TAD Reference loudspeakers-How good are they?

Ebm touts virtually everything he owns....Until he gets rid of it(then the real truth),so there is little credibility there.Take a look at any of his postings.Yup,ya have not changed one bit,and seldom add any "true" content to this forum.

Anyway,to the original question....

The TAD is a vastly superior speaker to the "still quite fine,by any standards" Magico Mini.The TAD is just a more complete/better design......PERIOD!!

TAD took many years to rework this design,and it is a masterpiece.They waited a long time and had the MINI as a benchmark,but have now bettered it by a "mile"!

I am always amazed by the dual concentric drivers' ability to resolve detail,while allowing stunning clarity and precision.The advantage gained in the area of imaging must be heard to be believed.

For one thing,it is a "true three way design"(the MINI is a two way,and does do a nice job).The dual concentric twin drivers are amazingly effective,and it does serious BASS!I will guarantee this speaker becomes an instant classic,and mfgrs who compete at this exalted level are quaking in their boots.For sure!

There is a BIG company behind the design of the TAD,and Andrew Jones' reputation is unmatched.Remember the Mini originally was introduced at about twenty grand.It was after extensive good reviews that(as usual in "things" high end audio)the price went through the roof.Yes,it is expensive to mfgr,but remember,most of "it's" parts are sourced out.Unlike TAD,which has a huge mother company behind it!...No comparison....and "I happen to love the Magico",so don't anyone get me wrong.It just is NO competition for the TAD!

No need for a sub,which introduces the possibility of problems....Like a certain audiophile's apparent blowing out of his Magico Minis,'cause he could not leave well enough alone!.....Sheesh!....Laughed for a week!

Sir speedy back from the dead? Always has an opinion with no stereo. He can always talk a great stereo as far as MAGICO MINI 2 just read Issue 70 of HIFI + For GREAT review of MAGICO MINI 2.Certinly better than speedy's latest speaker-none?. HO HO!! Good luck on your system if you ever get one.

If TAD is the best. Sirspeedy will buy them soon and report to the audiophile community with a wonderful report.He can demo them with his wonderful record collection!!

I rest my case -:)

I heard the original TAD 1 one several occasions and really liked certain aspects of its sound. It is VERY fast and dynamic and unmuddled in a way that VERY few conventional speakers can hope to match (similar in that respect to good horn systems). Most conventional systems sound lifeless by comparison.

The downside was that the speaker sounded quite hard and metallic. I did not listen long enough to determine if that property would, in the long run, lead to a major annoyance. At one show, I heard them with Dr. Edgar (Edgarhorns) in attendance. We chatted briefly and we both agreed on the pluses and minuses of the speaker. He said that he has done quite a bit of experimentation with Beryllium drivers from TAD because he likes the speed and dynamic qualities of the drivers, but, he could never tame the metallic sound.

Overall, a VERY promising design. In some respects, the sound reminds me of some of the better designs using the Manger driver (like the Overkill Audio designs).

I am surprised that the current version is considered "dark," by some listeners, unless the designer went back to the drawing board to tame its more aggressive, forward presentation. If that is the case, it would be inevitable that some of the liveliness would also be lost; such is the case with all speaker designs, tradeoffs are always involved.