News & References.
Fidelity Award 2022: Best Buy
Soundwise, the Tonda is one of the most honest and precise loudspeakers we have heard in recent years. It marks the entry into the absolute top league: A super speaker at a fair price, which - unfortunately we have to return our test samples - left a noticeable gap in our listening room until today.
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Vimberg Mino Review 2022
This isn’t Tidal-lite: instead its Tidal DNA applied just as meticulously to a more affordable set of parts – with spectacularly successful musical results. The Vimberg Mino might not actually set the world alight, but it should seriously shake up the high-end speaker market.
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Product of The Year 2020
While others in the high-end audio industry are choosing products packed with the latest technology as their pick for Product of the Year 2020, we’re picking a pair of two-way monitors. What’s up with that?
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Love at first kick.
Emotions exist independent of space and time. They simply unfold, totally out- side the control of our conscious mind. If you’re not convinced of this and you still believe you’re the one in charge, then arrange for a therapy session with the Vimberg Tonda D—it’ll teach you otherwise.
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Exclusive Amea test.
COMPACT PERFECTION
“Sound wise the VIMBERG is a revelation. I never heard a better compact speaker!”
“What an experience! It can fill easily rooms twice as big as a regular living room – and that at every level.” “Again I experience the fascination of the Mino, but this time one can have that experience in smaller rooms. The sound is unique in clarity and homogeneity, the timing and subtle details overwhelming.
...The Amea sounds similarly superb, fast precise and in the musical sense empathic, adapting to the musical flow. The sound all together is like not from this world, sovereign and effortless natural other than spectacular. ...Such a thing I never heard from a compact speaker. And with all that, the Amea is not demanding or difficult to drive at all, but one hears literally each and every improvement within the chain as presented under a – well, enjoyable – magnifying glass.
...It takes itself out of the way and presents the musicians, and the space, three dimensionally, perfectly scaled, big, with a wide and deep stage. A super speaker!”
Conclusion: “A compact speaker sound wise and quality wise without absolutely no compromise, reproducing on the highest level. A sound of enormous clarity, temper and homogeneity. The fourth star is for the immense effort. Top-Reference. 100%”
The VIMBERG Mino has been recommended as Class A component for 2020.
This is how Stereophile explains the category: "Class A Loudspeakers are sufficiently idiosyncratic and differ enough from one another that prospective customers should read Stereophile's original reviews in their entirety for descriptions of the sounds. We have therefore just listed every system or combination that at least one of Stereophile's reviewers feels, as a result of his or her experience, approaches the current state of the art in loudspeaker design.
“A true Class A loudspeaker”
SEE THE FULL ARTICLEAs I anticipated from its pedigree, Vimberg’s Mino offers excellent measured performance."
(John Atkinson, stereophile.com)
"I was impressed by the Vimberg Mino. In my room and with my ancillary gear, it produced a full-range, neutrally balanced, transparent sound that rivaled what I remember experiencing with the seven-times-the-price Tidal Akira. Yes, this is still a pricey loudspeaker, but the Mino’s sound quality revealed that it had been designed and manufactured without compromise. A true Class A loudspeaker.
The Making of Two VimbergTonda’s
See the full articleLast month, in “Jeff Buys Loudspeakers: The Vimberg Tondas,” I announced that I’d bought a pair of Vimberg Tondas to use as my reference loudspeakers. I also challenged Tidal and Vimberg designer and CEO, Jorn Janczak, to show us exactly what goes into the making of a set of Vimbergs. What follows, in words and photos, is the story of my pair of Tondas, from raw cabinets to packing in their flight cases, followed by a set of measurements of that pair of units.
(Jeff Fritz, Soundstageultra.com)
“Under the radar with VIMBERG”
What a terrific room the Vimberg – Lumin has been. Vimberg is the “almost affordable” division of Tidal speakers, minus the glorious black lacquer and the latest black diamond ceramic Accuton drivers which translates into minus a whole lotta cash for pretty much the same sound the original Tidal designs had some 5 years ago. Which was excellent and still remains a superb solution.
