I've been on this journey for a couple of years. It has taken me many places where I initially started with Swiss gear (Goldmund / Orpheus Lab) and then got enchanted with Tubes (Hence the original name for my virtual system - Move to Tubes). I was heavily into Zanden and Wavac for some years until I found Tidal Audio. This is by far the BEST electronics on the planet, and as you can see, I have slowly moved to an almost complete Tidal Suite. Sound is shockingly transparent and is glorious to listen to... Where will I go to next? Either try analogue (that I have been resisting) or find a good Computer audio system (that I am currently researching but can't seem to find anything on par)...
Italian furniture manufacturer (www.molteni.it). Not an audiophile stand but visually beautiful with superb finish. Pictured is the all aluminium storage bin that comes with the stand. Notice that a Acoustic System resonator is placed in the bin
Acoustic System Resonator
1 Platinum, 2 Silver and 1 Copper resonator. You have to hear this to believe these little jewels. Mind boogling amazing!!
Tripoint Troy
Amazing what it does to the sound!
Tipoint Orion
Master Reference A/C Conditioner. My system has undergone a magical transformation!
Orb Audio Kamakura Power Tap
One of the best passive power conditioners. I'm using 2
The Tidal wave seems to be on a roll on the high end audio site!
I've read some very impressive things about the Tidal products from sources that I have great respect for. I have not had the pleasure to hear the Tidal products yet, nor could I likely afford them at present, but they do seem to have a solid no holds barred approach to delivering state of the art products with ability to raise the bar accordingly as one would expect.
Sandstone, Yes the Flat Screen TV affect the sound due to the reflections from its surface. The easiest thing I've found to get rid of it is to cover it with a semi-thick piece of cloth. This helps improve the imaging tremendously. When I am doing critical listening, I place a large beach towel over the flat screen. I could probably do something more permanent and get a piece of cloth with a design, but then I watch the TV too often for me to raise and lower the cloth....
Mveloo, Congratulations on your system! I agree with Vernneal above, that it warrants incusion in the ALL OUT ASSAULT category. I was wondering if you had been able to A/B different room treatments, and curious which ones worked for you. Also, did you by chance try out the presence and absence of the flatscreen monitor at the main rear reflection point? This is a setup that I haven't been able to avoid either, because it's great for home theater, and very convenient.
I recently viewed (online) a room treatment/speaker placement seminar that included Charlie Hanson of Ayre Acoustics and Jim Smith of GBS among others. One of their most emphasized points was the great improvement gained by spending $4K to install a retractable projection screen. It got me to at least consider it. Any thoughts? Again, congratulations on what must be an amazing audio experience.
Arkprof, My living room is about 6m by 5m, though extra space would definitely be great for the sound. But if you know how much apartments/houses cost in Singapore, my space is considered a luxury!
Himiguel, Yes, I do have dedicated Power Lines. I'm currently running the Orion with only my source systems (including the Preamp). I have not connected my Tidal Amps to the Orion yet. Currently running them through the Orb Kamakura. The Orions are wonderful though. Fully worth the money spent on it. I have the Thai connecting the Orion to the wall. Is Tripoint coming out with a different PC?
I can't but wonder whether you have enough space for both brain and system ... ie, it's a rather intimate setup for speakers and amps that would seem to want a much greater area for full bloom, though I have no doubt that you're hearing some great music reproduction
Mveloo, One more thing make sure to fully burn-in the ORION, specially the outlets. After burn-in you can experiment with the TIDAL mono amps. Congratulations on a beautiful system.
Mveloo, Do you have dedicated AC lines? SPARTAN has two power cords and therefore less restriction for amplifiers. Ideal configuration for the ORION is to leave all sources and pre amp. Thais power cable recommended for source components, pre amp or only one TIDAL mono block. In the future TRIPOINT will have a super high current power cable to feed the ORION. Three dedicated AC lines are also recommended for unlimitted current delivery. Hope this helps.
Rtn1, Thanks! I was ASTONISHED when I first plugged it in, right out of the box. The cable I'm using is the Tripoint Thai. I have attached all of my source components to it. However, I found that when I attached the Tidal amps to it, there was a very minute but noticeable degradation in the sound. Are you connecting your amps to the Orion?
Shadorne, Yes, the only challenge I have right now is my listening area. Its the living room, so I can't really do much with where the sofa is located. I've ordered some bass traps for the corners. Lets see what happens
Congratulations on the Tripoint Orion. If you think it sounds great now, wait for the full 2-month burn-in. It will only become more clear, dynamic, and natural. Feed it with the correct PC and you will be astonished.
Fantastic setup. Just two cents but if you can find a way to get the listening position away from the wall then you will get much better soundstage and bass - commensurate with your outstanding gear.
System edited: Added the Tripoint Orion Master Reference A/C Conditioner. Although the smaller brother of the Tripoint Spartan. my system has undergone a transformation I never thought it could achieve.
congrats to your great system, I enjoy to look your gear, especially the Tidal components, awsome! I stay in cologne near to the Tidal factory and have listen last year the Sunray also the Piano cera, I was really impressed. I also have heard good reviews for the Orb Audio taps. Can you help me or the other gentlemens for buying the Orb Audio Kamakura power tap in the german 230V version? Best regards from cologne.
Honest1, I'm based in Singapore. Purchased it out of Hong Kong. Check out audioexotics.hk and click on the 'Forum' page. Lots of Tidal owners there with their own reviews
I know there is a lot of review out there, but like to know first hand from a owner, how you use them and what changes it made to the sound, thanks in advance
Ajay, The transport is amazing. It is probably now the best sounding Transport/DAC combination on the market right now. I traded in my Zanden transport for it. Yes, my DAC is the upgraded version
Linkster, Yes, when I ordered the Tidal Contriva Diacera SE, I didn't really like the stock stands that came with it. The stands on my Tidal are actually the stands that come with the Tidal Sunray. I got them specially ordered and repurposed for my speakers from Tidal.
Hi Mohan, This is Ajay from los angeles. We had exhcanged emails before espeically since we have the same DAC. I noticed that you have the new Stahl-Tek Transport. How is the transport? Did you upgrade your DAC? Does your DAC have the new master clock and the new chasis? How good is the SRA components? I just send my DAC in for a master clock upgrade.
Are the stand bars on the Contriva sourced from Tidal? They look a lot more massive than the images on Tidal's website. Also, which isolation devices are attached to the stand bars and are these also sourced from Tidal? Congratulations on a breathtaking system!Q
