Floorstanding loudspeakers — Tannoy STIRLING III LZ SPECIAL EDITION

The Stirling III LZ Special Edition is a Tannoy two-way tower made as a tribute to the III LZ, the monitor the company released in 1967. Tannoy lists it as a 10 inch Dual Concentric hi-fi model in oiled walnut, and each cabinet is handcrafted by its own team in the UK. Every pair ships with an owner's care package and a Birth Certificate of authenticity.

Key specs that matter

Tannoy quotes a response of 29 Hz to 27 kHz measured at -6 dB, a sensitivity of 93 dB at 1 W and 1 m, and a nominal 8 ohm load with a 5 ohm lowest point. Power handling under IEC is 125 W continuous and 500 W peak, and maximum output reaches 114 dB continuous and 120 dB peak. Nominal dispersion is 90 degrees conical. The coaxial unit combines a 250 mm cone of paper pulp, whose twin roll surround is impregnated fabric, driven by a 52 mm round wire voice coil, with a 52 mm aluminium and magnesium alloy dome on a mylar surround. The cabinet stands 855 mm high, 397 mm wide and 368 mm deep, and one speaker weighs 33.2 kg net or 38.2 kg in its carton.

Engineering and use context

Tannoy says it invented the Dual Concentric layout in 1947, and here the high frequency section works as a compression driver loaded by a Pepperpot waveguide, with an Alnico magnet system behind it. The passive network hands over at 1.1 kHz using time compensated filters of second order on both sides, low loss parts and hard wiring. A front panel carries two treble controls - one shifts the level by up to 3 dB over a shelf from 1 kHz to 27 kHz, the other alters the slope between 5 kHz and 27 kHz from +2 to -6 dB per octave. The enclosure uses a distributed port and a blend of dense wood materials, heavily braced with what Tannoy calls Differential Materials Technology and well damped inside. Finish is oiled walnut veneer behind a nylon grille cloth.

Pairing

Tannoy recommends amplifiers rated between 20 and 250 W. Five 4 mm binding posts with 24 carat plating support separate bass and treble feeds, with the fifth post giving an optional link to the ground or earth terminal of the amplifier. Bi-amping a stereo pair takes four mono or two stereo amplifiers of the same type, and the supplied bridge connectors join the two sections when a single cable run is used. The accessory pack also holds eight spikes, eight feet and a tin of Prestige wood wax.

Alternatives

Tannoy also lists the Stirling GR-OW, a 10 inch Dual Concentric floorstander in the Prestige Gold Reference series.