Tannoy KENSINGTON GR-OW

At 37 kg and standing over a meter tall, these speakers fill a room and then some.

Overview

The Tannoy KENSINGTON GR-OW is a floorstanding loudspeaker. It sits second from the top of Tannoy's Prestige Gold Reference line. Production years for the GR-OW variant are undocumented, but its sibling, the Tannoy Kensington SE, was produced from 2010 to 2014, which puts the GR-OW in the early 2010s. These are big speakers with a big price, and they pair vintage-inspired looks with modern construction. Owners report a presence that's both imposing and elegant, built on over half a century of speaker engineering.

Despite the weight and size, the KENSINGTON GR-OWs are very easily driven and respond well even to modest amplification. Reviews note good pairings with low-powered class D streamers like the Pro-Ject Stream Box DSA and integrateds such as the Naim UnitiQute2. There's also a strong suggestion in the audiophile community that tube amplifiers bring out their full character. The dual concentric driver, Tannoy's signature innovation, is central to their performance and gives a cohesive, spacious soundstage. Setup matters. Reportedly the speakers do best aimed directly at the listening position and used without grilles, though they look striking with the grilles in place.

Specifications

Manufacturer	Tannoy
Product type	Speakers
Design type	two-way distributed port design
Driver type	dual concentric driver
Tweeter description	large 2”/52mm aluminum/magnesium alloy diaphragm loaded into a very long gold-anodized steel horn
Woofer description	10”/250mm mid/woofer cone made from paper pulp with synthetic micro-fiber additives
Frequency Response	29 Hz - 27 kHz (-6 dB)
Sensitivity	93dB sensitivity (2.83V/1m)
Nominal Impedance	8Ω nominal impedance not crossing 5Ω
Dimensions (H x W x D)	1100 x 406 x 338 mm
Net weight	37 kg
Cabinet material	18mm veneered plywood
Cabinet finish	All wooden surfaces are waxed rather than lacquered
Terminals	fantastic WBT Nextgen speaker terminals on the rear
Terminal count	there are five terminals, the odd one out a ground connection for the driver chassis

Key Features

Dual Concentric Driver with Pepperpot Horn

The heart of the KENSINGTON GR-OW is Tannoy's dual concentric driver, a design first developed in 1947 and still considered the "pearl in Tannoy's crown." The tweeter has a large 2”/52mm aluminum/magnesium alloy diaphragm loaded into a long gold-anodized steel horn. The characteristic holes in the throat gave it the "Pepperpot" nickname. The diaphragm's Mylar suspension includes venting holes, and a damped acoustic rear cavity helps reduce resonance. The aluminum voice coil contributes to fast transient response, while the horn geometry ensures controlled dispersion and high efficiency.

10” Paper Composite Woofer with Alcomax 3 Motor

The mid/woofer is a 10”/250mm unit made from paper pulp with synthetic micro-fiber additives, which balances stiffness and damping. It's driven by an Alcomax 3 motor system, an iron/nickel alloy enriched with aluminum, cobalt, and other rare metals, known for high magnetic density and stability. The driver sits in a die-cast basket painted gold and is secured with ten golden bolts.

Distributed Port Design with Vertical Baffle Slots

Instead of a traditional port, the KENSINGTON GR-OW uses a distributed port system. The rear of the driver is loaded by narrow vertical slots along both edges of the front baffle. This helps reduce port noise and turbulence while extending bass response, and it lets the speaker produce deep, articulate low frequencies despite its sealed look.

Cryo-Treated Crossover with Premium Components

The crossover operates at 1.1kHz using second-order high- and low-pass filters. It's assembled point-to-point with 99.99% pure silver wires, and the high-frequency section uses 99.9999% pure PCOCC copper leads. Polypropylene capacitors bearing the Tannoy logo are used, along with a mix of iron-core (low-pass) and air-core (high-pass) coils. The whole crossover assembly gets deep cryogenic treatment, a process believed to stabilize molecular structure in metals and improve long-term performance consistency.

Gold-Plated Baffle Switches and Grounding Scheme

Gold-plated switch terminals on the front baffle adjust treble level and roll-off slope, so the tone can be tuned to the room and to taste. A dedicated ground connection is provided via one of the five rear WBT Nextgen terminals, the odd one out among the standard bi-wire set. It is intended to reduce system noise when properly implemented. Shielded internal wiring connects the crossover to the terminals, enhancing signal integrity.

Reinforced Veneered Plywood Cabinet with Waxed Finish

The cabinet is built from 18mm veneered plywood with internal chipboard bracing for rigidity, which minimizes panel resonance. The exterior finish is waxed rather than lacquered, giving it a soft, natural feel that ages gracefully. One source describes the construction as particle board with high-density material. The 6moons documentation, a primary technical reference, specifies veneered plywood, which is accepted as the authoritative description.

Historical Context

The form factor of the KENSINGTON GR-OW traces back to the Tannoy Autograph, first introduced in 1953. The dual concentric driver, developed in 1947, remains central to Tannoy's identity. The GR-OW itself has no documented production start or end date.

Collectibility & Value

Original pricing for the Tannoy Kensington GR varied significantly across markets and time. What Hi-Fi? tested it at £9,950 per pair in 2015, while a 2023 Facebook listing for a pair bought new in April 2023 cites an MSRP of £19,995. That suggests either regional variation, inflation, or different configurations. In the US, pricing was reported at $9,895 per speaker or $18,000 per pair around 2019. Today the market includes certified pre-owned units through dealers like TMRAudio, and private listings show "as new" pairs offered at or near original MSRP, indicating strong residual value. No data exists on common failures, maintenance issues, or spare parts availability.