Tidal Camira LC: A Comprehensive Review of the Best DAC Under $50k

Explore the exceptional features and sound quality of the Tidal Camira LC DAC, priced under $50k, designed for audio enthusiasts.

Understanding DACs and Their Importance

Regular readers will know that we have defined six major issues for audio believability. These issues are systemic technical challenges that have proven difficult to address, one of which is ‘the problem of a-musical digital distortion’. We’ve been reviewing D/A converters, hoping to find those that tackle this issue effectively. So, is the Tidal Camira LC a DAC that breaks through this barrier? Let’s take a closer look.

The Tidal Camira LC is priced nearly at $50,000 (currently $47,000 with the LC level control and $42,000 without).

As a side note to limit confusion, Tidal Audio and the Tidal music streaming service are unrelated; Tidal Audio was founded about ten years before the Tidal streaming service came into existence.

Now, assuming you’re still with me, DACs can be quite complex. While it’s worth understanding them sonically, I’ll take the liberty to delve a bit deeper. If you’re just looking for a quick answer to “is it good?” then the answer is a resounding “yes”.

What Is the Issue?

An important reminder, or perhaps new information, is that crucial sonic factors in music reproduction often involve “the six major issues of audio believability”. Here are the big six:

• The problem of recording standards
• The problem of visual images
• The problem of spatial imaging
• The problem of bass in real rooms
• The problem of dynamics
• The problem of a-musical digital distortions

The last issue is the focus of our DAC Series, which this review is part of. These problems tend to get less attention than circuit and speaker refinements, but they are likely more significant for making progress in audio technology, which is why we’ve pointed them out.

For those concerned by the term “a-musical” digital distortions—as if there were musical distortions—we use that term to differentiate these distortions from traditional harmonic distortion, which can resemble the harmonics central to the character of musical sounds. The digital distortions we’re interested in here do not share that quality; they often result from mathematical processes that have no natural counterpart.

Understanding this is crucial because it explains why digital, which may exhibit lower traditional distortion and noise compared to analog signals, can sound so problematic. Hearing primarily involves complex brain processing, and our brains are wired to focus on certain signals—surprising or unnatural sounds grab our attention. In relation to believability, unusual sounds can be distractions that shift focus from the music.

“Bad dog!”

To illustrate, my favorite example of a-musical digital distortion is pre-ringing. Pre-ringing arises from the mathematical transformations required to convert the original analog signal into a digital signal and back to analog for audible output. The “a-ha” moment for many comes when we realize that pre-ringing distorts the music signal in a way that occurs before the signal causing it actually happens. Yes, there exists a type of digital distortion where signals can precede the actual signal. This is entirely unnatural—no one knocks on your door before they knock on your door.

Another fascinating digital distortion is 'aliasing difference errors'. High-frequency sounds can create an artifact called an alias—a tone absent in the original music generated when the sampling frequency is insufficient. Filtering can help reduce these artifacts, but certain non-linearities can lead to high-frequency alias signals being subtracted and shifted into the midrange where they're easily noticeable. These signals are unlike what was originally present in the music.

There are more such digital distortions, some manageable in the recording process, others in playback, and some that cannot be avoided.

Sound Quality

Okay, let’s get to the Tidal Camira. I’ll cover its sound quality first, followed by a bit on the underlying technology. If sound quality is your priority, you'll want to know its capabilities before diving into the circuitry.

Those familiar with my speaker reviews know that I favor a factor analysis method for describing products. It’s a convenient way to outline what a product does and give perspective on its sonic factors.

In my discussions with audiophiles, I’ve found that they often start with voicing and frequency response perspectives. This makes sense since frequency response is easily perceptible. However, with DACs and preamps, designs can be created to avoid frequency band emphasis or de-emphasis. Therefore, I won’t delve into frequency voicing here.

The real challenge arises when equipment, like a DAC, exhibits distortions with specific signals but not others. You must use the right signals and be patient to uncover what’s going on.

I find DACs differ in five key areas, at least four of which demonstrate the “hiding until you look in the right place” phenomenon.

Treble Transient Unpacking

The first sonic differentiator is Treble Transient Unpacking, a significant issue affecting DACs and believability. It’s an occasional distortion, yet it’s very apparent, hence why it can distract.

What is treble transient unpacking? Let’s start with a common distortion heard in digital playback. For instance, with cymbals, you might hear a sound that resembles a crash, even if the cymbal itself isn’t of that type or struck with force. Listening closely, you’ll notice these crashes sound off; they appear more like a burst of noise than a substantial cymbal hit. It seems like all the transients of the strike are jumbled in time, resulting in something that resembles unnatural noise.

The Tidal Camira effectively “unpacks” what was previously noise, transforming it into a transient followed by ringing and shimmer. The transient isn’t overstated, and the decay spreads out naturally. Instead of a singular gritty noise, it produces distinct tones and waves of sound.

