[spacemanspliff]

Sweet sound, my friends, does not always cost a ton.

X-FI $100 winamp free lossless 44hz > Oritek V4 Coax $500> Emotiva BPA-1 $200> Tad 805SD $150> TAD 12" sub $120.

All of my pieces with the exception of the x-fi(I hate creative = necessary evil) are the best in class imo. The Emotiva is an insane deal. They are sold out for a reason. I fully intend to get at least another one if not two more. The Tad 805SD are extraordinary for near field audio.

$870 and it sounds very clean and natural with tons of detail. Microdetail will improve when I get a Tripplite LC1200 and some good PCs.

The ORI was MUCH improved with the funny tweak it is sitting on. Best bang for the buck ever!

GINGKO REPLACEMENT BALL (1 EACH, BLUE) - elusivedisc

VIBRAPOD ISOLATOR MODEL 3 (1 EACH) - elusivedisc

 

[spacemanspliff]

oh yeah that is the basement so it is very manly lol.

 

[GreatDane]

Very sweet. Those speakers must sound heavenly at such close range.

The Wall !

 

[spacemanspliff]

Yes. The TAD 805s should be on everyones short list for this type of setup. REALLY good sounding little speakers with enough punch to run 2.0 with a decent amp like the Emotiva.

 

[spacemanspliff]

my dogs love the sound so much they want to escape.

 

[GreatDane]

lol

I see 4 dogs...one chillin' behind the...er, what are they?

 

[spacemanspliff]

Italian Greyhounds.

 

[Lazarus Short]

How do those speakers compare to those they are so obviously modeled on, the B&W Nautilus 805's? I do see that they trounce the B&W's on price.

Laz

 

[IPodPJ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lazarus Short /img/forum/go_quote.gif How do those speakers compare to those they are so obviously modeled on, the B&W Nautilus 805's? I do see that they trounce the B&W's on price. Laz

Jeebus, I was just going to post exactly the same thing you did and then I read yours.

Yes spaceman, please tell us if they sound anything at all like the very famous B&W Nautilus which they obviously took the design from? The jet-shaped tweeter capsule and the yellow Kevlar drivers are always (until now) a dead giveaway for the Nautilus.

 

[TheAnomaly]

i was going to compliment him on a very nice find if he was able to get a whole setup with the 805s for $850 ;P

also...nice monitor. i'm probably going to get one when i've got the scratch. that or a 30" if i feel like being crazy.

edit: were the speakers used? the manufacturer's site shows a much higher price.

 

[Capunk]

A fine setup

I will build my setup similar like yours

OMZ coming soon, and Emotiva BPA-1 is definitely my target next.
But haven't decide which bookshelf speakers & sub, any suggestions for decent combination with a great price?

 

[spacemanspliff]

I got the 805s used on audiogon and the sub from TAD on CRAZY sale. The emotiva I got here from MrLA and Ori the dac.

The 805s sound very nice and scale up. Surprisingly natural and fast. I can't compare them to the B&W sorry I have never heard them. They are better than unmodded Usher 520s or Focal, Tannoy or Klipsch models of the same size and price. Stand alone, they provide surprising full range down to about 35 or so. There is a -3 db rolloff there I believe.

They remind me of a combo of stax and akg sound atm. Brand new setup though so I have yet to really get to know them.

I will say that Paul is being truthful in his description. I also briefly had his TAD 60 and it was insane. Too much for my setup lol. Nowhere to put it.

here is the description from TAD's site.


Perfect for all audio systems not requiring rock concert volumes. They play very loud for bookshelf-monitor size speakers - if you seek more volume try large tower speaker. The AE TAD-805SD is for those seeking an intimate in the room or around the desk musical experience. Perfect for jazz, blues, acoustic and orchestral music, they rock too – just not explosively loud. Best placed close 5-15 feet away, triangle aimed towards your head for optimal imagery. Custom AE gloss black heavy Speaker Stand Bases available too - see below. Stop shopping, this mail order only delivered to your door bookshelf-monitor size speaker is your best bet. Made in “China-duh” like most all speakers sold today. This unique crossover-less expensive custom made full range driver design is Paul G. tweaked to perfection for a wide spacious detailed haunting holographic soundstage.

