MBL or TIDAL? SPEAKERS, ELECTRONICS...

caesar said:

Everyone will claim that their favorite piece of gear "disappears" and "sounds like real music" while something they don't like sticks out because of its gross coloration and just makes "hifi sounds". On the extremes, just think of a guy listening to a magico q5 with spectral vs. a guy listening to a horn with a set: each guy thinks theirs is "natural"/ "real" and the other's is badly "colored". Obviously, the same applies to any gear combination...the reality is that a magico or a wilson or an avantgarde will disappear to the respective fans and put them in a state of psychological bliss enjoying music, yet the same system will exhibit a gross coloration to those who don't like it.

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That paragraph says it all: the absolute truth about the relativity of taste.

The Tidal Akira room of Doug White gets the vote of best sound of the Axpona 2017 high end show in Parttime Audiophile.

https://parttimeaudiophile.com/2017/05/27/axpona-2017-rafes-highlights-sounds-thoughts-and-wrap-up/

kkfan said:

Which electrostatic speakers did you own that the MBL bested?

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Acoustat 1 + 1, Martin Logan Aerius, CLS2A, SL 3, and Summits.

kkfan said:

That paragraph says it all: the absolute truth about the relativity of taste.

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+1

Very true, kkfan!

kkfan said:

Which electrostatic speakers did you own that the MBL bested?

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I think the MBLs are unique speakers in that they do some things more realistically (and more excitingly) than any other speaker I have ever heard. If what they do uniquely well is your highest priority sonic preference then it is easy to consider them the best speaker you have ever heard.

They are not my personal first choice but I can understand very easily why they are the first choice of many people.

Here is a quote from David Robinson that can be found on the positive-feedback website:

"In The Voice That Is room…spectacular! Superb!

Doug White has been doing excellent jobs at audio shows over the past several years. This year was no exception, as he featured quite an exception collection of top-notch gear in his room. These included:

TIDAL Audio Akira Loudspeaker, $215,000/pair

TIDAL Audio Presencio Preamplifier system (3 components), $77,800

TIDAL Audio Impulse Monobloc Amplifiers, $64,900/pair

TIDAL Audio cables, price varies

TW-Acustic Raven AC-1 Turntable, $15,500

TW-Acustic Raven 10.5 Tonearm, $5,500

Transfiguration Proteus Diamond Cartridge, $10,000

Bricasti Design M1sp Dual Mono DAC, $10,000

Aurender N10 Reference Music Server, $8,500

Stillpoints ESS Racks, Aperture Panels, and Isolators, price varies

Signal Projects Poseidon S40 Power Conditioner $9,995

Dynamic Design Digital Cables, price varies

Signal Projects cables, price varies

This is all first-rate high-end gear. I’ve previously reviewed TIDAL Audio back in Issue 88, which you can read here. It was stellar in my listening room then: the same electronics as in the room at AXPONA, except that I heard the Agora loudspeakers.

But AXPONA was the American debut of the new Akira loudspeaker, with its massive diamond tweeter and a driver array downshifted from the no-holds-barred Assoluta. The results were simply brilliant. The TIDAL Audio gear, with its supporting cast of players, produced a sound from any source that was truly crystalline in its transparency, effortless in its dynamics, and quite authoritative. I had loved the Agoria, but the Akira was clearly outpointing that lesser sibling. I had a new TIDAL love!

I got a chance to meet Jörn Janczak, the honcho of TIDAL, while I was in the room, and compliment him on the amazing new Akira. He was pleased that I liked them so much…and how could I not?

Within seconds, I knew that it was an Audio Oasis! Award room".