TAD 2402 loudspeakers and the quest for matching amps

[enjoy_the_music]

So i finally managed to get someone to help me lift these buggers into the listening room. They weigh around 93kg each so lifting and somehow not bashing them into walls was important! Luckily everything went ok...

So here they are TAD 2402's....I stuck them onto some temporary stands

For the time being i am tried out two types of Shindo WE 300B mono amps (one pair being 1980's vintage and the other 1991) with both a Shindo Model 77 preamp and an Exclusive C-7 preamp.

From an easthetic point of view i much prefer the older Shindo green, it has much more a sense of what these amps are about. I find the TAD's actually fit in with the decor too...my girlfriend is actually saying nothing which is a good sign The maple horns on these is something to behold.

These mostly irrelevant, aesthetic viewpoints aside here are some brief ideas of the performance.

Compared to the Merlins the TAD's have a much more nimble and deeper bass...at the moment due to setup i reckon i am getting only 60% of what they can deliver.

The treble detail is different to the Merlins. Whilst i don't think i'm getting the same level of detail as the Merlins at the same time i don't feel i am missing anything either. The horn tweeters give more feeling and life to the performance...in fact the real point of the TAD speakers is that they make anything sound LIVE.

From the user manual the bottom of the wooden horn has to be at eye level so i am designing some custom stands out of granite/corian and wood with spikes to decouple them from the floor and raise them up a tad (!). Then i can concentrate on distance and toe-in.

Here are some pics and frequency charts:

http://www.picfury.com/galleries/Ima...ery-47547.html

Over the coming weeks i will add a Wavac PR-T1 preamp and then a suitable power amp.

In time then i'd like to add maybe an outboard crossover and try some YL or GOTO tweeters too....thats more a DIY task

[enjoy_the_music]

and another with the grilles on.

[Biscuit]

fantastic, maybe one day....

[Alex A]

They look pretty beasty, but they definately fell out the ugly tree..

What are the stats? Sensitivity, Impedence, freq range etc?

[enjoy_the_music]

You can check out the frequency graphs and charts from the link i posted. Here are specs:

Impedance 8ohm
Reproduct. Freq. Zone 29-20,000 Hz
Input Capacity 150W Rated, 300W Max
Output Sound Pressure Level 95db
Max Output Sound Pressure Level 120db(1m)
Crossover Frequency 650Hz
Weight 93kg

Edit: Same performance specs as the 2401's yet easier to drive and for smaller rooms.

[Purite Audio]

Which TAD drivers are in them?

[enjoy_the_music]

TL-1601A woofer, TD4001 tweeter and TH4001 horn.

I have a thread going on the lansing forum:

http://www.audioheritage.org/vbullet...ad.php?t=16965

[Purite Audio]

Are you still thinking of bi-amping? One capable amp would be simpler I guess, I have exactly the same problem, my new speakers share the same drivers ( plus a 703 ), are the Wavacs really too soft ?Keith

[enjoy_the_music]

Definitely simpler...although i'd like to investigate the addition of further tweeters in time like GOTO and YL.

The Wavac is a preamp...i'm after some good power amplification!

Merlin recommended JMF audio but i think they are more difficult to find than Berning!

[Purite Audio]

Aren't you using two Wavac We300b's at the moment, the 4001 isn't really a 'tweeter ' it is a mid range unit which can be run up to cover h/f , Merlin has bought the 4003 TAD with a smaller throat, I believe that is designed more for two way designs, I would like to hear a GOTO mid, more expensive than TAD though.

[enjoy_the_music]

Hi, Yes i've been discussing with M his custom TAD speakers and they look stunning.

I will be running a Wavac PR-T1 coopee, its their preamp not their power amp. I currently have two pairs of Shindo WE 300B...and fair do's to them they are working ok. The first pair is from the early 1980's and the second is from 1991.

Funnily enough i've just plumbed in the original and recommended speaker cable (Pioneer OFC-LI) and swapped over the input tubes in the Model 77 preamp to Mullard 12AU7WA and the sound is very nice indeed...what i should have done is swapped one element at a time to see what really is making this heightened musicality.....

Yes check out this guy in japan he is running the same speakers as me but has integrated an ALE tweeter via an outboard crossover:

http://www008.upp.so-net.ne.jp/tsu-net/audio.htm



Just got some nice Eric Bibbs running and it sounds wonderful.

[Purite Audio]

Rich sorry getting my Wavac and Shindo' mixed up! What are the Shindo's like with the Exclusives ( what is the measured output of the Shindo's ) , have you seen any photo's of M's new speakers? ALE outboard i would like to hear those! Keith

btw looks like he has some ribbon tweeters as well!

[enjoy_the_music]

Shindo output is only 8Watt SET Class A.

Effective output Power：8W in class A.
Sensitivity/Impedance：0.5V/600Ω.
Total Harmonic Distortion：0.1%.
Signal to Noise Ratio：110dB.
Intermodulation Distortion：0.09%.
Frequency responce：20-30,000Hz ±3dB @ 1watt output.
Power Consumption：80W.
Weight：19.5Kg.
Output Tube：W.E.300B(made in 1988)×1.


Edit: Yep outboard ALE AND Pioneer ribbon tweeters!!! That is one crazy guy

The older Shindo's sound wonderful...going to swap the tubes into the newer ones and see what they are like.

Otherwise yes the system is quite ruthless in it's portrayal of your source quality.

[Purite Audio]

Yup that is exactly what I am finding,whatever you put in comes out at the other end. 8 watts ( if it really is 8 watts ) is probably not going to be enough.

[enjoy_the_music]

No 8W is not enough sadly!

[enjoy_the_music]

Keith have you considered digital amps?

I was looking at the Spectron Musician.

Richard

[Biscuit]

Esoteric AZ-1 - its funkier than James Brown's socks IMHO - wasn't what I was expecting from Class D at all

[enjoy_the_music]

Does it have pre-in?

[Biscuit]

unfortunately not, so maybe not a great option

was surprised at how good 'digital' amps could sound though, I hadn't been convinced by ICE based kit I'd heard - definitely worth looking at Class D power amps further IMO

[enjoy_the_music]

Well i had poor experiences with the TACT Millenium mainly because it was very detailed running into Dynaudio Confidence speakers...it made good recordings out of this work but bad ones stripped the wallpaper.

Seen this review?

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/superio...sician_iii.htm