Напольная акустика — TIDAL Contriva

The Contriva is a dynamic three-way floorstander from TIDAL-Audio GmbH, the Hürth company that Jörn Janczak set up in 1999. The current version carries the G3 suffix, marking the third generation. It replaced the G2, which stayed in production for about ten years, and TIDAL states that not a single part of the older model was carried over unchanged. The G3 had its first public showing in Munich at High End 2023 and could be ordered from 15 September 2023. US prices were USD 79,000 a pair for the black gloss version, rising to USD 84,000 when a veneer is chosen.

Key specs that matter

Each cabinet holds four drivers. At the top sits a 30 mm Gen3 tweeter with a diamond diaphragm, below it a 173 mm Gen4 midrange with a black ceramic cone, and two 220 mm woofers handle the bass. All three driver types use neodymium magnets in under-hung motors, and the woofer motors are specified for long excursion. The enclosure stands 130 cm tall, 27.5 cm wide and 48 cm deep, and one speaker weighs 114 kg without packaging.

Engineering and use context

TIDAL describes the redesign as refinement rather than radical change, keeping the overall form of the earlier Contriva while revising its dimensions. The woofer cones are a sandwich of carbon fibre and aluminium, and the new diamond tweeter sits in its own isolated mounting. Internally the cabinet is split into multiple chambers. Its walls are made of TIRALIT and TIRADUR, two materials TIDAL developed for its own enclosures, and the cabinet alone accounts for 106 kg of the total. Massive stainless steel footers form part of an isolation concept, with Gen-3 isolators that use stainless-steel trigger bars. Signal division is done by a Gen3 version of the passive uno-pulse crossover assembled from parts with the lowest tolerances the company could obtain. The crossover board is housed in its own chamber, sealed hermetically and isolated against microphonic effects. Two finish families are offered - original TIDAL piano lacquer in midnight black, or hand-selected wood veneers sealed under a clear coat of the same piano lacquer. Every pair is made at the Hürth factory in Germany.

Pairing

TIDAL rates the Contriva at a nominal 4 ohm and lists nominal power handling as 150/300 VA. The maker asks for an amplifier of more than 30 W per channel.

Alternatives

TIDAL also builds the Akira, a floorstander placed above the Contriva with a 30 mm diamond tweeter, an 80 mm pure diamond midrange-woofer and a 42 mm TIRALIT cabinet.