Thread: Tad, Vivid or ?

Hello

I am Alex from Hong Kong and I am looking for a new set of speakers !
My current gear is the following : Trinnov Amethyst as a drive/dac/preamp and room optimisation correction, Accuphase A-70 as a power amp and Kef Reference 205/2 speakers.
i d like to improve further my set up by changing my speakers. i am looking for more clarity, dynamics and image.
i can t put too big speakers in my room so i am looking for speakers of a "reasonable" size.
Two models catched my interest : TAD CR-1 and Vivid Giya G3.

Unfortunately in Hong Kong home demo is not an option. However I ve been able to listen to the TAD with my gears ( but in a very different room than mine). I ve also heard several times the Vivid but not with my gear so hard to compare but both gave me a lot of pleasure !

I can have both at the same price range as TAD pricing ( like many other Asian brands) in Hong Kong is much more "reasonable" than in Europe or in the US.

My room is on the "clear" side for the time being (some acoustic panels would help ! ) so might be an issue with the TAD ?
At the same time, i dont have much flexibility to modify my speakers placement but I would believe that TAD bookshelf would give me a bit more flexibility on that aspect.

Your advice would be more than welcome !

THks
Alex

PS : sorry for my imperfect English, I am French native

Thanks for your advice. Both are good speakers indeed.
My room is quite ok size-wise : 400 sq ft with pretty high ceiling ( 3.2meters) but to respect the WAF, my audio set up is occupying a "limited" space of the living room.
The dealer had the whole TAD line in demo ( but the R1) and I listened them all ( as my first intention was the CE1). Unfortunately once you ve heard the CR1... CE1, ME1 or even the Evolution 1 are very good but not in the same league.

Alex

Originally Posted by joeinid

Hi Alex,

Please do not worry. You English seems perfect to me. It is certainly better than some of our natives

I've owned TAD CR-1 for two years before giving up and selling them. They were actually extremely impressive in some areas. What bothered me was the forward nature of the treble. There seemed to be a little too much treble for me and a higher volumes, they were uncomfortable to listen to. I don't know how the other, newer and less expensive TAD speakers sound but are highly regarded as well and from what I understand, don't exhibit the same forward treble.

You will have to match electronics carefully with TAD and optimize placement as well as tame your room for reflections at a minimum.

I have never heard Vivid speakers but I would love to and love the looks too.

Based on what I know, I believe the Vivid speakers are more my flavor.

Thanks for sharing your experience Joe. This is my concern with the TAD. The dealer had a room full of acoustic panels. I would not say it was a perfectly treated room however (it was more giving the impression to exhibit the whole range of available products) but definitively a much less bright room than mine...
If I could find a dealer with Accuphase and Vivid it would make the choice "easier"...

Alex

Originally Posted by Kuoppis

Not to sound presumptive, but I think it is safe to say there is rather little risk of being able to do anything wrong with any of the Vivids.

I just mentioned the small new TADs, because I understood from your comment that you would have a limitation in terms of room size, which however does not appear to be the case.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Ok seems Vivid is unanimously appreciated !
My music taste is very versatile. Vivid is ticking this box as well ?
Also I just read in another thread that vivid is about to launch an updated giya series.
Maybe worth waiting a bit...



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Are Magicos available in Hong Kong? If so, you might want to consider S3 Mk IIs. They are great speakers, and their sealed enclosure design should make them less sensitive to room placement than some.

Originally Posted by GSOphile

Are Magicos available in Hong Kong? If so, you might want to consider S3 Mk IIs. They are great speakers, and their sealed enclosure design should make them less sensitive to room placement than some.

Yes indeed magico is so acclaimed that I have to give them a try. Magico is available in HK but if I am not mistaken with a certain premium compared to the US price unfortunately.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I had this dilemma a few years ago myself.

I was trying to choose between Wilson Benesch Act 1 Evo, TAD CR1 and Vivid G3.

The Wilson Benesch was my choice due to various reasons.

I revisited the Vivid Giya last year just because I have always wanted a pair. After listening I didnt feel they offered a performance increase over my Wilson Benesch.

I now have TAD R1 and it is easily a better speaker imo. Not a fair comparison as the R1 are on a differnt level not only performance wise but price wise also Still have the Wilson benesch as theyre wonderful also.

All the best with your decision

Oh and I still want some Giya one day

Alex, with your limited space & Accuphase A70 amp I could throw a few options at you you might not have considered..

