history includes a major move to Coatbridge, Scotland, in the 1970s. The Scottish location became an important part of the brand’s industrial identity. In 2002 Tannoy was acquired by TC Group. Music Group, later known as Music Tribe, acquired TC Group in 2015. The acquisition prompted discussion about the possible closure of the Coatbridge facility and relocation of activities to Manchester. In 2016, Music Group stated that loudspeaker manufacturing would continue in Scotland and that a new manufacturing facility was planned. Today Tannoy forms part of the Music Tribe group of brands. Its identity combines British audio heritage, professional sound-reinforcement experience, and specialist loudspeaker engineering. The brand’s historical public-address presence, enduring Dual Concentric technology, and Prestige-style domestic speakers remain central to its recognition in the international audio market.

Tannoy traces its origins to 1926, when Guy Fountain founded the Tulsemere Manufacturing Company in a garage on Tulsemere Road in Dulwich, London. Fountain was a Yorkshire-born engineer, and the early business concentrated on battery chargers for wireless radio receivers. The company changed its name to Tannoy in 1928 and established a small factory on Dalton Road in West Norwood before later moving to Canterbury Grove. The former West Norwood location is commemorated by Tannoy Square. The Tannoy name was formed as a syllabic abbreviation of “tantalum alloy,” referring to material used in an electrolytic rectifier associated with the company’s early electrical work. The brand was formally trademarked on 10 March 1932, when the business was registered as Guy R. Fountain Limited. Although the company’s original activities were not limited to loudspeakers, its later development of sound-reinforcement products made Tannoy a familiar name in British public life. During the Second World War, Tannoy public-address equipment was supplied to the armed forces. In 1945, a Tannoy system at Buckingham Palace was used for the announcement of the end of hostilities. The company also supplied loudspeakers to factories across Britain, where they were used to relay the BBC’s Music While You Work programme. In the post-war period, Tannoy systems were installed at Butlins and Pontins holiday camps. Their use for routine announcements, including morning calls to holidaymakers, helped make the brand exceptionally recognizable. This visibility caused Tannoy to become a genericized term in British English for a public-address system. The word is also used as a verb for making an announcement in a public place. Tannoy remains a registered trademark, and the company has monitored media usage in an effort to preserve the brand’s distinct legal and commercial identity. A defining technical development was the Dual Concentric loudspeaker. The design places a high-frequency driver behind the centre of a larger bass or midrange driver, creating a coaxial acoustic source. Tannoy applied the concept to domestic hi-fi loudspeakers, professional monitors, and sound-reinforcement products. The company’s reputation became especially linked to studio monitors and its Prestige home-audio range, whose large cabinets and vintage-inspired styling distinguish them from more minimalist modern loudspeakers. Tannoy’s range expanded over time into domestic, studio, and professional categories. Historical home and monitoring families included Cheviot, Reveal, Gold, Definition, Eclipse, Mercury, Prestige, Classic Monitor, Super Red Monitor, Little Red, Sixes, Profile, Precision, Revolution, Dimension, Eyris, Arena, and related lines. The company also produced speaker cabinets and monitor kits, including Lancaster, System DMT, K3838, and K3808 products. Its professional public-address portfolio developed through successive families such as Wildcats, CPA, T & I, B, V, VS, IQ, VQ, VQNET, VX, VXP, VSX, and VSXNET. In the 1970s the factory moved from Canterbury Grove to Coatbridge in Scotland. The Scottish operation became an important part of Tannoy’s manufacturing heritage. In 2002 the company was acquired by TC Group. Music Group acquired TC Group in 2015, bringing Tannoy into the group that later operated under the Music Tribe name. Following the acquisition, reports suggested that the Coatbridge facility could close and that activities might be transferred to Manchester. In 2016 Music Group confirmed that loudspeaker manufacturing would remain in Scotland and announced plans for a new manufacturing facility. Tannoy remains an active Music Tribe brand. Its present identity is built on the combination of British audio heritage, professional sound-reinforcement experience, Dual Concentric engineering, and distinctive domestic loudspeaker design. The company’s historical role in public announcements and its continued association with studio monitors and Prestige loudspeakers give it recognition well beyond the narrower market for specialist audio equipment.

• 2016

  Scottish manufacturing retained

  [1]Tannoyen.wikipedia.org

  Music Group confirmed that Tannoy loudspeaker manufacturing would continue in Scotland and that a new facility was planned.

• 2015

  TC Group acquired by Music Group

  [1]Tannoyen.wikipedia.org

  Music Group acquired TC Group, placing Tannoy within the group that later became known as Music Tribe.

