Tad d1000 cd/sacd/dac

Barry2013

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I have just become aware of this player.
A Mk II is just out but the only significant info I have been able to find is a favourable review by HiFi Plus of the Mark I
Has anyone heard or have this player and how does it compare with similarly priced integrateds or transport/dac combos at the same sort of price level
 

LL21

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Hi Barry,

I have auditioned this one at Pioneer Plaza in one of TAD's rooms there, with an all TAD system. Basically impossible for me to speak of the player only, but i can say what i heard or felt was their sonic goal. It struck me that they have clearly aimed to resolve as much off the CD as possible, deliver very clean, very clear separation of piano key notes (Glenn Gould Goldberg Variations 1981). They aim to deliver an even spectrum where (of the spectrum i heard), I did not sense any emphasis or shift, no bloom but neither any bloat. I did not sense the system had all-out dynamic capability, but i would not put that down to the digital for the most part...the nuances of soundfield from one player to another is not something i could discern here. but the system's soundfield/all-out dynamics was not an Alexandria but i suspect that was the TAD Ref Ones.

I think if a 50-50 balance of warm-cool, i would strike the balance of the system at around 60-cool/40-warm. Additionally, i did not find the piano keys quite as rounded on the full strike as i have heard before...and that MIGHT have been the digital. i cannot say. What i CAN say is that i instinctively felt that taking that digital into any one of a number of different systems would be a great experiment.

From the outside, the thing appeared to be built like a Nautilus Submarine...in fact, all of their electronics did. The amps had a similar foundation/footing design for stability as the original and legendary Esoteric 'P-0' transport which is only available in japan and was designed according to legend for Esoteric senior executives. (https://zstereo.co.uk/2014/05/12/esoteric-p-0/)

Worth the money? Would i put it up against some of the similar vintage Emm Labs, Wadia, or other digital? I probably would. Do i think it was better? I think if i had to blindly choose one, other than my current Zanden, the Vivaldi or the Metronome Kalista, i would probably look at the (sadly now closed) Stahl-Tek, TAD, Emm. Have always been curious about Light Harmonics, Lampi GG which has such a hugely loyal following, and of course the Trinity which also has a huge following.
 

Barry2013

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Hi Lloyd.
Thank you very much for that.
If I upgrade my current DCS Puccini/Scarlatti clock while retaining SACD capability, which is what I want, and I stick with DCS, the sound of which I also like, I am into a minimum of three boxes and that may well prove to be the eventual outcome. The TAD D1000 has the advantage of one box and SACD, good build quality as you noted, and stylish looks. So the key question, as of course it should be, is sound quality and character.
There should be some upcoming opportunities to hear the new Mark II which will be helpful.
Emm may be another used possiblity but at the moment I m not very familiar with their SACD players and I have heard that Wadia has reliability issues. My earlier experiences with Esoteric were that the sound was a bit clinical compared to the DCS but that was a while back.
Happily I am not in a rush to upgrade so I will keep exploring the various options and thank you again for your very helpful feedback
 

LL21

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Hi Lloyd.
Thank you very much for that.
If I upgrade my current DCS Puccini/Scarlatti clock while retaining SACD capability, which is what I want, and I stick with DCS, the sound of which I also like, I am into a minimum of three boxes and that may well prove to be the eventual outcome. The TAD D1000 has the advantage of one box and SACD, good build quality as you noted, and stylish looks. So the key question, as of course it should be, is sound quality and character.
There should be some upcoming opportunities to hear the new Mark II which will be helpful.
Emm may be another used possiblity but at the moment I m not very familiar with their SACD players and I have heard that Wadia has reliability issues. My earlier experiences with Esoteric were that the sound was a bit clinical compared to the DCS but that was a while back.
Happily I am not in a rush to upgrade so I will keep exploring the various options and thank you again for your very helpful feedback

Hi Barry, with your current digital, i think you've got quite a remarkable system by all accounts though i have only heard the full Scarlatti setup personally. I hear you on Wadia and on Esoteric though their later products are apparently voiced slightly different than the P-03 generation of 5-7 years ago. I think Emm is possibly a good comparison from my very limited experience with it. I dont blame you for not being in a rush.
 

Barry2013

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Thanks Lloyd
Emm Labs does look interesting and I'm grateful to you for drawing it to my attention.
I'll do some more extensive research on their line up and see where that takes me.
 

Jazzhead

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Barry , since DSD is in your scheme of things , does not the Lampi GG figure ? Seems a popular choice in the UK . The Stahl Tek would be a great option at used prices , PCM only however .
 
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bonzo75

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Barry, you need to get a proper demo of the Lampi. If you can figure out how to get the SPDIF output playing from your CD player to an external dac, I can bring over my Lampi.
 

