TAD on the cheap?

Well I now have the Sex speakers from Pioneer/TAD and they are outstanding. AJ is a great designer and this speaker has that classic TAD sound.

They are up on Sistrum stands and to me the stands I have them on bring the speaker up by 15/20%.

sex speakers?

Sorry S2Ex =8^D

Sorry to revive an old thread, but if any of you S-2ex owners are selling their S-2ex's, please let me know for I am extremely interested. Thanks!

Also reviving the thread. I had KEF LS50 speakers in my Bend Oregon home, driven by JENA Labs modified Marantz MA-9S1 monos, via Air Tight ATC-2 preamp (with NOS tubes), Audience and Cardas Clear cabling and JENA Labs PC/conditioner. My living room is huge and opens into a hallway and large kitchen. I had used a Velodyne DD15+ sub, and then REL Habitat sub with the KEFs. The LS 50s are great (for the price much better than great) speakers, but were swallowed up in that large room and the sub was having to do double time load the room. So I started a search for larger speakers. Bought some Proac D28s but the WAF kicked them to the curb, so went back and researched what stand mounters could fill a room and also sit close to the wall (bottom or front firing port if not sealed). I happened across the Pioneer S2EX speakers. Was initially nervous because I had read where TADs (and the Pioneers) could sound a little bright, and that is what I found with my KEFs (warm sounding speakers) in my living room -- due to lots of reflective surface area. Bought the speakers from a dealer I trusted / had dealt with in the past; set them up on custom 100% Delrin (Gig Harbor) speaker stands, and fired them up. All concerns dissipated. In fact at first I was wondering where the upper extension was -- no brightness whatsoever. Had the tweeters 33" off the floor which was exactly level of my ears. The more I listened the more I realized how great these speakers are ... all the transparency without any etch or glare or bite. Turned the sub way down, then off as I didn't need it. The bass is amazing, and in my room almost too much (maybe because of them sitting closer to the floor than they would be if on CP2EX stands?). Then dialed the sub back up to where it provided just a little augmentation on foundation so the effect was more on opening up the top end and sound stage than adding to the bass. I found myself emotionally listening to the music, not analyzing it. Always a great sign. Then realized the transient speed and attack was so good it reminded me of my Maggie 3.7s I used to own. My reference system is Magico S5 (driven by modified Marantz MA9S2 monos with cardas clear/beyond cabling and Air Tight Ref 2001 preamp), and plan on listening to that today as I am back home, so am eager to compare my auditory memory. Different sources and different room dynamics, but I remember listening to the Pioneers thinking they were in the same league as my Magicos....something I have never experienced before even with my Maggie 3.7s. Only downside is I wish I had the matching CP2EX stands to hear them set up how they were meant to be (stands like speakers are discontinued and impossible to find), and the WAF scored really low, including a gender battle on Facebook when I posted pictures. But the sound was so good, this is one time when I over-ruled the WAF (with fingers crossed and looking for the boomerang headed my way). Other issue was the speakers didn't ship with all the necessary hardware to put the grills on (would increase the WAF), but dealer is having parts shipped to me from Japan. I also purchased the matching SW1EX sub that is being delivered next week, so will set that up and see if it mates even better than the REL Habitat (which really seamlessly joined the S2EX speakers).

So, if anyone ever has another pair of these or the S1EX speakers, or most importantly the CP2EX stands, to sell, please let me know!
Darrin

Darrin, having been married for 23 years, when (not if) you succumb to the lack of WAF for these speakers please give me first dibs at these!!

Rob

RDSChicago said:

Darrin, having been married for 23 years, when (not if) you succumb to the lack of WAF for these speakers please give me first dibs at these!!

Rob

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Will Do Rob! And listened to my Magicos yesterday. They are a cut above the Pioneers for sure. I would say the Pioneers are at least on equal footing with my previous speakers, Maggie 3.7. But the S5 speakers recreate a live event and disappear and deliver at every frequency in a way that is hard to match. So if my wife will let me put a pair of Magico S5 in that space I will give you the Pioneers!! I will say though the S2EX speakers are the best stand mount under 20k I have heard.

JackD201 said:

The little boy in me is laughing at how the site software abbreviated Kal's link above. LOL.

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..especially a couple of skeletons on hardwood

I'm also looking for a pair of S1 or S2... there was just a pair on Agon for $3900, thought that was a bit steep. A friend just got a pair of S1 for $3k on ebay. I could see paying $3k for S2 and maybe $4k for the S1s.

Critical to the S2's are the marching stands.

