Bookshelf Speaker Recommendations ($1000 - $2500 and $2500 - $5000 range discussion)

[AcuDefTechGuy]

The new TAD Evo 1 appears to be a TAD-ified "Pioneer S-1EX mk. II."

Oh, good, maybe the TAD E1 monitor will ony be $10K, instead of $30K for the E1 Towers.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

What about the TAD TSM sealed cabinet monitor? Check out this bad boy's 60 degrees off-axis:

Technology : TSM-2201-LR：TAD

And it's only $1900.

http://www.musicdirect.com/p-104628-tad-tsm-2201-lr-studio-monitor-pr.aspx

 

[zieglj01]

What about the TAD TSM sealed cabinet monitor? Check out this bad boy's 60 degrees off-axis:

Technology : TSM-2201-LR：TAD
And it's only $1900.

TAD TSM-2201-LR STUDIO MONITOR (PR) at Music Direct

They do look good.
It would be nce if I get a chance one day, to hear them.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

They do look good.
It would be nce if I get a chance one day, to hear them.

I heard these TAD (yes, truly branded TAD, not Pioneer branded ) speakers sold like hot cakes in Asia because of the price/SQ/branded label. I bet if they were branded as a "Pioneer", people would not cared as much.

I still can't believe a $10,000 S-1EX is branded as "Pioneer", but a $3200 Studio Monitor (TSM) is branded officially as "TAD".

http://www.ultrahighendreview.com/review-tad-tsm2201-lr-monitor-loudspeaker/

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Here is also a great deal on the previous Focal 1007be for $2K:

FOCAL ELECTRA 1007 S BOOKSHELF SPEAKERS (Pr) at Music Direct

 

[zieglj01]

I heard these TAD (yes, truly branded TAD, not Pioneer branded ) speakers sold like hot cakes in Asia because of the price/SQ/branded label. I bet if they were branded as a "Pioneer", people would not cared as much.

People tend to get hesitant - when they hear the names,
like Pioneer, Sony, and even sometimes Boston.

Sometimes, you need to explore and check it out. Speaker
engineers tend to float around.

 

[KEW]

Here is also a great deal on the previous Focal 1007be for $2K:

FOCAL ELECTRA 1007 S BOOKSHELF SPEAKERS (Pr) at Music Direct

I don't know if teh OP is still paying attention or not, but as much as he liked the 1008Be, it would surely be worth a call to Focal to find out what changed between the 1007 and 1008.

 

[cschang]

What about the TAD TSM sealed cabinet monitor? Check out this bad boy's 60 degrees off-axis:

Technology : TSM-2201-LR：TAD

And it's only $1900.

TAD TSM-2201-LR STUDIO MONITOR (PR) at Music Direct

I don't know what kind of involvement Andrew Jones has in these models though.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I don't know what kind of involvement Andrew Jones has in these models though.

I don't know either. But here is a quote directly by Andrew Jones:

"To be a true TAD, it couldn’t simply be a higher-end speaker, but rather the best we could possibly do."

These TAD 2201 are sold worldwide. They better meet TAD standards.

From what I've read and heard, these TAD 2201 are brutal in terms of pro monitor accuracy; they are not forgiving.

 

[cornelius]

Harbeth UK
P3's and Compact 7's are in your price range.

Mark & Daniel manufacturer and distributor of high end speakers including the Maximus, Aragorn, Apollo, AMT Dreams drivers

A friend of mine has these - the Maximus range is great...

 

[monkish54]

I don't know either. But here is a quote directly by Andrew Jones:

"To be a true TAD, it couldn’t simply be a higher-end speaker, but rather the best we could possibly do."

These TAD 2201 are sold worldwide. They better meet TAD standards.

From what I've read and heard, these TAD 2201 are brutal in terms of pro monitor accuracy; they are not forgiving.

From the looks of that graph, they look like mini Philharmonics

 

[TLS Guy]

I don't know either. But here is a quote directly by Andrew Jones:

"To be a true TAD, it couldn’t simply be a higher-end speaker, but rather the best we could possibly do."

These TAD 2201 are sold worldwide. They better meet TAD standards.

From what I've read and heard, these TAD 2201 are brutal in terms of pro monitor accuracy; they are not forgiving.

I think you got the better deal with your SCM 7 at about half the price.

The comparison shows Billy Woodman's expertise in transducer design.

In fact his 4.5" driver can be shown to be a better performer than the 8" in that TAD speaker.

The SCM 7 is 8 ohm the TAD is 4 ohm. So at 84 ad 86 db sensitivities the SCM 7 has slightly higher output watt for watt, but essentially they are the same, with a 1 db advantage to the SCM 7

Bass response: -

The -6 db point of the SCM 7 is 60 Hz. So the -3 db point is 90 Hz. The -10 db point of the TAD is 50 Hz, so the -4 db point is 100 Hz. So the 4.5 inch driver has a significantly better bass response than the 8".

