When Superlative Quality becomes its own Metaphor.
We did not restrict our ambition to sound reproduction. Because refinement of taste is rarely restricted to a single sense, we resolved that every aspect of a TIDAL system should live up to the same immaculate benchmark. To put it another way, timeless music is most at home in a multi-sensory environment that reflects its own exquisite qualities of artistry, proportion and creative invention.
And so, we apply the same rules of perfection to the external design of every component – and then further, to the level of finish that they receive in their every detail. Each aspect of a TIDAL system expresses a noble commonality – an aesthetic vision that does not so much combine form and function as transcend them.
The result is a whole in which the sophistication of our physical craftsmanship becomes a metaphor for the quality of our audible output.
Until the era of mass manufacturing, an apprenticed artisan was required to produce a ‘master-piece’ which would mark his transition from pupil to master craftsman. Today, sadly, this great tradition has been largely eroded.
But we believe that we have preserved at least a vestige of its values in the uncompromising quality of our systems. One might say that our unsurpassed finish is a visible symbol of the superlative quality of the brand’s performance in its every respect.
HANDCRAFTING LOUDSPEAKERS
EXPAND TO DISCOVER MORE
TIDAL Loudspeakers
The centrepiece of our reputation started with the quality of our loudspeakers. You could say it defined us. They are not designed to be manufactured easily and conveniently in large numbers on an automated production line. There never has, and never will be, any consideration of cost built into their conception. Our attitude to the economics of production is quite simple, Whatever it takes, where ‘it’ is our burning aspiration to build the world’s best sound systems.
It has often been remarked that our techniques are closer to those of art than to an industrial enterprise – and that TIDAL is a benchmark, not only for audio components, but for the entire project of creating the flawless.
"...seeing the results of the attention to detail and level of craftsmanship lavished on every part of this speaker, I began to understand the philosophy behind the design, construction, and execution of TIDAL products: nothing less than perfection, cost be damned." (Aron Garrecht, SoundstageUltra)
Deconstruct a TIDAL speaker and you would discover examples of consummate quality where you would never expect to encounter them. For instance, even the underside is coated with our millimetre-thick piano lacquer, which is then rendered invisible by the addition of an aluminium base plate. If you come across a gleaming metal component, then it has been created in solid stainless steel and then polished by hand to state of the art finish. As for the piano finish itself, it is often remarked upon by audio critics in terms verging on the ecstatic:
"One look at the speaker will tell you why that is — that finish is crazy. That’s not hours worth of labor, pulling that level of luster off of that natural wood veneer, that’s weeks. There really is nothing that looks like this on the market today — anywhere. And when they say “piano black”, just be aware that piano makers have never seen this finish before. Trust me on this one...". (Scot Hull, Parttime-Audiophile)
A TIDAL masterpiece is not merely the sum of components that are beyond the economics of any other brand in the audio field. You must add the scientific expertise of our electronics engineers and the accumulated experience of our cabinet makers, lavished respectively upon every detail of the execution throughout the process. All of this culminates in a result that we express succinctly with the words: We build emotions.
"Just to give you more of an idea of just what an exclusive luxury they are: Master craftsmanship flaunted down to even the smallest feature, in a way only the best of the best can. In terms of quality and attention to detail, it just doesn't get better than this." (Cai Brockmann, FIDELITY)
HANDCRAFTING ELECTRONICS
EXPAND TO DISCOVER MORE
TIDAL Electronics
So jealous are we of our peerless reputation that we insist upon retaining total control over our production at every level. We design and manufacture in-house all of our pre-amplifiers, power amplifiers and digital-to-analogue converters. We design the most complex multilayer PCB boards and then manufacture them, all under the same roof. The factory demonstrates a very high degree of vertical integration, which confers a unique degree of control across every aspect of our audio electronics.
Diamond-polished stainless-steel plates; the finest hand-selected components; forensic quality control with in-house designed software; these are just some examples of how we define and achieve such peerless quality.
"If an almost unmeasurable departure from perfect linearity is the design goal for achieving the most emotionally engaging listening enjoyment from a hi-fi component, the TIDAL Audio Prisma achieves that goal with the swag of Nate Robinson in an NBA slam dunk competition.” (Dave McNair, Parttime-Audiophile Magazine)
