Tidal La Assoluta system

[Audiocrack]

Hello Lloyd, I am a little late with my reply because I was on a skiing holiday with my son last week. But as regards your question: you know that for me in the end ultimate purity, liquidity, density and serinity - or to put all this in one word: ‘unmechanicalness’ - is more important than ultimate power. And so far I have never experienced a big/massive solid state amplifier that can match my Kondo’s in unmechanicalness. Therefore I have never been tempted to listen to large solid state amps at home with my LA’s, also because due to (i) all my grounding efforts with various state of the art Tripoint Audio components and cables, (ii) all my mechanical isolation efforts by employing 40 pure and untreated copper slabs as platforms for all my audio components as well as for mass loading these units (iii) all my power related efforts and (iv) the - relative - high sensitivity of my Tidal La Assoluta loudspeakers (around 93-94 db with no drops below 4 ohm if you look at it in say a ‘realistic way’; around 96 db if you look at it from the ‘inflated sensitivity numbers perspective’ many loudspeaker manufacturers are providing to their customers) I have assembled an audio system which sounds to my ears very dynamic/explosive and is - depending on the recordings of course - capable of creating a wide and deep soundstage.

That all said I visited the Tidal factory years back and listened to the LA’s in their former dedicated listening room (Tidal Audio has since moved to another place). This listening room was larger - in particular wider - than my listening room while the really huge and impressive Tidal La Assoluta monoblocs were used to power the system. And yes, with such massive solid state amplifiers you have more control/command, in particular with regard to the four bass drivers per LA loudspeaker, and the dynamic swings witch these behemoths are more impressive than I am able to achieve with my - relative low wattage - Kondo power amplifiers. The combination of the Tidal La Assoluta monoblocs and the Tidal La Assoluta loudspeakers really impressed me.

So I am sure that with two - let alone: with four - massive solid state amplifiers like the LA or Vitus monoblocs I would be able to create a sound that is more impressive in certain departments. But in my - in comparison to the Tidal listening room - somewhat smaller listening room I am quite satisfied with the dynamics, command and low end of the Tidal LA/Kondo amps combination while their unmechanicalness is imho absolutely stunning.

And lastly: please keep in mind that my LA system has greatly benefitted from adding the Wadax reference dac, the Wadax reference server, the Wadax dedicated reference PSU (for the reference server) and four Wadax Akasa cables (three of them are dc cables while the fourth is an ic cable between the Wadax reference dac and reference server). Inter alia the dynamics and low end of this Wadax digital trio are in my view world class.

I hope this answers your question.

 

[LL21]

Hello Lloyd, I am a little late with my reply because I was on a skiing holiday with my son last week. But as regards your question: you know that for me in the end ultimate purity, liquidity, density and serinity - or to put all this in one word: ‘unmechanicalness’ - is more important than ultimate power. And so far I have never experienced a big/massive solid state amplifier that can match my Kondo’s in unmechanicalness. Therefore I have never been tempted to listen to large solid state amps at home with my LA’s, also because due to (i) all my grounding efforts with various state of the art Tripoint Audio components and cables, (ii) all my mechanical isolation efforts by employing 40 pure and untreated copper slabs as platforms for all my audio components as well as for mass loading these units (iii) all my power related efforts and (iv) the - relative - high sensitivity of my Tidal La Assoluta loudspeakers (around 93-94 db with no drops below 4 ohm if you look at it in say a ‘realistic way’; around 96 db if you look at it from the ‘inflated sensitivity numbers perspective’ many loudspeaker manufacturers are providing to their customers) I have assembled an audio system which sounds to my ears very dynamic/explosive and is - depending on the recordings of course - capable of creating a wide and deep soundstage.

That all said I visited the Tidal factory years back and listened to the LA’s in their former dedicated listening room (Tidal Audio has since moved to another place). This listening room was larger - in particular wider - than my listening room while the really huge and impressive Tidal La Assoluta monoblocs were used to power the system. And yes, with such massive solid state amplifiers you have more control/command, in particular with regard to the four bass drivers per LA loudspeaker, and the dynamic swings witch these behemoths are more impressive than I am able to achieve with my - relative low wattage - Kondo power amplifiers. The combination of the Tidal La Assoluta monoblocs and the Tidal La Assoluta loudspeakers really impressed me.

