TIDAL Piano G3
Floorstanding loudspeakers
This is not my first auditioning of the Tidal Piano G3 speakers – it is my third encounter with them in a year, and I´ve always had a very sublime experience listening to them. They look deceptively simple – perhaps too simple - so nothing prepares you for how they sound. All the familiar recordings sound unfamiliar, a jaw-dropping effect is guaranteed. I believe these are one of the finest speakers available, and my opinion has remained unchanged even after I learnt their price.
Function and form
A spring of crystal-clear water in the forest at night comes to my mind every time I listen to the Tidal Piano G3. The daylight sounds have been gone, and every subtle rustle and twig snap are in stunning contrast to the silent background. Then you look into the still waters of the spring and see the stars of the sky reflecting in it. The Piano G3 has a similar approach of connecting the listener with the music: it does not play the music, it mirrors it. It's as if these speakers were deep dark mirrors that reflect the events that took place somewhere else and sometime else, like in a Nashville studio (that's when I listened to my favorite Alison Krauss’ Away Down The River). The reflection is absolutely accurate copy of the studio’s events, the surface of the mirror is dark and calm, just as the water in the forest spring is deep, clear and cool. Actually, I could end this review with this, it is a unique experience that touches the listener deep inside and awakens unsuspected emotions.
Keep your mind open; let the usual prejudices go, the prejudices that a proper floor-standing high-end speaker must be at least two meters tall, have at least four 12" bass drivers and be covered with precious veneer or milled from aluminium. It doesn't have to. I’m sitting in front of the Piano G3s and they have none of that. They're subtle, they're only 2.5-way, and they cost a fortune. But God - they sound incredible.
Bass management
Any speaker cabinet should be inert and there are many ways to do it. Tidal is not experimenting with curved surfaces (not in this range of their speakers, at least) and the Piano G3 is a rectangular backwards-tilted box, 120cm tall. The density and stiffness of the cabinet is achieved by using laminated composite enclosure and heavy bracing inside – there is no wood in the Tidals. Each speaker weighs 70kg and resists the knuckle test with no sound.
There are three drivers in the Piano G3, built by Accuton to Tidal’s specs: an unusually large 30mm diamond dome tweeter, and two 170mm black ceramic woofers. One of them covers midrange too. Each driver occupies its own chamber so they are isolated from each other. Due to crossover adjustability (read further), each woofer has its own bassreflex port; they are far apart and firing rearwards.
The crossovers of the Piano G3 use Duelund and Mundorf parts and are optimized for the best achievable impulse response accuracy. Each crossover is sealed in its own box inside the cabinet and their leads are connected to pure silver WBT binding posts, mounted into 15mm thick stainless steel backplate. The five posts made me think the speaker is bi-wireable, but it is not. Depending on which posts are bridged, it is possible to adjust the amount of the bass output of the speaker, or disconnect the lower bass driver completely. Tidal explains it may be useful for very small rooms, as it converts the Piano G3 into a 2-way stand-mount. Although I understand the reasoning and I also understand the Tidal’s decision not to produce any stand-mounted loudspeakers, such a solution misses the financial point completely – why should anyone pay for expensive drivers and cabinets not to use them? So, either you have a room acoustics for the Tidals or you don’t and then look elsewhere. In its factory settings the Piano G3 is specified as a 38Hz -55kHz (anechoic, -6dB) speaker. The room support makes them go deeper and they can play the concert grand with ease.
Clarity & delicacy
When they play, they are magical. The way they mirrored Vilde Frang playing the violin in Capriccio (Paganini & Schubert selections) was mesmerizing. The quietness and the peace that form the backdrop of the recording were even quieter and more peaceful I am used to. The absence of electronics between the music and the listener is the Tidal’s biggest strength and once you get it, you become addicted to it, as I’ve become with my own TAD Revolution One redesigned speakers.
Similarly, Dean Peer’s electric bass equilibristics in Airborne were deep, with good textures and growl. The bass was agile, with accurate transients and fast attack, although it always stayed on the slightly warmer side of spectrum. I believe that the exquisite ‘unsoundness’ of the cabinets is the reason why the Piano G3 sound so lossless and all the energy from the recordings is passed on to the listener. However, even speakers like these have their limits.
Tonal accuracy
As said, the Piano G3 were designed for mid-sized and smaller rooms, and Tidal even promotes them as speakers that “excel in low level listening reproduction”. How about high level listening then?
