Tannoy SGM-10B
A ten-inch dual-concentric studio reference that studios paired with a $650 retrofit crossover just to hear what it could really do.
Overview
The SGM-10B is a ten-inch dual-concentric reference monitor from Tannoy's professional line, and the clearest evidence of what it meant to a working studio isn't in a spec sheet — it's in the fact that The Mastering Lab built a dedicated retrofit crossover for it. That's the story here: a monitor serious enough that a respected mastering house designed a high-resolution replacement network specifically for it, sold as the Model 10.
The Model 10 was a retro-fit, high-resolution crossover for the SGM-10B, designed for internal cabinet installation and intended for near-field monitoring. It carried a list price of $650 a pair, installation included, and its infinitely variable balance control let engineers dial in precise matching for their monitoring requirements. When a third-party company stakes $650 and a bespoke circuit on your speaker, that's a verdict of its own. Mix (April 1990, p.129) covered the Mastering Lab Model 10 in its new-products column.
Tannoy's own catalog placed the SGM-10B at $1,798, per a contemporary dealer listing — positioning it well above the company's smaller near-fields. The same listing shows the PBM-6.5 at $338, the PBM-8 at $478, the AVM at $548, and the NFM-8/DMT at $998, so the SGM-10B sat at the top of that particular near-field group. Tannoy introduced the SGM-10B as part of its Series SGM-10B line of studio monitors, announced alongside a 12-inch 12X monitor and a 15-inch 1000 monitor, with the dual-concentric studio monitor concept carried through the range.
The dual-concentric driver is the heart of the design — a single point-source arrangement that Tannoy built its studio reputation on. That's the reason the SGM-10B turns up in the monitor lists of serious rooms rather than just project studios. Barking Doctor in Mount Kisco, New York — Mick Guzauski's room, working on Boyz II Men and Mariah Carey sessions — ran the SGM-10B 10-inch dual concentric reference alongside the SRM-10B and a Mastering Labs crossover network, per EQ (February 1996, p.28). Sanctuary Studio in Rumson, New Jersey, the room Jon Bon Jovi owned with engineer Obie O'Brien, listed Tannoy SGM 10B's in its monitor complement in EQ (August 1993, p.24). These are working rooms with credits, not showrooms.
What the SGM-10B asks of an owner is patience and a good ear. The stock network is functional, but the existence of the Mastering Lab retrofit tells you the speaker rewards upgrading — engineers who bought the Model 10 were chasing a more resolved top end and tighter balance matching than the factory crossover delivered. That's not a knock on Tannoy so much as a comment on how far the dual-concentric driver could be pushed.
Collectors and studio buyers should note that the SGM-10B is a professional monitor, not a hi-fi speaker, and it was sold and serviced through Tannoy's pro channels. Tannoy North America exhibited the SGM-10B at trade shows as part of its studio monitor lineup, and the model appears in dealer listings aimed squarely at the recording market. Original list was $1,798 for the speaker and $650 a pair for the Model 10 crossover — a meaningful investment at the time, and one that tells you exactly who Tannoy built this for.
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