Tannoy PBM 6.5

[strangefruit]

Anyone knows the reputation of Tannoy PBM 6.5?

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We had a set of these in our dupe room years ago. Nice, even speaker. Not monster bottom end, but better than most powered units in that size. Typical Tannoy, smooth top.

[PeterAuslan]

I agree about the bass. The first few mixes I did on them were really dark until I got used to them. I personally love the sound of Tannoys but I think the 6.5's do add a bit of color which might turn some people off.

[standup]

I have a pair. They're bright. Lots of detail from the mids on up. Not much low end, but what do you expect from a speaker this size? If they're your only monitors you'll need some way to check the low end. Maybe a cheap sub like the one tapeop just reviewed?

[Marlowe]

I find these are all bottom and top and the mids are kinda back. I don't use them for monitoring anymore but I have them on my stereo (and I like them a whole lot for that).

I guess everyone has a different opinion about these.

[cgarges]

I've mixed a lot of records on these speakers. I like them for what they are. I think all the comments thus far are pretty on-the-money. They're small and as such don't represent they low-end like some other speakers, but I think they do much better than many similarly designed competitors. There is also a bit of a dip in the mid range, which I like for two reasons: it makes them less fatiguing, and I like speakers that have a dip in the mid range. (I tend to err on the side of "not enough mids," so a speaker that compensates for that works well for the way I hear things--but that's just me.)

For whatever it's worth, I still occasionally get hired to work in a room that has these speakers and I've been working on them for the past nine years. As far as I know, they've never had one single problem.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[vvv]

Without having any particular credentials to speak of, they are my main monitors and have been for 12 years.

I find them easy to learn, easy to hear, and easy on the ears.

I agree on the light low-end and the mid-range dip as cgarges said above; I am sometimes told that I mix my vocals too low, but really, that's an aesthetic thing from a guy who really can't sing!

(Eveything linked below was mixed on my PBM's, through a Mitsubishi 100w. integrated-amp)

[BrianK]

In almost all cases, they get a good balance, and when you take things out of the studio - they sound BETTER, which is the opposite effect of what you get on most monitors.

Again - so keep in mind the basic idea of "monitor effect"; what they LACK, you get more of, what they BOOST, you get less of. Therefore on 6.5's: They don't have tons of sparkle or sub (you get a bit more of this) and they have a subtle mid dip (so you get a bit more). They don't boost much of anything (so you don't lose much of anything)

Love them.

[joel hamilton]

In almost all cases, they get a good balance, and when you take things out of the studio - they sound BETTER, which is the opposite effect of what you get on most monitors.

Again - so keep in mind the basic idea of "monitor effect"; what they LACK, you get more of, what they BOOST, you get less of. Therefore on 6.5's: They don't have tons of sparkle or sub (you get a bit more of this) and they have a subtle mid dip (so you get a bit more). They don't boost much of anything (so you don't lose much of anything)

Love them.

This is true of any monitor ever made, at any price. You need to KNOW monitors to mix on them.

[sfsonarboy]

I had a bit of trouble making mid-frequencies translate on other systems. But love their sound - they're my "living room" speakers now.