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The midrange is truly what’s most important here. It is from here that the treble extends to one side very clean and orderly and the full and defined bass to the other. That articulated bass is another characteristic of this sound. And that’s what finally sets the TAD apart from tube preamps like the Audio Research Ref5 SE and my own Ayon. Both of those are slightly softer for better or worse. The C-600 is precise without hardening the attacks. It simply shows the mid and upper bass clearly which probably contributes to it sounding so rhythmic, tight and organized. On the other hand it also gives it a character that determines its overall influence on the system.

This bass extends very low. It is by comparison to the C-600 that most other preamps betray their bass roll-off. They lose it somewhere and muddle up the bass at its low end (as long as the speakers can properly demonstrate it). The Japanese preamp extends the bass uniformly right down to the audible limit. Recordings featuring just double bass or bass guitar may not show this off especially clear. There one experiences it simply as part of the rhythm and bass contour. But with electronica and synth-generated infrasonics the C-600 keep steady all the way down to the very last decay.



As always this sound is a collection of compromises. If you think that the top high-end avoids compromises, you are mistaken. The C-600 for example is less vivid and palpable than the mentioned tube preamps. Especially the Ayon shows instruments more 3-D way, with better bodies and more ‘here now’. The TAD treats all albums the same, sorting them as a top-down structure regardless of recording. By doing that it makes different recordings sound more alike. Of course that’s nothing terrible as the Audio Research for example unifies the same recordings in its own way by giving them a specific patina - but all that is still a departure from pure neutrality.

And these are perhaps the only two characteristics that could make us spend our money elsewhere. Not for certain because that’s still a matter of choice but because there will always be listeners for whom these two elements—the minor homogenization of recording differences and the resultant distance from absolute naturalness—will override all others. Apart from that the C-600 is a premium example of an absolutely top preamp without that typical solid-state tone color. It has its own distinct character but in a blind test could easily be mistaken for a tube device. Operating it was a pleasure as it is very well designed. Its developers thought through every last detail. This is true top-echelon high-end without any ifs, buts or  qualifiers. It simply is.


Review methodology. The TAD C-600 was compared against my personal Ayon Audio Polaris III as well as the ModWright LS 36.5, Audio Research Ref5 SE, Avantgarde Acoustic PRE, Octave Jubilee and direct-coupling of my Ancient Audio Lektor Air V-edition CD player to my Soulution 710 power amp as the preamp bypass reference. The C-600 drove two power amps – the Soulution 710 and Leben CS-1000P. It connected to the AC mains with a Harmonix X-DC350M2R Improved-Version power cord and sat on its own feet on the Base IV rack.

The test was an A/B with both A and B known. Music samples were two minutes long but I also auditioned whole albums. Connection was via RCA on both source and power amp sides. Despite the fact that this preamp has XLR inputs the audio circuit is described as an unbalanced topology. RCA cables sounded better than XLR. It proved important to properly warm up the device. An hour should be enough to stabilize its temperature and the parameters of active circuits and power supply components.


Design. TAD’s C-600 is a transistor preamp with an external power supply. The latter looks like that used with the firm’s existing D-600 SACD player and resembles Darth Vader‘s spacecraft – black, angular and solid. The C-600 is not a big machine but very heavy. The reason are a lot of design ideas to do with combating chassis vibrations that deteriorate the sound. That’s why the unit sits on a solid platform, a 33mm thick aluminium plinth which alone weighs 15kg already.


This bottom plate is finished in black lacquer whilst the other enclosure sides are made of sanded aluminium that's clear anodized. The unit stands on three aluminium cones, two in the front, one at the rear. There are also two rear-mounted rubber feet lower than the center cone. Those provide additional support should anyone lean on either rear corner. Simple and effective. The front panel is shaped with TAD’s characteristic protruding center whereby two equal halves angle forward like a gabled roof on its side to meet in a straight central line pointing at the listener.