• 2002

  Acquired by TC Group

  [1]Tannoyen.wikipedia.org

  Tannoy became part of TC Group.

• 1970

  Manufacturing moved to Scotland

  [1]Tannoyen.wikipedia.org

  The company moved its factory from Canterbury Grove to Coatbridge in Scotland during the 1970s.

• 1945

  Buckingham Palace public-address use

  [1]Tannoyen.wikipedia.org

  A Tannoy public-address system was used at Buckingham Palace to announce the end of hostilities.

• 1932

  Tannoy trademark registered

  [1]Tannoyen.wikipedia.org

  The Tannoy brand was formally trademarked on 10 March 1932, when the business was registered as Guy R. Fountain Limited.

• 1928

  Tannoy name adopted

  [1]Tannoyen.wikipedia.org

  The company changed its trading name to Tannoy and opened a small factory in West Norwood.

• 1926

  Tulsemere Manufacturing Company founded

  [1]Tannoyen.wikipedia.org

  Guy Fountain established the company in Dulwich, London, initially producing battery chargers for wireless radio sets.

A heritage British loudspeaker brand positioned around specialist acoustic engineering, Dual Concentric driver technology, professional monitoring, and traditionally styled high-end domestic speakers.

• Home hi-fi loudspeakers

  Prestige Series

  Tannoy’s best-known heritage-oriented domestic loudspeaker family. Prestige models combine large, traditionally styled cabinets with the company’s Dual Concentric driver approach. The range is associated with high-end home listening and a vintage-inspired visual language, making it a central expression of Tannoy’s British audio identity.

• Loudspeaker technology

  Dual Concentric

  Tannoy’s signature coaxial loudspeaker architecture places a high-frequency driver behind the centre of a bass or midrange driver. The arrangement aligns the two drivers on a common axis and has been used across domestic loudspeakers, studio monitors, and professional systems. Dual Concentric is a Tannoy trademark and a defining part of the brand’s technical reputation.

• Studio and home loudspeakers

  Gold Series

  A Tannoy loudspeaker family associated with the company’s monitor and high-fidelity heritage. The Gold name has been used for products built around Tannoy’s coaxial driver expertise and intended for critical listening or monitoring applications.

• Studio monitors

  Reveal Series

  A studio-monitor line developed for nearfield monitoring and professional or project-studio use. The series extended Tannoy’s activities beyond large heritage hi-fi speakers into more compact monitoring formats; the reference material identifies some Reveal products as made in China.

• Studio monitors

  Classic Monitor

  A monitor family reflecting Tannoy’s long-standing use of coaxial driver engineering in professional listening environments. The related K3838 monitor kit was described as similar to the Classic Monitor line.

• Professional sound reinforcement · 2009

  VQ and VQNET Series

  Professional loudspeaker systems developed for public-address and sound-reinforcement applications. VQNET represents the networked or system-oriented extension of the VQ family, illustrating Tannoy’s move from conventional public-address equipment toward integrated professional deployment.

• Professional sound reinforcement · 2011

  VX and VXP Series

  Professional loudspeaker families introduced as part of Tannoy’s modern sound-reinforcement portfolio. They served applications requiring scalable loudspeaker systems for touring, installation, or other professional audio environments.

• Professional sound reinforcement · 2012

  VSX and VSXNET Series

  Later professional loudspeaker families in Tannoy’s public-address and networked sound portfolio. VSXNET extended the VSX concept with network-oriented system integration.

• 2016

  Retain Scottish loudspeaker manufacturingStrategy

  Background

  Following discussion of a potential closure of the Coatbridge site and relocation of activities to Manchester, Music Group reviewed the manufacturing plan.

  Action taken

  Music Group confirmed that Tannoy loudspeaker manufacturing would continue in Scotland and that a new facility was planned.

  Aftermath

  The decision preserved the brand’s connection with Scottish manufacturing and its established Coatbridge heritage.

  Source

• 2015

  Transfer into Music Group ownershipM&A

  Background

  Music Group acquired TC Group, which owned Tannoy.

  Action taken

  Tannoy became part of Music Group’s collection of audio brands, later associated with Music Tribe.

  Aftermath

  The ownership change led to uncertainty about the future of Tannoy’s Coatbridge manufacturing operation.

  Source

• 2002

  Join TC GroupM&A

  Background

  Tannoy entered a new ownership phase as the audio company was acquired by TC Group.

  Action taken

  The brand was integrated into TC Group while continuing to operate under the Tannoy name.

  Aftermath

  Tannoy later transferred to Music Group through Music Group’s acquisition of TC Group.

  Source

1. 1Tannoyen.wikipedia.org