So I am sure that with two - let alone: with four - massive solid state amplifiers like the LA or Vitus monoblocs I would be able to create a sound that is more impressive in certain departments. But in my - in comparison to the Tidal listening room - somewhat smaller listening room I am quite satisfied with the dynamics, command and low end of the Tidal LA/Kondo amps combination while their unmechanicalness is imho absolutely stunning.

And lastly: please keep in mind that my LA system has greatly benefitted from adding the Wadax reference dac, the Wadax reference server, the Wadax dedicated reference PSU (for the reference server) and four Wadax Akasa cables (three of them are dc cables while the fourth is an ic cable between the Wadax reference dac and reference server). Inter alia the dynamics and low end of this Wadax digital trio are in my view world class.

I hope this answers your question.

Thank you! What a great read and very clear. I have heard one of your systems many years ago and definitely remember the signature of what you describe above! I can only imagine what it sounds like today!

 

[Audiocrack]

Thank you! What a great read and very clear. I have heard one of your systems many years ago and definitely remember the signature of what you describe above! I can only imagine what it sounds like today!

You are referring to my audio system centered around the Genesis 1.1 loudspeakers. At the time my digital source was the DCS four stack Scarlatti while my preamp and power amps were the Kondo m1000 mk i and the Kondo Gakuoh mk i respectively. It became too costly to keep two high quality audio systems more or less at the same level: so in the meantime I have sold both my Genesis 1.1 loudspeakers, the DCS Scarlatti dac and the Kondo Gakuoh mk i power amps. Since you visited me I have furthermore invested substantial amounts of money in inter alia (i) grounding (Tripoint Audio: the ‘grounding’ units as well as the grounding cables of Tripoint Audio have evolved greatly in say the last ten years or so. The current - state of the art - Tripoint Audio components can in my view not be compared anymore with their predecessors), (ii) mechanical isolation (pure, oxygen free copper slabs being used as platforms as well as for mass loading purposes) and (iii) higher quality power strips. In addition the Wadax reference digital source components are in all sonic parameters superior to the DCS Scarlatti: that is really no contest at at all. And the Kondo G-1000i and Kondo Gakuoh mk ii power amps are - very clearly - better built and better sounding components than my former Kondo (pre)amps: as a consequence my current Tidal La Assoluta set up sounds much, much more transparent and refined than my former Genesis 1.1 audio system; also the density and liquidity are at another level. While the Tidal LA loudspeakers are of themselves already significantly more ‘silent’ - that is more transparent - than the Genesis 1.1 loudspeakers. Although the bass / low end of the servo driven, separate woofer towers of the Genesis 1.1 loudspeakers went deeper than that of my Tidal La Assoluta loudspeakers - that is without the two separate Tidal La Assoluta woofer towers -, it was also definitely slower and less transparent.

So all in all, the sound of my current Tidal La Assoluta - cones - audio system is in my view not only quite different than that of my former Genesis 1.1 - ribbon - audio system but from a quality perspective also in a league of its own.

 

[Audiocrack]

You probably are the closest to knowing what that sounds like in your own home! I am curious about how feel about the use of the massive Vitus monoblocks (2 sets!) to drive the Tidals vs your spectacular Kondos. Setting aside all of the differences in purity, character, etc that speak for themselves between the 2 designs...do you think PURELY from a power perspective (effortlessness, etc) there is anything you ever were curious to find out about what happens to your speakers when you give them access to near-infinite power capabilities?

In listening to the clip, the one thing I note is that the room seems to be enormous...not many get to listen to systems in those scale rooms. I have done something in a pretty big room (AG Trio G3s) and I knew intuitively very very few speakers and systems could have filled that room so effortlessly that you did not realize what was happening unless you've had a lot of experience with high end audio. Most non-audiophiles would have said, 'great sound, so what?'...not realizing that put any 'normal' high end system in there, and the presentation sounds like you're watching from a flatscreen tv because the room was so big. But the AG Trios made you feel like one was listening to that same 'normal' high end system in a large living room...full-on, wide presentation, room-filling, effortless, nuanced, supple.

