Tidal Speakers owners

This is just my 2 cents worth; but the Grail amps, drive the Contriva's perfectly. As the designer I might be biased a bit! I will stand them up to any big SET amp out there. Yes I mean Audio Note, any day of the week. Lamm? You name it!

I had a friend over a few weeks ago who represents one of the big names in speakers through his home business and he listened to my system for about 1/2 an hour and said that my Contriva Diacera-SEs 'weren't just fabulous ...they were superb'.....he could not get over how great they sounded. He also thinks my SETs are the best he has ever heard too.

I am using the Bricasti M28 monoblocks and M12 source controller with my Contriva G2.  I am mostly using Signal Projects IC and power cords all purchased from Doug White.  The performance is extraordinary with a sense of space (as offered though background audio cues) that is unparalleled in my experience.

Linkster,

I hope that you are enjoying your Tidal Contriva G2s as much as I am. I recently moved from the Tidal Impact Dual Mono Stereo amplifier to the Impulse Monoblocs (from our friend, Doug White at The Voice That Is). With twice the power, they really bring out the best in the Contrivas and I am now able to hear the full potential of these great speakers.

The Impact amplifier is a great match for the Tidal Pianos. My Impact is now up on AGon, and along with a pair of Pianos, a great way for others to join the Tidal tribe.

Well, I just celebrated my 5 year anniversary with my Piano Diaceras.  How do they sound after 5 years?  I don't know because I can't hear them.  All I hear is beautifully staged music.  And any influence on the sound that I might be hearing is only from the electronics and cords I am using.

And the piano black finish?  Still a deep and luxurious black that reflects everything around it.  And, after 5 years of dusting, my naked eye cannot find the tiniest dust abrasion.  So the finish seems to be as hard as diamonds.

Yes, I am happy.

Well done Linkster,

Let us know..

Well gentlemen, I pulled the trigger on the Contriva G2.  The build process takes almost 5 months for a custom veneered finish which I have ordered.  Should arrive in July!

Thanks Linkster and Bostonbean for your advice.
I will think it all over.... Let you know what I decide to do. Regards Robert

Maceear, Linkster was able to listen to my Piano Diacera's which helped him determine whether he wanted to go through the cost and hassle of upgrading. You need to do the same.

Upgrading is not cheap, the packing and shipping is a hassle, and it takes 4-5 months to get them back. Make sure you know what you are getting with your own ears before you go through all of that. Even the cost of a plane ticket might be prudent.

Robert, speak to Jorn directly on this matter. I know it was a very big step up on the Piano but the Contriva is a 3-way design as ooposed to the 2.5-way Piano.

Thanks Linkster, I did contact Jörn and know about the hardware. But can you describe what diamond update does for your Piano?
I did own the Avalon Opus (4-way) for 9 years and heard the Eidolon with that amazing diamond tweeters..
Is it a major step forward? I'm very pleased with the Contriva's with the ceramic tweeters and can't imagine that there is a step upwards.
Regards Robert

Robert, I think this can be done but it is not a matter of a simple driver swap. There is an entirely different crossover to accommodate the filters unique to the diamond tweeter. At the same time you could upgrade to the newer BCC drivers that the last generation of the Contriva Diacera used. You need to speak to Tidal about this directly as they would do the work. I can tell you that as good as the Piano Cera was, the Piano Diacera was much better.

Hey Linkster,
I'm thinking of upgrading my All Ceramic Contriva to the Contriva Diacera (diamond tweeters). What are your feelings about this. Can you describe the differences. You are (to my knowledge) the only one that have done this. Regards Robert

The Akira will play in rooms up to 60m2 according to Tidal (as read on the Assoluta page).

Hey Bvdiman, If Linkster is correct regarding the dimensions of the Akira's they should be perfect for you. They sure are pretty. :-)

Oh no, thought I was done with my Contriva, never interested in switching to other speakers going on 5yrs now.. (how time flies), not even the Agoria nor the G2 moved me enough. But hearing that Assoluta's diamond mid will make way to their more manageable sized speakers will probably change that. Curious on details of that one as I prefer more friendly sized speakers over huge monolith/towering types.. Cheaper too! ;)

http://www.laassoluta.com/intro.htm

*However my room at around 60m2 will be at/near limit of that speaker's filling capacity. Hmm...