Now power: -

On the ATC website there is a lot of good information, and they specify how they define there terms. So from the specs I can be certain the SCM will handle 150 watts continuous. This is why amps of 50 to 300 watts are specified.

The TAD is 160 watts nominal Jeita. Jeita ratings make the number look higher. However power rating is roughly comparable with a slight advantage to the SCM 7

So you can see the 4.5 inch driver of the SCM 7 is a better performer than the 8 inch in the TAD.

Midrange response of the TAD is excellent, but the metal cone breaks up in the audio band, and I bet this is audible. That is the curse of metal domes. It is not a huge defect but gives a slight unnatural "shh" to the sound.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

From the looks of that graph, they look like mini Philharmonics

Phil, JBl 6332, and the usual accurate speakers' graphs. However, most speakers only show the 30 degrees and at most 45 degrees off-axis. This TAD 2201 shows an impressive 60 degrees off-axis as well.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I think you got the better deal with your SCM 7 at about half the price.

The ATC are great sounding speakers.

I spoke to a dealer who was willing to give a 20% discount on any ATC model. Should the OP grab a bigger ATC monitor, especially at 20% off and with the budget of $2500?

 

[ACsGreens]

Serious Question

Got the Acoustic Transducer Company (ATC) SCM7 today. They were wrapped in white cloth bags, packed with foams, and double-boxed. Very nice packing.

They are placed on 42" speaker stands in my family room, hooked to the Adcom speaker selector #4 (#3 is Phil3, #2 is Focal 826V, #1 is Dynaudio X32). The speakers are powered by my Denon 3312 in 2.1 Stereo mode, no EQ, DSP, or Audyssey RC. XO set to 80Hz. Speakers set to Small. Sub mode set to LFE.

All speakers share four Velodyne SC-600 subs (unpowered 10" subs), which are powered by an ATI AT2004 amp.

I listened to my usual music like Yo-Yo Ma/ Ennio Morriscone, Anne-Sophie Mutter/ Beethoven, Inception OST, Dark Knight Rises OST, Dave Mathews/ Tim Reynolds Radio City Hall, Phil3 Demo CD.

My impression is that the ATC speakers sound fantastic.

The midrange is detailed and and crystal clear, treble is smooth, and soundstage is wide and deep. In 2.1 mode w/ my 4 Velodyne, they sound like giant towers.

Afterwards, I tried to test their dynamics with some karaoke.

I like songs such as Chris Cornel's "You Know My Name" from Casino Royale because they beg me to scream and shout into the microphone.

The ATC sound great with karaoke as well.

BTW, I have sang karaoke with the Focal, Dynaudio, and Phil3 as well.

So in conclusion, I think the ATC SCM7 are excellent sounding bookshelf speakers. I don't know if they sound like their $85,000 flagship speakers, but since they are built in-house in the same factory in England and share the basic same technology (sans the higher end components ) I bet some trickled-down benefits are at play. The SCM7 are great sounding speakers.

Do you have an emotional attachment to your speakers? If so, how do you deal with having so many, do you ever feel bad for not listening to some? I know that sounds like a stupid question, but I often feel bad for not playing some PS3 games I have. If that's a stupid question, we then I guess it's a stupid question.

 

[TLS Guy]

The ATC are great sounding speakers.

I spoke to a dealer who was willing to give a 20% discount on any ATC model. Should the OP grab a bigger ATC monitor, especially at 20% off and with the budget of $2500?

That is an interesting question. They would make him able to afford the SCM 19.

That would get him 5 db greater spl and some base extension. However the SCM 7 has a nice small driver for superb mid range.

Billy Woodman could take home any ATC speaker he wanted, but chooses to have the SCM 7 in his home. I think that tells you a lot.

If he wants a tower with the legendary 3" mid range dome, it gets the SCM 40 only a little over budget.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Do you have an emotional attachment to your speakers? If so, how do you deal with having so many, do you ever feel bad for not listening to some? I know that sounds like a stupid question, but I often feel bad for not playing some PS3 games I have. If that's a stupid question, we then I guess it's a stupid question.

Maybe a little.

I do feel like I need to listen to every pair. I rotate them. The Adcom speaker selector works great. There are 12 months in a year. I have 9 sets of speakers.

 

[ahblaza]

Maybe a little.

I do feel like I need to listen to every pair. I rotate them. The Adcom speaker selector works great. There are 12 months in a year. I have 9 sets of speakers.

So you don't listen for three months a year

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

So you don't listen for three months a year

Haha. No it means I need 3 more pairs.

 

[canelli]

I know this is a late response about the Kef R300s.

I considered both the R300 and the ATC19 speakers.

I ended up choosing the R300s and they have been a fantastic speaker. One thing though. I have had some quality issues just show up and waiting to see how Kef handles this.

Mistakes and issues due occur in manufacturing, so I am holding off judgement until after I see how they handle the situation.

I don't think it's a case of paint blue, pass it thru, fix it in the field type of issue.