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TDL Speakers - Pls. Read & Share Your Thoughts

Hi,

I have been using TDL REFERENCE STUDIO MONITOR 'M' speakers for quite a few years now.They have kept me very happy & content through these years .

TDL speakers are rarely spoken of & i know only a few people who own them. I thought it will be interesting to share the experiences of pepole who have owned or heard TDL speakers.

IMO TDL's ref monitor's are very well balanced speakers.I have heard quite a few expensive and well reputed speakers in the $10k - $20k range, but none has made me want to give up the TDL's. Some were good at doing one thing well but the overall picture was somehow not complete. Many of them fell far short in the lower frequencies and this is where the TDL's trully excelled, reaching down to nearly 18 Hz.

I guess as with any system matching is crucial and i found tubes to be the best match but to enjoy the bass depths these speakers reach you need SS control. I settled for a Supratek Chardonnay tube pre with a Mac MC352 power amp. This combo works *** MAGIC *** for me. I have something to look forward to at the end of every day. Something us audiophiles have in common i guess to keep us sane in this crazy world. Sit back and let it flow !!!

I would love to hear from any A'gonners who have owned or experienced these trully special speakers. There's next to nothing to be found on the web about TDL's so i think it would be nice to start a thread on this one time great company.

Pls. pay your tribute to " TDL " by sharing your experiences with ANY TDL model you would like to mention along with various sys. combinations you might have tried on them.

From a TDL fan !!!
dilly
dilly OP
113 posts
 
Hello Yot.
Nice to hear from another fan. I have heard the
Studio 1'M' . I am not suprised you have kept them for 12 years.

Thanks for the tip on the Cardas wiring. Is there a particular type you would recommend ?
This was a long term option i was considering as well.
Also have you considered vandenhull cables before opting for cardas.

Cheers,
syot2c08
4 posts
 
Dilly, Just as solid 14gauge wire , there r in both of blue n red insulator for modify. I bought them at Cardas's dealer in Thailand. [ For more detail,u could contact to Cardas in USA directly.]
VDH is fine with mid-range,but bass too slow [ clumsy, I think ] It's not suit for transmission line. Cardas made all of sound improve noticeably, tighten bass,n deep bass can go down deeper than ever,marvelous mid n high.
Should let them work as usually,about one month later. its merit would gently emerge.
Regards / YOT
rabbitb471
1 posts
 
Hello folks,

I'am also a, very satisfied, owner of a pair TDL reference.
I settled for a Aitos line-tube pre-amplifier with two Aitos OTL-mono's power amp's for de mid/high section and a Aragon 8008ST for de bass units.
http://digilander.libero.it/piani/tdl_electronics.htm
rico1
2 posts
 
Hi all.
I just came across this thread, by accident, and decided to add my thoughts. I am the proud owner of TDL Reference Studio Monitor M's, TDL Studio 4's, as well as IMF RSPM IV's, IMF TLS 50 II's, IMF ALS 40 b's, a couple pairs of IMF Super compacts, and several pairs of Frieds.(Model H, A3's, Model R's and several pairs of Q's. IMF was the predacessor of TDL, and Irving M Fried was the founder of IMF, who also sold speakers with the Fried Products badge.
The TDL's, IMF's and Frieds all share one thing in common. Their tremendous, deep, powerful transmition line bass, and incredible bass slam. Once you hear it, you never forget it. And once you have lived with it, it is really hard to live without it. They are all very natural sounding in the mids and highs, with great extension on the M models. The early models all benefit greatly from cap, resistor and wire upgrades, because of the type of caps available when they were designed and built. All in ll, great speakers, from a great company. By the way, they are still being built today, by AOS, i believe, in Germany. They are expensive, however, starting around $10,000 a pair. Regards to all.
dilly OP
113 posts
 
Hello Rico,

Nice to hear from another fan! You have a vast collection!!!

Recently met a gent who had owned IMF top model (can't remember the model) 20 years ago which he had to let go way back. He mentioned he has been missing these for nearly 15 years since then. Recently he found himself a pair of Reference Studio Monitor M used & said this will be his "last set of speakers"! I know he meant it though we audiophiles tend to use this term a lot. Just thought I would share this.

I too have another TDL pair. A pair of Studio .5 M. Supposed to be "worlds smallest full Transmission line speakers" according to their brochure at the time.

Cheers,
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