Tad reference 1
- Thread starter Smokin' Joe
- Start date
Cannata,
I have TAD R1 Mk2 and am very happy with them. Perhaps it is ridiculous but I happen to like them and think they sound, image and convey music and emotion extremely well. Also would not change a thing about them; something that I could not say for a lot of speakers that cost less and those that cost much more to which I listened before I chose these for a significant upgrade to my system.
Have a great evening and enjoy your system and music!
It wasn't me who suggested one can't enjoy what he has knowing that something else is better... These are fine speakers, as many others, and you should enjoy them.
Few times. Always thought they were a bit hot in the upper treble. I am glad you think I am funny...
Cannata, with respect , I think you are a bit of the mark. The TAD concept and r&d cost $2-3 million dollars to develop and took 5 years or so to bring to the market .most guys who own them, me included ,have had other great and not so great speakers in the past.the reason we see the TADS as a millstone is simply because they are almost flawless.again to our ears.
what went into designing and executing these speakers is evident in the sonic results.
AJ 's role and contribution to this project are indisputable, but he is only one part of the equation. The rest of the TAD team seems to do just fine.you are entitled to your view ,of course, and we' all vote with our wallets, but we owners feel a great sense of pride in ownership.ymmv.
what went into designing and executing these speakers is evident in the sonic results.
AJ 's role and contribution to this project are indisputable, but he is only one part of the equation. The rest of the TAD team seems to do just fine.you are entitled to your view ,of course, and we' all vote with our wallets, but we owners feel a great sense of pride in ownership.ymmv.
I just heard the TAD line for the first time at AXPONA . This I can tell you, THEY ARE DAMN FINE sounding speakers.. Might have been close to best of show from a monitor for me .. They did everything right with lots of genres.. These were the 3 way co axle monitors. I can only imagine what their full ranges sounded like as te 34 hz these produced was outstanding !
Don't have a horse in this race ... I have never found any TAD speaker to be hot in the Treble...
The TAD Ref coax is the best on the market and has been since the speaker came out. When another brand comes up with something better then a case could be made for an update, until then... And TAD speakers are not "hot", they are accurate. Most are used to rolled off treble.
I also think it strange to have updates on speakers frequently, it's not a new and emerging technology, it's not a flat panel TV, technology hasn't changed much and it certainly makes me think it's a marketing strategy.
I also think it strange to have updates on speakers frequently, it's not a new and emerging technology, it's not a flat panel TV, technology hasn't changed much and it certainly makes me think it's a marketing strategy.
Not sure what your point is...yes, I did write that I have TAD R1 Mk2 speakers, the actual TAD model identifier being "TAD-R1MK2" for the more recent production generations of the Reference One speaker.
Best part about this hobby is that there are products out there for all musical tastes and levels of listening appreciation; enjoy your system and music!
For me, the TAD-R1MK2's are a great speaker and I am very happy as apparently are quite a few others who own or have heard this speaker. There are other speakers I would also own; it's all a matter of personal taste, aesthetic and budget.
Having had many speakers over the years, for my ears, these R1s are the ones I've enjoyed the most. Sure if Andrew were at TAD he could probably update them and improve them a bit, but even with a dated design, they are still very competitive with today´s SOTA. What I have found with TAD, and I had M1s before the R1s, is that they are very sensitive to poor electronics. My most recent upgrade to the latest Berkeley Reference DAC and the Audio Alchemy DMP-1 made a significant improvement versus other digital set ups.
I'm going to post a new thread discussing TAD's in light of the latest peripherals.
But just to reply to some of the things said here.
As a former TAD dealer in NYC (who's kept the CR1's to use)
I can attest that any harshness (which I've myself heard) have been
Completely vanquished over time with several things.
First giving the speaker some distance is important .
I found moving the listening position back to close to 12 feet or more
From the speaker is important. I believe I read Joe was using them in a
Bedroom and so that may account for his results.
Second is amplification, and third is power conditioning.
I have also heard the most advanced Speaker cables remove distortion.
The topic I'm going to post about is my feeling that the TAD
Reference line (r1 and cr1) were a speaker ahead of its time,
Waiting for the rest of peripheral component quality to catch
Up with what the speaker portrays.
My reference is live music from up close (as In people's living rooms
And closer to the actual mic positions than one hears in concert, even
In small venues). I'm very lucky to be able to calibrate my ears frequently with live
Acoustic music, and to be able to move around the space and hear listening position effect live music just as one hears this in speaker placement.
I certainly haven't heard all the best speakers out there,
But when I come back from a show or demo, listening to
Some of the same cuts On the Tad's shows they are able
To portray an aspect of live music I don't hear anything close
To on most other systems. Some of these systems do great HIfi, spectacular imaging
But not the inner detail and wavefront I hear in live music.
Once in my room, Hearing a friend sing along with the speakers on a very average CSNY tracks was a revelation in how they compare with live vocals.
That being said i haven't heard the new upper end Magicos or recent Soundlabs
(The two speaker lines I most most admire)
I do however remember a Magico q1 demo and being very impressed
Until regular recordings were played (Bill Evans and Rickie lee jones). One of the tracks was even stopped before the songs ended Because they sounded pretty bad, flat and lifeless.
An hour later on the TAD's, the same tracks sounded like audiophile recordings, with inner detail that made them sound special.
All this being said, I have augmented the CR1's with subs and supertweeters.
