Tannoy

Tannoy Ltd is a Scotland-based manufacturer of loudspeakers and public-address (PA) systems. The company was founded by Guy Fountain in London, England as Tulsemere Manufacturing Company in 1926, but has been based in Coatbridge, Scotland, since the 1970s. Since 2002 it has been a part of the Danish-based TC Group (TC Electronic, TC-Helicon, Lab.gruppen, Lake, TC Applied Technologies and White Acoustics). The name Tannoy is a syllabic abbreviation of tantalum alloy, which was the material used in a type of electrolytic rectifier developed by the company. The brand was trademarked by 10 March 1932, on which date the Tulsemere Manufacturing Company formally registered as Guy R. Fountain Limited. It became a household name as a result of supplying PA systems to the armed forces during World War II, and to Butlins and Pontins holiday camps after the war. Identification being such because the company logo name was prominently shown on the speaker grills. This usage is current as of mid-2010.Tannoy is famous for its 'Dual Concentric' speaker design, which places the tweeter behind the centre of the medium or bass driver. 'Dual Concentric' is a trademark although Tannoy is not the only speaker manufacturer to design coaxial speakers. Tannoy's image is particularly linked to studio monitors on the one hand and its Prestige range of home speakers on the other. Prestige speakers use Dual Concentric cone speakers and are easily recognisable by their 'vintage' design.