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!
opinions
audiobrian
TAD Ref 1 is my favorite speaker by far but since i will never be able to afford them, i own what i consider to be the second best speaker after the big TAG : Thiel CS 3.7
If you are fortunate enought to have the budget for a pair of TAD Ref 1 you will never regret your
@melbguy1  

Agreed, I also apologize to the OP for my part in making this TAD thread about how fantastic Magico is or isn't.
All thanks for your feedback across the entire thread, no need for apologies as we all get passionate about what we like and sometimes go overboard (guilty as charged here LOL). Magico does make some fine speakers, some much better than others (IMHO) but their heart seems to be in the right place when it comes to pushing the performance barrier all the time. The big Thiels 3.7s and in the old days the 6s and 7.x (if memory serves) were great speakers; thought about buying the higher end of the Thiel line more than once over the years.  I never forget the first 2 speakers I heard that imaged in a way that truly shocked me versus the broad stroke/diffuse sound audio speaker approach of the 70s and 80s; one was a pair of mid-line Infinity's that I owned (RS4s), the other was a pair of Thiel 1.1s in an audio shop in Montgomery Ohio (suburb of Cinci). They were playing Thomas Dolby and Patrick O'Hearn's latest highly regarded albums.  Surprising at the time how specific the imaging was and how the music just hung "correctly" in the air.  Have a great weekend guys!
shadorne5,434 posts01-06-2017 10:00am@melbguy1

Agreed, I also apologize to the OP for my part in making this TAD thread about how fantastic Magico is or isn’t.
Why? Check out page one of this thread for starters. PIoneer, I mean TAD fanboi’s have done there fair share of Magico-bashing in this thread. They have to expect a bit of push back...it’s only fair ;).
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To all:
Ignore Melbguy. Don’t let him get to you. He trolls speaker threads to extol his love for Magico usually by way of insulting the manufacturer and demeaning the hearing capabilities of those who prefer any speaker other than Magico.
Standard behavior for most of us commenting on a thread not involving our preferred brand would be to suggest that perhaps someone in the thread should consider brand x because we either purchased them after careful comparison and deliberation or heard them at a dealer. Not Melbuy who comes on so strong that he makes any thread veer off course into an argument about how Magico is or is not the best speaker manufacturer in the world as a matter of incontrovertible fact.
His first comment hear was the usual Melbguy sixth grade insult: "TAD Reference Loudspeakers", that’s an oxymoron isn’t it?" Then followed up with how all of the TADs he has heard make his ears hurt followed by how TADs are "bright and fatiguing"--"Pioneer midfi dressed up as Zegna", when he tried to listen to TADs, "my ears were bleeding", because they are just "souped up Pioneers". God forbid that you defend your preference for another brand especially after having heard Magico and not chosen them, he calls you a "fanboi". There is only one "fanboi" on this thread and that’s Magico Melbguy.
Let’s look at the facts-- this self anointed speaker expert is actually insulting Andrew Jones who designed the TAD speaker in question and is known throughout the industry as one of the finest loudspeaker designers alive. He is now at Elac where he has already designed a great entry level loudspeaker that has received universal praise from virtually all critics. As for the TADs, they are, of course, is a great sounding line of speakers in their respective price ranges by a bespoke company which has tremendous talent and resources at hand. I know I’ve never heard a TAD loudspeaker that I didn’t like. And I have heard many.
gpgr4blu, I find your comments so ironic considering the Magico-bashing that has gone on in this thread, lol! I noticed you conveniently slid past all those comments & cherry picked all mine to paint me as a troll. Terribly sorry to offend you, but that's how my ears heard them. I suppose you think i'm a liar as well as a "troll"? I might have toned down the bluntness of my comments on second thought, but my view on TAD speakers has not changed. And doubtless your view of Magico speakers or derogatory view of me will never change....

Melbguy
with all due respect, I have never found you to be a liar. I have read other posts which you have made that suggest a depth of audio knowledge. I'm sure that you are a well seasoned audiophile who truly finds Magico to make the best speakers available. You would not the only one with that view.
But if someone who owned TAD speakers went on a Magico thread and said they were made of hitech parts for those with low tech hearing, they made his ears bleed and, in short questioned the hearing ability of all of the TAD fans on the TAD thread, you would be offended and fight back by questioning the TAD fan's hearing. It's only natural.
I'm glad to see that you recognized that you could have toned down the bluntness of your comments. That's all you've got to do and we'll all get along. Sorry to sound like a scold. I'm sure all will be fine going forward. Happy New Year.  
Sorry--In my example, I meant to say that  if the TAD fan questioned the hearing ability of Magico fans on the Magico thread... 
gpgr4blu, I owe you an apology, I asked Audiogon if you're a moderator & they confirmed you are. Please don't ban my arse Mr Moderator. I promise I'll be good from now on and not offend the sensitivities of TAD owners!!
Melbguy
I am not a moderator. I have no connection to Audiogon. I'm just a fella who wants a site that operates in a reasonably friendly fashion.
"I am not a moderator. I have no connection to Audiogon. I'm just a fella who wants a site that operates in a reasonably friendly fashion."

Well said,.....!!!
As life has dictated that I am breaking in the R1s at a slower pace (only about 7-8 hours of playing time per day 5 days per week), they've crossed 300 hour as of yesterday but the differences in the speaker as it matures are making themselves very apparent; the bass has become very accurate, deep and tight, the mids and highs are liquid and rich without being overly saturated and inaccurate and the sound stage and imaging performance of this speaker and its ability to convey the scale, energy and beauty of whatever music I throw at it is extremely impressive to me.  I do miss the deep bass below 21-22 Hz from my last speakers so I may have to do something about that however in terms of musical accuracy, scale and energy of the performance, the ability to pull me into the recordings, extremely accurate rendition of every note and nuance individually for each instrument and voice AND for the ensemble as a whole regardless of type of music, I would now change the title of this thread from "R1....How good are they..." to "R1....How GREAT they are...".
That is certainly true but 6 of any sub could very well remove all the music from the room of this size and leave only bass and sub-bass notes LOL!
You should PM and checkout babybear system page.  He has six pack with Rockport Arrakis 2.
Yes,...saw that last year; Arnie is a great guy whose system I've stared at many times over the years!  I meant to ask him why the stack of 3 G1s were necessary when that sub or a single G25 would be ample for bass and sub-bass in that room for 2-ch. Perhaps he went with the 6-pack for HT related presence. They certainly look damned impressive!!!