Tad reference 1

[LL21]

Thanks Zanden 1200 Mk3

Beautiful! Where is your Zanden power supply? Do you also have it on Finite Elemente isolation? the Zanden DAC (and preamp) seems to use the same power supply...I found great great improvements by using good isolation under the power supply and by taking the stock tubes and replacing them with Mullard NOS 6CA4s.

 

[LL21]

Thanks Zanden 1200 Mk3

Beautiful! Where is your Zanden power supply? Do you also have it on Finite Elemente isolation? the Zanden DAC (and preamp) seems to use the same power supply...I found great great improvements by using good isolation under the power supply and by taking the stock tubes and replacing them with Mullard NOS 6CA4s.

I think i found it...behind the left speaker on the floor? With the single light on in the middle? If you have tried good isolation underneath it...did it help in your case? I basically put it on top of HRS and actually put HRS dampers on top. Blocks a few of the top holes (but not all) and there are ventilation holes on side.

 

[kingfisher]

 

[kingfisher]

I think i found it...behind the left speaker on the floor? With the single light on in the middle? If you have tried good isolation underneath it...did it help in your case? I basically put it on top of HRS and actually put HRS dampers on top. Blocks a few of the top holes (but not all) and there are ventilation holes on side.

Sorry I forgot to add picture from analog side Yes, Zanden came with NOS tubes on it and I use Harmonix bases under power supply. Thank you for your helpful comments

 

[Jazzhead]

I have a pair of KAM2000 monos for sale if anybody is interested.

What are you moving on to ? GLWYS .

 

[LL21]

Sorry I forgot to add picture from analog side Yes, Zanden came with NOS tubes on it and I use Harmonix bases under power supply. Thank you for your helpful comments

Very nice!

 

[PGA]

Sorry for chiming in so late. I owned M1s that TAD recalled, then Magico Q5, and now the TAD R1 Mk2. Room is 12’x18’, but with professionally designed RPG treatment on most walls and ceiling. The R1s are astonishingly good, but very revealing. Very fussy about electronics. Have been using the Berkeley Reference DAC, now the 2 MQA, into Constellation Centaur monks, with an Audio Alchemy DMP-1 feeding AES/EBU to the DAC. All controlled with Roon. Everything made a difference with these speakers and they can sound bright if the source is not just right, but dialed in, they are really a joy to have. Limitless dynamics. No need for a sub with R1s.

 

[Thieliste]

Would it be possible to drive TAD Ref 1 to full potential with Aries Cerat Concero 65 Sig monoblocks ? or am i not reasonable to think that ?

 

[Tbzc]

According to my experience, I doubt it would be a good match. I have tried Ayon Vulcan Evo (60w) and it was not able to drive it (lack of bass and drive). I am using it with VTL Siegfried II. Very good match. Wonderful holographic sound but still lacks some low bass compared to good A class SS amp (like MSB m204). I assume TAD’s need lot of current which is an issue with tube amps. Ref 1 is very tricky speaker: you can get very natural, organic sound, but if there is a miss match in the system, it will immediately expose the weakness and soud too analytical.

 

[Thieliste]

According to my experience, I doubt it would be a good match. I have tried Ayon Vulcan Evo (60w) and it was not able to drive it (lack of bass and drive). I am using it with VTL Siegfried II. Very good match. Wonderful holographic sound but still lacks some low bass compared to good A class SS amp (like MSB m204). I assume TAD’s need lot of current which is an issue with tube amps. Ref 1 is very tricky speaker: you can get very natural, organic sound, but if there is a miss match in the system, it will immediately expose the weakness and soud too analytical.

Thanks for your input.
It's a shame because Aries Cerat with it's full body and organic sound would have been nice with the transparency of the Ref one.

 

[CKKeung]

Agreed,...the CR1 and REF1 have been out there and the number of very happy owners (and sellers who regret their sale of them) continues to grow.

Andrew has left but remember 1 man is NOT a company...they have plenty of talented people and at least 1 lead designer left reported to be of considerable skill and contribution to both CR1 and REF1.

