TAGA Harmony are based in Poland and offer a wide range of loudspeakers and other products to suit all pockets. Here Ian Ringstead tries out their TAV 616F SE floorstanders costing €735.

This is the first time I’ve had the opportunity to listen to a pair of TAGA loudspeakers at home and are a relatively new name to me. They are a Polish company offering high quality products for the hifi and audio-video market. The main types of products are: high-end, hifi and home theatre speakers, in-wall/in-ceiling and outdoor speakers, multimedia speakers, hifi electronics and accessories for speakers. Started in the early nineties the company is run by enthusiasts who felt that a lot of high end equipment was expensive and didn’t always offer the sound quality it should have for the money. They wanted to do something about this and so formed TAGA Harmony – “To Achieve Glorious Acoustics”.

The model I was sent is an improved version of their popular TAV-616F and 606 models in SE form finished in a superb piano white gloss paint of which seven layers are applied. Not cheap to do and normally only offered by competitors at a much higher price point. The cabinets are very heavy being made of thick 15mm walls and a 21mm front baffle composed of high density MDF. I can vouch for the solidity as they came boxed in one carton that was a dead weight to carry through my front door. I’m used to large floorstanders coming and going, but these certainly felt substantial at nearly 35 Kg a pair.

The tweeters used are 2^nd generation TPTTD-1 Taga Pure Titanium Tweeter Dome which has a differently shaped and lighter titanium dome to previous models. A double magnet assembly is used which allows higher SPL’s and far better detailing and speed. Below the tweeter is a glass fibre midrange unit at 6.5” and then two 6.5” polypropylene bass units that are very light in weight to allow for fast response and dynamic definition. The tweeter has a faceplate made of aluminium to enhance the sound dispersion and the mid and bass have aluminium rings as well to aid sound dispersion and look very smart.

Around the back are a set of bi -wire,high quality binding posts and the internal wiring is OFC as used in the dearer Coral series. The front firing bass reflex port below the bass units and the terminal box are rubber coated and the speakers come with a set of high quality polished spikes to isolate them from the floor. The reflex port is also contoured and the surface of the rubber is dimpled to assist air flow and cut down on turbulence. It proved effective in listening.

The speaker binding posts come with the usual gold plated metal linking plates, but I replaced them with my own wire links. A smart black grille fits on the front baffle with the usual peg and socket arrangement. The grille sockets are thoughtfully finished in white as well so that when you use them without the grilles, as I did, the usual black fittings don’t stand out.

Given the high specification of build and finish you’d expect a commensurately high asking price. Well you’d be wrong! 735 Euros or £660 approximately at time of writing. Wow I was shocked! I haven’t seen such quality at this price and TAGA live up to their ethos of providing superb quality at real world prices. Well done.

The Sound 

Straight out of the box I was expecting the usual break in time allowance as I experienced just before the TAV-616 F -SE ‘s, arrival where the other speakers I had for review sounded truly dreadful. So much so that they went to another reviewer to try out and he said he had to thrash them for quite some time before they suddenly sounded sublime. This all goes to prove that breaking in time varies wildly with different products and here at Hifi Pig we try our best to give the products we review every possibility to shine. The old saying never judge a book by its cover or initial sound in this case applies.

The TAV -616 F-SE proved the least fussy speakers I have ever tried out from brand new and sounded great from the off. I always worry that any largish speaker in my listening room, particularly with four drive units will dominate and be too bass heavy. Well I was pleasantly surprised. I was greeted with a clear even handed sound from top to bottom with no bass over hang or boom. A credit then to the designers and quality of the speaker. The front firing bass port certainly was a help and the rubber coating and dimpled surface did their job well. My room is generally very good sound wise and although I have no fancy room treatments, (more about that another time), it is well damped and has solid walls and floor. After all it is our living room as well, so I must take my dear wife into consideration. She loves music, (although not a lot of what I like to listen to!!) and the look of the equipment is a bonus if she comments on it positively. Most husbands/partners know what I’m saying here.

Back to the speakers in question. They provided a tight and clean sound and could handle power with aplomb. I tried my Meridian 556 with them, a Densen B-150 and a set of Temple Audio mono blocks. They all drove the TAV -616 F-SE easily as at 91dB sensitivity and /6-ohm impedance, they aren’t a difficult load. Led Zeppelin’s classic album was a treat through them and being newly remastered and produced by Jimmy Paige on 180gm vinyl it brought back memories of when it was first released back in the seventies. With a good source and amp these speakers shone producing good stage depth and width and it was easy to hear what was going on in the mix. Tiny details and subtle effects could plainly be heard thanks to the drive units’ design and the attention to detail of the whole cabinet. As well as good deep controlled bass, the mid-range was open and uncoloured and the treble was never harsh. Overall a great sound balance which for the price is superb. I have heard a lot of speakers over the years and few achieve this quality even at high prices. I’m not saying the TAV -616 F-SE is perfect, but for the money they are very good.

All types of music worked well as they should and bass aficionados should like these as long as they appreciate tight controlled bass, not loose boomy unfocused low end. I used to try and educate customers all the time in retail about clarity in the sound of a system, and especially when choosing loudspeakers. It’s natural instinct for most people to like a lot of bass, but only if their room can handle it and it is accurate. At hifi shows it’s a pet hate of mine if a room sounds too bass heavy or one note as it totally destroys any enjoyment for me then. The TAV’s certainly couldn’t be accused of that if used with good equipment and a decent listening room.

So, in conclusion an excellent speaker to suit all tastes of music which are versatile and will work well in hifi or AV systems.

AT A GLANCE                                                                                        

Sound Quality: Excellent, easy on the ear covering top to bottom without any issues.

Build Quality: Excellent.

Value For Money: Superb, as you not only get excellent build, but also a great sound. 

Pros:

Great sonic performance

Good build and finish

Cons: 

The weight when packaged in one box makes them too heavy to handle unless there are two of you. TAGA are going to address this issue and box them individually in the future. 

The modern piano white finish will not suit everyone’s taste. (Alternative options would appeal more, although I am nit picking here)

Price:   €735 / £660

Ian Ringstead

Specifications: