I wholeheartedly agree with the previous reviewer. I'm learning to trust my ears. I have previously owned Alesis M1's, KRK Rocket 5's, and Mackie 626's for my home studio. Ended up starting over again recently and do not like the second generation of any of these as much. (Found out I'm not alone in that opinion either.) After listening to many monitors side by side I had decided on the Dynaudio BM5A MKII's until I heard them beside these. I think they sound cleaner, crisper, tighter and more revealing. I would have bought the 601's but I knew I was going to buy a sub (Yamaha HS10W) so I figured I would put the $200.00 I saved into that. I have come to the realization that despite the fact that the whole reason for buying monitors instead of hifi speakers is to give you a flat reference to mix with, all monitors do have a "sound" and you're still going to have to check how your work sounds on casual listening sources. With that being said, I think these monitors sound flat but not to the point of sounding dull. (Personally, I do not like the sound of the smaller Genelecs that I have heard. Their bigger ones may be a totally different story though.) These have a little excitement about them. I see pictures of studios of successful producer's and artist's studios with various brands of monitors I've tried out and I think "How in the world can they work with those things?" So, to each his own. YOU are the most important piece of equipment in your studio.

I'm not absolutely sure the cutoff frequencies of these and my sub are going to play nicely together, but I'll have to wait until I'm in a position to treat my room. Right now I'm having to work in an untreated room until I move again.

They seem to be very well made. They're hefty anyway.

This is one of those products that I wish nobody else knew about but I can't help but tell everybody about. I bought a pair of these and a sub for just $100.00 more than a single Dynaudio. To me, this category deserves a 15! I would have paid as much for these as the Dynaudios but then I would have only rated it a 10. :)

I'll give them the benefit of the doubt for right now. I trust zzounds though. :)

Don't get me wrong, I like products that look nice, and these do, but what most appeals to me in recording equipment (or any product for that matter) is what can I do with it? Is it going to enable me (provided I have the skills) to produce a professional product? Hopefully, at the very least, it won't get in the way of what I'm trying to do. I do think these look better than most monitors, but I would have absolutely no interest in them if they didn't sound as good as they do (to me).

Hobbyist (for now)

Praise and Worship/Jazz

Tannoy has a winner with the 501a monitors....They have created a professional set of studio monitors at a budget price....The sound is detailed, balanced, with nice midrange complexity, better then average bottom for a small monitor, and a crisp high end that is not shrill....Overall, a very good set of monitors for the budget studio or an excellent choice for the studio that wants a 2nd or 3rd set for translation monitoring....These monitors remind me of the Dynaudio sound, very revealing.

These have 1 RCA and One XLR imput, a trim control for Bass/Mids/Trb, and a Volume control....I would have preferred the volume control have indentions, but with careful adjustment, u can dial in a perfect balance....I will tell you that these have a very fast pot, in that, the volume goes from off to LOUD, with very little turn of the knob.....The front firing bass port is a must have for small studios.

Simple to set up, straightforward and simple manual, simple to adjust for best listening experience.

Value for the money here is remarkable....These are professional monitors at a bargan price.

The value for the dollar is remarkable....These are very fine monitors.

I have no experience with Tannoy customer service, however as ZZounds will replace these/shipping for free, then i'll give customer support a "10"

Nice looking monitors....Very much designed to sound and look like Dynaudio BM5As

Studio musician, Mastering studio owner.

Pop, Rock, Folk, Solo Instrument

Started playing bass in 1958 and produced my first record in 1960. Voting member of the Grammy Awards since 1969.

Play Blues and Rock primarily although I've produced many genres of music.

Very clear and good reference. Very surprised by the lows and overall sound from a small inexpensive speaker.

simple db and volume select simple

simple plug and play

For a small speaker packs great sound

Like I said a lot of sound minimal price.

Haven't had to use it yet.

Nice design care more about the function then look and value weighed heavy too.

Active DJ and Engineer

Dance Jazz

The name says it all, Reveal. You can hear in detail your high and mids clearly. The Bass Response is tight and controlled not colored in anyway. I use these to mix, I was using Mackie Mr5s 1st gen and some of my mixes were hit an miss because I couldnt hear the upper frequencies in detail. I agree with the other reviewer that these make your mixing task much easier and less time consuming. With Vocals you can hear the frequencies that are too harsh and smooth vocals out without trying to overcompensate the clarity.

Having the bass port on the front made for better bass response, no color added.

In this price range these monitors are the most detailed. Listening to these you will hear things you never noticed in your mixes and songs you like. The 501a, I recommend to those who wish to mix, if you are just looking for a bass heavy monitor these are not it. These sound so good they make the yamaha hs50 sound like a clock radio.

Solid. They arent good looking but are sturdy and get the job done. They dont feel cheap and are reliable.

These are worth every dollar spent. I overlooked them based on how they look and the fact I dont hear the Tannoy name alot, like Yamaha,Krk,Mackie, Jbl. Glad I gave them a chance and I would probably have paid more if I had to.

Havent delt with support but the word is Tannoy customer service is great.

These Monitors make the music you listen to have sex with your ears....

Recording Engineer, Producer

Top 40, Club, Hip Hop, R&B