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Great review ! I had the (extremely) rare opportunity to purchase a pair in my little country (Belgium) for about 2.500$. Had some scratches, a screw from the protections missing but technically ok. First thing I will never forget with those beasts is the weight !!! Holly crap !! 65 kgs each, i 'll remember their transport and placing !! Since 18 months I've them , I saw only 2 or 3 pairs for sale in whole Europe. That's sure , those beauties went for sale only for me (d'you believe in destiny ?) exactly when I had the money to buy them. Since then, it's a dream :-) I drive them with a Rotel Michi X5 - Bi-wired with QED Silver Spiral I don't think I will change them for anything else or perhaps, maybe, a pair of TAD CE1 (second hand of course) Well, time to enjoy some music now. Greetings !!
I think it’s great that you are showing older/used speakers. I bought and refurbished a pair of Kef 104.2 from 1989 for 2channel listing. Always wanted a pair in the ninety’s bought them 10 years ago and still love them! Congrats on getting a speaker you have dreamed of!
Congrats on acquiring S-1EX. Thank you for the review. Finally, great video review to do justice to the great sounding S-1EX ( long overdue) Was lucky enough to buy a pair of brand new when they were still available at a discounted price. ( 2012) Lucky for me, not that many people gave them serious consideration because of the PIONEER name ( one of these secret treasures) Sounds great paired with a Class D amp ( Pioneer SC-LX90 aka SUSANO)
Congratulations on the new speakers, and I look forward to your future reviews while using these. End game for many of us with the right equipment matching. Bravo Tharbamar 👏
Hello Tharbamer I hope you are doing well and I'm glad you are liking the speakers. I am the guy who did the transaction with Tharbamer for these speakers. I had them for close to 2 years and never really got on with them fully. They were amazing at some things and did have a pretty special quality of getting the sound out in the room. Hard to explain for me. For me they lacked dynamic snap and did not sound very good on any kind of rock or modern pop type music. Low bass was good but I felt mid/upper bass was lacking. I ran these with a Lyngdorf 2170, Musical Fidelity A1008, one of the higher end Crown amps used for the M2 with tube pre, and a Jolida integrated tube amp. Overall I found them slightly dull. The Jolida was the best to my ears as it beefed up the mid bass and lower mids but couldn't play that loud at 50ish wpc. Could be they are just too honest for the music I like or my associated components were not up to snuff. Don't get me wrong these are great speakers and I respect what they do really well. As Tharbamer said build quality and driver quality is off the charts and depending on your tastes I could see how these could be end game for many! Most reviews were very glowing but I would say for me the Positive Feedback review from 2007 echos a lot of my feelings about them. Thu, if you have these setup and dialed in better than I probably did feel free to invite me over for a demo! 🙂
Preference plays a very large part in enjoying High-End music reproduction. Flat & dull equals boring. A real deal breaker for me. Tharbamer is usually right on with his taste & subjectivity for me. But, when he said the accuphase 4000 wasn't as exciting as the denon sx11. The video was over for me. Lol Granted, he did emphasize synergy.
I remember attending an audio show years ago. Andrew Jones was exhibiting these then-new speakers. He also played the stand mount version. I was absolutely entranced. I couldn't afford them then. Now that I can they're long out of production and rarely available used, at least in the stand mount version for which I actually have space. They remain one of the best speakers I ever heard.
Thanks, I really like how you do your review with a taste of how the speakers sound, unlike other reviewers who give a long talk on their opinion and specs!
You are absolutely right. I have the S-1ex’s and the matching center and about to buy the S-2ex’s for surrounds. It’s amazing, and the guy I bought the set from bought the TAD’s CR1’s for 30 grand and says the difference is about 5%. He’s using the Devialet 1000’s for amps. Rich guy to say the least. 😊 And have 2 REL’s G1’s huge subs for extended bass
❤ This neutral speaker 🔊 🤪🏆🫠 suits well records without compression at mastering studio steps. Listening through This speaker is like a speaker is dedicated for each instrument. Unbelievable ❤
Hello, I follow you since a while and according to me, these speakers are the best one you get until now. At the right level of your Hifi devices like the Denon ;). Enjoy them. Musically SK
I've had a pair of these for 4 years now. Simply the best speakers I ever had, although I do think that they are a tad polite in the highs compared to many references. The acoustics of my living room can't be the cause. Always been a fan of Focal speakers, so curious about the Focal Sopra 3. Dali Epicon 6/8 as well.