I imagine your speakers are capable of same. But I wonder if in a room like in the video, one would need to go that powerful (the AG Trios I heard were powered by Emm Labs MTRX Ref Monos which is 1000 watts into 8). And I also wonder what would happen in your room as well.

Here is a link to an interesting and recent review (by Robert Harley of TAS) of a - low wattage - single ended amplifier: https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/berning-hi-fi-one-reference-set-power-amplifier/

He inter alia compares the performance of this set amp to that of his CH Precision solid state amplifiers in combination with Wilson XVX loudspeakers. I agree with some of his findings (although he used different audio components than I did in the past and I am currently doing).

 

[Audiocrack]

As I mentioned earlier in this thread, I am in the last phase of optimizing my Tidal La Assoluta system. This last phase implies however that very serious steps will be made. Steps that will require a serious financial investment. First of all, 18 pure, oxygen free copper slabs (each of them will be 2.5cm thick) will be added to the 40 copper slabs I am currently using. I do not know yet when these additional copper pieces will be ready, but likely this will take another 6-8 weeks.

Secondly, Miguel will ship today a new Tripoint Audio product to me. It is a prototype and the plan is to launch the official product at the Florida Audio Expo in february. So I am not allowed to write about it yet but I just heard its sonic effects over the phone in Miguel’s audio system. If the sonic effects in my LA system will be as impressive as those in Miguel’s audio system, I will be in for a big surprise. The plan is connect this new device to my Wadax reference dac.

 

[LL21]

As I mentioned earlier in this thread, I am in the last phase of optimizing my Tidal La Assoluta system. This last phase implies however that very serious steps will be made. Steps that will require a serious financial investment. First of all, 18 pure, oxygen free copper slabs (each of them will be 2.5cm thick) will be added to the 40 copper slabs I am currently using. I do not know yet when these additional copper pieces will be ready, but likely this will take another 6-8 weeks.

Secondly, Miguel will ship today a new Tripoint Audio product to me. It is a prototype and the plan is to launch the official product at the Florida Audio Expo in february. So I am not allowed to write about it yet but I just heard its sonic effects over the phone in Miguel’s audio system. If the sonic effects in my LA system will be as impressive as those in Miguel’s audio system, I will be in for a big surprise. The plan is connect this new device to my Wadax reference server.

Look forward to reading all about it!

 

[Audiocrack]

As mentioned earlier Tripoint Audio will launch a new product at the Florida Audio Expo show in Tampa next month. Miguel will demo this new product in room 478 besides inter alia his top of the line ‘grounding’ station, the Emperor NG. His new product is: the Tripoint Audio Emperor signal instrument filter. I heard this signal instrument filter, albeit over the telephone, being connected and disconnected to Miguel’s dac, cd-transport as well as his preamp and poweramp. The sonic differences for the better with the signal instrument filters in place were so impressive that I ‘begged’ Miguel to send me a prototype so that I can experience it in my own Tidal LA system. (Btw, also in Miguel’s audio set up only prototypes were and are still being used; currently the final version of this new signal instrument filter is in production). Hope to receive it at the end of next week and I am going to connect it to my Wadax reference dac.

 

[LL21]

As mentioned earlier Tripoint Audio will launch a new product at the Florida Audio Expo show in Tampa next month. Miguel will demo this new product in room 478 besides inter alia his top of the line ‘grounding’ station, the Emperor NG. His new product is: the Tripoint Audio Emperor signal instrument filter. I heard this signal instrument filter, albeit over the telephone, being connected and disconnected to Miguel’s dac, cd-transport as well as his preamp and poweramp. The sonic differences for the better with the signal instrument filters in place were so impressive that I ‘begged’ Miguel to send me a prototype so that I can experience it in my own Tidal LA system. (Btw, also in Miguel’s audio set up only prototypes were and still are being used; currently the final version of this new signal instrument filter is in production). Hope to receive it at the end of next week and I am going to connect it to my Wadax reference dac.

On a really basic level, what does it do vs the original grounding units? Most intrigued.

 

[Audiocrack]

On a really basic level, what does it do vs the original grounding units? Most intrigued.

