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Many readers will be familiar with Tannoy's Mercury series of loudspeakers, and it's very likely that early incarnations of the Scottish-based brand's entry-level series will have been part of a setup that kickstarted one or two hi-fi habits in the first place. The Tannoy brand is so synonymous with loudspeakers that its name is even featured in the dictionary, and here it unveils the latest incarnation in a long line of Mercury series models.

As the name suggests, the Mercury 7 is the seventh generation of the company’s entry-level range, and Tannoy claims the latest series brings a fresh new style that stands out from the crowd. There's a new wood-grain effect finish, in a choice of walnut, light oak or black oak, and behind the removable speaker grilles the drivers have visible mounting bolts and the Tannoy logo is neatly integrated within the tweeter surround. 

There are four Mercury 7 models available, starting with the compact Mercury 7.1 (shown above) priced at £179 and ideal for smaller rooms or those requiring unobtrusive loudspeaker installations, the maker says. Like all the cabinets in the new series, Tannoy claims an acoustically neutral enclosure for a natural and more spacious sound and the 7.1 uses a 28mm Nitro-urethane damped layer woven polyester dome tweeter partnered with a 127mm mid/bass driver employing a multi-fibre coated pulp paper cone. 

Stepping up in the new series, the Mercury 7.2 (£229) offers a larger cabinet with the same tweeter as its smaller 7.1 sibling but with a 152mm mid/bass driver, which Tannoy says will deliver plenty of bass punch and articulation from this standmount loudspeaker design. 

The flagship Mercury 7.4 (£499) is a floorstanding model with dual 178mm mid/bass drivers flanking the same 28mm tweeter used in the standmount models and has an integrated stabilising plinth as well as bi-wire speaker terminals. The fourth model in the series is the Mercury 7C (£149), which is aimed at movie fans. The centre channel loudspeaker is tonally matched to the rest of the Mercury 7 series for seamless integration in a home cinema setup. The series gets its official launch at the Bristol Show 2016, which runs from 26 to 28 February. You can find out more about the range here.