Bass was more than adequate, high frequencies were crisp, mid-range was well balanced. Not on the warm side but not clinical either, this was a very well sounding room by all standards. Must admit that the simplicity of this room, a streaming DAC, a pair of monos and a pair of white speakers was a stunning contrast to the cluttered 20 pieces of gear & speakers the size of a refrigerator rooms that most manufacturers tend to show.HIGH END MUNICH 2019 AWARD: VALUE FOR THE MONEY
(Panagiotis Karavitis, Parttimeaudiophile.com)
“The Sound I’ve Been Searching For”
See the full article"....the real stars of the show, the Vimberg Tonda floorstanding loudspeakers. When I began this downsizing journey, after years of owning six-figure flagship speakers, I didn’t think I could be this happy with speakers costing under $40,000/pair.
(Jeff Fritz, Soundstageultra.com)
But these German beauties retailing for a “mere” $38,000/pair have exceeded my expectations in virtually every parameter of sound. First, the Tondas cast a soundstage that’s large in all dimensions -- width, depth, and height -- and stretches beyond my room’s walls and ceiling.
What they do differently from all other speakers I’ve owned and liked is how they paint aural images on that soundstage. Individual performers aren’t only precisely placed -- “she’s right there” -- but are formed more clearly, more fully, than I’ve ever heard from a speaker. Yes, that’s right: ever heard.
Nor are the Tondas one-trick ponies. Their overall sound quality is exceptional. Bass is deep and taut, with no hint of boom or overhang; highs are delicate and complete, yet never heavy or biting. Through listening and, later, measurement, I came to understand that these speakers are extremely linear, easily matching the most neutral speakers I’ve ever had in one of my systems. The Vimbergs can play big, too, with effortless clarity, and at sound-pressure levels that would break many speakers.
The Tondas’ ability to project fully formed aural images extended to the reproduction of space. When I played a disc of Handel’s Italian Cantatas performed by soprano Sabine Devieilhe, mezzo-soprano Léa Desandre, and Le Concert d’Astrée conducted by Emmanuelle Haïm, I was mesmerized by the Tondas’ creation of an illusion of space not just around the performers, but of the space around that space -- the ambience surrounding those entirely “visible” aural images was so tangible that it melted away the walls of my listening room.
I’m absolutely thrilled with the Vimberg Tondas."
Stereo Cover Story
The extremely neutral and precise Mino plays in the uppermost echelons. Plasticity, dynamics and accuracy in exquisite material quality. Rather it is honest, and that’s what distinguishes the entire speaker. It embodies pure neutrality. The timing is almost unbelievable, as is the attention to detail and the pinpoint accuracy over the entire transmission range. Seamless dynamics, but also exquisite tonality should please the fans of classical music. In fact, this speaker is sensationally accurate, making it exciting and extremely fun!
(T. Frantzen, STEREO)
Jeff Buys Loudspeakers: The Vimberg Tondas
see the full articleI was enamored on the spot -- more than enamored. From a sound-quality perspective, it solidly ticked every box: First, it had that open, spacious quality that I love to hear these days -- the antithesis of dark and closed-in -- but it also had the bell-like clarity that is the hallmark of Tidal speakers, which I’ve always been drawn to.
(Jeff Fritz, www.Soundstageultra.com)
The bass was really deep and taut, courtesy three 8” woofers per side. Add to those qualities another that I saw as an unexpected bonus for a reviewer: the Tondas could play loud and super clean. Could I really attain this level of performance while staying within my $40k speaker budget?
These midsize floorstanders managed to energize the large Munich demo room with propulsive bass while casting a huge soundstage, and they maintained these traits at all volume levels. Although my audition wasn’t exhaustive, the 40 minutes I spent listening to the Vimberg Tondas was more than enough: these speakers thoroughly impressed me.
CAF 2018: VIMBERG
see the full articleI may have misspoke, or left a few of my earlier proclamations about the newest VIMBERG speakers less than acutely defined. If you are a listener of our Occasional Podcast, or reader of our little sister publication Audio-Head.com, then you may have heard me refer to the VIMBERG Mino loudspeakers as possibly the greatest bargain in hi-fi. To eat my own words for being less than accurate, the VIMBERG Mino loudspeakers are indeed not the greatest bargain in hi-fi. To be clear, they are the greatest bargain in Ultra-High-End audio.
(Eric Franklin Shook, www.Parttimeaudiophile.com)
“Best Sound of the Show” at Toronto Audio Fest
see the full articleThe sound in this room was truly enchanting. The vocal were full bodied and crisp with a midrange that was smooth as silk and well saturated. The bass was deep enough that I could feel it in my bones. This room gets my nod for the "Best Sound of the Show.
