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TAD ME1 STAND-MOUNT SPEAKER REVIEW

Jim MiltonMarch 28, 2022Bookshelf Speakers

Home
ReviewsSpeaker ReviewsBookshelf Speakers

Up NextSonus faber Lumina II Speakers
Technical Audio Devices (TAD) has added to its Evolution speaker line a
stand-mount version of the Evolution One tower, aptly named Micro Evolution One.



But description aside, The TAD ME1 is designed to give optimal full frequency
performance in a cabinet that takes up no more space than a modest tower
speaker.

Highlights


TAD ME1 STAND-MOUNT SPEAKER

 * Very solid construction with high-quality drivers
 * Speaker stands designed to provide a stable platform and add elegance to the
   design
 * Coherent Source Transducer provides excellent imaging
 * Beryllium tweeters
 * Unique porting with bi-directional ADS

Though this speaker is called Micro Evolution, it is considerably larger and
heavier than some of the bookshelf speakers I have reviewed. For example, the
Dali Menuet SE is slightly bigger than a shoebox and weighs a fifth of the ME1.
To achieve the design goal of a compact speaker that delivers close to
full-range audio, TAD has employed a 16cm woofer with a 9cm Coherent Source
Transducer (CTS) Driver to provide razor-sharp imaging. To get deeper bass from
a smaller cabinet enclosure, The TAD ME1 also has a Bi-Directional Aero-Dynamic
Slot (ADS) port on each side of the speaker enclosure. Instead of a front or
rear-firing bass port. The slot allows for the speaker to be placed closer to
the front wall and virtually eliminates port chuffing when played at higher
volumes. The speaker stands are incorporated into the speakers and provide
optimal listening height and a solid stable platform. The ME1 comes in a piano
black or silver titanium finish.



Introduction

Technical Audio Devices (TAD) Laboratories is the only high-end Japanese audio
manufacturer that specializes in audio components and speaker systems. Also in
their product lineup are pre-amplifiers, SACD/CD players, power amplifiers, and
a DAC. They have over 40 years of experience in design and innovation. The ME1s
share design DNA with the first set of speakers I reviewed for SECRETS back in
2010, Pioneer’s S-2EX monitors. They were partially developed by the legendary
designer Andrew Jones. Pioneer has been in the speaker business for over 75
years.



The TAD ME1s are a three-way bass reflex speaker that have a similar driver
complement, but the cabinet is not tapered like the S-2EX. The use of beryllium,
which is one of the most rigid and lightest metals, gives the coherent source
drivers tweeter the ability to reproduce a very high-frequency response up to
100kHz, while the shallow, yet large-diameter midrange can go down as low as
250Hz. The Evolution series consists of the floor standers Evolution One and Two
as well as the Micro and Compact Evolution Ones.

TAD ME1 STAND-MOUNT SPEAKER SPECIFICATIONS

TAD-ME1-K:

Piano Black finish

TAD-ME1-S:

Titanium Silver finish

MODEL:

3-way bass-reflex bookshelf

DRIVERS:

Woofer-16cm Aramid cone, Mid-Range/Tweeter- coaxial 9cm and 2.5cm beryllium cone

FREQUENCY RESPONSE:

36Hz to 60kHz

CROSSOVER FREQUENCY:

420Hz, 2.5kHz

MAXIMUM INPUT:

150 wattts

SENSITIVITY:

85dB (2.83V at 1 meter)

NOMINAL IMPEDANCE:

4 Ohms

WEIGHT:

44lbs (20 kg) each speaker

DIMENSIONS:

9.88 inches wide. 16.18 inches high, and 15.83 inches deep

OPTIONAL SPEAKER STANDS:

TAD-ST3- (K or S)

WEIGHT:

35.3lbs each

ASSEMBLED DIMENSIONS:

14.8 inches wide, 5.98 inches 25.67 inches high, and 18.2 inches deep

MSRP:

$14,995 (pair), including stands

WEBSITE:

Product Site

COMPANY:

TAD

SECRETS TAGS:

TAD, technical audio devices, speaker, stand-mount speaker, bookshelf speaker,
point source

Linkbacks
 * Harbeth SHL5plus XD Speakers Review
 * PSB Synchrony B600 Bookshelf Speaker Review
 * Alta Audio Alyssa Compact Speaker Review

Setup

My speakers and stands arrived on a well-wrapped pallet that was placed in my
garage. I had to hand-carry each component up to my second-floor media room and
I am glad the speaker stands were broken down. Once I had everything up in my
room, I moved aside my Sonus faber Sonetto V towers and placed the ST3 stand
bases in their footprint. I decided not to use the supplied spikes to protect my
hardwood floors and give me optimal flexibility to position the speakers, once
assembled.



The stands are made of steel and are heavy and solid. The top board has
pre-drilled holes for the speakers to bolt into. The struts have speaker cable
clamps along the backside so nothing going from the floor to the back of the
speakers needs to be seen. Once in place, I did some minor tweaking with toe-in
and remeasured all my distances. These speakers and stands, once assembled, are
heavy. The plus side is that they were very stable, and I never felt they would
topple if I brushed against them. If you place these on carpeting, I suggest
using a couple of those round nylon furniture moving sliders you can get at Home
Depot. The speakers are hard to move and minor adjustments in their placement
work better if you can slide them. The supplied spikes are great if you are
planning on keeping them in place for a long time, and they also provide a bit
more height.



