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TAD Evolution 2 Speaker Review

Rate this speaker:

  • 1. Poor (headless panther)

    Votes: 66 15.1%
  • 2. Not terrible (postman panther)

    Votes: 208 47.6%
  • 3. Fine (happy panther

    Votes: 149 34.1%
  • 4. Great (golfing panther)

    Votes: 14 3.2%

  • Total voters
    437

FrantzM

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Hi

I would like to think that TAD's MArketing department along with the Deciders know what they're doing... Those speakers do not look like we expected from a company that produced these:
01.jpg

or those

R1TX-Gallery-1.jpg

or even ..
TAD_CE1TX-WN_GRAY.jpg




These speakers cost more than the Revel f328Be ($16,000.oo/pair) , if one wants to remains passive and close the Magico A5 ($25,000.oo)... Not competitive.. Perhaps the subjective audiophile press will love them since they're TAD, then again they need to love everything so...
If one starts thinking Genelec D&D 8C, Kii3, Neuman KH420, etc... One ...
Not a great showing from TAD

Plebeian looks and performances ... "meh" or to paraphrase @Kal Rubinson .."eh".

Peace
 

YSC

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Compact reference 1 from Stereophile,
Evolution 1 Stereophile
Even the Micro Evolution ( not Andrew Jones) isn’t bad ,
Keith
Surprised to see the compact is a lot better
 

w1000i

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The measurements are definitely far from awe-inspiring, however I would guess that it sounds "pretty good" regardless. Not close to $20K worth IMO - more like $1-2K maybe. It's definitely strange to see a straight "monkey coffin" for that price. Especially considering some past designs (even the Evolution One was largely devoid of parallel sides outside the stand mount models). Considering the prices of past offerings however, I guess $20K is technically a mid-range offering for them. :rolleyes:
It has very low distortion with co-axle driver. You can't find similar speaker like it
 

Vict0r

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Astoneroad

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Why would a company like this, with a price point like this, roll the dice and send this to Amir for measurement, which they know will be published? If they can't run the measurements in house, couldn't they contract out to have them measured to avoid the risk of exposure? I seem to recall that Amir mentioned somewhere that he does this for companies on a private contract basis with the agreement not to publish. Wouldn't it make more sense from a risk vs reward basis to know the outcome, BEFORE sending them to ASR for a feeding frenzy from its smarty pants members? I understand that small companies may not have the budget for this, but at $20k a pair... that just doesn't "resonate".
 

Eetu

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"Ultimate" award, "Competion Killer" and wholly different measurements over at AlphaAudio. Strange. https://www.alpha-audio.nl/review/r...oerstaande-luidspreker-concurrentie-killer/4/

These look like a pair of Jamo's to me. For $20K (€14K for the pair overhere, btw) I need my speakers to look like something HR Giger designed after a double dose of DMT.
IDK about 'wholly different'. The same 600Hz peak and 2500Hz dip is there. Those are taken in-room so the bass region is obviously messy.
 

AdamG

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Priced up with the big boys means you need to be able to perform at this level. For me and probably most of our Crew, price is a very important metric. At $20 Large this is mostly a fail. Looks basic and performs below expectations for price class. Totally unimpressed by this. TA who again? $10,000.00 per speaker. With what 6% distortion below 200 hz @ 96 dBsl. If this is the best they can produce at this price level, they are in trouble. :eek:
 

Vict0r

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IDK about 'wholly different'. The same 600Hz peak and 2500Hz dip is there. Those are taken in-room so the bass region is obviously messy.
Ah, you're right. I've compared them again now and see what you mean.
 

Vict0r

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Eetu

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Ah, you're right. I've compared them again now and see what you mean.
Yeah, the Klippel NFS is like a magnifying glass allowing us to see every tiny issue without distractions.

Brands like Neumann and Genelec have got us expecting perfection. This speaker probably sounds very good in-room. But the cost...
 

DanielT

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Superb Amir. Good work!:) There are many, myself included, who really like it when you do reviews on slightly larger speakers, compared to smaller bookshelf speakers. I am fully aware that there is more weight for you when you move and carry them and so on so hats off to you now.:)
It was sent to me by the company...
Also, hats off to TAD.:)
Doesn't seem that bad for a 800$ tower (it both looks and measures as such)... Except it is pricier than Revel F328Be!! :eek:

But kudos to TAD for sending it anyway.
Agree with everything you say!:)

Edit:
But wait now these TAD is it US $20,000 for a pair or individually?

If you think $800 each for tower speakers is reasonable, I think it's too much. Maybe, I'm correcting myself, maybe even a little too much for a pair, $800.Or it is possibly reasonable.:)
(a bit of price waffle on my part, admittedly)
 
Last edited:

delta76

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Superb Amir. Good work!:) There are many, myself included, who really like it when you do reviews on slightly larger speakers, compared to smaller bookshelf speakers. I am fully aware that there is more weight for you when you move and carry them and so on so hats off to you now.:)

Also, hats off to TAD.:)

Agree with everything you say!:)

Edit:
But wait now these TAD is it US $20,000 for a pair or individually?

If you think $800 each for tower speakers is reasonable, I think it's too much. Maybe, I'm correcting myself, maybe even a little too much for a pair, $800.Or it is possibly reasonable.:)
(a bit of price waffle on my part, admittedly)
the price in EU is 14250 EUR per pair, so I would guess it is $20000 per pair. can't find a retailer in US, and given the price difference with Focal Aria, I'm not even sure
 

AdamG

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the price in EU is 14250 EUR per pair, so I would guess it is $20000 per pair. can't find a retailer in US, and given the price difference with Focal Aria, I'm not even sure
The USD and the Euro have reached parity. So pricing should be the same. Spot price now is 100.675 Euro per Dollar. So that represents a big discount for the EU pricing versus the US prices. Shipping costs maybe? From Japan to….
 

sarumbear

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I voted poor as it is impossible not to include the order of magnitude higher price to similar and often better measuring speakers. Roughly $18,000 extra is too much to pay for "threads that make you feel there is fluid/oil in the thread." Besides, from what I can see the box is not something you will be proud to have in front of you.
 
Last edited:

delta76

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The USD and the Euro have reached parity. So pricing should be the same. Spot price now is 100.675 Euro per Dollar. So that represents a big discount for the EU pricing versus the US prices. Shipping costs maybe? From Japan to….
Focal Aria 948 is like 2000 EUR and less in EU, but 6000-7000$ in the US. It's an edge case yes but it is a proof that prices can be vastly different between the two continents.
 
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