In this review, we will be comparing Westminster Royal and Lilium, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Tannoy and Sonus faber.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Tannoy Westminster Royal and Sonus faber Lilium first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Tannoy Westminster Royal | Sonus faber Lilium |
|---|
| Brand | Tannoy
United Kingdom · founded 1926 | Sonus faber
Italy · founded 1983 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 4-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | — | 1.1" Soft-Dome |
|---|
| Midrange | — | 7" |
|---|
| Woofer | — | 10" Paper |
|---|
| Frequency response | 18-27k Hz | 20-35k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 99 dB | 92 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 4 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | — | 100-800 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 137.89kg / 303.4lbs | 103.00kg / 226.6lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 55" x 38.5" x 22"
1397.0 x 977.9 x 558.8mm | 63" x 19-5/16" x 27-3/4"
1600.0 x 491.0 x 705.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the Tannoy Westminster Royal and Sonus faber Lilium 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 Westminster Royal |
Sonus faber Lilium |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Are you nuts? |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Average |
Good |
(* 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 Westminster Royal is a 3-way design whereas the Lilium is a 4-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 Westminster Royal |
Sonus faber Lilium |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
4-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
-inch
|
1.1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
1 x 7-inch |
|
Woofer
|
x -inch
|
1 x 10-inch
|
Westminster Royal features a " Tweeter and x " Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 200 Hz, 1.0 kHz. On the other hand, the Lilium features a 1.1" Silk Soft-Dome Tweeter, a 7" Midrange and 1 x 10" Paper Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 55, 150, 200, 3000 Hz.
Frequency Response
Westminster Royal has a frequency range of 18-27k Hz whereas Lilium has a frequency range of 20-35k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 18Hz, the Westminster Royal can go slightly deeper then the Lilium's min frequency of 20Hz.
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
Impedance and Sensitivity
Westminster Royal is a 8 ohms speaker compared to the Lilium which has a nominal impedance of 4 ohms. Lower impedance speakers, especially the ones that are rated at 4 ohms may put more pressure on the amplifier unit especially when played at high volume levels, so make sure the amp you pair with the Lilium can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Westminster Royal sensitivity is rated at 99 dB and the Lilium's is rated at 92 dB. This 7 dB difference makes the Tannoy Westminster Royal a more sensitive speaker compared to Sonus faber Lilium, 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
Lilium features Binding post posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. Westminster Royal has a Binding post which doesn't 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 Westminster Royal's and Sonus faber Lilium's external dimensions. Tannoy Westminster Royal has external dimensions of 1397.0 x 977.9 x 558.8mm (55 x 38.5 x 22inch) whereas Sonus faber Lilium has external dimensions of 1600.0 x 491.0 x 705.0mm (63 x 19-5/16 x 27-3/4inch).
Tannoy Westminster Royal is 203mm shorter and 146.2mm less deeper than Sonus faber Lilium but it is also 486.9mm wider.
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.
Tannoy Westminster Royal needs about 58% more floor or shelf area. Sonus faber Lilium is 146mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. Sonus faber Lilium is 203mm 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 Westminster Royal is approximately 5464.5cm2 / 847.0inch2 and base area of the Sonus faber Lilium is approximately 3461.6cm2 / 536.5inch2. The Westminster Royal requires 58% more surface area than the Lilium which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.
Weight Comparison The weight of a loudspeaker can become an important factor if you need to move and reposition the unit often. Weight of a speaker can also "sometimes" be an indicator of the rigidity of the enclosure and the quality of the internal components used. The Tannoy Westminster Royal weighs 137.89kg / 303.4lbs and the Sonus faber Lilium weighs 103.00kg / 226.6lbs. This makes the Westminster Royal 34% heavier than the Lilium.
Here is a comparison of how Westminster Royal and Lilium's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
 Sensitivity |
99 dB
vs
92 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
4 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
 Low Frequency Response |
18 Hz
vs
20 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 Height |
1397mm
vs
1600mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Driver Setup |
4-way
vs
3-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
|
Woofer Size |
10 inches
vs
inches
|
Larger woofer |
 High Frequency Response |
35k Hz
vs
27k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Base Surface Area |
3461cm2
vs
5464cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
| General |
Tannoy Westminster Royal |
Sonus faber Lilium |
| Brand |
Tannoy |
Sonus faber |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Sensitivity |
99 dB |
92 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
4 ohms |
| Impedance |
5 ohms |
n/a |
| Frequency Response |
18-27k Hz |
20-35k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
|
1 |
| Woofer Size |
" |
10" |
| Woofer Composition |
|
Paper |
| Tweeter Size |
- |
1.1" |
| Tweeter Type |
n/a |
Soft-Dome |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
No |
7" |
| Crossover Frequency |
200 Hz, 1.0 kHz |
55, 150, 200, 3000 Hz |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1397.0mm (55") |
1600.0mm (63") |
| Width |
977.9mm (38.5") |
491.0mm (19.3") |
| Depth |
558.8mm (22") |
705.0mm (27.8") |
| Weight |
137.89kg (303.4lbs) |
103.00kg (226.6lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
n/a |
Yes |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
|
|
| Labor Warranty |
|
|
No single best speaker here - they are built to different priorities, and the right one depends on your room, your amplifier and what you listen to.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | evenly matched | Much the same reach (18Hz vs 20Hz). |
| Amplifier needs | A | Tannoy Westminster Royal is more sensitive (99dB vs 92dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Amplifier match | A | Tannoy Westminster Royal is the easier load at 8 ohms; the other is 4 ohms and wants an amplifier rated for it. |
| Size | depends | Sonus faber Lilium is easier to place; Tannoy Westminster Royal is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Expandability | B | Sonus faber Lilium: bi-amping. |
| Price | evenly matched | Much the same money ($70,000 vs $70,000 a pair). |
A Tannoy Westminster Royal B Sonus faber Lilium
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system or how you will use them. Only specs published for both speakers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.
Which should you choose?
Tannoy Westminster Royal has the edge on paper, though the margin is not large. The rows marked "depends" may matter more to you than the score does. Match it to your room: we rate Sonus faber Lilium the better fit for a very large room; elsewhere the two are rated the same. If your amplifier is modest, vintage or valve-based, Tannoy Westminster Royal is the safer partner - the other will want more current or more watts to sound its best.
And remember what a spec sheet cannot show: how each looks in your room and whether the finish suits it, what dealer support and warranty are like where you live, and how they actually sound to you. If you can hear them first - ideally with your own music - that will tell you more than any number above.