Tidal Speakers owners

Quanmer, I think what you mean by "sharp edge" is the speed of the drivers. I expect all dynamic drivers, including the Marten Coltranes, lack this as compared with compression drivers on horns. This speed is not fatiguing if the electronics are good, and it makes drums and pianos sound real. I am very happy with my Contrivas Diacera SEs, but they will never equal the speed of my VOTs.

I am totally in agreement about quality speakers revealing the electronic associated with them. I first heard the Sunrays with the Bridge Audio amps, as I think I have mentioned here. They sounded like pretty poor tube electronics. But in last years CES, the same combo sounded great. I suspect that the Bridge amps had been revised.

Tbg,

the answer to your question why the two sets had totally different sound lies on the cables that were used. During the first time, the cabling was Echole Obsession. This year they used Argento Flow Master Reference. I have owned both so I understand very well what you say.

Geopolitis, I certainly know that the cabling this year was Argento. If you are right, it certainly was an example of how critical cabling is.

Roysen, it may come as a surprise to you, but measurements don't tell you the whole story about how a speaker sounds. Far from it. If it was that simple, manufacturers could simply design speakers to measure perfectly and they would all sound identical. But we know that isn't true, don't we.

Look at Atkinson's measurements as compared to the what the reviewers hear. There is often a wide descrepancy between the two.

Fiddler,

Are you trying to imply that measurements are not part of a speakermanufacturer's manufacturing process and that they rely on hearinng to find out if their speakers are neutral! How then would they know that all their production units of one model sound the same? By listening? Of course not! Measurements is the only tool to accurately understand why a speaker sounds the way it does or if its neutral.

Listening can reveal if the listener likes the way the speaker sounds. This has nothing to do with neutrality. Neutrality can only be proved by measurements.

Do you honesty think Atkinsons measurements in Stereophile are alll that can be measured on speakers? He is working for a magazine for the masses that are mostly interested in subjective listening descriptions. They wouldn't sell If they used mostly measurements in their magazine.

Measurements can not. og course tell you how something will sound overall, but it is the only accurate way to prove deviations from neutrality.