It can be compared to today 20k speakers in sound quality and build, it has great synergy with Accuphase Amplifiers, which is why I went with Accuphase E-4000, thanks
If i m not wrong, these are rather old spks. About 20 yrs old i reckon. One of my friends have a pair. My friend using a Karan acoustics integrated amp to drive them. They seem to sound better here than at my friend’s plc. At my friend’s plc they sound big & bold but very dry & a bit uninspiring & bass is one note & also dry & doesn’t go down low. System synergy is important.
I own the S-2EX speakers and had them paired with Merrill Veritas Mono amps, plenty of power. I’ve also have heard the TAD CE1 speakers at the Mofi audio rooms. On paper these Pioneer speakers are a perfect match for the TADs. Pioneer saved money by manufacturing the cabinets in China. Andrew Jones on a recent interview said that Pioneer made a mistake not labeling them TAD. Why did they do it, I don’t know, I think the price point was too low for the TAD brand and too high for a Pioneer speaker. They made no money and dumbed down the quality with the s-3ex by dropping the berilym tweeter, and then quickly stopped making them all together and had Andrew Jones aggressively go after the low price speaker market. The comment about them being neutral, flat measuring is reflected in my experience. They need room to disappear and will need subs to get that low end. I’ve ended up replacing them (temporarily?) with Tannoy 12”golds. More colored, yes also more involving and disappearing. I do believe that a concentric array is great, so does Andrew Jones, as he has returned to this design today. Thanks for the review of these often dismissed speakers.
Yes, absolutely built quality and material used in S-1EX is in modern day 30k speaker level. And Elysian sound boring after a few months, I never miss it, thanks
Do you think you'll ever get your hands on the Paradigm Founders series? Would love to see you review them. It's too bad Pioneer doesn't make high end speakers like this anymore. Quality manufacturing matters.
It seems, regardless of price, any Andrew Jones speaker is going to have the sound signature he seems to always go for, and to some his sound is a little on the boring, dry side. Not a knock, but I never payed attention to certain designers specific sound, which I should!
Yeah they sound balanced what do they set you back? What are they a 3 way or 2.5 I would like to hear some boxer resonance a great candidate for a soundboard! underneath! You fancy building one if you're up to it. Using two thin pieces of spru or pine 6-8 mm thick with a piece of oak in the middle as a support bridge off from the floor, use the same word around the edges as a gluing surface and support. Make it open on one side, height will have a bearing but you can't go too much so double the depth of the speakers and 10% extra wide. The bigger the box the more bass you'll get lower down. Attach the speaker flat on the bottom with double-sided tape to the surface You can put spikes on the bottom of the resonator or dampeners. Turn the resonator to an E flat
As far as I know none of TAD CST Beryllium drivers use ferrofluid, very same driver is still use in TAD CE-1TX www.technicalaudiodevices.com/compact-evolution-one-tx/
@@Tharbamar cool Thu wish me good luck will try to hunt for a pair even if it takes a life time :) My dream speakers where salon 2 how do you think these pioneer will compare. You're my fav YT audio channel when I want to relax :) amd learn something new
@@Tharbamar do me a favor go listen to your hapz1es with some of your favorite music for a hour or so but...turn Off! DSEE and DSD Remastering and set oversampling to normal.. tell me what you think! I found after doing this everything sounded more natural, Open and real... Look forward to your opinion!
@@Tharbamar I found using dsd remastering made the treble sound sweeter but made the soundstage narrower and bass more muddy , instrumentation less spacious , and voices less rounded , try Diana krall temptation her voice becomes more blurry with it on.
I've heard a few examples of TAD speakers. They would be a serviceable flat, neutral choice for a reference system when reviewing components or analyzing sounds. But I find them far too boring for simple listening to music. Perhaps as a cure for insomnia?
@@martinschaut3121 wow that is one hell of a tube amp. I think its like only 18 wpc? But they sound far more powerful than that. Heard one at my friend’s plc couple of yrs ago & it was unforgettable experience.
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☝️Be careful of scammers in the comments or social media platforms who pretend to be me and trying to scam.
