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
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....
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?
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
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.
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
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.
Yes, I have heard the Orpheus Heritage, but only connected to the Orphues Zero transport... however, I can safely say, the Vekian Combo beats the Orpheus Combo hands down. It has the most analogue sounding playback I have heard!
Just got the Vekian Transport. You connect the Vekian Transport to the Vekian Signature DAC using a HDMI cable. The Vekian CDT comes with the PAD HDMI, but I also bought the Zanden HDMI as well as the Silent Wire HDMI. Silent Wire seems to be the best fit (at least for me) All I can say is that the Vekian combo is by far the the BEST digital playback system I have heard. Better than the Orpheus. Better than the Zanden. It is probably better than some of the best analogue devices out there. I am totally blown away!
System edited: The is the latest iteration in my journey. I've moved to an all Tidal Audio system - Preamp/Amp/Speakers. Next move - swapping our the Zanden Transport to the new groundbreaking Vekian Transport ...
Edorr, Yup, I agree with you 100%. Its just that I'm pretty new to HT, and I haven't really given much thought to my whole HT setup, since I hardly watch TV. The HT theater system is separate from the 2-channel stereo system that I describe. The UD8004 is used ONLY for playing DVDs and Blurays. The UD8004 drives a (super cheap) Marantz NR1501 that drives a 5:1 B&W Mini Theater system. The plasma on the wall is a Pioneer Kuro-KRP600M. Why the NR1501? It was slim and needed to fit in the space below my rack. I would have got something higher in the range, but had space constraints. Why the B&W? It fit the decor of the living room and was small.
Dressprmex, The reason the TV is there is because there is no place else in my apartment to place the TV. Anyway, the whole system is in my living room where the family hangs out, listens to music and watches TV... so I can't separate it.
Audioblazer, The Troy was probably the best investment in a Tweak I've made. The difference in the noise floor was dramatic! Yes, my listening position is not ideal. But I don't really have a choice as I made the decision a long time back to place my system in my living room. Which is why I have to live with a balance of acoustics vs aesthetics. Yes, there has been an attempt to tweak the acoustics with the resonators + some other large devices, but for me aesthetics are important... which is why I went with the resonators in the first place. They are small and not very noticeable.
Murataltuev, yes, the next upgrade is the Tidal Preos. Unfortunately, the Tidal Impacts do NOT mate well with the Wavac PR-T1, so will be moving to the full Tidal Suite soon!
Paul, Didn't really test it against other clocks. I bought because it was value for money. It wasn't as expensive as other clocks. The differences in the sound were not dramatic, but there was a difference; which justified the price I was paying.
Murat, I use Argento exclusively throughout my system. The PCs are exceptional! I have a few FMRs, the EE Digital cable (which IMHO is the best out there), Speaker cables, interconnects etc. Only complaint I have is that the white cables look beautiful when you first get them, but end up becoming grey when dust gets on them.
Mike, You've made the right choice with going with the Contriva. Its an 'end-game' piece. As all audiophiles understand, we are always searching, always not satisfied, always wanting more... but with the Tidal Contriva Diacera ... you've gotten probably one of the best sounding speakers around. You already have one of the best preamps on the planet with the PR-T1. I'm not familiar with the Sovereign. The next level of spakes IMHO would be the Tidal Sunray ... but they cost 2x more. You should post a review of the Tidal on Audioexotics after listening to them...
Check out the forum section from the website http://audioexotics.hk I buy most of my equipment from them. They are probably the premier retailer in Asia and their forum is a great source of information!
Smoothjazz - My humble opinion after owning Kharmas and now the Tidal Kharmas impart a sound. It has a signature that is unmistakably Kharma. It is a nice sound though, which is why people love it. I have to say the same for Sonus Fabers. I owned the Amati Anniversarios... It has a SF sound. The Tidals though are neutral, extremely transparent (shockingly realistic) and has a level of refinement that I have not come across before.
Mike, Congratulations on getting a fine speaker. Frankly, I think this is it for me in terms of speaker upgrades. The only speaker that is probably better than the Tidal Con Dia, is probably the Tidal SunRay... but then you'd need to mortgage your home to buy it. One word of caution though. The MD-805M, while a good match with the Tidals in terms of musicality, passion and expressiveness, is a little light on the 'oomph' factor. If you're sticking with Wavac, you'd need to get the 833. I'm frankly thinking of either moving to the Tidal Monoblocks or the new Robert Koda Takumi's. I'll be auditioning them in a month, and will post my thoughts.
