TAD Reference loudspeakers-How good are they?

Heard the TAD ref1 mk1 several times, while an amazing speaker, for some reason I just could not jive with it.  I passed on it.  Probably a good thing because in hindsight, $37K for a used pair of speakers is kind of a lot of money. 

@bcgator, well we'll just discuss high end audio, and you can, uh hum, discuss neurologists, witch doctors and voodoo practioners which seems to be your interest area. Au contraire, it is I who wish you a speedy recovery...

@knghifi, I wouldn't describe Vitus Signature series gear as thick and dark. I would describe the sound as natural/organic and harmonically rich, yes, but not dark. The SS-103 and SIA-025 amps are on the warm side in Class A. The Vitus RI-100 integrated however does sounds a bit dark.

Joey, $37k is $1k short of a pair of Magico S5 Mk2's which would kill the TAD's.

melbguy1: From what I learned talking to many TAD R1 owners, not unlike other speakers out there including your preferred Magicos,  the R1's performance is gated or blown out by the choice of front-end, interconnects, speaker cables, amplifier, etc....I have no doubt that the Be concentric driver whose tweeter section goes up (at least they claim measurement of) to 100 kHz will show the best and worst of whatever is driving it.  All I know is that with my gear and cables, on Day 1 when you (I) would expect the good and particularly 'the bad' to come out and hit you in the face, what i heard amazed me.  I believe I've got a good match of electronics and cables here and I've not heard any of the "harsh, harsh at bigger SPLs,..." type of of issues some have reported.  I just returned home after  5 days of holiday travels, speakers just crossed 141 hours; same deal, no harshness, no downside thus far. Very encouraging... One thing is certain from what I can see and hear with these speakers, throw sub-standard electronics and cables at the R1s and they will let you know it. Drive them with the right top-quality gear and you'll be rewarded (same as any speaker).  

I suspect that may explain what you heard.

Kudos on the Magicos; people say they that model are great speakers. Not my cup of tea in general for the Magico line as a whole,...but that's  what is great about this hobby...there are so many great choices out there!