👋I'm not hosting giveaways or asking you to contact me.
👍A real comments/replies from me has a GRAYED OUT profile name just like this comment.
Thanks for watching!
Copy.
Great review !
I had the (extremely) rare opportunity to purchase a pair in my little country (Belgium) for about 2.500$. Had some scratches, a screw from the protections missing but technically ok.
First thing I will never forget with those beasts is the weight !!! Holly crap !! 65 kgs each, i 'll remember their transport and placing !!
Since 18 months I've them , I saw only 2 or 3 pairs for sale in whole Europe. That's sure , those beauties went for sale only for me (d'you believe in destiny ?) exactly when I had the money to buy them.
Since then, it's a dream :-)
I drive them with a Rotel Michi X5 - Bi-wired with QED Silver Spiral
I don't think I will change them for anything else or perhaps, maybe, a pair of TAD CE1 (second hand of course)
Well, time to enjoy some music now.
Greetings !!
Great to hear you’re able to get them, thanks for sharing.
I have a similar story to yours - bought these recently. Build quality is fantastic.
I think it’s great that you are showing older/used speakers.
I bought and refurbished a pair of Kef 104.2 from 1989 for 2channel listing. Always wanted a pair in the ninety’s bought them 10 years ago and still love them!
Congrats on getting a speaker you have dreamed of!
Bought the originals years ago, got them 40% off since they didn't sell. Bought the entire 5 channel set, no regrets!
Congrats on acquiring S-1EX.
Thank you for the review.
Finally, great video review to do justice to the great sounding S-1EX ( long overdue)
Was lucky enough to buy a pair of brand new when they were still available at a discounted price. ( 2012)
Lucky for me, not that many people gave them serious consideration because of the PIONEER name ( one of these secret treasures)
Sounds great paired with a Class D amp ( Pioneer SC-LX90 aka SUSANO)
Congratulations on the new speakers, and I look forward to your future reviews while using these. End game for many of us with the right equipment matching. Bravo Tharbamar 👏
Thanks, will do!
Hello Tharbamer I hope you are doing well and I'm glad you are liking the speakers. I am the guy who did the transaction with Tharbamer for these speakers. I had them for close to 2 years and never really got on with them fully. They were amazing at some things and did have a pretty special quality of getting the sound out in the room. Hard to explain for me. For me they lacked dynamic snap and did not sound very good on any kind of rock or modern pop type music. Low bass was good but I felt mid/upper bass was lacking. I ran these with a Lyngdorf 2170, Musical Fidelity A1008, one of the higher end Crown amps used for the M2 with tube pre, and a Jolida integrated tube amp. Overall I found them slightly dull. The Jolida was the best to my ears as it beefed up the mid bass and lower mids but couldn't play that loud at 50ish wpc. Could be they are just too honest for the music I like or my associated components were not up to snuff. Don't get me wrong these are great speakers and I respect what they do really well. As Tharbamer said build quality and driver quality is off the charts and depending on your tastes I could see how these could be end game for many! Most reviews were very glowing but I would say for me the Positive Feedback review from 2007 echos a lot of my feelings about them. Thu, if you have these setup and dialed in better than I probably did feel free to invite me over for a demo! 🙂
Preference plays a very large part in enjoying High-End music reproduction.
Flat & dull equals boring. A real deal breaker for me.
Tharbamer is usually right on with his taste & subjectivity for me. But, when he said the accuphase 4000 wasn't as exciting as the denon sx11. The video was over for me. Lol
Granted, he did emphasize synergy.
I remember attending an audio show years ago. Andrew Jones was exhibiting these then-new speakers. He also played the stand mount version. I was absolutely entranced. I couldn't afford them then. Now that I can they're long out of production and rarely available used, at least in the stand mount version for which I actually have space. They remain one of the best speakers I ever heard.
Thanks, I really like how you do your review with a taste of how the speakers sound, unlike other reviewers who give a long talk on their opinion and specs!
Exactly. I concur.
You are absolutely right.
I have the S-1ex’s and the matching center and about to buy the S-2ex’s for surrounds.
It’s amazing, and the guy I bought the set from bought the TAD’s CR1’s for 30 grand and says the difference is about 5%. He’s using the Devialet 1000’s for amps. Rich guy to say the least. 😊
And have 2 REL’s G1’s huge subs for extended bass
This is an exellent loudspeaker, and I have been looking for a pair for a long time. Congrats.
