HIGH END SHOW 2013 in Munich – the absolute sound

"Germany’s TIDAL was showing its gorgeous Agoria SE mulitway floorstander with black ceramic drivers and diamond tweeter, as well as debuting its own TIDAL electronics alongside a Hartvig table. Though strings and winds were sugar-sweet at moderate levels on Tacet’s great recording of Ravel’s La valse, when the SPLs went up (and they do go up on this LP), the sound became a bit piercing. Also, bass was not as deep as it should have been on this spectacular disc. Seeing that I just heard a much more demure TIDAL speaker sound fabulous in Chicago, I concluded that something was wrong and decided to return later in the show. 
I’m glad I did, because some days later I found the speakers sounding very lithe and lively on vinyl — superb on Keb Mo’s voice with phenomenal guitar transients and color. The Agoria also now managed perhaps the best reproduction I heard of Rapsodie espagnole from The Reiner Sound, reproducing all its sweetness as well as its power and phenomenal inner detail. 
Best of Show: ...TIDAL Agoria SE / TIDAL Electronics system (on Day Three)."

Jonathan Valin