KEF Reference 1 Meta bookshelf with OEM stands, $11K. If you have the right amp(s) to drive them?
70 responses Add your response
I have a ns5000 too. Yamaha has well moved on from beryllium. All their current audiophile speakers are zylon (their non-toxic in-house developed stuff). Beryllium lovers may have to go to other "high end" names for a healthy whiff of Beryllium.
|
Best … ? have no idea…for me that would mean an impossible trial of ownership and long term listening and the answer would highly depend on taste, room and ancillary equipment… and expectations on SPL.. For the last 4 months or so my Winter system has included the TAD ME-1 w factory stands. You can see it as well as my reference system in the virtual system pages. The TAD are lovely as are many of the speakers i have heard mentioned above by others. I do use a JL sub w them and my room volume is 5K cubic ft. Obviously system synergy can ruin / tame / optimize just about any speaker. Finally, without writing a long gushing biased by ownership review…i am impressed enough to seek out more TAD products to audition, add to my systems…including possibly replacing my reference speakers.. Have fun, enjoy the music and the journey Jim
|
Interesting fact that Yamaha was the godfather of beryllium tooling, driver dev/fab way back in the early 70s, but, apparently they are not "high end" enough for the ’elusive’ audiophile. All these "high end" names have been leeching with it since then, 50 years later (innovation? no such thing from "high end", except putting a "high end" finish on a box). Could "high end" touch the level of engineering that went into the ns5000? never... I'm curious now why the 3000 isn’t directly sold in the US...while, the big 5000 is.
|
Absolute best sound speaker - Wavetouch audio Antero speaker. Compare Antero sound to Magico A-1, Focal Sopra No. 1, TAD Me1 below Alex/Wavetouch audio Antero https://youtu.be/LlYlIvmmg3c?si=EB_m8Mi5PRDD2vcJ&t=152 Magico - Jay’s voice is perfectly natural. So, this is honest A1 sound. https://youtu.be/iLQMNJi8JAs?si=7V-pIRiieDqu1_1B Focal - People’s voice sound great in recording. So, this is real #1 sound. https://www.youtube.com/live/Msaq4kCYclw?si=lJMZFA1mufR9DUxM&t=830 TAD - Accuphase + DCS. |
I demoed the TAD ME1 a couple of times when I was thinking of a bookshelf. I had a similar bookshelf list. The TAD uses beryllium, which is very detailed, but you need a bit of warmth to the system for beryllium. I liked the ME1 over the others on the OP's list. However, TAD bothered me when they dropped the price to $10k and then a month or 2 later went back to the $15k (with stands) price. If I were to get another bookshelf it would be the Yamaha NS3000. I own the NS5000 "bookshelf" and the very detailed drivers on that are preferred over beryllium. Only issue is that if you are in the USA you need to buy from Canada. NS-3000 – Custom Home Automation Solution, Entertainment Systems (price is $CAN) |
For a big sound - neutral, high resolution - respectable bass: the TAD ME1. For a more intimate sound - textured but limited bass: Wilson Audio Tunetot. |
B&W 805 D4 signature. The spiffy finishes should please the wife. I think I saw a pair listed today for about $10k. https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lisbd992-b-w-bowers-wilkins-805-d4-monitors |
I have a strong preference for the TAD me1 over the sopra, like it is less opinion and more a fact the TAD is better. The ME1 stands have a nice feature that allows one to zip tie the cables to them, so they do not work loose at the binding posts. There are a pair of used WB Endeavors now listed. Those are incredible. I have only heard A3 once in demo, not A1. |