LL21

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Just to have some fun, the legendary CEC digital seems to be making a big comeback with their new 16- bit PCM. The guys at High Fidelity (enjoy reading their site) place it alongside the all-out TotalDAC and Vivaldi systems it seems.

http://www.highfidelity.pl/@main-686&lang=en
 

Barry2013

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Thanks for all your replies and the helpful information and suggestions.
My ideal upgrade,if it exists, is a one box CD/SACD/DAC with superior performance to my current DCS Puccini/Scarlatti clock and the same sort of sound,ie not too lean.
Stahltek does not have SACD which rather rules it out unless I pair a SACD transport with their DAC, but there is the question of future support as they appear to have gone out of business.
Ked thanks for the Lampi offer. The fact that we couldn't get your Lampi to work with my Puccini when you came down wasn't due to our failings. I subsequently established that the Puccini won't function as a transport with a separate DAC.
The Mark II TAD has a number of improvements over the Mark I but may still be on the lean side for me. If they have voiced it rather less lean it could be a possibility.
Lloyd's suggestion of Emm Labs is looking interesting from a quick scan of their reviews and used ones do seem to be available in 230 volt form. They don't seem to have much presence here in the UK so getting to listen to one may not be straightforward but they certainly look interesting.
If my ideal upgrade doesn't exist it will then become a case what compromise to make but happily I don't need to rush so I can explore the various options before I decide.
So thanks again for all your help and I'll keep you posted.
 

LL21

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Thanks for all your replies and the helpful information and suggestions.
My ideal upgrade,if it exists, is a one box CD/SACD/DAC with superior performance to my current DCS Puccini/Scarlatti clock and the same sort of sound,ie not too lean.
Stahltek does not have SACD which rather rules it out unless I pair a SACD transport with their DAC, but there is the question of future support as they appear to have gone out of business.
Ked thanks for the Lampi offer. The fact that we couldn't get your Lampi to work with my Puccini when you came down wasn't due to our failings. I subsequently established that the Puccini won't function as a transport with a separate DAC.
The Mark II TAD has a number of improvements over the Mark I but may still be on the lean side for me. If they have voiced it rather less lean it could be a possibility.
Lloyd's suggestion of Emm Labs is looking interesting from a quick scan of their reviews and used ones do seem to be available in 230 volt form. They don't seem to have much presence here in the UK so getting to listen to one may not be straightforward but they certainly look interesting.
If my ideal upgrade doesn't exist it will then become a case what compromise to make but happily I don't need to rush so I can explore the various options before I decide.
So thanks again for all your help and I'll keep you posted.

Hi Barry, Emm Labs is universal voltage as i recall...it certainly used to be. So you should be fine on that score, but as always check first particularly fuses, etc. As for Emm Labs and sound, it certainly seems to have evolved a bit...Audio Federation in the US are hugely dedicated audiophiles/dealers of specific products. Check out their comments/reviews (along with the many online) and you may see the Emm sound evolve where it has been most recently described as organic where i think 5+ years ago, that might not have been the first or even the 5th word used to describe the sound.

Without doubt, Ed Meitner is seriously well regarded within the professional side of the business and apparently a serious innovator of the digital world. You might look at the 1 box CD/SACD Audio Aero La Source which Choice Hifi sells both new and 2nd hand. http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/audioaero2/1.html
 

bonzo75

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John at Midland is the Emm Labs importer
 

Barry2013

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Hi Llloyd.
Thank you very much for that additional info. Very much appreciated.
I'll check out those sources and links and keep you posted.
 

standingwave

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I have it and love it,

It delivered a far more satisfying sound than my Esoteric and I would only part with it for the D600.

If you get a decent deal it's a no brainer.
 

Barry2013

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I have it and love it,

It delivered a far more satisfying sound than my Esoteric and I would only part with it for the D600.

If you get a decent deal it's a no brainer.

Thanks for that.
Before my DCS Puccini/Scarlatti clock I had an Esoteric XO3SE which I found too clean and analytical.
Still debating a potential upgrade. A one box replacement has its attractions and at at present TAD and Emm Labs seem the most likely rivals to a DCS three box.
 

dcc

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Thanks for that.
Before my DCS Puccini/Scarlatti clock I had an Esoteric XO3SE which I found too clean and analytical.
Still debating a potential upgrade. A one box replacement has its attractions and at at present TAD and Emm Labs seem the most likely rivals to a DCS three box.

Like you, I used to have a three box stack and I went for the TAD D600 (actually it is a two box if you consider its humongous power supply) and I am looking back.
 

Barry2013

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Thanks dcc
When you say you are "looking back" am I right in interpreting that as questioning whether to go back to DCS?
 

dcc

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Well sort of but don't get me wrong.

I am extremely pleased with the TAD and it is certainly the best one box player I have heard (I had an Audio Aero La Source for a short period of time but this player was just an awful piece of unreliable junk). I actually hesitated with a Vivaldi Stack but it was an overkill as I am a vinyl guy first and I also wanted to reduce the size of my setup.

I have now embarked on computer audio and the TAD D600 does not support native DSD. I am not planning to rip my collection of CD's/SACD's but I am buying more and more high rez files (I have an Aurender). As such this is not a big deal as I am buying high rez PCM files from Qobuz and the TAD is a superb DAC for PCM files.

If I were today on the market for a one box DAC/player, DSD would be a must.

I am definitely sticking with the TAD and I highly recommend it.
 
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Barry2013

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Thanks dcc
That clarifies things nicely
I don't do much downloading but I have quite a lot of SACDs and get SACD if available when buying new discs so SACD/DSD capability is a must for me..
Like you I still love my vinyl and put a Dynavector DV-1t on my Townshend Rock V earlier this year.
Great combination
 

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