MERCURY RISING
Sometime ago, this long-established British loudspeaker company launched a range of affordable, high-performance boxes called the Planet Series. This proved a big hit in the early eighties, especially the entry-level Tannoy Mercury, which offered an unexpectedly big sound from a medium-sized box. Despite its low cost and modest construction, it had an uncanny ability to get to the heart of the music, as many happy owners will testify.
The original Mercury from 1982 had a distinctly crude vinyl wrap over its large, thin MDF cabinet, but the new ones are obviously better turned out and come in a choice of wood grain-effect finishes, with dark cloth grilles. Before the recent change of ownership, Tannoy had been busy with the Mercury 7 Series and it was touted as the…