True LIVE SOUND, True 3D sound , A true GIANT KILLER for the price range, sheer realisum in sound reproduction.

None

I can sum this review up in two words. LIVE MUSIC! There is not much else to say about the Tyler Acoustics Tylo Ref. Monitors besides that they are a beautiful handmade product. I bought the Rosewood finish. WOW! They are pretty, and Tyler Acoustic dedicated stands make them even more beautiful. I''ve owned 10 different brands of speakers ranging in price from $2000-$6000, and I''ve owned everything from Horn loaded to electrostatics speakers, but none of them come even close to the Tylo Ref. Monitor''s sheer realism and true 3D sound. It''s hard to believe that a monitor with a 6-1/2" woofer & a 1 inch tweeter can compete with a full range speaker, but believe me. Not only can it compete, It can blow away most mass market crap. I bought these speakers solely upon the reviews on the website, and boy, am I glad that I did. A lot of reviewers stated that the bass reproduction of these speakers is their only weakness, furthermore saying that the bass needed to dive a little deeper to totally please their listening ears. I would suggest that those people do some experimenting with source components and cables. The Tylo Ref Monitors in my system have plenty of bass, and not only is it deep, it''s very 3D. I''ve never heard a drum set in a recording so defined. If you have the right front-end components, these speakers will really sound INCREDIBLE! I was very surprised by the sheer realism that these speakers can reproduce. I love the Tylo Ref. Monitors so much that I''m going to buy a pair of Linbrook Monitors. The Linbrook Monitor is basically the same speaker as the Tylo Ref. Monitor except the Linbrook monitor has an extra woofer, and the Linbrooks Monitors also have a higher sensitivity rating at 92db, which, will work even better with my SET amps (95 true watts each). I can''t wait to hear the Linbroooks in my system.

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None in this price range

Midrange clarity & speed, furniture-quality cabinetry,dynamic impact, customer service & unparalleled price-to-performance ratio.

Absolutely none.

This is a review of the Linbrook full-range system. The speakers are the best I have ever owned or heard! The cabinets are impeccably finished, & they do not dominate even a small room. The two-piece system allows for flexibility. The drivers are all top quality,& crossover parts are state-of the-art. Sound quality is unmatched at anywhere the price. Several big-name companies use these same drivers & charge up to $18,000 for a speaker of this quality. They are efficient, dynamic, &fast. Transients are reproduced with amazing clarity. Bass is powerful & natural. The company is a pleasure to deal with. The owner, Ty Lashbrook, really has an ear for fine-tuning speakers. He will bend over backward to help his customers . I was so impressed with the speakers & service that I bought another pair for my second system. I could not recommend Tyler Acoustics more wholeheartedly. I have owned B&W, Merlin, Von Schweikert, Dunlavy,Magnaplanars,Pro-Ac,& many others, but I have never found a speaker & a company that has pleased me this much.

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Natural full and detailed sound

Are you kidding me?

First of let me just say that Ty Lassbrook is a all around great guy to discuss your speaker needs and desires. He knows speakers, doesn''t try to over-sale his products, and isn''t some snobby rocket scientist wanna-be trying to re-invent the wheel. The speakers that Ty built were a three-way custom design based on his Addison line with the follwing upgraded drivers: One SAES 8" Magnesium Bass driver, one SEAS 6.5" Magnesium Mid-driver, and one SEAS Mellinium soft dome tweeter. Cross-overs and wiring are all selected by Ty to mate with the various drivers that he uses and are all top of the line.He personally adjusts the crossovers to achieve that ''Tyler Acoustic'' sound that he is known for. Speaker cabinets are BEEFY (70 lbs.each) and have a fantastic finish and construction. I went with black oak because I don''t want my speakers to stand out in my room with some exotic finish. Maybe the fact that I am moving up from the likes of Boston Acoustics, Definitive Technology, and Monitor Audio might account for that fact that I was BLOWN away by the sound of these speakers right out of the box. Ty does perform some burn-in prior to shipping and I have added another 30-40 hrs. I am not a audiophile nor do I claim to be but I do know that speakers of this caliber have changed the way I listen to music. No more over bloated, mushy, un-natural and over-hanging bass. No more trying to integrate and adjust a sub-woofer into my room. Bass is tight, deep and sounds NATURAL!Mids are warm and natural, highs are not tipped-up and over dynamic like mass marketed metal domed tweeters. But they are still very detailed without being harsh and grainy. Overall these speakers just sound soooo much more refined than anything that I have listened to. If you are looking to make the next step from the run of the mill speakers I would HIGHLY recommend looking up Tyler Acoustics. I don''t think that you can even come close to this nice of sounding speaker for twice the price! You can''t go wrong dealing with such a nice, honest, knowledgible, and down to earth guy like Ty Lashbrook.

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Detailed, revealing and yet musical.

None; No bookshelf monitor produces window rattling bass. (see above)

Background: I had owned the same since the late ‘80s, for over ten years. Since then I have owned about four different sets of speakers looking for what suits me. After some trial and error and a little over two years, I have finally found a speaker that’s fills my criteria. The Tyler Acoustics Taylo Reference Monitors. I have found the speakers to present a full-bodied, accurate and most importantly, musical listening experience. They are very neutral. What you put into them is what you will get out. With a few exceptions. For instance: I have a CD Renaissance “Tales of 1001 Nights”, some of which was recorded live, and like a lot of live recordings made back during the ‘70s, much of it is unlistenable and seems like so much noise. With the Taylos, I have been able to listen again to this CD without my sensibilities being totally destroyed. A note about realistic listening levels. At higher gain, these speakers do exactly what good speakers should do. As the volume increases that unique effect occurs where the music doesn’t necessarily seem to get louder, but the breadth, depth and realism of the soundstage increases. This, I believe, is just what quality speakers should do. An example of detail and intensity would be Holst; “The Planets” (MHS 416514L). At the beginning of “Mars”, there is a point where a note is started by the horns and completed by the strings. It starts off on the right, as the horns begin, and ends on the left of the sound stage as the strings complete the note. The transition of horns to strings, with both in the middle is easily discernable. On bass response. Grover Washington Jr. “Then and Now”; is a good example of how well a speaker presents bass. For me a bass note has three components, the plucking, or slapping, of the string, the string vibration, and the reverberation of the note in the body of the instrument. All components are necessary, or I feel cheated. The Taylos do all three. If the player is letting the string vibrate against the fret, I want to know it. When listening to jazz, the portrayal of the musical style of the players is paramount to the enjoyment of the experience. The Taylos allow the listener to be onstage precariously living through the bass violinist as he walks the bass. There is one caveat to this: My third component of a good jazz bass above, while it is there, some of the projected bo

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Parts, Build Quality, and Value are unbeatable.

Maybe a little more warmth in the midrange. More bass detail.

I had the Ref. Monitor and upgraded to the Ref 2''s. What a significant improvement when bass below 45hz is added to the music. The Ref Monitors are great monitors. Wide soundstage with pinpoint imaging. The resolution on the Ref. Monitors is one of the best I have heard. I am a true believer in high quality drivers. The Ref 2 monitor section is basically the same as the Ref Monitor. I tried using powered subs from REL, Velodyne & Vandersteen and it just wasn''t as natural sounding as the Ref 2 subs. Most powered subs are not up to the task of integrating with the Ref Monitor. Powered subs are really for HT. Most audiophiles who use powered subs for music turn them down low for a reason. The Ref 2 has quality bass with good extension. It does lack slam and definition of some large systems I have heard but it will give plenty of body and soul that is missing on the Ref Monitor. The Ref 2''s look great and are fairly easy to move around. I purchased the Ref 2 SE''s as well. Really you can''t go wrong with Tyler Acoustics.

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Very detailed, wide and coherent soundstage.

None, for a monitor loudspeaker.

Below, I'll post excerpts from a letter I sent to Ty at Tyler Acoustics. I hate to be redundant, but everything stated in previous reviews about Mr. Lashbrook is entirely acurate...he's a great person to do business with.

"Hello, Ty:

Well, what can I say, I'm extremely impressed with your speakers. The appearance is most excellent...they look new! At first listen, they were a bit tight/closed, with still good resolution. I now have approximately 100-120 hours on them, and they have really come alive. The sound has really opened up...lots of air within a wide soundstage. The resolution and low level detail is quite wonderful...it's amazing how much detail there is below 150-200Hz. This is the first pair of speakers that has ever brought a kick drum, upright bass, etc. so alive for me. The bass response seems to continue to improve as I put more hours on the monitors.

Most of the above observations are with my VTL ST-85, tetrode tube amp, putting out ~65W into an 8 ohm load. In my opinion, the Reference Monitors will sound great with even less power, provided it is quality power. Wednesday, I picked up my new (to me anyway) VTL MB-125 monoblocks. The MB-125's are switchable between tetrode and triode, and it puts out ~100W into 8oHms (tetrode), ~50W (triode). The additional power further improved the performance of the Taylo's, mostly in the bottom end. In triode mode, the sound is awesome...takes my system, and my own enjoyment of music, to a whole new level.

Finally, I've found a pair of speakers that I can live with for a very long time (unless of course, I come into some "excess" cash and I'm forced to upgrade to the Taylo Reference I!!"

Anyone in the market for a monitor speaker will do themselves a disservice if they don't give the Taylo Ref. Monitors serious consideration. They excel with just about any style of music...from Chopin to D. Krall to Mighty Sam McClain to Robin Trower to...well, you get the picture.