Beautiful sounding music. Beautiful system.
This is Pioneers best Tower I think. It's beautifully designed. I've never heard them . Yet !!
Nicely explained, congratulations on the new addition.
Thank you!
❤ This neutral speaker 🔊 🤪🏆🫠 suits well records without compression at mastering studio steps.
Listening through This speaker is like a speaker is dedicated for each instrument. Unbelievable ❤
S-1EX ❤
The value channel ❤
Man, that Denon is beautiful.
Hello, I follow you since a while and according to me, these speakers are the best one you get until now. At the right level of your Hifi devices like the Denon ;). Enjoy them. Musically SK
Thank you.
TAD - the speaker of choice for Andrew Jones... ✌😎👍 enjoy!
I've had a pair of these for 4 years now. Simply the best speakers I ever had, although I do think that they are a tad polite in the highs compared to many references. The acoustics of my living room can't be the cause. Always been a fan of Focal speakers, so curious about the Focal Sopra 3. Dali Epicon 6/8 as well.
It can be compared to today 20k speakers in sound quality and build, it has great synergy with Accuphase Amplifiers, which is why I went with Accuphase E-4000, thanks
well done! love your content.
They sound very good and the price is more than reasonable , no need to spend huge amounts of money.
There was a pair of these for sale used at $2000 the pair and I thought about them too long. Now I regret it!!
If i m not wrong, these are rather old spks. About 20 yrs old i reckon. One of my friends have a pair. My friend using a Karan acoustics integrated amp to drive them. They seem to sound better here than at my friend’s plc. At my friend’s plc they sound big & bold but very dry & a bit uninspiring & bass is one note & also dry & doesn’t go down low. System synergy is important.
They're first available in late 2008 and early 2009 in some area.
I own the S-2EX speakers and had them paired with Merrill Veritas Mono amps, plenty of power. I’ve also have heard the TAD CE1 speakers at the Mofi audio rooms. On paper these Pioneer speakers are a perfect match for the TADs. Pioneer saved money by manufacturing the cabinets in China. Andrew Jones on a recent interview said that Pioneer made a mistake not labeling them TAD. Why did they do it, I don’t know, I think the price point was too low for the TAD brand and too high for a Pioneer speaker. They made no money and dumbed down the quality with the s-3ex by dropping the berilym tweeter, and then quickly stopped making them all together and had Andrew Jones aggressively go after the low price speaker market. The comment about them being neutral, flat measuring is reflected in my experience. They need room to disappear and will need subs to get that low end. I’ve ended up replacing them (temporarily?) with Tannoy 12”golds. More colored, yes also more involving and disappearing. I do believe that a concentric array is great, so does Andrew Jones, as he has returned to this design today. Thanks for the review of these often dismissed speakers.
Thank you for sharing, they’re In Japanese market until 2018 before discontinuing.
great speaker I think this speaker good for jazz music too
The sound sample sounds like the speaker version of the Mark Levinson No 5909 headphones which are remarkable in my opinion.
cool speakers and cool shirt
Are these your favorite speakers to date?
Thank you
Thanks for your great channel.
Do you think this speakers from Pioneer go to warmer side?
Kind regards
I wouldn’t say warm, it’s rich and refined neutral sound, thanks
Thanks for all the time you take making these vids..
Are these significantly better than Elysian 2's..?!
Yes, absolutely built quality and material used in S-1EX is in modern day 30k speaker level.
And Elysian sound boring after a few months, I never miss it, thanks
Do you think you'll ever get your hands on the Paradigm Founders series? Would love to see you review them. It's too bad Pioneer doesn't make high end speakers like this anymore. Quality manufacturing matters.
They only make under TAD name nowadays, I’m not sure I would be getting any Paradigm speakers anytime soon for review. Thanks
It seems, regardless of price, any Andrew Jones speaker is going to have the sound signature he seems to always go for, and to some his sound is a little on the boring, dry side. Not a knock, but I never payed attention to certain designers specific sound, which I should!
