Tidal Speakers owners

Quanmer, I am concerned about where you are attempting to install the shorting wires. They do not go between the binding posts!!! You will see two small holes below the binding posts. You would short your amp were you to put them across the binding posts.

Calloway, with mine I prefer :
Tweeter shorting wires 'attached' : For highest resolution with this full open treble setting. Maximizing on the diamond tweeters.
Bass ports 'both unplugged' : Although bass not as extended nor as tightly controlled (fell a little short) as when plugged, it produces a slight boost in output at around 30-35Hz which helps to pressurize bigger rooms. Slightly airier and fuller sounding this way too.

*Plugs ON top ports : Most linear and deepest bass, sealed-box like response, but the feeling of effortlessness in the mid and high could at times feel a tad restrained.
*Plugs ON lower ports : Sounded somewhere in between the two above with more articulate midbass.
*Tweeter shorting wires un-attached : Attenuate tweeter output by 2db, easier listening at some expense in transparency and resolution. Helps tame if you have excessive brightness in system.

As to which set of combinations ultimately work best for one would largely be room and system dependent. But certainly nice tools to have being able to tailor and fine tune sound to our room and liking.

Bvdiman, personally I think the shorting wires rob the realism that caused me to buy the Tidals. I must say also that I use a Zu Method super fast subwoofer with my system along with a Synergistic Research Base Station in front of it as well as the two Contrivas. This made the bass the best I have ever heard, at least in my large room.

I know full well that these adjustments are provided to adjust to individual rooms and that personal experiences cannot really be shared.

I went to audit Marten Coltrane today, my friend is right, Coltrane and Contriva are two completely different animals even they use similar Accuton units and diamond tweeter. And they are in same price range. Physically, Coltrane is much smaller than Contriva, about 2/3 the size.

My friend use ASR Emitter I integrated amp for Coltrane, I heard Emitter once with other speakers, I don't know how much the electronics affect the sound, what I heard base on the combination, Coltrane is vivd, airy, EXCELLENT image. Contriva has been discuss enough in this thread, high density, a bit conservative in treble, yet all details are there, in its own understated way to interpret musician / singers' elaborations. Maybe sacrifice a bit of pinpointing capability.

If you asked me which one I would choose, haha , you know the answer, Coltrane is an amazing speaker, but it lacks some qualities I considered the most important -- involvement, maybe ASR is not a proper match to Coltrane, or maybe wires are not right, violin sounds awful and piano sounds artificial to me. The vocal and soundstage are defiantly in very high class category, but something is missing,,,..intimacy, yes, it is the word I want to use.

Quanmer, the diamond tweeters are supposed to be wonderfully extended with glorious air and decay. Try attaching the tweeter shorting wires, it will give you back the -2dB taken when un-installed. The highs of Contriva is not what I would describe as conservative, and in doing so, will also help image specificity. See how you go. Good luck.