What is the Tannoy Mercury Vi?
For this affordable 5.1-channel speaker system, Tannoy has tweaked the blueprint of the brilliant Mercury V system with several component and tuning upgrades in a bid to take its performance to new heights.
But given that Mercury V scored top marks in our 2012 review, it needs something special to top the original.
This specially priced package features a pair of V4i floorstanders for the front channels, a pair of VRi standmounts for the rear channels, the VCi centre and the TS2.10 subwoofer, which isn’t a Mercury subwoofer per se but is the same model that accompanied the Mercury V package.
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Tannoy Mercury Vi – Design
The only thing we didn’t like about Mercury V was its design, and sadly we have to say the same about Mercury Vi. For the V4i, Tannoy has stuck with the same boxy cabinets and plastic-textured wood veneers as before, which are inoffensive enough but lack the curvy elegance of systems like the Roth OLi RA .
Our samples came in a Sugar Maple finish, which looked a little unflattering in our test room but may well suit yours. Thankfully it’s also available in a much classier Dark Walnut colour.
Despite its lacklustre looks, V4i is still a well-made speaker, with internally cross-braced cabinets giving them the requisite rigidity. They’re reassuringly heavy too.
One new design touch is a plinth that elevates the V4i off the floor to improve stability and reduce vibration. We say plinth, but really it’s two chunky black bars that attach separately to the bottom. They’re a stylish addition, though.
The V4i sports a black cloth grille on the front, fixed on with plugs as opposed to tidier magnets. It takes some tugging to remove but it’s worth doing as the drivers’ silver surrounds bring some much-needed glamour.
Towards the bottom of the back panel are two pairs of binding posts that allow you to bi-wire the speaker (feed the mid/bass and high-frequency drivers separately). If not, gold-plated link bars connect the two sets of posts. The binding posts have been improved – they’re now gold-plated and encased in chunky plastic, which makes it easier to clamp your cables tightly.
The VRi rears and VCi centre are also well-made and dressed in a matching Sugar Maple veneer, but again their rigidly straight lines and lack of embellishment makes them visually uninspiring.
The subwoofer looks absolutely nothing like the other speakers, which won’t please advocates of aesthetic congruity but it’s still a relatively attractive bass bin. It comes in satin grey and high gloss white or black finishes, with curved edges and black cloth grilles covering the drivers at both ends – more on those later. Sturdy spikes are provided for placement on a carpet.
On the back are three dials controlling volume, phase and crossover frequency, plus stereo RCA input and output.