- Wilson Benesch Discovery II, $25kUS
- Chario Academy Sovran, $20kUS
- Magico S1 Mk2, $16.5kUS + optional S Pods ($3k)
- Joseph Audio Perspective, $13kUS

The WB, Chario & Joseph audio models above are all moderately efficient to efficient, hence your Accuphase amp should have an easy time. I'm less certain about the S1 Mk2 being 86db @4ohms. But it would tick all your boxes otherwise.

I agree with David that your A70 might not do the job with some speakers.

Vivid/Wilson Benesch are a lot easier to drive than TAD speakers.

I can't speak for series 2 Giya, have only experience with series 1 Giya

Thanks all for your inputs.
I've tried the TAD+Accu combo. The A70 can handle the TAD CR 1 with ease
I've never tried with the G3.
I will see if I can find Wilson Benesch at a decent price here .
Giya Series 1 might hopefully be discounted with the forthcoming series 2...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Alex, there is also a Chario Distributor in Kowloon, HK. They also bring in Accuphase, so a local Dealer might be able to setup an audition with Accuphase gear. Those speakers fly under the radar, but are well worth an audition along with WB. Here is a link.

Kudos for the chario

Στάλθηκε από το ALE-L21 μου χρησιμοποιώντας Tapatalk

I've had the G2, G1, and G1 Spirits on home demo in the last 2 weeks, and am currently listening to a pair of Wilson Benesch Endeavours. I've also got got a pair of YG Haileys too. Amp-wise, have been trying Vitus SS-103, Berning Quadrature Z, and Wells Audio Inamatura.

The Vivids are very impressive - very coherent across the frequency range given they use the same materials from tweeter to bass, and the design of the drivers really pays off, particularly in the way that the treble doesn't "ring" and the bass provides amazing slam. Interestingly the motivation for doing the G1 Spirit was the recognition that the quality of bass on the G3 surpassed that of the G2 and G1 (note quality rather than outright extension), due to the oversized motor relative to the driver size.
They are pretty easy to drive too.
The comparison to WB couldn't be more different - WB major on the mid / treble being incredibly transparent and lack the outright extension and slam in the bass.

I have absolutely no experience with Vivid Audio speakers so cannot comment.

I do love my TAD CR-1's though, which replaced eight years of Avalon use in my system.

They do like a lot of current and the 66 amps provided my my CJ Premier 350SA is certainly sufficient!

I have previously read Joe's experience with TAD CR-1 ownership and his belief that the treble was "too hot" for his liking. I have never found this to be the case. Perhaps it's because I am the wrong side of 60 ore perhaps it's because I have spent a lot of time "voicing" the system by careful evaluation and choice of cabling and ancillary components. They also have plenty of room to breath in my 22' X 18' room. Plus, I also sit about about 15' away from them when listening!

The TAD CR-1 is a very detailed and transparent speaker and is sensitive to upstream components, faithfully reproducing any flaws or attributes in equal measure. They have a wonderful bass performance which belies their size and provide a clear window into the music.

I think they are hideously expensive (in the UK) but chose them after evaluating Avalon Compas and Estelon XA speakers which I had on extended home demo over many months.

fullsizeoutput_8cb by Steve Coward, on Flickr

Thanks Joe.

The build quality of TAD speakers is amazing and they look amazing.

They are a big hit with the wife, because, in her words, "they match the curtains!"

Without wishing to offend owners of Vivid speakers on this forum, I have heard several anecdotes within the industry, from sources that I trust, that dealers in the UK were frustrated because of the finish and build quality of some Vivid models, having to return samples because the drive units had failed after little use!

Steve

Very nice setup indeed ! I didn't pull the trigger yet but I am more and more inclined to go for the vivid G3. Not that I find Vivid being a better speaker than the TAD but I believe they will be a better match and a bit more forgiving in my "bright" room .
I ve also read a lot about the "fragility " of vivid drivers. This is actually one of the point explaining my hesitation.

Not directly linked to the speakers choice, but by looking at the pictures of your room I can notice you have decided to put your gears on the side and not between the speakers. I know there is a lot of debate on that point .
In my setup I have a very tall totally open rack behind my left speaker 15cm). Would people suggest not to put anything too tall behind (and between ) speakers or even more extreme not to put anything ( even if the height is well below the tweeter's height? )

Alex


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Originally Posted by moby1977

Steve

Very nice setup indeed ! I didn't pull the trigger yet but I am more and more inclined to go for the vivid G3. Not that I find Vivid being a better speaker than the TAD but I believe they will be a better match and a bit more forgiving in my "bright" room .
I ve also read a lot about the "fragility " of vivid drivers. This is actually one of the point explaining my hesitation.

