Tannoy AMS-10A
Tannoy's first active nearfield - a ten-inch dual-concentric with the crossover and the amps built in, at a price that made engineers do a double take.
Overview
Five thousand nine hundred ninety-five dollars a pair. In 1995 that was the first thing a studio owner noticed about the Tannoy AMS-10A, the company's first active monitor. It is a ten-inch dual-concentric with the amplification and crossover built into the cabinet. EQ (September 1995, p.74) said in its audition that the AMS-10A was Tannoy's first active version of its studio monitors, and that it improved on the existing line by optimizing the external variables in the loudspeaker system.
The layout is the classic Tannoy point-source design. The ten-inch dual-concentric driver puts the high-frequency unit coaxially at the center of the low-frequency cone, so everything radiates from a single point. EQ (September 1995, p.74) noted that this approach let Tannoy optimize both amplitude and phase response without massive filters. That is why the AMS-10A runs a minimal crossover and offers what the reviewer called an extremely transparent view of the audio world. Internal components were held to a 1-percent tolerance, and that matching between left and right units is a big part of why the stereo imaging holds together.
The amplifier module is where the AMS-10A departs from the passive monitors before it. It is a beautifully anodized unit flush-mounted into the rear of the cabinet, with a series of toggle switches for low-frequency boost and high-frequency boost/cut. EQ (September 1995, p.76) found the HF Boost setting useful for restoring a familiar sense of air on recordings, and said it never turned harsh or sibilant. The rear panel also carries extensive heat-sink fins, and EQ observed that those fins kept the monitor from showing stress even at full power for extended periods. Sixteen FET devices provide the output power, eight per band. A large toroid transformer allows the high sustained SPLs without limiting or audible power compression.
Tannoy deliberately left limiters out. EQ (September 1995, p.78) reported that unlike many active monitoring systems, the AMS-10A has no limiters and no high-level bandwidth reduction. Instead, a 6th-order filter slope and a thermal switch in the low-frequency amplifier's feedback circuit are expected to ensure long-term reliability. The reviewer's take was that Tannoy was anticipating sophisticated users. The monitor doesn't protect you from yourself, but it also doesn't color the sound when you push it.
The frequency response is quoted at 35 Hz to 25 kHz. EQ (September 1995, p.76) found the low-frequency performance improved over the passive ten-inch driver, with more punch and better damping. The reviewer was candid that anyone wanting chest-pounding sub-bass should add a dedicated subwoofer for the bottom octave. The same audition noted the AMS-10A had slightly more low-mid than the reviewer was used to, a touch of warmth that became familiar quickly. On orchestral material the monitor tracked the full dynamic range without stress or shift in balance. On rock it stayed punchy and full even at high sustained volumes, with volume changing the sense of proximity but never the tone.
Compared directly against the Tannoy DMT-10II, essentially the passive version of the same monitor, EQ (September 1995, p.76) called the improvement remarkable. The AMS-10A was more pleasant to listen to and better balanced between low and high mids. The characteristic peak at 13 kHz in the passive DMT-10II was gone, along with the sense that the passive model ran a little bright. Mechanically, the AMS-10A uses a larger "Space Frame" cabinet, redesigned ports, and a new soft "tulip" waveguide.
The audition also compared the AMS-10A against JBL Control series monitors and Quad electrostatic loudspeakers, all passive and driven by a Hafler P3000. EQ (September 1995, p.74) reported that the Tannoy's linear response and well-behaved low end made it disappear, leaving only the music. The others gave away their presence through tonal color changes, low-end resonance, or sibilance. On recent recordings the reviewer heard details that hadn't come through the large JBL monitors or the older Tannoy NFM-8s in the control room. The AMS-10A is, in that reviewer's words, a great loudspeaker for comparing microphones.
Two cosmetic details distinguish it from the rest of the Tannoy monitor line: a stately slate finish, and a blue LED power indicator. EQ (September 1995, p.78) framed the price argument directly. The cost may seem high for a set of nearfield monitors, but weighed against buying the loudspeakers, an active crossover, and two stereo power amplifiers separately, the other advantages may just be a bonus. The same piece noted the AMS-10A would soon be joined by the AMS-210A (an active dual ten-inch subwoofer), the AMS-8 (an active eight-inch dual-concentric), and the AMS-12A (an active twelve-inch dual-concentric). Tannoy's North American dealer network for the AMS line was listed in the pages of EQ through the late 1990s, and the AMS-10A appears in those agency listings alongside the AMS-8A, AMS-12A, and AMS-210A.
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