TAD System - C600, D600, M600 - HiFi News April 2013 Review - Munich High End 2013

Hi Robert.
Really this forum seems to be too quiet.
I'm a new C600 owner and I'm not agree with this two reviews. There are more reviews like 6 moons but this one is more confuse. It puts the sound more on the tube way. No way at all.
I've listened the other preamps nameds and they really sounds as they are reviewed. So i can concluded that the TAD Electronics are very system dependent.
The first review is an all TAD system and i think is the most acurate. The second one puts the Dart 408 that runs in single ended mode. That is very wellcome on preamps like Ypsilon and DarTZeel, but don't seems the same on the TAD.
Have you ever listened the D600?
This week i'll listen the DA1000. I'm yet waiting the promised sound !!!

Stereophonic said:

Hi Robert.
Really this forum seems to be too quiet.
I'm a new C600 owner and I don't no agree with this two reviews. There are more reviews like 6 moons but this one is more confuse. It puts the sound more on the tube way. No way at all.
I've listened the other preamps nameds and they really sounds as they are reviewed. So i can concluded that the TAD Electronics are very system dependent.
The first review is an all TAD system and i think is the most acurate. The second one puts the Dart 408 that runs in single ended mode. That is very wellcome on preamps like Ypsilon and DarTZeel, but don't seems the same on the TAD.
Have you ever listened the D600?
This week i'll listen the DA1000. I'm yet waiting the promised sound !!!

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Congrats on some very nice equipment! I have been to Japan to hear the full TAD setup with their very gracious President a few years ago. My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity. And yes, i also would agree with the first review which is on the whole system (written by John Bamford and Paul Miller)...a good description of what we heard that day, and not [too] dissimilar to my own personal remarks which i made somewhere here in WBF after that visit.

Robert Youman said:

Just curious.


I am especially interested in the D600. There have been several very nice reviews.
Just wondering if the lack of true 192 Asynch USB functionality really makes a difference
for listening to music files. Even though it throttles down to
lower rates, many say that the D600 sounds better than true 192 Aynch USB.
It was apparently a design choice but maybe the correct one!

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I own a D600 and I am very happy with this player. I used to have an Audio Aéro La Source. Two consecutive failures of the Esoteric drive forced me to change to the TAD as Audio Aéro went belly up in the meantime. Retrospectively, I don't have any regret.

When I auditioned both the Audio Aéro and the TAD (among other players), my first instant choice was the Audio Aéro. After my 'forced' move to the TAD, I was wondering why I took the Audio Aéro in the first place: cheaper built quality and actually less resolving sound. I tend to believe that the TAD demo unit that I auditioned at the time was to blame as the dealer (who previously sold me the Audio Aéro) had the same reaction when we both listened to the newly acquired TAD D600 in my system. We looked at each other wondering how we could have been mistaken during the previous audition. It actually beats the Audio Aéro all the way with both CD's and particularly SACD's.

I also use the D600 as an external DAC for my Aurender X100L. The latter is only fitted with a USB output and the TAD does not have a USB input. I therefore use a Bel Canto Ref link as a digital interface between the Aurender and the TAD D600 and it works fine.

Please be aware that the two stock umbilicals between the power supply and the unit are quite short (2 feet long). I still don't get it why they are making them so short as the purpose is to stow the power supply far away from the unit itself. When I ordered my TAD D600, I requested to have longer umbilicals (5 feet) for which I had to pay an extra EUR 1400.

Hi dcc.
The TAD DA1000 is based on the D600 DAC system. How many happy are you with the D600 as a DAC?
As you said, it is running from an Aurender X100L. I'm considering between the new Aurender N100 ( linear power supply ) and an Auralic Aries.

Stereophonic said:

Hi dcc.
The TAD DA1000 is based on the D600 DAC system. How many happy are you with the D600 as a DAC?
As you said, it is running from an Aurender X100L. I'm considering between the new Aurender N100 ( linear power supply ) and an Auralic Aries.

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I am primarily a vinyl guy but some of the music I am interested in is not available in vinyl (current interpretation of baroque music on period instruments from labels like BIS, Channel Classics, Alpha, Agogique etc.), I therefore need a good CD/SACD player in order to compete with my analog rig. The TAD is up to the task but it will never achieve audio nirvana like vinyl.

Computer audio is a secondary source for me. I am still in a discovery phase though my music library has been growing quite fast over the last weeks (call it convenience). At this stage, I did not want to invest too much in hardware hence the acquisition of the Aurender XL100 L and the Bel Canto Ref Link with Wireworld Platinum USB and AES/EBU as digital cables. I only buy high resolution files (mostly Flac 24/48 and 24/96 purchased from Qobuz). The DAC is very neutral with a lot of details and a warmth close to vinyl.

I am very pleased with the results of the DAC. However the CD/SACD drive of the TAD D600 is excellent and outperforms the Aurender/Bel Canto combo. A friend came by this morning and we compared the same recording of Domenico Gabrielli - La Nascita de Violoncello by Bruno Cocset on CD and High Rez File (Flac 24/96). The red book CD won by a small margin.

dcc said:

I am primarily a vinyl guy but some of the music I am interested in is not available in vinyl (current interpretation of baroque music on period instruments from labels like BIS, Channel Classics, Alpha, Agogique etc.), I therefore need a good CD/SACD player in order to compete with my analog rig. The TAD is up to the task but it will never achieve audio nirvana like vinyl.

Computer audio is a secondary source for me. I am still in a discovery phase though my music library has been growing quite fast over the last weeks (call it convenience). At this stage, I did not want to invest too much in hardware hence the acquisition of the Aurender XL100 L and the Bel Canto Ref Link with Wireworld Platinum USB and AES/EBU as digital cables. I only buy high resolution files (mostly Flac 24/48 and 24/96 purchased from Qobuz). The DAC is very neutral with a lot of details and a warmth close to vinyl.

I am very pleased with the results of the DAC. However the CD/SACD drive of the TAD D600 is excellent and outperforms the Aurender/Bel Canto combo. A friend came by this morning and we compared the same recording of Domenico Gabrielli - La Nascita de Violoncello by Bruno Cocset on CD and High Rez File (Flac 24/96). The red book CD won by a small margin.

Click to expand...

Fascinating feedback...thanks for that. Redbook CD wins by a small margin! Cool! In fact, I originally went to listen to the whole TAD system in Japan during a visit there because of their CD/SACD player which is a most intriguing piece. Looks built as well as a battleship. The effortless clarity of the whole system was extremely impressive. Obviously, that starts at the source.

Also equally interested in your baroque period instrument music! Big fan of BIS, Channel and other period instrument music...i do like Sir John Gardiner and his period instrument work quite a lot.