I sent Doug White of TVTI an e-mail asking the price of the Assoluta Mono-blocks. The price he gave me almost made me blow my morning coffee through my nose. Seems the Assoluta gear will be aimed at the top 5 percenters.

I just thank my lucky stars I got my Piano Diaceras when I did.

The Piano G2 is a replacement for the Piano Cera and has a ceramic tweeter. The G2 appears to have a cabinet that has the same dimensions of the legacy Piano series unlike the Contriva G2 which has a different sized cabinet than its predesessor. The Akira is dimensionally larger than the Contriva G2 so I suspect it is positioned above the Contriva in the Tidal line-up. Looks like the Piano Diacera will become a collector's item?!

Tidal coming out with a bunch of new products. The two that caught my interest are the Akira speakers (Piano Diacera replacements?) and the Assoluta Monoblock amps.

The Akira's stand 4.5 feet high for medium to small listening areas. Don't know footprint size.

The descriptor on the Tidal website seems to indicate (and I might be totally incorrect) that the new mono-blocks will be switching amps, otherwise known for the forbidden term in highend as Class D. I currently use Spectron mono-blocks and would very much like to hear how these new Tidal amps sound. Their price, though, will probably be more than I can bear.

Linkster,

The Contriva G2 further improves on the wonderful Piano Diaceras that we both love. The imaging is better, the sound is fuller and more coherent and the response is more extended with the two 9 inch woofers and new tweeter.

You can check out a picture of the speakers (and me) on Doug White's home page at www.thevoicethatis.com

I own the Piano Diaceras (latest version with black BCC drivers). Besides the superior bass extension, how are they different? Congratulations on a superb product! No place to go from a Contriva IMO!

I am now the proud owner of Tidal's new Contriva G2. The speakers arrived several weeks ago and now have enough hours to provide a few reflections. As noted earlier, I have enjoyed my Piano Diaceras for the past several years and the G2s are just what you might expect from Tidal, the same superb sound plus more, with extended LF from the 9 inch woofers. For the first time in my audio career, I can sit back and just listen to the music.

U guys.....Still missing the point. All of this equipment shifting (buying). Get a pair of speakers U like.......then electronics, then sources (turntables, cdp), then experiment with cables, cords, wires, and room acoustical treatments, then tweaks. Not the other way around, where U'r constantly changing components. Just my opinion.....

Rjthomas4, both Bostonbean and myself own Piano Diaceras. I assume your room is large enough to support the Contrivas? Like yourself, the only reason I would ever part with my Tidals would to be move up in the product line. Nonetheless, given the size of my room I am very happy with the PD's. Sounds like yours will be the first G2's to arrive in North America.

Rjthomas4, congrats on your purchase. Looking forward to your observations.

P.S. The waiting is hard.

I placed an order for the new Contriva G2 several months ago and am currently awaiting their arrival. According to Doug White at The Voice That Is, the speakers should be delivered in late October. Having enjoyed my Piano Diaceras for the past several years, I am anxiously looking forward to hearing the improvements and sharing my observations with my fellow Audiogoners.

Tbg...the USA distributer is Doug White who is great to deal with.

Linkster,

I am sure that the Piano Diacera are best-in-their-class speakers but I believe the Contriva G2 are superior, the same way that Agoria was superior to the Contriva Diacera. Their cabin is bigger and more advanced (Tiralit based), they go lower, they feel like they have bigger dynamic range and they are an easier load to drive. If you can afford them, they are a superior speaker overall.

Linkster, is there a US distributor? Tell us why you are so interested in the G2s.

I have gone on record as saying I would never get sell my Piano Diaceras, unless of course I move to another Tidal. Those new Contriva G2's have me thinking!

Maceear,

I was in Munich High End show this year and I listened extensively to the Contriva G2 for two days, Friday and Saturday. My first impression on Friday was that the G2 was the most beautiful speaker I had ever seen in my life. It is that amazing!!! The sound on the first day was not up to the usual Tidal standards so I asked how many hours of burn-in were in these speakers. Apparently, the speakers were brand new and they had had only 15 hours when I first listened to them.