(Malcolm J. Gomes, www.positive-feedback.com)
“Wow! This white beauty…”
see the full article...Tidal has created its own subsidiary company named Vimberg—whose purpose is to distinguish itself from its parent company by name—while still associating itself with the extreme artisanal manufacturing of its parent company. Vimberg is making two new three-way floorstanding speakers named Mino and Tonda—the latter of which I auditioned right next to Tidal's similar-looking (but much more expensive) Akira. I have experienced the 180,000 Euros/pair Akira several times and if memory serves me, this new Vimberg Tonda sounded damn near as refined and concise as its much more expensive stablemate. (Both speakers are constructed in the same factory).
(Herb Reichert, www.Stereophile.com)
Less noticeably, it features a reduction in Tidal's extreme attention to materials, finish, and craftsmanship.I called the Tonda,"Tee-dahl Light" and thought, Wow! This white beauty gives me 80–90% of the fancy speaker's sonics at less than 20% of its cost. What is not to like?
“I saw several people visibly shocked…”
see the full article...This is a mighty impressive debut that underlines designer Jörn Janczak’s confidence in the project. I saw several people visibly shocked when told the price. One thought that it was the cost of a single speaker, not the pair. That tells you a lot about both the Tonda’s performance and the quality of the Tidal electronics driving it. But either way, it’s an awful lot of performance for the money.
(Roy Gregory, www.TheAudioBeat.com)
Given their heritage and design DNA, the Vimberg speakers could just be shaping up as one of audio’s all-time biggest bargains. Just the insight they offer into the musical benefits of both Tidal’s exacting approach to parts and production makes them a fascinating prospect. If, as Jörn Janczak says, "care is free," we are about to find out just how much it’s worth.
High End Munich 2018 Awards
Find out moreBest New Product: VIMBERG.
(www.Audiohub.gr)
For the MINO and TONDA 3-way speakers, a new line that bridges the gap between ultra high end and affordable prices, with state of the art technology and gorgeous looks.
“The parts are of absurdly high-quality…”
see the full articleNew at Munich is VIMBERG, springing from the minds, hands and creative work of Jörn Janczak of TIDAL. My understanding is that this line of loudspeakers will very much have “DNA” derived from the much more expensive TIDAL brand. Think Toyota vs Lexus, if Lexus was Rolls Royce (if that makes sense).
(editorial staff, Parttimeaudiophile.com)
The new line is very much intended to be a more affordable entry to Janczak’s work (where ‘affordable’ is admittedly highly relative, of course). The parts are of the “typical” absurdly high-quality we’ve come to expect from Janczak, and the design still adheres to his obsessive level of attention to detail. That said, the drivers are all top-of-the-line Accuton, and if a customer wants to opt-in for the extreme performance of the Accuton diamond drivers, well, that is an option." Given their heritage and design DNA, the Vimberg speakers could just be shaping up as one of audio’s all-time biggest bargains. Just the insight they offer into the musical benefits of both Tidal’s exacting approach to parts and production makes them a fascinating prospect. If, as Jörn Janczak says, "care is free," we are about to find out just how much it’s worth.
Best of HIGH-END 2018
see the full articleGermany’s Tidal Audio makes loudspeakers with custom-made, state-of-the-art Accuton drivers and cost-no-object parts, then finishes them to utter perfection. If you’ve read Aron Garrecht’s review of the Tidal Piano G2 this month on SoundStage! Ultra, you’ve been left with the impression that no one in the world finishes their speakers as well. It might be true.
(Doug Schneider, Soundstagehifi.com)
. . . few people can afford to spend that much on speakers, and even fewer will be willing to spend it on a relatively small model that can’t forcefully reproduce the bottom octave of the audioband. If you want more down low, Tidal makes five larger models. Lots and lots of money... Enter a new brand of loudspeakers from Jörn Janczak, founder and CEO of Tidal. Janczak knows that few can hope to own a pair of Tidals, and with Vimberg, a subsidiary of Tidal Audio, he’s found ways to make his speakers more affordable.
Based on the fine reputation Tidal has built over the years, I predict that Vimberg will do extremely well, because I think most people will know that the same person is responsible for both brands.