Compact Tannoy Monitors with Dual Concentric Drivers Arena ICT

Guy R. Fountain founded the company in London in 1926 as the Tulsemere Manufacturing Company, making rectifiers and battery chargers for radio sets. It became Tannoy in 1928, a name taken from the tantalum alloy in his rectifier.

The Dual Concentric. Ronnie Rackham's Dual Concentric driver first appeared as the "Monitor Black" in 1947 or 1948 (sources differ). The Monitor Silver, Red and Gold generations followed through the 1950s and 1960s, then the HPD in 1974.

Scotland. Harman International bought Tannoy in 1974, and production moved from London to Coatbridge, Scotland, in 1976. Managers bought the business in 1981, Tannoy merged with Goodmans in the mid-1980s and joined Denmark's TC Group in 2002.

Today. Music Group, later Music Tribe, bought TC Group in 2015. From 2016 the lower-priced ranges, such as Mercury, were made in China, while Prestige stayed in Scotland, where Tannoy's headquarters and assembly are now in Hamilton.

1970s HPD cabinets: the Arden, Berkeley, Cheviot, Devon and Eaton, all with Dual Concentric drivers. The Arden, Cheviot and Eaton were reissued as the "Legacy" series in 2017.

Mercury (early 1980s onward): the entry range, through many generations. Our best-selling mx3, mx2, mx1 and mxC come from this family.

Profile (1991 to 1994) and Sensys DC (about 2004): Dual Concentric ranges between Mercury and Prestige.

Revolution (1998 onward): cherry-veneered models such as the R1, R2 and R3.

Prestige (1980s onward): the traditional-styled Dual Concentric range, such as the Westminster and Stirling, later in Gold Reference versions.

Definition (2009): birch-ply Dual Concentric models built in Scotland, such as the DC8 and DC10T.

HPD-era surrounds. The surrounds on 1970s drivers rot with age, and many have been replaced. Ask what was replaced and with what.

Dating the drivers. Frame colour alone is not a reliable guide to a Dual Concentric's age; construction details date it better.

Reused names. An Arden, Cheviot or Eaton may be a 1970s original or a 2017 Legacy reissue.

Origin label. From 2016, Mercury and Revolution models were made in China and Prestige in Scotland. Check the label if it matters to you.

Everything we list is inspected, tested and serviced as required here, and comes with our warranty.