HiFi Unlimited: TAD Technical Audio Devices and Innuos Launch Event at AV Designs

Posted by Tan

AV Designs recently held a launch event for new products from TAD and Innuos.

For TAD, the primary focus was on its flagship loudspeaker, the TAD-R1TX, which was the first pair AV Designs brought into Malaysia. The TAD flagship loudspeakers are now in their third iteration, from the first-generation TAD-R1 to TAD-R1mk2 and now the TAD-R1TX. The TAD-R1TX largely retained the key design features of the series, being a 3-way design using a concentric mid-tweeter driver made of Beryllium and dual 10-in woofers, but also went through internal design improvements and subtle changes to its look.

The woodwork of the TAD-R1TX enclosure, which feels luxurious and looks excellent even on very close inspection, is now a collaboration with Tendo Mokko, a renown Japanese furniture maker, who on its website says that “when we at Tendo consider excellence in furniture, we imagine family assets original owners can hand down to the next generation. Tendo delivers furniture that parents will want to pass on to their children, who will in turn leave it to their own children”. So now TAD loudspeakers can also be considered heirloom.

In the case of Innuos, a digital music server and streamer brand from Portugal that AV Designs took on as distributor, we saw the introduction of its top-of-the-line Statement music server. AV Designs also put some of its entry level models on display. The Statement is a beautifully made 2-piece machine, consisting of the streaming electronics in one chassis and the power supply in another. The Statement is idiosyncratic as it is an all-USB affair, it does not provide RCA or XLR input or output.

The supporting cast of the demo system was no less impressive. It consisted of the TAD-D1000TX DAC, TAD-D700 CDP, TAD-C600 pre amp and TAD-M700S power amp, wired throughout with Wywires Diamond series cables. The TAD-M700s power amplifier was perched on a massive hifi stand from made by Bassocontinuo of Italy, called Gargantua. I believe we’ll hear more about the Bassocontinuo line when the full range arrived in the near future.

Joki leading the attendees through the varied music selection in the demo session

This listening session confirmed with no doubt for me that moving up TAD’s product hierarchy consistently brought added sonic improvements. You can name any hifi performance parameter, such as details and resolution, frequency extension, dynamic range, soundstage size, loudness capability etc. the higher in the range you go, the more you’ll get. The performance envelope simply expands in all directions.

At the end of the listening session that saw music of multiple genres played, I was left with one simple word in my head. That word was ‘COMPLETE’. The music I heard from this system did not require my brain to have to work to fill in any blanks, nor the sound I heard needed me to, consciously or subconsciously, interpret as to what it is. I enjoyed the musical presentation tremendously at the same time. This was a realization that I hardly ever had in any listening session with any other systems in the past. Absolutely impressive!