Not directly linked to the speakers choice, but by looking at the pictures of your room I can notice you have decided to put your gears on the side and not between the speakers. I know there is a lot of debate on that point .
In my setup I have a very tall totally open rack behind my left speaker 15cm). Would people suggest not to put anything too tall behind (and between ) speakers or even more extreme not to put anything ( even if the height is well below the tweeter's height? )

Alex


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Alex

I learned years ago, that locating racks full of gear between the speakers, screwed with stereo imaging!

When I bought my current (and last) home four years ago, I was faced with a number of compromises with system location in a room which would not be used solely for listening to music. You will see from the photo below, that there is a 9' wide bay which extends behind the speakers and has the only windows in the room, apart from a glazed entrance door at the other end, leading into the hallway. The layout of the room suggested to me that the best position for the speakers would be with the bay window behind, meaning that there is about 8' from the driver centres to the rear wall and 5' from the centre of the drivers to each side wall (I used the Cardas calculator, to work out initial positioning for the speakers.

The recesses, each side of the chimney breast, were perfect for accommodating racks for the source equipment (hi fi at the speaker end of the room and A/V at the other end for TV viewing.

The room is 22' X 18.5' X 8' and by having the speakers pulled into the room, the balance between optimum stereo imagery and bass performance is achieved. I sit about 15' from the speakers, preferring this to a near field listening position.

The only item between the speakers, is my Conrad Johnson Premier 350SA power amp, which sits on four Stillpoints Ultra 6 with UltraBases on a Stillpoints Component stand on the floor. This is low enough, not to interfere with the sound, but does mean I have to use 3 metre power and interconnects from the preamp and a pair of 4 metre speaker cables (MIT Magnum MA).

I would certainly avoid putting a rack between the speakers if at all possible (in my case, it would also have blocked out a lot of natural light entering the room (domestic harmony and all that!).

fullsizeoutput_8c5 by Steve Coward, on Flickr

There is no bad option here
I have found the TAD wonderful speakers.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Originally Posted by joeinid

Steve,

Absolutely beautiful room, system and home. Thank you so much for sharing them with us. Wow! love it.

Thanks Joe

It's a good size for a get-together with my UK Hi Fi forum friends!

fullsizeoutput_8a5 by Steve Coward, on Flickr

You can't beat a good music listening session (comparing the same piece of music on CD, vinyl and streamed) followed by barbecued food outside on a nice day!

fullsizeoutput_8b7 by Steve Coward, on Flickr

Originally Posted by XCop5089

Alex

I learned years ago, that locating racks full of gear between the speakers, screwed with stereo imaging!

When I bought my current (and last) home four years ago, I was faced with a number of compromises with system location in a room which would not be used solely for listening to music. You will see from the photo below, that there is a 9' wide bay which extends behind the speakers and has the only windows in the room, apart from a glazed entrance door at the other end, leading into the hallway. The layout of the room suggested to me that the best position for the speakers would be with the bay window behind, meaning that there is about 8' from the driver centres to the rear wall and 5' from the centre of the drivers to each side wall (I used the Cardas calculator, to work out initial positioning for the speakers.

The recesses, each side of the chimney breast, were perfect for accommodating racks for the source equipment (hi fi at the speaker end of the room and A/V at the other end for TV viewing.

The room is 22' X 18.5' X 8' and by having the speakers pulled into the room, the balance between optimum stereo imagery and bass performance is achieved. I sit about 15' from the speakers, preferring this to a near field listening position.

The only item between the speakers, is my Conrad Johnson Premier 350SA power amp, which sits on four Stillpoints Ultra 6 with UltraBases on a Stillpoints Component stand on the floor. This is low enough, not to interfere with the sound, but does mean I have to use 3 metre power and interconnects from the preamp and a pair of 4 metre speaker cables (MIT Magnum MA).

I would certainly avoid putting a rack between the speakers if at all possible (in my case, it would also have blocked out a lot of natural light entering the room (domestic harmony and all that!).

fullsizeoutput_8c5 by Steve Coward, on Flickr

You have a very nice set up and place Steve. I envy you !
Unfortunately I have much less flexibility in my room and as I am a tenant it's even more challenging but I take your point regarding the rack. I will at least avoid any tall rack close to speakers.

Alex


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Originally Posted by hifinutt

trying to see if I recognise any of them !!!

TAS (The Audio Standard) forum members, Martin Taylor, Paul (PJ Downs), John, Mike Griffiths (MikeMusic) and SpeedySteve!

Also past or present members of UK forums, PFM, AOS & HiFiWigwam.

Speedysteve is brilliant at making his own horns, he has tapped on going well below 20Hz, and he can make them to suit any room shape. Now made them for his small attic.