In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers. Tannoy Kensington is a Floor-standing speaker whereas the M40.5 XD2 is a Bookshelf speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Tannoy Kensington and Harbeth M40.5 XD2 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Tannoy Kensington | Harbeth M40.5 XD2 |
|---|
| Brand | Tannoy
United Kingdom · founded 1926 | Harbeth
United Kingdom · founded 1977 |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | — | 1" Dome |
|---|
| Midrange | — | 8" |
|---|
| Woofer | — | 12" RADIAL |
|---|
| Frequency response | 29-27k Hz | 35-20k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 93 dB | 86 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 6 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | — | 35-650 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 37.00kg / 81.4lbs | 38.00kg / 83.6lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 43.3" x 15.9" x 13.3"
1099.8 x 403.9 x 337.8mm | 29-1/2" x 17" x 15-1/4"
750.0 x 432.0 x 388.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the Tannoy Kensington and Harbeth M40.5 XD2 speakers good for?
The size of the room in which you are planning to use these loudspeakers is an important decision
factor. Here we have compared their suitability to various sizes of environments considering their size
and max power parameters:
| Listening Environment* |
Tannoy Kensington |
Harbeth M40.5 XD2 |
| Near-field |
Poor |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Average |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Average |
| Large Room |
Average |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Poor |
Average |
(* Approximate Room sizes: Small < 100sq. ft / 9 m2,
Mid-size: 100-220 sq. ft / 9-20 m2, Large 220-400 sq. ft / 20-36 m2, Very Large: >
400 sq. ft / 36 m2.
Average Floor Height: 9" / 2.7m. Typical room sizes differ from country to country, and the actual
listening experience changes depending on floor height, room shape, surface materials, listening
position, speaker locations, etc.)
The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Kensington is a 2-way design whereas the M40.5 XD2 is a 3-way speaker. 3-way designs utilize a midrange driver in addition to the tweeter and woofer on 2-way designs. Designing a crossover for a 3-way speaker is a complicated process and generally increases the overall cost of the speaker.
| Driver |
Tannoy Kensington |
Harbeth M40.5 XD2 |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
1 x 8-inch |
|
Woofer
|
x -inch
|
1 x 12-inch
|
Kensington features a " Tweeter and x " Woofer. On the other hand, the M40.5 XD2 features a 1" Ferrofluid-cooled dome Dome Tweeter, a 8" Midrange and 1 x 12" RADIAL Woofer.
Frequency Response
Kensington has a frequency range of 29-27k Hz whereas M40.5 XD2 has a frequency range of 35-20k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 29Hz, the Kensington can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the M40.5 XD2's min frequency of 35Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
Neither pair reaches down to 20Hz, the usual definition of full-range, which is normal for speakers of this size. If you want the bottom octave for movies or bass-heavy music, add a subwoofer to whichever you choose. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
Kensington is a 8 ohms speaker compared to the M40.5 XD2 which has a nominal impedance of 6 ohms.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Kensington sensitivity is rated at 93 dB and the M40.5 XD2's is rated at 86 dB. This 7 dB difference makes the Tannoy Kensington a more sensitive speaker compared to Harbeth M40.5 XD2, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing Speakers
Which plays louder on your amplifier?
Starting with a popular amplifier - change it to the one you own, or any you are
considering, and watch both numbers move.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Kensington features Binding post type posts and M40.5 XD2 has a Binding post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Physical Specs
The size of a speaker can sometimes be an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare Tannoy Kensington's and Harbeth M40.5 XD2's external dimensions. Tannoy Kensington has external dimensions of 1099.8 x 403.9 x 337.8mm (43.3 x 15.9 x 13.3inch) whereas Harbeth M40.5 XD2 has external dimensions of 750.0 x 432.0 x 388.0mm (29-1/2 x 17 x 15-1/4inch).
Tannoy Kensington is 28.1mm narrower and 50.2mm less deeper than Harbeth M40.5 XD2 but it is also 349.8mm taller.
Size, drawn to scale
Both speakers and both views share one scale, so everything here is directly comparable. Hover a box for its dimensions.
One scale for both, standing on the same surface and pushed back to the same wall, so the deeper one visibly sticks out further.
Harbeth M40.5 XD2 needs about 23% more floor or shelf area. Harbeth M40.5 XD2 is 50mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. Tannoy Kensington is 350mm taller.
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the Tannoy Kensington is approximately 1364.3cm2 / 211.5inch2 and base area of the Harbeth M40.5 XD2 is approximately 1676.2cm2 / 259.8inch2. The Kensington requires 19% less surface area than the M40.5 XD2 which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.