Sirius Hi-End!
16/2/2010
At least two years have gone by, since my first encounter with Tidal’s Contriva speakers, yet I can still recall their resolving abilities and their overall class. I also retain a vivid memory of their competence at revealing even the slightest caveat deriving from their ancillaries or the listening room, making clear that a qualitative setup is mandatory for them to be able to forward their own message.
Tassos Tsiotis, the Greek authorized dealer for Tidal -among others-, has always had a crush on this particular model and his quest for matching it to an equivalent setup has become nothing short of an art. During my latest visit, I was fortunate enough to come across a combination, where all involved parts would ideally complete each other, so as to turn our prolonged listening session into a breathtaking experience.
Down to the dealer’s aesthetically well-cared for listening room, the Contrivas would be dominant on either side of the rack. Finished in piano black, they look gorgeous, to say the least, “hiding” their relatively large dimensions within strict design lines.
Each Contriva is made of MDF and HDF panels, varying in thickness from 2 to 3 inches, to suit the needs of different cabinet sections. Each enclosure features extensive internal bracing, to maximize overall rigidity.
Two 222 mm ceramic diaphragm woofers by Accuton are assigned to the lower frequencies, whilst the bass reflex tuning frequency can be adjusted at three different values, depending on which of the three supplied tubes -of different length each- is fitted into the reflex port. For the midrange, is employed a 173 mm ceramic diaphragm, while the “classic” Accuton 30 mm inverted-dome ceramic tweeter assumes control of the higher frequencies.
All of the drivers utilized are custom-made for the Contriva, after Tidal’s specifications, and are not to be found among Accuton’s commercial retail product line.
Crossover boards are not only isolated from the cabinets, but also feature top quality components (polypropylene caps, metal film and ceramic plated resistors, as well as ultra low resistance high purity copper coils). As a load, the Contriva won’t fall below 4Ω, and, given its efficiency, even a SET could drive it to satisfactory volume levels in a mediocre listening room.
[Sovereign Glory & Sirius Rack]
As already mentioned, this is by no means a small speaker (measuring 130 cm x 28 cm x 48 cm), but its stylish lines do render it unobtrusive, even in a modestly sized space. The photos merely do any justice to the quality the Contriva breathes, so a visit to Tidal’s website (http://www.tidal-audio.de/) is definitely the way to go, if you wish to get a fuller picture on the matter.
On to the sonic attributes, this system has a truly unique approach, combining resolution that totally unveils a recording, with musical conveyance that directly addresses our inner feeling.
From the first listening moments, focus is inevitably drawn to the stark realism in which the musical event is presented, as well as to minute details of the production that hadn’t been observed before, even on the most familiar recordings. The Contrivas don’t care to butter their audience, or their ancillaries, or the recorded material for that matter.
They cast light inside every dimple of the musical sheet, leaving no shadows. As time goes by and the initial impression fades, music starts talking to the feeling, showing how easily this setup can establish communication with its audience, through the Contrivas.
[Tidal preamp]
Attention is constantly kept on all the clean, clear information received, but the mind rambles inside the unique harmony of each oeuvre and the idiosyncrasy of its performer, causing a rare shiver of spine that only best loved music has the right to create.
The whole emotive interaction is not based on a “highlighted area”, an “enriched harmonics” or a “mildly prolonged damping” scheme, so none of the common high-end tricks is to be found here. The Contrivas simply go about unleashing the very musical performance and its contributors, provided that they’re backed-up by solid-performing gear.
Now, easy as it is to elaborate on such a setup’s performance domains separately -as per our common audiophile tendency-, we might be missing the forest for the tree…
Anyhow, low frequencies are ultimately controlled and extended, solely limited by the listening room. And, despite the fact that it’s an easy load, the Contriva may still courteously imply that heftier amplification would be welcomed. The organ unfolds itself in an imposing manner, as realistic as permitted by the room’s own standing waves and reverberance. Acoustic bass and the cello are vividly pulsating, while symphonic tympani, as well as drums sets, are heard in full electrifying energy.
[Tidal and Flow cables by Argento]
The mid-bass damping is truly exceptional, contributing to a higher-than-live definition. The Contrivas project all the fine detail captured by each mic. Each individual drum membrane or rim becomes easily identifiable, through its own special sound, while even the tiniest pick on an electric bass string enjoys vivid portrayal.
Continuing on to the midrange proves to be equally impressive. Some may be initially be caught by the stunning clarity of this speaker, as the mids are totally stripped-off of any harmonic embellishments that are usually there to impress by adding warmth and presence. But, after that, the Contrivas have their way of drawing you inside their act, where the true and the gorgeous go hand in hand.
At the top end of the spectrum, similar characteristics are maintained, therefore the highs are shining in full harmonic wealth, but in no rush to decay and certainly not in temptation to steal any of the metal percussion’s spark.
As far as stereo imaging is concerned, the Contrivas create a large yet micro-metrically defined soundstage, accurately positioning musicians and instrument groups inside a large orchestra. Smaller ensembles are presented inside a full recording-ambience context, while rendered with respect to real sizes and proportions.
[Stylos DAC]
So, generous and “big sounding” as the Contrivas may be, they neither disrupt the “order” of proportions nor do they tend to favor gigantism. At the same time, they seem inexhaustible when it comes to dynamic transients and tireless when it comes to bringing out all the detail that made it, through the recording console, to the production.
The overall experience of auditioning the Contrivas could be filed under those rare moments when someone is put in front of the truth, but without experiencing any discomfort, whilst having their senses cleared-up and readied to follow the music. In all, we are dealing with a proper instrument that communicates music, and can thus fit in a production process as a monitor or suit, let alone redefine, a high-end setup.
Speakers: Tidal Contriva 25.600,00 EUR
Preamplifier: Tidal Preos 21.200,00 EUR
Power amplifier: Sovereign Glory 11.900,00 EUR
D/A converter: Stylos Had 9.200,00 EUR
Transport: Orpheus drive 3.650,00 EUR
Cabling: Argento Flow 7.900,00 EUR
Rack: Sirius E-607
Contact Sirius-Group
144 Char. Trikoupi st., Nea Erythrea,
tel.: +30210 6252205, cell: +306944 448 850
E-mail: info@sirius-group.eu
Vangelis Markoulis
English rendition: Nick Douris
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