TIDAL: The Delicate Side of Thunder – RMAF 2017

By Eric Franklin Shook

One of my favorite things about the TIDAL room, is the music. It’s not always the audiophile humdrum that we’re used to, though it’s still available for demo. So if you’re in the room during a lull in the audio show action or if Doug White is feeling generous to the groove, you can request something funky, and easily have it your way.

TIDAL has been making a lot of fuss among audio writers for quite some time now, and credit where it’s due, the exhibits are to blame. Consistently show stopping sound, no matter the venue, how can that be beat? With properly setup TIDAL system, you too can have one of the best experiences money can buy, but truth to bear, you gotta pony up.

Yes, the main room hosted by The Voice That Is! was all the rage, and yes they were demoing U.S. premiere products in what was almost an exclusively TIDAL branded system. Fronted by TIDAL’s Akira ($215,000 USD) towers speakers, TIDAL’s exquisitely stacked 3-chassis Prescenio Reference Preamplifier ($77,600 USD) a pair of TIDAL’s ferociously powerful Ferios ($67,900 USD) monoblock amplifiers, and most appealing of my ears TIDAL’s Camira Digital Music Converter (aka DAC) ($28,500 USD), all laced together with new cabling also from TIDAL.

Across the hall, but not to be overshadowed, a devastatingly sublime sounding system of equal merit for quality curation and attention to set up. TIDAL and Bel Canto assembled an exhibit of considerable value when compared to it’s musical output. Starting with Bel Canto Black Series EX DAC ($13,990 USD) and EX Amplifier ($11,990 USD), sustaining with ease TIDAL’s Piano Diacera G2 ($39,900 USD) tower speakers. Dynamic Design Titania Series cables provided the electric coupling of devices.

If ever there was a “Brand of The Year” award, and for some reason my opinion mattered, I’d cast my vote for TIDAL.