I observed similar unpacking with the Berkeley Audio Alpha DAC Reference Series 3; however, the Camira takes this concept further by unpacking treble transients more frequently and more completely. So far, the Camira delivers the best performance I've encountered in this critical sonic area.

It’s essential to note that the Camira crosses a threshold of listenability that is groundbreaking in my experience. It doesn’t require “bracing for impact” when treble transients are present in the music. However, two qualifications are necessary.

Some digital distortions may be inherent in the recording (vinyl checks are warranted), and the Camira doesn’t mitigate these. There are older digital recordings where vocals exhibit an edge that seems embedded in the file. Fixing this may be possible, but we often overlook that recordings and decimation (converting bit streams to different data rates) can introduce distortions before reaching your equipment.

Secondly, while the Camira unpacks treble transients, the result may not sound as natural as with top-tier vinyl rigs unless paired with a quality streamer. The pain caused by digital transients is alleviated with lesser streamers, but there’s potential for a more realistic sound. Indeed, treble transient unpacking significantly improved with the Tidal Arkas streamer or the Antipodes Kala 50 streamer/server. The difference caused by the streamer is about 75% as significant as the DAC itself.

With the combination of the Camira and an excellent streamer, we’re close to enjoying the advantages of both digital and vinyl in terms of treble transients.

I should also mention the treble of the Camira feels less bright than some other DACs. However, I don’t believe this is a frequency response phenomenon. When transients are unpacked, they become more spread out and less attention-grabbing, which can be perceived as “less bright.” Therefore, the tone of a violin isn’t darkened or muffled on the Camira; it’s simply avoiding over-amped transients and conversion artifacts.

Soundstage Width and Depth

Another surprise with the Camira was the significant enhancement in soundstage width and depth. Transitioning from a very good DAC to the Camira yielded a noticeable improvement. I would say the soundstage width and depth with the Camira are about 25% larger than with high-quality chip-based DACs. To put it simply, this is a substantial upgrade. It only feels natural when performer placements appear less like they’re generated by the speakers.

My experiences moving from a Topping ESS 9038 DAC to a BluSound 9039 9039 with QRONO, up to the dCS Lina DAC, Mola Mola Tambaqui DAC, and Berkeley Alpha DAC Reference DAC, revealed that the Camira's improvement is almost equal to all those previous steps combined. If imaging relies on phase information in the recording, it’s possible that treble unpacking is a timing phenomenon, though this remains speculation. Underlying digital issues may reveal themselves according to the DAC used.

Bass Transient Response

Another standout feature of the Camira is its ability to provide snap and drive to bass instruments. The leading edge of notes possesses more detail and power. This doesn’t come across as elevated bass; it simply indicates superior transient handling. Perhaps a similar transient unpacking occurs with bass, but it reflects more as bass time alignment. Regardless, compared to the absolute sound, it seems more natural and real, and I was genuinely impressed.

The combination of the Tidal Arkas streamer with the Camira was particularly striking in this regard, and the dynamic capability of this pairing extended well beyond the bass range.

Tonal Density

Regarding tonal density, the Tidal Camira excels in creating a sense of ‘continuousness’, which indicates a lack of grain. The music flows seamlessly, much like it would in a real-life scenario. The Camira captures this continuity well, especially for those familiar with real sounds since certain instruments, like violins, are inherently textured as the bow glides over the strings.

The other aspect of tonal density I noticed relates to whether the equipment (the Camira, in this case) has a ‘bottom-up’ or ‘top-down’ sound orientation. This might stem from slight frequency shaping. It sounds to me more like the presence of tiny transient errors, softening transients in a ‘bottom-up’ sound or emphasizing them in a ‘top-down’ sound. The Camira displays a slightly ‘top-down’ character, primarily due to its added transparency and image definition in the upper midrange and treble regions, which draws attention there compared to other, slightly more opaque equipment. Pairing the Camira with the Tidal Arkas streamer effectively addressed this minimal top-down sound and produced one of the most neutral sounds I’ve experienced.

Organicness

My final parameter for evaluating DACs is ‘organicness’. To avoid excessive jargon, much research suggests that timing errors—not just jitter but also interpolation errors—affect perceived sound quality. I have spent considerable time listening to time-corrected versus standard conversion techniques to clarify how this dimension sounds. I’ve chosen the term ‘organicness’ to indicate that timing-managed digital signals and conversions sound more natural, relaxed, and complete. If your reference point is the absolute sound and you’re familiar with real instruments, you’ll notice this immediately.

Many audiophiles who believe timing-managed digital signals are inferior may rely on stereo systems as references, becoming accustomed to the sound of timing distortions. However, my colleagues and I at The Absolute Sound have consistently preferred organicness in digitally processed music, as it better approximates our reference, mirroring the successes seen with vinyl playback and tape in critical areas.

