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TAD Reference loudspeakers-How good are they?

Just wondering if the TAD Ref 1 and/or TAD Compact Ref 1 are as good as some of the show reviews suggest, although a recent review did mention a slightly "dark" presentation, albeit state of the art sound.

Does anyone know if the implementation of concentric tweeter/mid is superior to that of KEF/Thiel, or perhaps the Berylium constructed drivers and/or crossover sophistication.

I'm thinking about the TAD Compact Ref One as my "final" loudspeaker, as I have a small listening room at 14 x 16; Quite expensive at MSRP of $37K. I would appreciate any and all opinions and experience with the TAD Reference loudspeakers.

Thanks so much!
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knghifi
1,668 posts
 
zephyr24069, I'm driving the TAD E1s with ARC REF250SE and Hegel H30 (350Wpc into 8 ohms and 675Wpc into 4 ohms) in the summer. Preamp is VAC SigMKIIa SE preamp.   E1 is 88db @4ohm so easier load than your R1.  My room is fairly large so I need all the power.

emailists, I'm looking into adding 2 REL G1 MK2 subs. How many and model of Velodyne subs are using with CR1?   I NEVER EVER considered subs but I think this is most cost effective improvement until I upgrade to larger speakers. 
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zephyr24069
1,244 posts
 
Thank you for the feedback; the RELs are great subs. I know others in the US who have the CR1s and drive pair them with JL subs (112, 113, 115, Gotham); I've not heard this as I'm an old REL fan/owner but they seem to love the combination particularly with the additional audiophile-grade crossover....
knghifi
1,668 posts
 
From my research, close to 100% consensus REL is superior for 2 channel and JL for HT. 
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zephyr24069
1,244 posts
 
Thanks....back in my subwoofer days with 7.1 HT + 2-ch hybrid, REL was the king for 2-ch integration. Others came and went and tried to measure up but they fell short for 2-ch. Glad to hear it's still that way!  My last REL was a B1 Britannia which had the best of both worlds very well ironed out (IMHO), typical hi-pass integration off amp mains for 2-ch and equally great LFE input for HT.  I realize other subs in the line had this but the front-firing B1 was my favorite in terms of pleasing both sides of the house...
emailists
923 posts
 
KNGhifi- you should call me sometime -. We can talk about TAD's and 911's, which we see to both have a penchant for.



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