The new Tripoint Audio Emperor signal instrument filter can be used as a stand-a-alone product by (just) connecting it to any audio device. Based on my various listening experiences over the telephone as such it is already very, very effective indeed in removing ‘noise’ from our audio components. However, the ideal configuration is when you connect the other end of this new Emperor signal instrument filter to a - high quality - ‘grounding’ station such as for example the Tripoint Audio Emperor NG or the Tripoint Audio Elite NG mk ii. Then the sonic effects are hugely impressive. Miguel is extremely proud of his new Emperor signal instrument filter and considers it to be a gamechanger pure sang.

This new Emperor signal instrument filter in a rca version (xlr versions will become available as well) is on its way to me. Hopefully I can insert it soon in my Tidal LA system.

I am afraid i cannot say more at the moment because this new Emperor signal filter will be officially introduced at the Florida Audio Expo show in February 2025.

 

[LL21]

The new Tripoint Audio Emperor signal instrument filter can be used as a stand-a-alone product by (just) connecting it to any audio device. Based on my various listening experiences over the telephone as such it is already very, very effective indeed in removing ‘noise’ from our audio components. However, the ideal configuration is when you connect the other end of this new Emperor signal instrument filter to a - high quality - ‘grounding’ station such as for example the Tripoint Audio Emperor NG or the Tripoint Audio Elite NG mk ii. Then the sonic effects are hugely impressive. Miguel is extremely proud of his new Emperor signal instrument filter and considers it to be a gamechanger pure sang.

This new Emperor signal instrument filter in a rca version (xlr versions will become available as well) is on its way to me. Hopefully I can insert it soon in my a Tidal LA system.

I am afraid i cannot say more at the moment because this new Emperor signal filter will be officially introduced at the Florida Expo show in February 2025.

Thank you. Look forward to hearing more about it.

 

[Audiocrack]

Although you never know for sure with these internatiol shippers and custom procedures but if everything goes according to plan the Tripoint Audio signal instrument filter will be delivered tomorrow afternoon. I am eagerly waiting for this signal filter and to connect it asap to my Wadax reference dac. Because if this filter is going to be as effective in my Tidal LA system as it is in Miguel’s audio set up - and why would it not be? -, the sonic benefits will be profound indeed.

 

[Audiocrack]

After I got the message from FedEx this morning that the package with the new Tripoint Audio signal instrument filter was cleared, I did not want to wait any longer. So I drove to the FedEx facility in my hometown at the end of this morning and I picked it up. I installed it around three hours ago in my Tidal LA system: the new signal filter is connected to my Wadax reference dac on one end and to a Tripoint Audio ‘grounding’ unit on the other end.

What can i say? Wow, wow, wow!

Every sonic parameter is clearly better than before:
- more transparency;
- lower noisefloor;
- more density;
- better liquidity/fluidity;
- more coherency;
- better pinpoint precision;
- more serinity;
- larger and deeper soundstage;
- more palpability;
- better as well as more natural dynamics
- more smoothness;
- tonality is more beautiful.

So all in all a clearly more natural/less mechanical presentation: the sonic differences for the better are really profound! So if you have a chance: do yourself a favour and experience this new filter on the Florida Audio Expo show next February. I know for sure you will be in for a big (sonic) surprise.

 

[SuperDave]

Rudolf,
Congrats on the new filter, I spoke to Miguel last week and can't wait to hear more about this. I hope to hear music at your place someday!

Dave

 

[Audiocrack]

Rudolf,
Congrats on the new filter, I spoke to Miguel last week and can't wait to hear more about this. I hope to hear music at your place someday!

Dave

Hello Dave,

Likely a lot of WBF members think I am a ‘Tripoint Audio fanboy’. However, I am an extremely critical listener with a lot of experience listening to (unamplified) classical music in many great music halls (in particular the ‘Concertgebouw’ in Amsterdam). Please believe me, this new signal instrument filter of Miguel is really something: its sonic effects in my - very transparant - Tidal LA audio system are absolutely amazing!

And it would be really great if you would be able to find an opportunity to visit the Netherlands sometime and come over to my place: we will have a great time together, I am sure about that. So you are definitely most welcome to visit me!

 

[Audiocrack]

And of course the ‘Wadax haters’ on WBF will regard my comments as proof for their negative view of the Wadax reference combo. However, I wanna make this point absolutely clear: such an interpretation is bullshit. Miguel’s signal instrument filter makes a great digital combo just unbelievable good!