I used Saint-Saens´ Bacchanale from Samson & Delilah, as recorded by Minnesota Orchestra and Eiji Oue for Reference Recordings. It is very complex music material with >16dB dynamic peaks, and big differences in SPL readings in quiet and loud parts. The Piano G3 handled it as a supersport car: they were softly purring but when the music roared they pressed the gas pedal and effortlessly accelerated to the point when the books started to move on the shelves in the room. There is no difference between soft and loud in terms of tonality and composure – the Piano G3 remain superbly controlled till the point, when it is too much. There is no warning that you’re approaching their maximum, the speakers are behaving exemplary until the drivers hit their stops. This too much point will depend on the size of your room and listening levels that you require from your speakers. In my case, 40m2 proved to be just above the limit of the Piano G3 for the orchestral music. To enjoy it, I’d have to upgrade to Tidal’s Contriva or Akira speakers.
Spatial resolution
The aforementioned ability to mirror recording studios and concert halls, with the astonishing level of soundscape accuracy in the comfort of your listening chair, is the most enticing thing about the Tidal Piano G3. These speakers can deliver music with captivation, grace and ultimate control, all at the same time. They are a very compact package in a design that is worthy of its price tag. Tidal will save you or your spouse the decision-making process as the speaker is only available in piano black lacquer and optional macassar veneer. The excellence of the workmanship is breathtaking, even piano manufacturers could learn. Incidentally, the lacquer layers alone weigh 10 kg (!) on each speaker, reaching a thickness of 4 mm, further adding to the inert rigidity of the cabinets.
In addition to the choice of electronics and speaker cables, the Piano G3’s performance can be further refined through speaker-to-floor isolation. The heavy cabinets sit on polished stainless-steel outriggers, fitted with custom Tidal feet. It is easy to swap them out for something else and more elaborate. I'm not suggesting it will be better, after all Tidal has carefully adjusted and tuned the whole system for the best performance, but if I owned the Piano G3 I'd give it a go. Unfortunately, I don't own them. And so, another loudspeaker makes its way onto my personal imaginary speaker shopping list. If you're on the hunt and are financially okay, be sure to give them a listen.
Recommended resellers
Thrill Audio, Ostrava – Proskovice, +420 724 291 918
Manufacturer's website: http://www.tidal-audio.com
Associated components
- Sources: Innuos Statement NextGen streamer & PSU, Brinkmann Nyquist DAC
- Amplifiers: Brinkmann Marconi předzesilovač a Brinkmann Mono koncové monobloky
- Interconnects and speaker cables: Driade Flow Reference 808 a Flow Link Reference 808
- Power conditioning: Ricable Invictus Power Reference, Esprit Volta
Gallery
ACOUSTIQUE QUALITY AQ Passion
Acoustique Quality has been around since early 90’s. The company’s loudspeakers were always close to what can be characterized a good value for money, with a bit of pre-2000 vibe. Speaker by speaker the guys in Acoustique Quality ...
Recommended resellers
AQ s.r.o., Červenka, tel. +420 585 342 232
ANTE Supersonic One
The Supersonics were visually inspired by Lamborghini Countach racer. The functional elegance of the Lamborghini does not come at budget costs and neither the Ante does. The price tag of €160,000 keeps the Supersonics in the company ...
Recommended resellers
Media Control, Bratislava, SK, +421 905 613 928
AQ Canto 5
An experience that moves your soul. This is how Czech loudspeaker manufacturer presents the brand-new Canto range. For the company, the Canto is a milestone, so important that they decided to dedicate a special website to it. The ...
Recommended resellers
AQ s.r.o., Červenka, tel. +420 585 342 232
AUDIO PHYSIC Avantera
The Audio Physic’s HHCM midrange drivers are fantastic. The realism of both male and female vocals through the Avanteras is nothing short of magic. The Avanteras skillfully blend a cocktail full of colors, sonority, textures, ...
Recommended resellers
CZ: High-End Audio Studio, Praha, tel. +420 224 256 844
SK: Platan Audio, Hlohovec / Bratislava, tel. +421 905 409 802
AUDIO PHYSIC Cardeas Plus+
Audio Physic's original Cardeas was like an album of a respected band that was recorded just because it had to be recorded due to a contract. Not like the album that was recorded because the band wanted to. I sighed with relief that ...
Recommended resellers
CZ: High-End Audio Studio, Praha, tel. +420 224 256 844
SK: Platan Audio, Hlohovec / Bratislava, tel. +421 905 409 802
AURUM CANTUS V6F
The Aurum Cantus V6Fs have the ability to dissapear from your ear-view - they move an orchestra to your living room instead and let you bathe in an expanding and transparent soundstage. After listening to the V6Fs you'll find ...
Recommended resellers
Hifi studio MeLissa, Brno, tel. +420 777 04 1313
AVANTGARDE ACOUSTIC Uno Fino
Should your priority is to blend the speakers with your interior and make them visually disappear, the Avantgarde Acoustic Uno Fino is not for you. I am not in favor of color lacquers on speakers and prefer natural veneers where ...
Recommended resellers
HI-FI studio TYKON, Ostrava, tel. +420 723 449 894