Yeah they sound balanced what do they set you back? What are they a 3 way or 2.5
I would like to hear some boxer resonance a great candidate for a soundboard! underneath! You fancy building one if you're up to it. Using two thin pieces of spru or pine 6-8 mm thick with a piece of oak in the middle as a support bridge off from the floor, use the same word around the edges as a gluing surface and support. Make it open on one side, height will have a bearing but you can't go too much so double the depth of the speakers and 10% extra wide.
The bigger the box the more bass you'll get lower down. Attach the speaker flat on the bottom with double-sided tape to the surface You can put spikes on the bottom of the resonator or dampeners. Turn the resonator to an E flat
Interesting idea, these set me about $4.5k delivered. Thanks
@@Tharbamar that's not cheap that's new price!
They're $9K new at dealer but now you can find them around $3.5 to 4k in used market plus shipping which can be very expensive for 300lbs shipment.
I like the jbls....
Hey Thar have you ever tried Totem speakers ? if not you should give them a try
I wonder how these compare to XTZ's Divine Alpha speakers which have a similar cabinet design.
Major difference is the drivers, TAD drivers way more advanced.
Hello. Are these two speakers still on sale today? What is the price?
Hi they’re discontinued.
@@Tharbamar Thank you
Can I drive these with the 35W unison research S6 tube amplifier?
I'm not sure with S6 because I didn't like it with 50W Galion 120SE Tube Amp.
Thank you. It's a shame but it's a usefull comment.:) @@Tharbamar
Se sont des excellente enceintes
Hey Tharbamar does the tweeter of this has ferrofluid If they do and this old you think they need fluid replacement?
As far as I know none of TAD CST Beryllium drivers use ferrofluid, very same driver is still use in TAD CE-1TX www.technicalaudiodevices.com/compact-evolution-one-tx/
@@Tharbamar cool Thu wish me good luck will try to hunt for a pair even if it takes a life time :) My dream speakers where salon 2 how do you think these pioneer will compare. You're my fav YT audio channel when I want to relax :) amd learn something new
S-1EX is a bargain because even used pair of TAD CST-6001 sells for $2K price range.
@@Tharbamar now with these kind of high quality speakers does high quality cable matter.make a difference?
How do these compare to the Elysians you had?
More accurate and natural. Much better built.
8 grand...I hope they sound good
Sound Good would be understatement.
are these your favorite speakers?
One of my favorite for sure.
@@Tharbamar what is your most favourite of all?
@@Tharbamar do me a favor go listen to your hapz1es with some of your favorite music for a hour or so but...turn Off! DSEE and DSD Remastering and set oversampling to normal.. tell me what you think!
I found after doing this everything sounded more natural, Open and real...
Look forward to your opinion!
Yes I have done that and never use DSEE, only DSD remastering because that was the best sounding way for me.
@@Tharbamar I found using dsd remastering made the treble sound sweeter but made the soundstage narrower and bass more muddy , instrumentation less spacious , and voices less rounded , try Diana krall temptation her voice becomes more blurry with it on.
I've heard a few examples of TAD speakers. They would be a serviceable flat, neutral choice for a reference system when reviewing components or analyzing sounds.
But I find them far too boring for simple listening to music.
Perhaps as a cure for insomnia?
Yes they're that's why I have them, they sound the best with Tubes and Class A Amps.
Perhaps a Luxman L-590ax2 or Accuphase E-650 would be a good match for these spks.
@@ganck1147 I do it whit KR audio kronzilla sd Class A tube Amp
@@martinschaut3121 wow that is one hell of a tube amp. I think its like only 18 wpc? But they sound far more powerful than that. Heard one at my friend’s plc couple of yrs ago & it was unforgettable experience.
Maybe Bose suits you better
These speakers sound generally correct, without any problems. But their voice is rough and poor in timbre.
Thats more to do with the room than speakers.
@@Tharbamar😢😊
They are a tad rare
Playback setting 1.7X 😁
After hearing point source speakers I simply gave up regular speakers. Period!
I’m other way around I guess depends on personal preference.
HiFi Shark > Spain > 2900 Euros. Looks like a good deal, but then export fees add up for USA buyers.
Shipping can be expensive as well finding it locally would be better.
What???
You'll say you're tired of them in a year and how they don't do it you..
I don’t get tired when synergy is there and even if I get bored I have too many speakers in rotation to change things around.