Tannoy Revolution DC4

Reference grade audio is a rare exception in the home entertainment space. When you're looking at buying a TV, there is only so much you can really spend. If you have a whole wad of cash burning a hole in your bank account you can spend five figures and get a 70in display or larger but that's about as far as it goes. With audio, however, that isn't the case. You can spend six figures or more on a single speaker and millions for a complete setup if you so desire.

While the Tannoy Revolution DC4 speakers don't quite fit in that price bracket they are definitely in the reference audio category, with the $1099 price tag fetching you just a two-piece set. That means a full 5.1 setup will be considerably more costly. Still, the phrase 'you get what you pay for' is extremely applicable here as these speakers are phenomenal performers.

Like the Tannoy Mecury F1 Custom that we looked at recently, these speakers don't add much colour to the sound. A lot of users will appreciate their neutrality, but they come across a little analytical at times. This is particularly noteworthy if you're listening to poor quality recordings as they will really bring out the flaws in your tunes. It's amazing what you hear in your favourite songs when they're played back on a high quality system.

We tested just the standard two-speaker setup with no subwoofer, however, if you're going to spend this much for a setup in your house you really should do it justice by purchasing one. As it was, the bass was still impressive. It had a slightly forward presentation, particularly in the higher bass notes and they extended very well. There was a little hollowness in some drum beats but bass guitars and low synth notes were powerful and rich. Decay was not quite as quick on these speakers as some others we've heard but they are in no way what we'd call slow.

The mid range was excellent with brilliant clarity and a very smooth sound. There was no harshness or grittiness to guitar strings, and transitions from one sound to another flowed very nicely. Meanwhile the treble was sweet and extended very nicely. Occasionally it verged on being shrill but it was never particularly harsh or fatiguing.

One of the best elements of the sound was separation. All the different sounds synchronised perfectly with each other while remaining totally independent and identifiable. This is great for complex music with a lot going on as with lesser systems a lot of the fine detail gets lost.

As this is a dual-concentric driver unit, which means bi-wiring is an option, keep that in mind when purchasing a receiver. Of course you can also single wire as long as the provided adapters are in place across the speaker connections.

The models we reviewed are fairly small units all up, especially considering the quality of the audio they produce. They are a little large for shelf speakers but will still fit adequately in most cramped spaces and are a good alternative to larger, floor standing models. The range does, however, come with some larger units as well as a subwoofer, adding some more flexibility.