TACT RCS 2.0 Users Group

I've had an RCS 2.0 for about 8 months, and have found it
to be the biggest improvement in my system of ANY component.
Maybe the A/D and D/A converters are not of Levinson 360S
quality, however I think they're decent, and the overall
improvement in sound is astounding. One problem with the
SigTech as I understand it is that you need a sound engineer
to come to your room with a signal generator and associated
equipment to obtain optimal results. That can get expensive.
At least with the TacT, I can do a measurement/adjustment in
a few minutes on my own.

Concerning speaker placement with the Tact... I also tried following their advice concerning moving the speakers towards the back wall for increased room coupling. I have full-range reflex-loaded speakers (PSB Stratus Gold-i), and found that getting close to the wall is counterproductive: even after compensation by the Tact there's too much residual room boom. (The configuration of my room doesn't permit me to go wider with the speakers, so I can't comment on that). I've found I obtain the best result by starting with speakers in the position that gives the best sound *unprocessed*, and then using the Tact to do the room compensation.

I'm considering getting a Tact 2.0 so that I can put speakers in a bookshelf and still get good sound. Currently I have Audio Physic Virgos in the middle of the room and I can't stand the clutter anymore.

Am I being too optimistic that with good bookshelf monitors and a subwoofer plus the Tact that I can get really good sound?

Also, any other opinions about what is the best DSP out there - Sigtech etc.?

Bill

To Boliver@onlineinteriors.com,

If the placement of the bookshelf speakers have a restricted area you can be experimenting with placement, and I assume you are restricted, then I would be cautious about expecting too much.

At this point in my "Tact Adventure", if I were going to start with the restrictions you've defined, I would be sure to do two things:
1. Learn how to build a lot of custom target curves. Be very conservative in my movement of "frequency control points" and start with the flat Nearfield target curve. It is very easy to overdrive your speakers, and possibly do damage to them.
2. Be sure that the dealer I purchased it from had a clear 30 day refund policy he would honor. If not, buy direct from Tact and be sure they understand your challenge.

However, done correctly and with the investment of experimentation, I would be surprized if you did not experience a pleasant improvement.

To those who have the Sigtech and have directly compared it to the TACT, particularly Pls1, would you please give us a little more detail on what you sonically hear as an improvement in the Sigtech over the TACT? I'd appreciate it. Also, do you own the latest incarnation of the Sigtech, or the original version?

From the postings, it is obvious we all feel the user interface and software toolset needs dramatic improvement. Nice to see I'm not alone on that issue!

It is my understanding, TACT will have an upsampler upgrade available in the near future - this should address 1439bhr's valid comments. I'm hopeful that the upsampler will be executed with elegance. However, it will require a motherboard upgrade as well.

To my knowledge, the price for the full blow Sigtech with correction software, cal. mic, etc. is well over $10K.

For the difference in price between the TACT and the Sigtech, I've been willing to spend my evening hours working to get the Tact to give me the sound I want, albeit an unnecessarily frustrating adventure if the software interface and toolset was properly implemented.

I have the requirement in my thinking about room correction that I must have the ability to personally recalibrate the room and adjust as I change system components (try different tubes, pieces of gear in the signal path, etc.) and not have to call in the Sigtech engineer to do this for me at a cost of $400 a shot, or what ever they want to charge, every time.

I have also found that I personally like to build custom target curves for different types of music, tube sets, and even certain artist. The nine filters in the TACT are nice to have, and I use all nine!

Yeah, I'm a perfectionist who is fascinated with the scientific side of our obsession as much as the actual music. This is an interest that can literally blend the artistic and scientific appreciation elements of each of us. And that is one of the big reasons I'm personally insisting on having the tools under my control, not an outside engineer.

Naturally, this is not an approach for everyone. And I admit, there were moments in my first 100 hours with the TACT that I wished I could remove that facet of my personality! LOL!!