On Saturday though, things had already changed. The sound with about 25-30 hours of playing time was already one of the two best in the show (the other one was the system with Zellaton Reference). That was surprising to me because I know how long it takes for those Accuton drivers to reach their peak performance so I believe that this speaker won't really have any competition in their price range, both in terms of sound performance and gorgeous looks. It is a masterpiece in my personal opinion and definitely worths a careful audition by any audiophile that is looking for a true -to- the-source transducer.

The Little Piano is long gone from production. The Piano Classic is still listed as a current product but as Tidal is transitioning to G2 versions, I don't know whether they will continue to offer a non-Accuton version of the Piano G2.

The Paino Cera is still listed as a current production model on Tidal's website. You can always check with the US importer.
{http:/www.thevoicethatis.com

Does Tidal still make the Piano and Little Piano? Both with non-Accuton drivers. Many thanks!

???????????????????

Are people still buying this illusion?

Any Tidalists considering moving to the new G2 versions of the models they currently own? G2 versions of the Piano series should follow the Contriva G2 late/r this year.

Thanks Linkster.

I've heard that the Piano series will have G2 versions as well, possibly by the end of this year. New enclosures (tiralit composite material first used in the Agoria), binding posts and stands/bases are in order. I believe the crossovers and drivers are the same. Insofar as the sound goes, I heard from someone who is not a Tidal dealer and he reported that the sound was denser and more dynamic (Contriva G2). Can't imagine that the Contriva extenders would be necessary.

Contriva G2. Any listeners on the Munich show? ..

Calloway, when you get it, do the experiment of one being longer, which will mean that one will not be in contact. I should say that with the Ultra Five, unless they are screwed into something, such as a speaker, the Ultra foot, or the StillPoints Grid or their Component stand, there is no easy way to raise and lower them. A slim shim of metal will work. It will give you a quick test of three versus four.

Norm...thanks..that makes sense. i will buy another one for the Lumin Player..

Calloway, I think the Ultra Fives having five of the "technology" units versus one in the Ultra SSs, is the key. The Five have five time the vibration absorption. The LPI record weight is really the Five without a base. It is not better science, it is more of the same science.

I should add that four Ultra Fives under speakers or components than three. I am told that five sounds even better. If you try four, you need to make certain that all need to be in contact. This is since three points define a plain, so one is likely to be too low.

I have used them on carpeted and wooden floors with no apparent differences. I think the weight and the weight of the component, plus the conversion of vertical to horizontal motion that is turned into heat works on either.

Maceear...actually i have carpet.the Ultra SS versions worked well on the carpet but the Ultra 5s work even better. my guess is that it is the result of better science and a larger footprint on the carpet...hope this helps

Hello Calloway,

Do you have a wooden floor?

Hello Calloway,

Do you have a wooden floor?

i had the good fortune of being able to audition 8 Stillpoint Ultra 5s with my Contriva Diacera-se speakers for the last week..WOW..what an improvement. i would not have bet that what i thought was superb sound could be improved so dramatically. everything got so much clearer and every transient became so much quicker and tighter. acoustic guitar was amazing....the depth an soundstage also improved substantially...YES..they are expensive but the improvement is just to die for. i also tried 3 of them under my Lumin Network PLayer and that,also,greatly improved the sonics. for now...i have 3 under the Lumin with 8 more coming in the near future for the speakers..i have to have them now...thanks to doug white of 'the voice that is' for the audition....

Jotave, yes I have watched both numerous times.. though (in the dark) always thought that it was same set-up playing different tunes. Both excellent! Thanks for info.

Now where's yours? Must be just as superb.. do post and share when you have the time.

Bvdiman, the youtube video from Georgemg shows the Tidal playing with the smaller Model 88 from Audiopax. The big Maggiore you see in the picture were still in burn in process. The video in this other link shows the Piano Diacera with the superb MAggiore, the actual George's setup.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PvxLPeD2oQ

Rohitmalh: Thanks for your comment on the Class D amp.
And I wish you many many listening hours with the Tidals (like I do).