I believe the Camira excels here compared to many other DACs. That said, the state of the art here varies somewhat depending on the recording process. Yet, the openness and continuity of playback with the Camira and an excellent streamer eliminate any subtle sense of processing, placing us in new territory where certain recordings sound remarkably similar to the instruments being played live.

Believability

These observations should be viewed within a framework that posits our goal in audio for music is to achieve a level of believability in music reproduction where we aren’t distracted by sound quality and can hear what the artists, musicians, and engineers intended. While most listeners may not consciously seek believability as their primary goal in evaluating audio gear and recordings, I believe it is the logical destination of the audio hobby.

Different listeners may have varying concerns and sensitivities regarding believability. Our reviewers can’t predict those, so our job is to describe what the equipment does, based on what we’ve learned about the possible barriers to believability.

The Tidal Camira marks a significant step in addressing DAC distortions and rendering music more realistically than you might have thought possible. I listened to tracks from saxophonist Noah Preminger, percussionist Christopher Clarino, and violist Kim Kashkashian that delivered an experience so close to the proverbial “they were performing in my room” level. Even less-than-perfect recordings from Throwing Muses, Indigo Girls, and John Coltrane felt more engaging through the Camira, highlighting an essential point: you don’t want to be restricted to a small library of excellent recordings.

A Note on Circuit Design

The Camira LC features a level control (the LC in its name) designed to minimize impact on sound quality. Behind the volume knob is a motor-driven ALPS potentiometer, operable manually or with a remote. This potentiometer generates a signal indicating the desired volume level. The volume selection signal is transmitted, via an A/D converter, as a digital volume indication to a lossless level controller within the 4R4 ladder DAC.

The volume control employs a unique process to divide the music signal into equally sized pieces without sacrificing resolution. Digital level controls can often lose resolution, resulting in subpar sound. Some manufacturers add an analog volume control post-DAC as a compromise, effectively building a pre-amp in front of the output stages. Tidal takes a different approach, directly controlling the A to D process within the converter.

The sign-magnitude pure discrete 32-bit 4xR4R ladder DAC boasts several special features. The sign-magnitude circuit employs two ladders—one for positive signals and another for negative—to minimize crossover glitches that result from using two’s complement data in the PCM signal. This occurs during the digital conversion process, but designer Jorn Janczak compares it to the advantages of using class A versus class A/B amplifier circuits.

An FPGA is also employed, allowing Tidal to render 44.1 kHz sampled signals back to analog without typical tricks like upsampling. The Camira utilizes real fill-sampling, eliminating pre- and post-ringing of the digital filters. Additionally, Tidal leverages FPGA software to execute timing correction, delivering bits to left and right channels simultaneously—much like an analog signal. Class A analog stages are used along with careful linear regulation to achieve signal-to-noise ratios surpassing the best instruments' capabilities. Overall, 20 regulated voltage supplies are in play. As Janczak notes, “the devil is in the details to make all of this work.”

A substantial change with the new Camira LC is the shortening of signal paths. This effort involved significant packaging adjustments, reducing the Camira from three chassis to one. Since parts must be inserted and carried on the undersides of some boards, the structure is CNC routed.

This only scratches the surface, but it is clear Tidal has meticulously considered many factors to avoid digital and analog distortions. You may balk at the price of this endeavor, but if you do, consider the Camira LC a test bed for new ideas that will enhance future DACs. Experiments conducted by smaller companies come at a cost, and it may be wiser to explore these innovations before figuring out how to cost-reduce them.

Summary

The Tidal Camira is the best DAC I have tested to date. It is also the most expensive. While high quality is commendable, the true victory with the Camira lies in its breakthrough performance regarding treble transient quality, coupled with enticing enhancements in sound staging and bass delivery. I am genuinely impressed.

FAQs

• What makes the Tidal Camira LC stand out from other DACs? The Tidal Camira LC excels in treble transient unpacking, sound staging, and bass transient response, contributing to an unparalleled listening experience.
• Can the Tidal Camira LC handle a wide variety of music genres? Absolutely! It enhances various music genres, ensuring high-quality playback regardless of recording quality.
• Is the pricing of the Tidal Camira LC justified? While it is priced on the higher end, the technology, sound quality, and attention to detail make it a worthy investment for serious audiophiles.
• How does the Camira LC compare to vinyl playback? While both formats have their strengths, the Camira LC offers a digital experience that closely approximates the organic sound of vinyl, especially with high-quality recordings.
• What is the significance of the unique volume control in the Camira LC? The motor-driven ALPS potentiometer minimizes sound quality impact while ensuring precise volume control, a crucial feature for audiophiles.

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