Напольная акустика — TAD GRAND EVOLUTION ONE GE1

The TAD-GE1, or Grand Evolution One, is a floor-standing system with three ways and a reflex port, made by TAD Laboratories in Japan. It belongs to the Evolution series and uses a larger concentric driver than the Evolution One, together with an isolated driver mounting and a hand-polished wood enclosure.

Key specs that matter

Two 18 cm cone woofers sit below a concentric CST unit that places a 3.5 cm beryllium dome tweeter inside a 14 cm magnesium cone midrange. Crossover points are 250 Hz and 1.8 kHz. TAD quotes a response of 27 Hz to 100 kHz, a sensitivity of 88 dB at 2.83 volts and 1 metre, rated impedance of 4 ohm, and it accepts up to 250 W. Without spikes each speaker measures 394 mm wide, 1,212 mm high and 547 mm deep and weighs 64 kg.

Engineering and use context

The CST, or Coherent Source Transducer, controls the directivity of the two concentric drivers so that they act as a single point source over the whole band above the lower crossover. With ISO Drive technology the CST unit is mechanically isolated from the enclosure, so vibration from the driver does not excite the cabinet and low-frequency disturbances do not reach the driver, which TAD says reduces secondary radiation from the panels. The woofers use the MACS II diaphragm, the second generation of the Multi-layered Aramid Composite Shell, laminated from five fabric layers, some woven and some non-woven, in a shell shape that combines the centre cap and cone, supported by a cradle-shaped rear frame. Bass reflex loading comes from the bidirectional ADP, or Aero-Dynamic Port, fitted in the bottom of the enclosure with openings to the front and rear. Its interior is horn-shaped and ends in a die-cast aluminium flare, which TAD says lowers port noise and raises efficiency. A 15 mm thick aluminium base plate carries the cabinet. The wood grain enclosure receives a high-grade clear coat that artisans buff and polish by hand to a mirror finish resembling a wet surface.

Pairing

The package includes two woofer grilles and two short cables, three spikes with three spike holders, two auxiliary feet, the owner's manual and a cloth for cleaning. In the same Evolution series TAD also lists the bookshelf TAD-ME1TX and TAD-CE1TX, together with the TAD-M2500TX power amplifier and TAD-D1000TX disc player.

Alternatives

A more compact floorstander in the same Evolution series is the TAD-E1TX Evolution One, a three-way design with twin 16 cm woofers and a response to 60 kHz.