 

[Audiocrack]

The new Tripoint Audio signal instrument filter likely needs around 30 days to fully stabilize. And yes, I noticed (some) sonic shifts. While initially on its second day in my Tidal LA system the filter sounded (even) more relaxed and serene, after a few hours I noticed inter alia that the tonality changed somewhat and became less ‘full bodied’. Notwithstanding these shifts the positive sonic impact of the signal instrument filter is so profound that my plan is to add more of them to the LA system. In an ‘ideal audio world’ I would like to add: 2 (power amps) plus 2 (preamp) plus 2 (the two PSU’s of the Wadax reference dac) plus 2 (head unit Wadax reference dac: rca and xlr) plus 1 (the Wadax reference server) plus 1 (PSU of the Wadax reference server) plus 1 (Zanden 2000p cd-transport) plus 2 x 2 (binding posts of the Tidal LA loudspeakers). That is in total 15 Tripoint Audio signal instrument filters. Wirh a rrp of usd 12k per filter and my plan to add furthermore (i) 18 copper slabs and (ii) some new, high quality powercords to the LA system that is going to be a financial challenge.

 

[Audiocrack]

The new Tripoint Audio signal instrument filter is a magnificent device in its ‘good’ moments but … it clearly needs time to settle. Miguel expects that this will take around 30 days. To ‘speed up’ things a bit I connected the filter this weekend for 20 hours to my Audiodharma cable cooker, because the filter statted to sound pretty ‘ugly, that is closed in and harsh. The cooking helped but after some time I noticed again (small) sonic shifts. I will leave the filter in the LA system for the time being, because I am currently burning in some Kondo Avocado pc’s. Likely I will connect the filter somewhere next week to the cooker again.

 

[iaxel]

View attachment 134086

Hi @Audiocrack ,

Have you compared the KA300B to the "standard" TAKATSUKI and possibly other 300B tubes (WE?)?

 

[Audiocrack]

Hi @Audiocrack ,

Have you compared the KA300B to the "standard" TAKATSUKI and possibly other 300B tubes (WE?)?

Hello,

When I many years ago acquired the Kondo Gakuoh mk i se and push pull poweramps I simultaneously bought two quods of WE 300b valves. When they needed to be replaced I turned to Kevin Scott, at that time the UK distributor of Kondo. He had just developed - in cooperation with Kron - a 300b tube for his beloved Gakuoh mk i push pull amps. I bought those and although I liked them I always had the idea that they were not as good as the WE 300b valves. So after a while I bought the ‘regular’ Takatsuki 300b tubes: they were - at that time anyway - the favourites of Kevin. He preferred them to the (new) WE 300b valves. I always liked the Takatsuki/Kondo Gakuoh mk i amps very much. When my memory serves me well the Taks are more lineair sounding than the (former) WE 300b valves with a better low end. So I have always been very fond of the Taks and never felt the urge to try the (new) WE 300b tubes.

However, when I acquired the Kondo Gakuoh mk ii amps Takatsuki had in cooperation with the Kondo factory created a new 300b tube. I ordered my Gakuoh mk ii amps with these new Takatsuki/Kondo 300b valves and love them very much (after some burning in time). I never made an a/b comparison between the Takatsuki/Kondo 300b tube and the ‘regular’ Takatsuki 300b valve. Imho you cannot go wrong with either of them.

I still have my ‘old’ Taks available and maybe I will make an in depth comparison somewhere in the future. But that will surely take a while because other priorities ‘dictate’ my current ‘audio agenda’.

 

[Audiocrack]

Most likely it is a mere coincidence but yesterday it was exactly a week ago when I first installed the new Tripoint Audio signal instrument filter. Yesterday the Tidal LA system in general and my Wadax reference dac in particular sounded more impressive than ever before: apparently this filter is capable of removing a significant amount of noise from the Wadax reference dac and as a consequence the transparency, palpability and fluidity was at a level I have never experienced before in my life. However, I can still hear shifts so there is undoubtedly more beauty to come. Later this week - as mentioned earlier - I will connect the filter to the cable cooker again.

WBF members who have a possibility to do so: try to give this new filter a listen on the Tampa audio show this month: it is damm impressive.