Ever since the founder of Tannoy, Guy R. Fountain, created his dual-concentric drivers, in this writer's humble opinion, no other speaker manufacturer has bettered them. The Ascot T145 is no exception to this rule. In its price range of around £280 in 1979, nothing else could touch it. It's price, allowing for inflation, is the equivalent of around £1,500 in 2024, and I think it's still arguable today, that you'd be unlikely to best the Ascot for £1,500 as well. Dual-concentric drivers are just so hard to beat.
I've had a pair of 1979 Ascots since 1989, when they were given to me for free. They had suffered some cabinet damage, and they were vibrating. I offered to repair them at no charge, and the response was that if I could fix them I could have them, as some new ones had already been ordered. I repaired the cabinets, and re-fitted the outer o-rings, which had come away slightly. After 24 hours, most of which was glue setting time, I had an amazing pair of loudspeakers, which are still in use as my main speakers to this day.
The bass is deep & rich, the treble clear & crisp. Despite being rated at only 60W each, they do actually need a slightly higher powered amplifier, to get the best out of them, the critical thing being higher current to tightly control those big 10" bass cones; if you under power them, they will wallow, but with the right amplifier, they are perfect. The great advantage of the dual-concentric driver is that it is effectively a point source of sound, hence both the clarity, and the three-dimensional depth of the soundstage, are amazing.
At 45 years old, and still sounding utterly brilliant, these speakers certainly have longevity, and the only thing I've ever had to do with them, since the initial damage repairs, was that at about 20 to 25 years old, I rotated the drive units through 180 degrees, to balance out the long term gravitational effects on the cone suspension. That's probably due again in another five years time. Examples of these speakers do appear on eBay from time to time, seemingly around the £500 mark. Mine will never be sold, but if you see a pair in good condition, in my opinion they're well worth that price, and more.
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![[Thumbnail]](https://www.hifidatabase.com/static/gallery/7/11127-Tannoy_Ascot_T145_wm.jpg)
