HH ELECTRONICS TNE- MSRP: £ When a message pops up from [Pro Mobile’s Editor] Eddie Short asking you to review a product from classic British brand HH Electronics, this is not an opportunity you think about for long, or turn down. HH Electronics has been around for a fair few years, in fact next year the brand will celebrate its 50th anniversary, which means that anyone of a ‘certain age’ will be well aware of the heritage that HH has built up over the years.

7744 In addition to this enviable legacy, the recently-released TESSEN and premium TESSEN-X ranges bring HH’s technology bang up to date. For this review, I’ll be looking at the incredibly lightweight 12” model from the TESSEN series, the TNE-1201. Now, when I say lightweight, I really mean it! At just under 16kg, this is a really portable cabinet, so no need to spend hours pumping iron down at the local gym in order to lift it.

You’ll also be amazed to learn that it isn’t lightweight due to being made out of plastic, oh no, the TNE-1201 is made out of multilayer plywood! At first look the TNE-1201 is a very butch and manly cabinet, almost military in design, like something from the cold war. When you open the box, a great big HH logo, carved into the textured paintwork, is one of the first things you see. The 1.5mm steel speaker grille clearly means business, with its large hexagonal cut-outs, and the handles on the side have a great feel to them, even if they do look a bit like they’ve been taken from a series 1 Land Rover!

This is clearly a product designed by a man, for a man! I think it’s also fair to say that the TNE-1201 is a strange old shape, mainly because not only can it be used as a pole-mounted speaker, but also as a floor wedge. And, I have to say, I think HH thought about the wedge shape first because, when you do mount it on a speaker stand, the connections on the rear, well, end up on the side! This looks a little bit odd, especially if you’re the type of person who likes to hide all your cables.

However, when used as a wedge, the connections are perfectly placed. Inside the cabinet there is a 12” long-throw woofer with Kevlar-loaded cone and a high performance Italian-designed 1” LaVoce compression driver. A 1600W asymmetric Class D bi-amplification setup provides the power and doesn’t get overly hot when you get to the end of a gig. Even more impressive is the fact that this is achieved through convection cooling, so there is no fan noise to worry about during speeches and other quiet moments during an event.

A maximum SPL of 129dB is specified, which rates this speaker in my book as reasonably efficient, while the frequency response is a very respectable 47Hz – 20 kHz. It also offers a wide coverage of 70-degrees, both vertically and horizontally, meaning that a pair of these cabinets will easily cover any size of dancefloor. HH ELECTRONICS TNE-1201 Around the back you will find a the Bass option number of dials, switches and adding in some inputs. The TNE-1201 features two end at those channel inputs, on combination the volume XLR / ¼” sockets, that accept for most events balanced or unbalanced signals and was the best each has its own independent gain option optimises dial.

You’ll also find an XLR output for use as a socket that allows the input signal the Vocal to pass through to another active speeches and cabinet or sub. A switch allows you addition to the to send just the signal from Input also LF and HF 1 or a mix of both inputs, which is This means that quite a useful feature to have. in a bit more from the top Like most modern active cabinets, get the exact the TNE-1201 offers a number of at each gig. DSP pre-set options.

These are Flat, Bass, Monitor and Vocal. I Right at the top tried them all out and found that you’ll find a RCF ART 735A MK4 hh electronics tne-1201 came in handy for section that includes LEDs for decent bottom Power and Standby as well as a small parties where switch that allows you to turn needs to be low, but off the bright red illuminated HH the Flat setting logo on the front of the cabinet choice. The Monitor if you wish. Finally, there’s one the speaker more incredibly useful switch that floor wedge, while engages the speaker’s built-in antisetting is perfect for feedback system.

When activated, other vocal work. In this continuously monitors the pre-sets, there are input signal and automatically trim dials for EQing. removes up to 12 different you can easily add offending frequencies if feedback or take a bit away, is detected. or bottom end, to sound you’re after The base of the cabinet is fitted with rubber feet, while underneath you’ll find the standard 35mm pole of the back panel Power Management THE EARLY DAYS 75 hh electronics tne-1201 mount for a speaker stand.

Three M10 fly points are also positioned around the enclosure to allow it to be flown if you wish. So now that you’ve been introduced to the TNE-1201, let’s move on to the most important bit, what does it sound like? Well, I can’t lie, I was more than impressed! Not like a general, “ooh they sound nice”, more like an overly excited child on Christmas day waving their arms around screaming “wow, they sound amazing!” The bass was solid and impacting, not woolly in any kind of way.

The mids and highs were bright and clear, irrespective of the type of track I played. Most importantly, I just didn’t get that feeling of someone sticking needles in my ears, that screeching tainting of the sound that you sometimes get with some active speakers. It was more like my ears were being caressed, slowly, with velvet gloves! To test the TNE-1201 speakers out on the road, I took a pair with me to a variety of gigs over two consecutive weekends.

They performed very well, filling large and small rooms alike with rich and detailed sound. The only slight issue I encountered was when I planned to use them separate from my main rig for the speeches at a wedding breakfast. I thought this would be a golden opportunity to put the Anti-Feedback function through its paces, but unfortunately I discovered after I setup that the inputs on the back expect a LINE level, not a MIC level, signal. This means that you need to go through a small mixer in order to use these speakers for speeches.

I found this to be a little bit of a letdown if I’m honest, I think the inclusion of a mic preamp would really have helped the TNE-1201 to shine. That said, these are still feature-packed speakers that are solidly-built and sound great. As with all speakers, what I think and what you think may well be different, so I do advise you head down to your local HH dealer to check them out. For me, the stand-out features are the looks, the sound quality and the weight.

The only niggles are the lack of mic pre-amp and the ‘wedgy’ shape. If these aren’t deal breakers for you, the TNE- 1201 is a great choice for mobile DJ PA at a realistic price point. 76 76 HH ELECTRONICS TNE-1201 Book Store INCLUDES FOUR NEW CHAPTERS Wedding Marketing For DJs Second Edition Derek Pengelly out now NEW UPDATED VERSION OF DEREK PENGELLY’S BEST-SELLING BOOK FOR MOBILE WEDDING DJS P ROMOBILE.O / STO RE