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Review: Tube Audio Design TAD 150 Tube preamp

Category: Preamps

The Tube Audio Design TAD 150 Pre-amp is a reference level pre-amp that I believe will rival ANY pre-amp and ANY price.

The TAD 150 replaced a ten year old Musical Design SP-2B which was very good for its day, but the TAD 150 really did pick up where the Musical Design Piece left off.

The improvements were from top to bottom, the separation, and detail are much improved as well as this unit's ability to dig deeper in the music, and I hate to use this because it sounds so cliché, but yes, I'm hearing things that was just hinted at or simply not there at all with my previous pre-amp. The tone, accuracy, and soundstage of this unit is truly holographic and 3D. It is the most natural sounding pre-amp I have ever owned or Auditioned, but even more spectacular is it's stability it sounds so effortless, you know the types that sound either like they are trying to hard, or trying to keep up, this unit never sounds strained or harsh even at loud volumes or complex passages! No matter loud or soft this unit integrity stays in tact.

So I could go on about how quiet it is, how covenant having a remote control is and so forth but I think you catch my drift. My recommendation is to at least audition the unit, you get your money back if you somehow convince yourself that you don’t like it, but to be fair it may or may not be for everyone based on your taste, but I can almost guarantee that you would have to pay at least $5000 dollars to get anything that comes close.

Associated gear
Musical Concepts CDT-4 transport

Musical Design DAC 1A20 Platinum.

Custom built (By Bizzie Bee) S.E.T. amp using 6AS7 tubes(5W.P.C.)

Bizzie Bee Frozen interconnects throught whole system including Digital Cable.

Speaker Cables are a home brew using Radio Shack RG-58 Coax.

Speakers are Klipsch Quartets. Highly Modified with Auricaps, Goertz copper foil inductors and solen Fast cap.

Similar products
None
jswillis73
pborchard-6896
1 posts
 
Now that I've lived with the TAD-150 for a couple of months, I can happily say that it's even better than my original report -- a real sleeper especially when compared to what's typically available in the price range. Frankly it's hard to believe it couldn't go toe-to-toe with the big-bucks esoterica. Granted it has a somewhat funky side, with the tubes on display through the round windows, the volume control turning itself all the way down on turn-on, and some volume control overshoot with the remote control. (I don’t happen to need the remote.) It's chassis, expectedly, is not machined from a solid billet of unobtanium, although I’ve yet to understand why that would matter in the real world. It is, however, remarkably better than the norm. I often complain about volume controls that aren’t better marked to make repeatability easier, but in use, this too seems a moot point.

The only possible shortcoming of this preamp is it’s phono section. Although it sounds fine, it seems very fussy about even the slightest grounding or tonearm wiring problem. I’m using a current Shure V15 iteration and the noise floor (hum) is just a hair below normal listening levels and may be unacceptable to some who are still deeply into LPs. On the other hand, at the cost of the preamp, it’s isn’t too much to ask to consider an outboard preamp either.

Overall, this preamp is a very wise choice even if hifi gear isn’t your main interest. It’s not just for audiophiles.

--Peter Borchard
bglenn
2 posts
 
Lower the price and put out a TAD 150 line stage only. if it can beat my ARC sp6c-1. it could be the best out there
let me know
bizzybee
5 posts
 
Yes,

Let the final results speak for themselves!
rcziech
47 posts
 
I've had this preamp for a couple months now. I haven't tried the phono stage yet, but the line stage sounds very good to my ears. If you're in the market for a preamp in this price range, this pre should be on your audition list --- then decide for yourself if it's a keeper ...........
eagleman6722
217 posts
 
Review #2

I have had the opportunity to live with this piece for six weeks or so. My Joe-Zen power cord and Signal cable IC's are starting to break in. Soundstage is even wider and deeper. Quality of recordings are very revealing good and bad. This unit will stay in my system for quite a while. Can't wait to upgrade my CD (Adcom GCD600) and Mod my McCormack DNA-1.

Eagleman
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