I placed the TAD ME1s about a foot and a half out from my front wall with the
nearest side wall over five feet away. Speaker cables were Blue Jeans 10 gauge,
and components were a Marantz SR 6015 AV Receiver, Oppo UDP-203 disc player, and
PS Audio Perfectwave DSD DAC which streams my Qobuz account. Amplifiers were
Emotiva UPA-1 200-watt monoblocks. I supplemented the bass with an SVS 3000
Micro sub-woofer which looked like it was designed with the ME1s in mind with
its piano black finish and slightly rounded edges.

In Use

Once I had all the speaker stands assembled (about half an hours’ work with a
screwdriver), I mounted the speakers onto the stands and connected them to my
amps. I had them pre-positioned as their combined weight made them a bit
difficult to fine-tune. When I stepped back to admire my ingenuity, I was struck
by how beautiful the ME1s looked. They stood as tall as my Sonettos, but their
physical appearance made them look like they were taking up much less real
estate. Firing them up for the first time, I was struck by their big sound. My
initial impressions were broad uncongested midrange with a smooth and sparkling
treble.



The Bass was tight and accurate but did not seem prominent below 30Hz. My
feeling was that to create a solid, natural mid-bass presentation, some
sacrifice had to be made on the very extreme low end. The bass was tight and
clean but lacked the deep punch of a bigger volume speaker. Voices, both male
and female, sounded quite good. Triangles and snare drums had bite and sparkle.
Imaging was, as I expected from the point-source driver, exceptional. The sound
stage was broad and deep. These speakers do not come with grilles, but I think
they looked their best naked. If you have little tots with inquisitive fingers,
that could be a problem, but not for me. The piano black gloss finish really
makes the ME1s look expensive, which they are, relatively speaking. Fortunately,
they sound gorgeous whether reproducing a grand piano or a full-scale orchestra.

Various Artists “The Bach Variations”

The Bach Variations by various artists from the Windham Hill label are some of
the finest sounding samples of Bach’s works played on acoustic instruments from
flute to lute, marimba to Chris Botti on his trumpet. The natural timbre of the
instruments was reproduced cleanly with a great sense of depth and placement.
Closing my eyes and just listening transported me to a happy place that had me
sitting “in the room” with the players. These speakers will get you into your
music collection.

Bear’s Den “Red Earth & Pouring Rain”

Red Earth & Pouring Rain by Bear’s Den is a great mix of vocals that remind me
of The Righteous Brothers mixed with an atmospheric beat and rhythm of Sade and
electronica. The mixes are spacious and sometimes cavernous. The ME1s played
this music with the dynamic expansive sound I get from my towers, but I did miss
the deepest bass. When paired with SVS Micro 3000, that deep punch from the
music was restored. Still, for a stand-mount speaker, they sounded outstanding.
Calling these “micro” is like calling Baby Huey a baby duck. Younger readers
will probably have to Google Baby Huey for my obscure analogy…

Aaron Copland “Organ Symphony”

The Organ Symphony of Aaron Copland was written in 1925. When conductor Walter
Damrosch introduced it to the audience, he said, “Ladies and gentlemen, I am
sure you will agree that if a gifted young man can write a symphony like this at
23, within five years he will be ready to commit murder.” The piece is
devilishly difficult to play because of its off-beat, jazz-influenced rhythms.
It goes from very ppp to ffff in a heartbeat. The second movement is my favorite
and I use this recording to test many of the speakers I review. The orchestra is
spread across my listening room and the dynamics can be jarring if you are
unfamiliar with the work. The deepest pedal notes were a bit reticent without a
sub-woofer, but the ME1s were able to keep up with the orchestra which had near
pinpoint accuracy for instrument placement. They never sounded congested or
strained even when played loudly.

Conclusions


THE TAD ME1S AREN’T INEXPENSIVE, BUT THEY ARE A HANDSOME PAIR OF SPEAKERS THAT
EXUDE QUALITY IN THEIR BUILD AND EXCELLENCE IN THEIR ABILITY TO REPRODUCE CLEAN,
ACCURATE SOUND.

Likes
 * Well designed drivers
 * Excellent sonics with a smooth mid-range
 * They look amazing
 * They are solid and heavy with high-quality binding posts

Would Like To See
 * Speaker stands incorporated into the final cost

TAD has put a lot of R&D into creating a compact stand-mount speaker. The ME1s
look high quality and sound remarkable for their size. If you don’t like larger
towers in your media room, these might be what you are looking for. When mated
with a small sub, you have a two-channel music system that sounds amazingly
large. I can only imagine what the ME1s larger brothers sound like!

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Previous ArticleA Collection of New Vinyl for the Audiophile: March 2022

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Jim Milton
Senior Editor

Jim Milton has been interested in high fidelity since his college years in the
late 70's. It was there that he first became interested in classical music. He
has been part of choral music, both in opera and oratorio and is an avid
collector of classical music from the Baroque through the Romantic periods. He
enjoys an occasional night at Boston Symphony Hall or attending an organ concert
at Merrill Auditorium in Portland, ME. Currently he is the director of Nuclear
Medicine at the North Shore Medical Center, located just outside of Boston. He
also serves as an adjunct professor for Salem State University where he teaches
a course in nuclear instrumentation. During his leisure time, he enjoys
listening to his music collection and an occasional movie with his wife of 30+
years. Living on the longest stretch of sandy beach north of Boston offers him
plenty of opportunities to take a relaxing stroll or soak up some sun.
"Remember, acquiring good A/V gear takes lots of time...but doesn't necessarily
take lots of money."




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