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First Listen: TAD Compact Reference Loudspeaker

First Listen: TAD Compact Reference Loudspeaker

Having heard versions of the TAD Compact Reference (TAD stands for Technical Audio Devices) for a couple years now I wasn’t believing my eyes a couple weeks ago when this speaker finally appeared on my doorstep. But there it was. Well, not quite my doorstep. It was accompanied by a couple of strong gentlemen who unpacked the four boxes (two for the stands). Also, Andrew Jones, engineer and chief designer extraordinare behind the TAD Reference One and Compact Reference. After bolting them down to their stands and taking a few moments to position, it took all of about three minutes or so of listening to realize that the TAD maybe the greatest stand-mounted speaker I’ve ever encountered if not one of the best speakers period. It combines the warmth, weight, majesty,  and soundstage of a floorstander with the image focus and precision of a small compact. There’s a harmonic complexity and a naturalistic bloom and a musical rightness that simply hits you between the eyes. There’s a calm to this speaker and though it can be physically forceful –virtually pinning you to your seat with impact– it never sounds “hi-fi” or forced, etched or edgy.

How does it do this? Expensively for one. The pure beryllium diaphragms of the coincident midrange & tweeter (formally known as the CST for Coherent Source Transducer) cover the range from 250Hz to 100kHz. It’s a completely proprietary in-house design that you won’t see anywhere else except on the TAD flagship Ref One. Combine that with a short coil, long gap 8** woofer with a tri-laminate cone of woven aramid fibers sandwiching a foam acrylic cone plus a multi-compartment enclosure of extreme rigidity and driver isolation and a myriad of other design and technical achievements  too lengthy to delve into here and the result is a speaker of such tonal expression and sensitivity to the source that you will find, as I’ve found, that it’s difficult to wrestle yourself away from it. I’m still in the “getting to know you” phase of this evaluation and am just getting a grip on its overall character (it does have one BTW) and sonic limits but thus far my jaw remains on the floor. Price: $37,000/pair. http://tad-labs.comFirst Listen: TAD Compact Reference Loudspeaker

TAD Compact Reference
TAD-CR1
Type: three-way dynamic driver in bass reflex cabinet
Drivers: One concentric with 1 3/8** tweeter and 6.5** midrange; one 8** woofer
Frequency Response: 32Hz-100kHz
Sensitivity: 86dB
Impedance: 4 ohms
Dimensions: 24.7** x 13.4** x 17.5**
Weight: 101 lbsFirst Listen: TAD Compact Reference Loudspeaker

detail of CST driver (above)
Back panel detail (Below)First Listen: TAD Compact Reference Loudspeaker
 

Tags: TAD LABORATORIES

Neil Gader

By Neil Gader

My love of music largely predates my enthusiasm for audio. I grew up Los Angeles in a house where music was constantly playing on the stereo (Altecs, if you’re interested). It ranged from my mom listening to hit Broadway musicals to my sister’s early Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Beatles, and Stones LPs, and dad’s constant companions, Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett. With the British Invasion, I immediately picked up a guitar and took piano lessons and have been playing ever since. Following graduation from UCLA I became a writing member of the Lehman Engel’s BMI Musical Theater Workshops in New York–working in advertising to pay the bills. I’ve co-written bunches of songs, some published, some recorded. In 1995 I co-produced an award-winning short fiction movie that did well on the international film-festival circuit. I was introduced to Harry Pearson in the early 70s by a mutual friend. At that time Harry was still working full-time for Long Island’s Newsday even as he was writing Issue 1 of TAS during his off hours. We struck up a decades-long friendship that ultimately turned into a writing gig that has proved both stimulating and rewarding. In terms of music reproduction, I find myself listening more than ever for the “little” things. Low-level resolving power, dynamic gradients, shadings, timbral color and contrasts. Listening to a lot of vocals and solo piano has always helped me recalibrate and nail down what I’m hearing. Tonal neutrality and presence are important to me but small deviations are not disqualifying. But I am quite sensitive to treble over-reach, and find dry, hyper-detailed systems intriguing but inauthentic compared with the concert-going experience. For me, true musicality conveys the cozy warmth of a room with a fireplace not the icy cold of an igloo. Currently I split my time between Santa Fe, New Mexico and Studio City, California with my wife Judi Dickerson, an acting, voice, and dialect coach, along with border collies Ivy and Alfie.

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