My only question on the immediately prior post is why with TAD do we use words like "novelty" to diminish the reputation of a world-class speaker when noone seems to do this with Wilson, Magico, ML, etc...here???

Wishing you and your families a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Yes, Andrew Jones has left for several years but his successors in TAD are very good!

The CE1 and ME1 have new design ideas and perform very well. They have won many awards.

And the newest just-launched E1 TX has received a lot of praises in Japan.
http://www.technicalaudiodevices.com/evolution-one-tx
Hope that it will be available in HK and the western world very soon.

 

[ozy]

I think the term ' novelty' in association with the TAD brand is mainly due to its origin- what started out as an experimental project by pioneer, with limitless budget ,turned to be an amazing speaker( the best ,most accurate and coherent out there, in any price), and yet it failed to catch the world on fire....why? not because AJ left , but mainly the lack of effort ,inmh, of TAD, in the distribution and marketing of the speakers.

 

[DaveC]

I think the term ' novelty' in association with the TAD brand is mainly due to its origin- what started out as an experimental project by pioneer, with limitless budget ,turned to be an amazing speaker( the best ,most accurate and coherent out there, in any price), and yet it failed to catch the world on fire....why? not because AJ left , but mainly the lack of effort ,inmh, of TAD, in the distribution and marketing of the speakers.

I don't know about that... they were shown frequently at audio shows by AJ himself.

I do think the R1 is one of the best speakers made but you have to get the R1 to get excellent bass performance. The CR1 and EVO towers are good but smaller woofers and cabinets are just that... smaller speakers but the price is still well into the 5 figures. The speakers are also demanding of their amp and electronics in general... I've heard some pairings that were simply bad.

The coax mid/tweet has some advantages and disadvantages. IMO it can be easier to localize vs some other speakers and again, it's also very picky about how it's fed.

Finally, when R1 came out it was much better than most speakers but I think YG others have made some large improvements recently and I'm not sure how the R1 would stack up against a new YG, Verity, Wilson, VSA, Magico, etc... the gap is very close right now I think, lots of excellent choices.

 

[ozy]

"....Finally, when R1 came out it was much better than most speakers but I think YG others have made some large improvements recently and I'm not sure how the R1 would stack up against a new YG, Verity, Wilson, VSA, Magico, etc... the gap is very close right now I think, lots of excellent choices...."
Granted , I have not heard the most recent models by these aforementioned brands, mostly because my search for a real top notch speakers ended 2.5 years ago with the R1s. it's certainly a matter of taste but to my ears the R1s remain the speakers to beat.
and yes ,they do need power to come to life.

 

[PGA]

Actually I think the M1s were better than the R1s as these were a 4 way design. Unfortunately mine, like most M1s cracked, a few times. Pioneer gave me a full refund. Amazing customer service. I ended up then with Mágico Q5s. These are very dry speakers for my ears. Customer service experience with Magico was poor. Ended up with R1s. For my ears they are quite good and it’s hard to beat Pioneer on customer service. But the R1s do require very good electronics, otherwise they can sound harsh.

 

[ozy]

Does anyone know what thread size the TAD ref 1 mk2 have on their bottoms??

 

[Avidlistener]

I have been reading people's good results with isocoustics orea isolators under speakers. Has anyone tried them with TAD's?

I have the CR1'S on stands and have never tried the spikes. I have wood floor over concrete or brick. I'm not sure. The space is an NYC schoolhouse from the 1890's with 15 foot brick barrel ceilings.

 

[knghifi]

Does anyone know what thread size the TAD ref 1 mk2 have on their bottoms??

TAD THREAD CHART
Stillpoints Adapter M10-1.5 to 1/4-20 (1" length)
Reference One Loudspeaker

Stillpoints Adapter M6-1.0 to 1/4-20 (0.5" length)
Evolution One Loudspeaker

 

[ozy]

Thank you very much ,knghifi.

 

[NTV2008]