Associated Gear:
Adcom GCD-575 (transport), isolated with Vibrapods
Adcom GDA-600 (DAC)
Adcom ACE-515 (power conditioner)
VTL TL-2.5 preamp
VTL MB-125 monoblocks
Tyler Acoustics 24" Reference stands
DH Labs cables/interconnects throughout (T-14 bi-wire)
Haromonic Technology Pro AC-11 CL3 power cords throughout

This is a followup of my initial review.
Now that they are fully broken in and I've done some serious listening, I still feel the same. These are terrific speakers! They do everything well, including the bass, which is fast, detailed, and natural. Even though the -3db point is rated at 45Hz, my test cd showed a strong solid response at 40Hz, and even an audible, but definite response at 20Hz. I believe these speakers can be mated with the finest equipment and nothing would be sacrificed. They play loudly without stress, and have an ease of listening. There is also a toggle switch on the rear that activates a notch filter on the crossover to smooth out the midrange frequencies for listening rooms that might be a bit to reflective. Though I don't use it, I tried it and it works quite effectively.

These speakers are a terrific value and highly recommended!

sheer musicality

none so far

I have only had 1 day, so this is my initial impression

They arrived in great shape. When I took them out of the box I was very pleased with the sensual beauty
of the curly maple finish. My initial plan was to hook them up just to verify that they worked properly, and then put them under a blanket and start the 100 hour burn in procedure using the Chesky Burn-in CD. But, the little boy with a new toy mentality in me persuaded me to sit and listen to just one Dianna Krall number before starting on my busy weekend. 2 hours later my wife forced me to turn everything off and take her to the dinner I had promised.

As I write this I still have a grin on my face thinking about the fun I had last night. It was one of those special magical audiophile experiences that occurs when everything in the system seems to be in a state of cosmic harmony.

I know it's not fair to do any critical listening before a component has been fully burned in, and that is exactly what I plan to do next weekend, but last night I was just listening for the sheer joy of it. That alone says alot about how good I think the Tyler's are.

I will get back to you next week.

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Soundstage, clarity/location of voice & instrument, customer service.

None.

A friend of mine from work found out about Ty Lashbrook's company from Audiogon (www.audiogon.com). From the reviews here, soundstage on the web, and through the rec.audio newgroups, I decided to contact Ty by phone. (Heck, I did not even have a chance to listen my friend's Addison A28's.)

Ty answered all my questions both by phone and through e_mail with interest, courtesy, and fairness. When the used Reference monitors arrived, they looked so perfect, I felt I purchased a brand new set of speakers. Solid construction for this 17 inch tall monitor of close to 35 lbs. The wood quality, finish, and stain are gorgeous.

Sound ... Hmmm. Well, there's a lot to say. They're definitely not bright nor harsh in any respect. Some could call the sound slightly warm, but I prefer to say slightly to the right of neutral ... ever so slightly. Sure, bass does not extend terribly low, but these are monitors, and you receive a nice tight, fast, well defined low 40's Hz envelope; quite similiar, in my humble opinion, to the English-made monitors, which I enjoy, but not as much since I had these ref's as a new baseline.

My soon-to-be-teen daughter came home, and took notice so quickly, her only statement was "Wow!" She listened to at least 15 minutes worth of music without hardly moving. (It's ironic since the quality of speaker that I have owned previously has never illicited such a reaction.) I myself have rediscovered just how lovely these Taylo Reference Monitors allow the music to be played without being overly agressive nor laid back, but just right. Non-fatiguing does not adequately describe the experience, more like beautiful listening.

Ty is flexible about upgrades when equipment is purchased from him. Essentially, current selling speakers (assuming excellent condition) may be traded in for a credit (based on original purchase) toward upgrades. (Please contact Ty for details.)

In summary, these speakers easily are more musical than $3.5k models I have had experience with. These speakers are only outdone by the excellent customer support that Ty provides. I have enjoyed these speakers so much that I am upgrading to the Linbrook monitors. e_mail is welcome for any questions.

-- mark.

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Price point and design ques.

None so far

I recently purchased a pair of Tylo Ref 1 completely blind. Other than a few reviews and a conversation with Ty, the owner of Tyler Acoustics, I had no idea what to expect. When the speakers arrived I was vey happy with the quality of the finish and the overall craftsmenship in the cabinets. The speakers had been partially burned-in at the factory and after about 50 hours more burn-in I was ready for critical listening.
The first thing I noticed was a very deep sound field with lots on detail in the midrange. This is probably due to the high quality driver and 1" thick isolated cabinet. The bass responce from these speakers also benefit from the 1" cabinet that is isolated and the compound loaded 12" Peerless drivers. I found the bass to be very deep and very acurate, but I like a lot of bass. The high are a little laid back and I would not recomend this speaker to someone who likes the typical hard dome tweeter. The speakers image as well as any at this price and for best results should be positioned about six feet from the back and side walls. In summary I am happy with my purchase so far and would recomend this product to anyone with a large listening room who likes detailed natural mids and highs and lots of bass!! The speaker is very well made and incorporates proven enclosure design with quality components=good speakers.

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