Sam, I initially went with the Zanden DAC as anyone would. However when I did an a/b comparison with the Vekian, I felt 1) The Zanden was a refined and polite 3) The Vekian was refined and expressive It was personal preference, but the new upgrades to the Vekian that just came out would probably put it at a league above the Zanden DAC
Hi Chris, Yes, I'm part of the AudioExotic's community. I don't run the Orpheus DAC anymore. Ended up with the Zanden combo, though I've probably heard the best DAC so far, and also ordered it immediately. Its the Vekian. With regards to digital cables, I was using Purist for a long while, until I switched to Argentos. I use Argento BNCs for the Digital connection.
The arco lamp is new stock. I am using the Acoustic System resonators to tame all the hard surfaces. Have about 10 setup around my apartment. Even one in my refrigerator. Don't laugh. It actually works!
The chrome metal box acctually came with the highfi stand. Its aluminium and has storage for cds etc. Actually, pretty much useless. Only reason its still there is because my wife would scream if I removed it ...
Zanden Tranport in place. Just hooked up the Slimdevices Transporter and running it through the Zanden DAC with a Argento Audio Extreme Edition Digital Cable (costs 4 times the price of the Transporter).
Results.. A little dissapointing. Maybe its because I got used to the Zanden Combo and expected something close. Far from it!!
I know use the tranporter to listen to Internet Radio and duruing parties at my place. Other than that... I guess I got spoilt by the Zanden.
Its been sometime since I last updated my system, but here's the latest iteration..
1) Traded in my Kharma Grand Ceramiques for a more natural sounding and superior Horning Eufrodite Ultimate Signatures
2) I've been using the awesome Orphues Zero Transport and One SE DAC. When I heard the Zanden Combo...I was sold! Nothing but analogue come close. But considering the prices of the Zanden combo ... I have to do it in steps, so I've just secured the Zanden Signature 5000 DAC... need to save up for the Zanden transport ;)
3) The Wavac PR-T1 ... enough said. Replacing the Zanden 3000 linestage
The Kharmas are definitely a huge step above the Amatis in terms of transparency, control and refinement. I did a in home A/B comparison of the Kharmas vs the Amatis. Next to the Kharmas, the was no contest, the difference was immediately obvious.
System edited: I've made quite some drastic changes in my system these last year. Replaced 1) Sonus Faber Amati Anniversarios with the Kharma Grand Ceramiques. 2) Goldmund Telos 400 with Wavac 805s 3) Orphues Two Preamp with Zanden 3000 Linestage 4) Elrod Signatures with Argento Flows 5) PAD RLS-Gs with Argentos The sound is nothing short of amazing. The final touch was the Argento Flow Power Cords. Revolutionary!!
Added the Argento SMR SE Digital interconnect to replace my PAD Dominus Digital. WOW! What a difference. Next to the Argentos, the PADs sounded mushy and bloated. The Argentos added a more controlled, airy feel with great seperation and accuracy of all the instruments (and voice) in the soundstage.
I've demoed interconnects and PCs from Argento. Am in the process of selling all my PADs, Kimbers and Cardas and switching completely to Argentos. Will let you know how they sound once its settled in.
System edited: Just added the Acoustic System resonators. Had the rare luck of having Linnman (reviewer from Six Moons) to set up the resonators. Needless to say, the sound in my normal listening room went from mushy, with no real imaging to an almost scary 3 dimensional sound with a large soundstage and immediacy I can't seem to explain. Even without the music on, my voice in the room takes on a beautiful clear sound. You have to give this a try.
I found the 18.4s fit very well with the Amatis. I however have recently moved up to the Goldmund Telos 400 monoblocks, and they are a revelation. Where the 18.4s seem to be straining, the 400s are effortless. Very smooth and fast!
Hi, Sorry for the late replies. With regards to the PADs, I originally had Transparent Reference interconnects. Somehow, they never felt right. When the dealer where I got the Goldmunds, Orpheus Labs and SF Cremonas from told me that he would lend me the PAD Dominus, I jumped at him, and wow, what a change. Quieter, fuller and sweeter sounds were coming out. Immediately went about switching all my cables which took me about 6 months (to save and find good deals).
The Goldmund 18.4s are perfect for the SF Cremonas. I initially had the Levinson 436 monoblocks (which I have to shamefully admit I purchased more from the great reviews it got vs my personal tastes) After about a year after I purchased the Levinsons, I had some problems with it, and had to send it in for servicing. The Goldmund dealer here lent me the Goldmund SR150 (18.4s younger cousin), and boy, was I blown away. Could not describe how fast and controlled the sound was, especially when playing loud rock. So I dropped the Levinsons and bought the 18.4, and have been fully satisfied. It does take some time to break in though. And yes, the match the Cremonas very well, for all types of music. I use the Goldmund speaker cables (something you might want to consider)
