[2bigears]

  hi all. Hope everyone is safe.  Can anyone speak on the TAD speakers ?  The budget small set is I think 12 grand or so ?  Are they that dam good ?  Don't hear to much of them anymore ?  Or maybe I ain't watching ❤️❤️🌎❤️❤️

[toocool4]

Yes they are that dam good. A friend of mine had the Reference One, just amazing sound. Even the Micro Evolution One that you mention here are just amazing too.

I have listened to many TAD speakers Reference One, Compact Reference One, Evolution One, Compact Evolution One and the Micro Evolution one. They are all 3 way design and i tell you everyone of them likes loads of power and the very best amplifications else you are wasting your money.

They are all big even the Micro Evolution One which is there smallest is massive as far as i am concerned, they all produce nice deep bass. I love the speakers, but one thing i don’t like about them is when you really push them hard the can become harsh on the ears. When i say push hard, i mean insane levels. If you don’t push them to insane levels they sound amazing as long as the equipment up the line is up to the job.

[WGH]

TAD speakers are the real deal, I have heard the Reference One and the Compact Reference One at RMAF and actually preferred the CR1 which was set up in a smaller room. The CR1's sound and coherency rivals the Vandersteen Model 7. The Micro Evolution One's bass starts rolling off at 50 Hz so whether you need a sub depends on room size and music preferences. Paired with a REL Gibraltar G1 MkII subwoofer the combo would be equal to any $100,000 system (played at sane levels) along with first class good looks.

[2bigears]

  thanks guys for the info. I wish their entry was a bit cheaper. Our Canuck buck is yuk right now.  Can't imagine they come up used that often.  Then I would have to get a new amp and pre to match.  Good lord I must stop dreaming.   

[toocool4]

2bigears they are already cheaper, they already dropped the price by about $3000 i think.

WGH i disagree that ME1’s plus a REL Gibraltar subwoofer could equal any $100,000 system. It may well come close or rival it in one aspect or another, but not in all aspects.
You are basically saying an ME1 plus REL Gibraltar would equal TAD Reference One which is around the $100,000, not a chance.

The first TAD speakers i heard was the Compact Reference One’s when they first arrived in the UK by the importers, these speakers just blew my mind they were that good. The next one i heard was the Reference One, Wow i thought. The Compact Reference one sounded broken compared to the Reference One’s, that’s how good the Reference One’s are.

[DaveC113]

I have the Pioneer S-1EX, which are made by TAD, they use the same drivers as the TAD Evolution Tower speakers, except the woofers are overhung instead of underhung, not a massive difference.

When the line of coax TAD speakers first came out they were head and shoulders better than anything else, but these days the playing field is much more even, with companies like YG and Magico offering very competitive speakers. I think YG are now better than TAD. 

Like many high end brands, my biggest reservation is the fact you need to spend almost 6-figures on the Ref1s to get excellent quality bass to go with the excellent mids and highs. I also have a pair of 3-way horn speakers of my own design with 15" Acoustic Elegance woofers, the bass is far superior to my S-1EX with two 7" woofers. Also, you need a very good amp, they are demanding of amplification as the Mg mid and Be tweeter are very revealing. When you get it right though, the clarity and resolution in female vocals and strings is amazing, I think this is the speaker's biggest strength.

[DaveC113]

thanks guys for the info. I wish their entry was a bit cheaper. Our Canuck buck is yuk right now.  Can't imagine they come up used that often.  Then I would have to get a new amp and pre to match.  Good lord I must stop dreaming.   

Pioneer S-1EX or S-2EX (single woofer) are in the same neighborhood as the TAD Evolution line. Same exact mid/tweet coax driver, similar woofers, less expensive cabinets. The S-1EX for about $3500-4000 USD is a good value!

[S Clark]

I heard one of their models at the 2012 RMAF (Evolution 1? Reference1?).  Along with the Wilson Alexia and the Serenity Super 7, they were in the top 3 at the show.  All were outside my budget, and a slight step up in most areas (but not all) from the GR-Research LS9's that are in my living room. 

[WGH]

WGH i disagree that ME1’s plus a REL Gibraltar subwoofer could equal any $100,000 system. It may well come close or rival it in one aspect or another, but not in all aspects.
You are basically saying an ME1 plus REL Gibraltar would equal TAD Reference One which is around the $100,000, not a chance.

I would agree, up to a point. That is why I added the sane listening level comment. Of course a bigger multi-driver system would do more of everything but they are designed for cavernous sized rooms. The ME1's are designed for a smaller, more intimate space; add a sub that is super fast and has unlimited power that goes down to down to 15 Hz and in all likelihood that combo in an average human sized room would actually sound better than the 6 figure setup.

[Delacroix]

Only heard TAD at shows over the years and was not always as impressed as I had hoped to be given the reviews, but isn't that usually the case at such demos. I suspect set-up is the problem in hotels, some rooms are better than others obviously. In recent years I've started to appreciate the fit of monitors/sub over floor standers in many situations, they're just not as a impressive to look at . I think the last time I heard the ME-1s I was quite taken by them but I can not recall the partnering equipment or if a sub was involved.

[DaveC113]

Only heard TAD at shows over the years and was not always as impressed as I had hoped to be given the reviews, but isn't that usually the case at such demos. I suspect set-up is the problem in hotels, some rooms are better than others obviously. In recent years I've started to appreciate the fit of monitors/sub over floor standers in many situations, they're just not as a impressive to look at . I think the last time I heard the ME-1s I was quite taken by them but I can not recall the partnering equipment or if a sub was involved.

There's been plenty of questionable pairings of electronics with TAD speakers at shows. The demos set up by Andrew himself have been very impressive, generally using 6-figures worth of TAD electronics. TAD speakers really don't work well without the right amp!

 

[toocool4]

WGH i can agree with you partly. The smaller size room that the ME1 works in, the Ref One will not work in as the Ref One would be to big.

Saying all that, the ME1 is capable of filling a big-ish room. The ME1 would not be good in my room as the bass would over power the room, you can see my room by clicking on my Systems link on the left.

[2bigears]

  thanks all ,, Pioneer ?  Really ?  The old add for the S1-EX shows 9000.00 way back then. Do they still make these ?  Interesting.   

[Big Red Machine]

Try TomS, he owned a pair for years.

[DaveC113]

thanks all ,, Pioneer ?  Really ?  The old add for the S1-EX shows 9000.00 way back then. Do they still make these ?  Interesting.   

I got the info directly from AJ... The S-1/S-2s were intended to be one rung lower than the Evolution series in TAD's lineup, but Pioneer needed a new flagship speaker. I think they were originally $10k but their intro in 2008 or so wasn't the best timing and they were not produced for many years. Sound is "in the neighborhood" of the Evo Towers...

I've been tempted to build some outboard crossovers for them, but I'm not sure the bass is good enough to put the $ into them. Despite that, for used prices around $3.5-4k they are a very good value.

[TomS]

Try TomS, he owned a pair for years.

Yup Evolution One's, kinda wish I still had them. They come up for sale once in awhile ~$10-12k. Very hard to beat at that price. I used the Vinnie Rossi LIO with good result, as well as Atsah Ncore 1200's.