Tide16 can definitely throw people off at first glance. It looks a bit like the mass‑market gear you’d see at BestBuy or Costco, but once you dig in, it’s a very different animal. It’s an AVP, right? So shouldn’t it have every feature your big‑brand processor has—and at the same price?
Well… not quite.
First, there’s the reality of scale. Even though we have a large product portfolio, miniDSP is a small, focused team, and our priority has always been audio quality and flexible processing. That’s our lane, and we’re sticking to it. So no, you won’t be spotting Tide16 on a BestBuy shelf anytime soon. Matching the pricing expectations of giant consumer‑electronics brands just isn’t realistic for us. The good news is that there are indeed a lot of great brands in that section of the market.
Tide16 is really about bringing the signature miniDSP flexibility into the AVP world. Things like advanced matrixing, multi‑way active speaker support (our roots), and solid audiophile performance—that’s where we put our energy. It’s built for people who want control, customization, and great sound.
Like any product design, we unfortunately can't please everybody but we do hope that you'll get to witness what Tide16 can do!