To my ear the extra subtle extension really helps complete the illusion of real music in real space.
It's also been a revelation to musician friends to hear what there mixes actually sound like.
I often get the feeling of wishing that the recodings I'm listening to could have been tracked and mixed on Tad's. They could hear the flaws in their aesthetic and technical choices and easily create better sound recordings. Comparing some tracks recorded on two different Rupert Neve mic pre/Chanel strips, the recording engineer preferred the newer device, but on my system it was easy to hear the older design's (which I actually own) sonic superiority.
But just to reply to some of the things said here.
As a former TAD dealer in NYC (who's kept the CR1's to use)
I can attest that any harshness (which I've myself heard) have been
Completely vanquished over time with several things.
First giving the speaker some distance is important .
I found moving the listening position back to close to 12 feet or more
From the speaker is important. I believe I read Joe was using them in a
Bedroom and so that may account for his results.
Second is amplification, and third is power conditioning.
I have also heard the most advanced Speaker cables remove distortion.
The topic I'm going to post about is my feeling that the TAD
Reference line (r1 and cr1) were a speaker ahead of its time,
Waiting for the rest of peripheral component quality to catch
Up with what the speaker portrays.
My reference is live music from up close (as In people's living rooms
And closer to the actual mic positions than one hears in concert, even
In small venues). I'm very lucky to be able to calibrate my ears frequently with live
Acoustic music, and to be able to move around the space and hear listening position effect live music just as one hears this in speaker placement.
I certainly haven't heard all the best speakers out there,
But when I come back from a show or demo, listening to
Some of the same cuts On the Tad's shows they are able
To portray an aspect of live music I don't hear anything close
To on most other systems. Some of these systems do great HIfi, spectacular imaging
But not the inner detail and wavefront I hear in live music.
Once in my room, Hearing a friend sing along with the speakers on a very average CSNY tracks was a revelation in how they compare with live vocals.
That being said i haven't heard the new upper end Magicos or recent Soundlabs
(The two speaker lines I most most admire)
I do however remember a Magico q1 demo and being very impressed
Until regular recordings were played (Bill Evans and Rickie lee jones). One of the tracks was even stopped before the songs ended Because they sounded pretty bad, flat and lifeless.
An hour later on the TAD's, the same tracks sounded like audiophile recordings, with inner detail that made them sound special.
All this being said, I have augmented the CR1's with subs and supertweeters.
To my ear the extra subtle extension really helps complete the illusion of real music in real space.
It's also been a revelation to musician friends to hear what there mixes actually sound like.
I often get the feeling of wishing that the recodings I'm listening to could have been tracked and mixed on Tad's. They could hear the flaws in their aesthetic and technical choices and easily create better sound recordings. Comparing some tracks recorded on two different Rupert Neve mic pre/Chanel strips, the recording engineer preferred the newer device, but on my system it was easy to hear the older design's (which I actually own) sonic superiority.
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This is a very interesting thread and want to add my experience with TAD R1.
I have heard R1 at Munich show - where they sounded excellent - and at dealer's place where they sounded terrible (in 150k system they used speaker cable for couple of hunderds of dollar).
I have been a satisfied owner of R1 for a half year and I share the opinion of several users: they will show ruthlessly any shortcomings in your system. Mine were:
- electricity (fluctuation and noise): which was solved by adding Torus Avr2 30 in system. That was the final step in achieving very natural, relaxed sound. Torus is a wounderful machine and I highly recommend using it.
- stillpoints: I have used ultra 5 under R1 but stopped using them since they influenced the sound in a very unnatural way: music became very technical, voices less natural. I do not want to generalize the stillpoints influence but my experience is like described.
- distance to speakers: if you are to close, the sound can become analytical (but not agressive, thin). In my room for my taste the
optimum distance from me to speakers coax is approx 4m.
But they are fun speakers: you are never bored, first you spent time with optimizing the system, after that you never stop listening to the music, no matter what kind of musical genre you listen to...
I have heard R1 at Munich show - where they sounded excellent - and at dealer's place where they sounded terrible (in 150k system they used speaker cable for couple of hunderds of dollar).
I have been a satisfied owner of R1 for a half year and I share the opinion of several users: they will show ruthlessly any shortcomings in your system. Mine were:
- electricity (fluctuation and noise): which was solved by adding Torus Avr2 30 in system. That was the final step in achieving very natural, relaxed sound. Torus is a wounderful machine and I highly recommend using it.
- stillpoints: I have used ultra 5 under R1 but stopped using them since they influenced the sound in a very unnatural way: music became very technical, voices less natural. I do not want to generalize the stillpoints influence but my experience is like described.
- distance to speakers: if you are to close, the sound can become analytical (but not agressive, thin). In my room for my taste the
optimum distance from me to speakers coax is approx 4m.
But they are fun speakers: you are never bored, first you spent time with optimizing the system, after that you never stop listening to the music, no matter what kind of musical genre you listen to...
What amps do you use? And you had fluctuating voltage? How did you measure noise? Is this in EU or the US? Thanks
I am in EU. I use MSB m204 amps driven by Ayon Spheris iii. Noise was measured by a dealer: he came with one instrument which showed the level of noise in electricity, can not remember what brand was the instrument. In my last apartement the noise was basically zero, but in my new house the noise was substantial.
Nice. I heard the 203 were substantial jumps from 202, so 204 must be excellent. Do you have a TT?
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