Tannoy Stirlings on the way!

follow the unboxing instructions closely...I watched a video or 2 on youtube which helped beforehand and enjoy!

Thanks for the tip, @pehare .  I did.  Unboxing and basic setup went like a breeze.

These are lovely objects, indeed.  Very 1940s.  I can't decide if they look nicer with the grills on, or off.  I really like the grills (they're one of the reasons I went with these instead of something from the Legacy line), but they're dead sexy without them, too.  The engraved logo, the treble plate, the drivers, of course.

I've been listening for the past 3 hours or so.  I hear the potential in there, but they definitely need some breaking in.  The highs are a mite sharpish in my room, and the low end is a bit . . . hmm . . . I think "oversprung" is the word I'm looking for.  The suspensions needs to loosen up.

I played with toe-in a little, but it's WAY too early to draw any conclusions about that.  I think break-in will change the soundstaging, as well.

I don't remember what the efficiency on the Lintons is.  I thought it was reasonably high (87? 89?), but the difference is VERY noticeable.  With those, 35% on my C49 was a typical listening level for me.  35% with these babies is on the loud side.  I expect I'll be living closer to 30.

So, fellow Prestige line owners, did you polish yours right out of the box?  I noticed the manual said the packing material can dry the wood, but it doesn't express an opinion on whether you should go ahead and give them a polish.

I know it's not going to hurt them, but what did you guys do?

@trentmemphis,

Is the finish appears dry out of the box? I end up polishing my Canterbury’s after 6 months of ownership. Buy this applicator for smooth and even finish,

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078SKD4NQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Not particularly, but I don't really know what they're *supposed* to look like.  Thanks for the link!

I figured out why the low end seemed overly tight.  Nothing to do with break-in.  My REL subs aren't firing anymore.  Have to figure out what's up with that.  Maybe something came loose when I was switching the cables from the 4-ohm taps to the 8-ohm.

After letting them play in the next room all day and evening, I sat down late last night to do a little listening.  The sharpness in the treble is gone, hallelujah.  Still puzzling over why the subs stopped working.  I've reached out to REL, and turned them off in the meantime.

I sampled several things in my listening session.  The one I ended with, though.  That was magic.  It was Murray Perahia's recording of the Goldberg Variations.  When I put that on, the Stirlings dis. uh. peered.  Like vanished.  There was just the piano, hovering directly in front of me, well back of where the speakers were, and about 2 feet above them.

I've never had the disappearing speakers experience before, and I've had (and still have) some darn fine speakers.  This was the only recording the Stirlings did it on (or have done, so far), but still.  Holy cats!  I sat up till 3 in the morning listening to it.