DaveC said:

I'm also looking for a pair of S1 or S2... there was just a pair on Agon for $3900, thought that was a bit steep. A friend just got a pair of S1 for $3k on ebay. I could see paying $3k for S2 and maybe $4k for the S1s.

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Problem is the S2 dedicated stands are near impossible to find...

RDSChicago said:

Critical to the S2's are the marching stands.

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I would like to get a pair to compare to my 100% Delrin custom stands -- only fear I have on the CP2EX stands is it will raise the tweeter way above my listening position.

You will never "hear " this speaker on cheap A$$ stands like the stock ones. I had them on Sistrum SPK SPeaker stands and the difference was 40% better SQ. Have the MBL 121 and replaced the cheap stands with custom Star Sound Sistrum stands and again 40% better SQ. get them up on the Apprentice stands under the speakers and that will cause a great increase in SQ.

They need a sub. A good sub. Two of them and now you have a speaker that you will enjoy for many years.

A pair of S-1EX are being delivered to my house this weekend, during RMAF! I've been looking for a while and psyched to find a pair, they are in perfect condition too. \

Is the stereophile article right that they have a beryllium midrange? I though it was the same driver as the TAD Evo series, Be tweeter with an Mg midrange cone?

DaveC said:

A pair of S-1EX are being delivered to my house this weekend, during RMAF! I've been looking for a while and psyched to find a pair, they are in perfect condition too. \

Is the stereophile article right that they have a beryllium midrange? I though it was the same driver as the TAD Evo series, Be tweeter with an Mg midrange cone?

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Of course, the Stereophile article is right.

Kal Rubinson said:

Of course, the Stereophile article is right.

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Lol, I think it is a mistake, later in the article it says the midrange is a Mg cone... I wouldn't think they would put the Ref series mid in the Pioneers, a Be cone that size must be pricey...

In any case, I am excited to get them... the TAD Evo floorstanders were in the best system I've ever heard but the $250k worth of TAD electronics and AJ setting it all up probably helped. This was the year at RMAF Wilson did their XLF demo and I still think the TAD setup was the best at that show, it was a particularly fortuitous setup that year. I've heard TADs sound kind of average with other electronics in the past as well.

DaveC said:

Lol, I think it is a mistake, later in the article it says the midrange is a Mg cone... I wouldn't think they would put the Ref series mid in the Pioneers, a Be cone that size must be pricey...

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My statement was "The coaxial tweeter-midrange—or, as Pioneer calls it, the Coherent Source Transducer (CST)—consists of a beryllium-dome tweeter that shares a dual-gapped neodymium magnet with a magnesium-coned midrange unit. The TAD drivers use beryllium, with its high ratio of stiffness to mass, for both the tweeter and midrange." Both the TAD and Pioneer have Be trble domes but, while TAD uses Be for the midrange cone, the Pioneer uses Mg for the cone. Is there an error here?

Kal Rubinson said:

My statement was "The coaxial tweeter-midrange—or, as Pioneer calls it, the Coherent Source Transducer (CST)—consists of a beryllium-dome tweeter that shares a dual-gapped neodymium magnet with a magnesium-coned midrange unit. The TAD drivers use beryllium, with its high ratio of stiffness to mass, for both the tweeter and midrange." Both the TAD and Pioneer have Be trble domes but, while TAD uses Be for the midrange cone, the Pioneer uses Mg for the cone. Is there an error here?

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No, I just read too fast, this was in the 1st paragraph: "Among these speakers' unique features are a beryllium dome tweeter mounted concentrically inside a beryllium midrange cone..." but you were talking about TAD speakers in general, not about the Pioneer.

It was early in the morning...

Anyway, I'm excited to get these. I have an Odyssey Stratos amp with all the upgrades and a DIY preamp using the Tortuga LDR > Aikido tube buffer built with top end parts running 6 or 12SN7 tubes. I'd rather have the Ref 1s and TAD electronics, but it costs about as much as my house.

DaveC said:

No, I just read too fast, this was in the 1st paragraph: "Among these speakers' unique features are a beryllium dome tweeter mounted concentrically inside a beryllium midrange cone..." but you were talking about TAD speakers in general, not about the Pioneer.

It was early in the morning...

Anyway, I'm excited to get these. I have an Odyssey Stratos amp with all the upgrades and a DIY preamp using the Tortuga LDR > Aikido tube buffer built with top end parts running 6 or 12SN7 tubes. I'd rather have the Ref 1s and TAD electronics, but it costs about as much as my house.

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No problem. I am often guilty of the same. Enjoy the speakers.

Andrew Jones is now the VP Engineering at ELAC .... TAD on the cheap ?