2007 Aural Ecstasy TAD-805SD Bookshelf Monitor Features and Specifications:
Cabinet and Drivers are Hi-Tech Custom Designed to work together without a crossover board.
No Crossover Design = No phase shift midrange blur
Directly Wired 6-3/4" 8-Ohm Wide Band woven Kevlar Strand Main Single Driver(SD)
Slight magnetic Field - place no closer than 12-inches from TV screen
1-1/4" Perforated Poly-Dome Waveguide Top Tweeter with high-low selection switch - tweet plays 1/10th as lound as the main driver - there to give cymbals an edge, and precise imagery
87db efficiency and tube friendly
8-Ohm impedance, never dips below 8
Frequency response - designed to play ultra Flat: 45Hz-20kHz, -3db 35Hz, 25kHz
120W max music power capability, perfect for 10W-200W tube or SS amps
Curved cabinet shape and size is computer tuned for tight bass notes and stellar midrange at normal listening levels
Size: 17”H x 9-1/4”W x 13D
Amazon basin real cherry wood veneer with satin finish, ~OR~ more contemporary deep gloss piano black
Heavy! 18-lbs each
Excellent clear MIT style gold binding posts
Removable black audio transparent grills
Global & US Tube Audio Design tweaked, China manufactured for superior quality and value
US serviced 1-Year limited warranty to ensure quality
*Allow over 150-Hours of normal use to break in; to hear how they really sound. New out of the box speakers are stiff. Once broken in, imagery becomes detailed and spacious, everything improves.

 

[spacemanspliff]

Oh, I think XLS are great for the $$ in most people's opinion. The 805s are certainly worth $1000 even.

 

[Spookykinkajou]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lazarus Short /img/forum/go_quote.gif How do those speakers compare to those they are so obviously modeled on, the B&W Nautilus 805's? I do see that they trounce the B&W's on price. Laz

I've heard both, in the same room with the same equipment powering them(an older - ~2000 - linn majik system.) the b&w's are significantly better sounding to my ears. my friend and I did some blind testing and we both picked out the b&w's every time as the better sounding speakers with every genre of music. i guess you could say it's like apples and oranges, though, and it's not really fair to compare them due to price and design. The TAD may look similar but the innards are quite different(assumption, not proven)

a side note: originally i heard the b&w's during an audition and came away underwhelmed and thought maybe the TAD's were pretty close in quality. Side by side was a whole other ball game.

the TAD sound good for the price. Probably great. I just find them a bit bright or harsh, perhaps. I still haven't decided what I don't totally like about them. During complex midrange passages they just don't sound that great. An example would be Catherine Wheel's Ma Solituda.

I think my computer setup for a bit less money sounds better than the TAD's using my friend's linn amp with my emu 0404. They are just more engaging and musical but they are also about 9 months older or my ears grew to like them...who knows.

my pc setup:

Audioengine a5 with upgraded larger gauge speaker wire to the left speaker($400 including speaker wire), EMU 0404 USB ($175), 36" speaker stands ($100)

the above is fed by a macbook pro using usb and from the EMU with the included audioengine mini to mini ~6ft long. I've considered upgrading the mini to mini but have yet to decide if it would be worth it since I was less than impressed with the cryo jumbo, etc line outs I used with my ipod and amp.

 

[MuseMan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Capunk /img/forum/go_quote.gif A fine setup I will build my setup similar like yours OMZ coming soon, and Emotiva BPA-1 is definitely my target next. But haven't decide which bookshelf speakers & sub, any suggestions for decent combination with a great price?

I currently own and very much enjoy the extremely well priced Usher S-520's. Their bass is very tight, and it extends relatively deep for a small bookshelf speaker at this price. Having not heard the K701 but owning the Denon D2000 I can assume that these speakers sound similar to the K701 - as they may lean slightly towards the 'bright' end of the sound spectrum, but with the aforementioned tight bass and detailed mids and treble.

I highly recommend them - even without a sub, which can of course be added later if the need arises.

They can be purchased in Australia quite cheaply at WickedDigital here

Good luck in your search!