Tannoy Autograph Mini Owners manual

Tannoy United Kingdom	T: [phone]	F: [phone]	E: [e-mail]
Tannoy North America	T: [phone]	F: [phone]	E: [e-mail]
Tannoy Deutschland	T: 0180 1111 88 1	F: 0180 1111 88 2	E: [e-mail]

Tannoy Limited, Home Audio Division, Coatbridge, Scotland, ML5 4TF. Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]

0472 6481

O W N E R ’ S M A N U A L

Estd. 1926

Tannoy - A Short History

In the early days of broadcasting radio sets needed both low and high voltage DC power and this had to be supplied by batteries. The lead acid batteries commonly used in the radio equipment of the time therefore needed regular recharging.

In London, in 1926, Guy R. Fountain perfected a new type of electrical rectifier with the aim of designing a charger more suitable for use in the home.

His rectifier consisted of two dissimilar metals held in a special electrolyte solution; one was Tantalum and the other an alloy of Lead. So successful was this invention that Guy Fountain founded a British company by the name of

Tannoy, a contraction of the words 'Tantalum' and 'Alloy', and this brand name soon became internationally renowned and highly regarded in all aspects of sound reproduction.

Early experiments with moving coil loudspeakers with DC energised magnets proved to be the company’s first foray into the field of loudspeaker technology. A discrete two-way loudspeaker system followed in 1933 and shortly after a range of microphones and loudspeakers capable of high power handling. These developments led the company to become world famous in the field of public address and sound distribution, with countless prestigious installations completed in subsequent decades. So much so that the Oxford English Dictionary adopted the word Tannoy as the generic term for a PA system.

Tannoy has always been at the forefront of the communications revolution, developing its own equipment and production technology. The company has built up a fund of knowledge and experience, which has proved invaluable in the development of loudspeakers for an exceptionally wide range of applications. The famous Tannoy Dual Concentric™ loudspeaker driver principle was created and developed under Guy Fountain's direction in the late 1940’s. It is still highly regarded by music enthusiasts, recording facilities and broadcast studios, worldwide due to its unique point source dispersion properties. Due to the complex design, where the high frequency unit is mounted behind, and concentrically with, the low frequency unit, the low and high frequencies are fully integrated at source. It is this feature that gives the Dual Concentric™ driver such unique sound reproduction qualities.

Guy Fountain retired in 1974 but the Tannoy Company maintains his philosophy and, as such, remains dedicated to the accurate and realistic reproduction of music for those enthusiasts and audio professionals around the world.

The Tannoy Research and Development team has continued to refine the innovative Dual Concentric™ principle. Using the latest design and material technologies, with sophisticated circuit techniques in crossover design; Tannoy has produced a loudspeaker system with superb reproductive capabilities and exceptionally wide dynamic range.

The Autograph Mini

	In combining the best of traditional crafts with the latest production and design skills, Tannoy presents the Autograph Mini loudspeaker.
	The Autograph Mini embodies the Tannoy philosophy and is a testament to the original Guy R Fountain Autograph, launched in 1954.
	Cabinets incorporating selected hardwoods are hand finished and polished to a standard that is unsurpassed. The Autograph Mini is a
	truly special loudspeaker. The high performance driver is the smallest Tannoy Dual Concentric™ ever, and includes a multi-fibre paper
	pulp cone for natural midrange and well defined bass. The high frequency section incorporates Tannoy WideBand™ technology, giving
	a more true to life performance. The driver is installed in a damped birch-ply cabinet with hardwood veneers and solid wooden mouldings.
2	Silver-plated van den Hul wiring is used in the low frequency section and 99.99% high purity silver for the high frequencies.
	The carefully optimized crossover includes low loss inductors and specially damped audio grade capacitors.

Unpacking Instructions

Examine all packing material and inspect the carton for signs of external damage. If there is evidence of excessive mishandling in transit, resulting in damage to the loudspeaker, inform the carrier and supplier immediately. Always keep the packing in such circumstances for subsequent examination.

Tannoy strongly suggests that you store the complete packaging set for possible future use.

Initial Positioning

Locate the loudspeakers so that the favourite listening position is approximately 15 degrees _from the axes of the cabinets.

The axes of both cabinets should intersect at a point slightly in front of the listening position. Remember that the proximity of the loudspeakers to walls and corners will affect the sound. Some experimentation will probably be needed to fine-tune the stereo image depth and low frequency sound quality. Close-to-wall positions - and room corners more so - have the effect of increasing very low frequency sound energy. Reflective adjacent walls may upset the stereo image by causing unwanted reflections.

The loudspeakers are designed to be used at least 1m from any sidewall or reflective surface and at least 0.5m away from a rear wall. Only in this position will their exceptional stereo image depth capabilities be realised.

Best results will be obtained by using dedicated loudspeaker stands, and you dealer will be able to advise.

Amplifier Matching

Consult the enclosed product specification sheet as this clearly shows the acceptable power range for amplifier matching to your speakers. The high peak power handling of Tannoy loudspeakers permits responsible use with more powerful amplifiers - please read the Warranty.

As with all loudspeaker systems, the power handling is a function of voice coil thermal capacity. Care should be taken to avoid overdriving any amplifier, as this will cause output overload resulting in 'clipping' or distortion within the output signal. This, if done for any extended period, will cause damage to the speakers.

Generally an amplifier of higher power that is running hard, but free of distortion, will do less damage to the loudspeaker than a lower power amplifier continually clipping. Remember also that a high powered amplifier running at less than 90% of output power generally sounds a great deal better than a lower powered example struggling to achieve 100%. An amplifier with insufficient drive capability will not allow the full performance of the loudspeakers to be realised.

Cable Choice

Always use the best quality of cable available within your budget. High quality audio signals passing from the amplifier to the loudspeaker are unusual in their demands on the cable. Wide dynamic range and frequency bandwidth information has to coexist with the ability to transmit peak currents of at least 10 amps, without incurring any loss or signal impairment. This explains why the sound quality of the information reproduced by the loudspeakers is so dependant on the physical properties of the cables connecting them to the amplifier.

Technically, we recommend two-core cable with cross section area not less than 1.5 square millimeters (1.5mm2) for cable runs of up to 3 metres. For longer lengths you will require to use cable with a minimum cross sectional area of 2.5 square millimetres (2.5mm2). In addition always keep the cable runs the same length for each speaker.

Cable construction can affect the sound quality. Be prepared to experiment to find a cable that suits your ear and audio system.
We do not recommend the use of braided (Litz) or coaxial cables as these have a high capacitance that may affect the stability of certain
amplifiers.	3