Stereophile, John Atkinson, Dec 2011
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"All loudspeakers editorialize. It is an inevitable result of the design principle. Use of appropriate technology can reduce that editorial influence, but what is really required is a talented designer who can make use of that technology to balance the departures from absolute accuracy so that the music is as little disturbed as possible. That is the case with the TAD Compact Reference CR1. It lacks the very lowest octave and is balanced a tad forward, but in all other respects it represents the state of the art of loudspeaker design and sound. Yes, at $40,600/pair with its essential stands it is extremely expensive, but that goes with the territory. Doesn't it? TAD's Compact Reference is hardly compact, but it is a reference. Oh my!"
Hifi Plus Issue 92, Alan Sircom, October 2012
"This is actually one of the hardest loudspeakers to describe in sonic terms, because you end up thinking about things in terms of what other loudspeakers do wrong. When it comes to describing what this does right, it pretty much does all of it right. There isn't a genre that falls down through the CR1 s - if the idea of playingsome dirty dubstep through these loudspeakers appeals, it will sound fantastic through these loudspeakers. If instead, your jollies are more cerebral and you dream of reanimating Miles Davis in your listening room,the CR1s get damn close to perfection in the current loudspeaker market. I firmly believe that the best stand mount loudspeakers the world has ever seen are gracing the stores right now. But even in such lauded company, the TAD CR1 still has the power to wow. Ultimately, it's hard to pick a winner in the 'cost no object' stand mount loudspeaker race, because different loudspeakers will appeal to different listeners. But I can't help feeling that the CR1 will end up appealing to more of those listeners than its rivals, simply because it sounds so very, very right."
The Absolute Sound, Neil Gader, Sept 2010
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"Products come and go in a heartbeat in this industry and are just quickly forgotten after the sparkle of editorial fireworks and dies away. That will not be the fate of TAD CR-1.(…) Like I said in this year’s Golden Ear Awards there’s just flat out more honest music coming from the TAD CR-1 than any standmount speaker I´ve ever heard. I can´t remember the last time I´ve used this expression STATE OF THE ART. There I just did."
The Absolute Sound, Neil Gader, Feb 2010
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"After bolting them down to their stands and taking a few moments to position, it took all of about three minutes or so of listening to realize that the TAD maybe the greatest stand-mounted speaker I’ve ever encountered if not one of the best speakers period. It combines the warmth, weight, majesty, and soundstage of a floorstander with the image focus and precision of a small compact. There's a harmonic complexity and a naturalistic bloom and a musical rightness that simply hits you between the eyes. There’s a calm to this speaker and though it can be physically forceful –virtually pinning you to your seat with impact– it never sounds “hi-fi” or forced, etched or edgy."
Hifi-Unlimited, OdioSleuth, Feb 2012
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Originally Posted by Emre Üçöz
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