I’ve been a member of Audiogon for a while but haven’t really had the need to utilize the forums until now... I’ve perused the forums pretty extensively the past couple of days but haven’t really found my specific question.... First some background: I’ve had my current system for quite some time (PSB image: 5t, 9c, 2b, subsonic 6; Denon AVR3311 as preamp; and a NAD T955 amp) and have been pretty happy with it... yes, I tend to hold on to my stuff for a while.... I recently decided to explore the option of upgrading/updating my speakers and was pretty interested in some midlevel stuff (SVS Prime, Emotiva, PSB X2T, Paradigm 8, 9, or 10 something…) but ultimately decided the $2000-$3000 price tag wasn’t worth the investment as they were all roughly in the same league as my PSBs... Somehow, I stumbled upon the review of the Tekton double impacts... don’t even know how I found it but there I was... I kinda chuckled to myself when the reviewer started comparing them to $20,000 speakers and then started calling them better at some things... I was a little pessimistic about the review because in my aforementioned research every speaker was the greatest thing since sliced bread.. (To be honest, in my eyes, the professional reviewers lost some credibility because every speaker was just great, couldn’t find a bad review no matter how hard I tried...) Anyhow, the comparison to speakers 7-10x in price piqued my curiosity so I started snooping around for any Tekton reviews I could find and lo and behold, everyone loves them and the comparisons to speakers multiple times their price were plentiful. Ok, so the Tektons are good and now I’m more interested than I should be…
So here’s the rub… I’ve never even considered spending $5000-$6000 on a speaker system (5.0-5.1). Never in my wildest dreams… I’ve always had a theoretical limit of $3k and never gave anything above that a thought. Along comes Tekton with speakers that are in the 5-6k price range (5.0-5.1) but are being compared to speakers $20,000+ and the fact people are putting them in the same league as speakers in that price range, and saying they are better in some instances, is intriguing…
So here’s where I am asking for some assistance. It seems the Tekton lineup is a unique opportunity to acquire reportedly superior sonic performance with apparently unparalleled value. However, $5-6k is a TON of money in my world.. It won’t break the bank but admittedly, it bends it pretty significantly and spending this kind of money on speakers definitely wasn’t a consideration even a week ago… Personally, I am seeing this as a once in a lifetime purchase (am 43 and would expect these to be the last major speaker purchase of my life) but I do need to justify to my betrothed. My original sales pitch to her included the analogy “it seems they are selling Lamborghinis for the price of a Mustang…” and “I really don’t think there will be another opportunity like this” (when did I start selling timeshares???!!!) There are other barriers with her as well (e.g., “They’re how big?!”) but she does have somewhat of an understanding of how much I like music and stereo stuff.. somewhat…
So my actual questions:
To those that have actually heard the speakers, (transducers?)… do you really feel they are leaps and bounds better than typical speakers in the 3-6k range (generally speaking…)? For comparison, I liked the SVS Ultras but due to price and size (yeah, I know how big the Tektons are..) I put them in the “maybe someday” category. To be clear, I’m not asking is “x better than y?” but rather “Do these $3000 speakers really belong in the same class as $20,000 speakers????
In your humble opinions, is this really a rare/unique opportunity with unparalleled value that is a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” or are situations like this (incredible value for the money) more common?
I can’t even claim to have a basic understanding of electronics, I’ve read up on ohms and what not and my eyes glaze over.. I spoke with Eric and he, without hesitation, stated my NAD T955 would be plenty sufficient to run whatever options I went with. Thoughts? I intend on using the NAD until it dies (hopefully no time soon) and will deal with next steps when the time is right…
I am super nervous about ordering something so expensive unheard, If anyone is interested, I would like to have a discussion relating to my type of music and listening environment/levels.. (not including in this post to keep size down..)
Any other relavant information I haven't considered, particularly in the area of justifying a purchase such as this?
There are probably 100 other little tidbits I could include in this but I am trying to be as brief as possible and I still wrote a novel… Anyhow, any productive assistance would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
I did buy the DIs back in May and just recently finished the room they will live in.. Obviously that took a LOT longer than I ever would have anticipated... As for the speakers, they were absolutely amazing in my fairly large family room straight out of the box (I had to at least play with my new toys while building the room).. Absolutely amazing!!! My dedicated room is presenting some challenges due to the small size so I am addressing those challenges at the moment and getting a crash course education in acoustical engineering. To be perfectly clear, I don't blame the DIs in the least as I know what they can do but I cannot come out and say they are as good in my dedicated room. I am working on sound control at the moment and will update as warranted..
@aniwolfe i too hear that phrase and it is something to be cautious of concerning audio equipment . It is sort of along the lines of " needs tlc" and should make one wary. In this case I would not use the that phrase when describing these speakers. They are detailed without being bright. They are not harsh in any way and are extremely musical. I will be interested to hear your thoughts about them! greg
That's great news to hear. I have tinnitus and definitely looking forward to hearing this speaker with my equipment soon. Whenever I read the term very revealing I get very cautious and shy away from those types of speakers. But these seem special from everything I have read. Hopefully I can confirm this in a week or 2.
la10slgr, FWIW, I purchased a pair of Tekton DI's after reading reviews here and elsewhere. People were genuinely impressed and surprised by their capability while others were doubtful. I took a chance on these knowing i could send them back and be done with it. I set them up and was very impressed right off. After 30+ hours and a number of different CD's I have found them to be very very good in a number of ways. I also have tinnitus and I do not find these speakers to aggravate that at all. There were certain cd's I have played with my Gallo 3.5 reference speakers that my ears would not tolerate but played with the DI's they are spectacular. They are round tones, warm, natural sound to the ear. The tone and timbre are marvelous. The soundstage and imaging are, to me, impeccable. Very real and life like. The bass is rich and textured even at my lowest listening volume, which is 1!!!. I still can't believe it! I stay up too late now listening, and nobody in my small wooden house can hear it. There is nothing about this speaker I don't like and everything to look forward to. I will change some cabling to tweak the sound a little here and there. My wife, who is not an audiophile, but loves music, was never really engaged with the Gallo speakers. She is thoroughly engaged now with these DI's. Actually, we sit and listen together and we talk about life. We have been affected by the music. What blew her socks off was a James Taylor Live CD. We are literally in the room with all of the people. It is truly astounding and to be honest I didn't expect them to be this good. I feel lucky to have read these threads about the Tekton products and I feel even luckier to own a pair of DI's. I have the upgraded version. I have auditioned other speakers in the past, i have heard some other systems. I still remember the best sound I ever came across on Martin Logans with Mac tube gear. My system sounds as good, if nit better than that. I have a hz meter app on my phone and heard 21.53 hz on a classical piece. Very detailed, clear, balanced. Never is the bass, or any other instrument, out of scale. I am keeping these! It will be this speaker that I build my system around. BAT VK 500 amp, VK 51se pre tube, VK5dse tube cd, speltz silver IC's, speltz reference speaker cable, zu power cords. Zu was better than speltz power cord and it was my wife that could hear the difference when I switched it out. There it is! Greg
Oh I oh I almost forgot this- there is one big problem with the these speakers if you are married. Your wife will surely hate them, lord knows mine does. They're quite big. It's worse for me- my wife has a bachelors in interior design. She is freaking out about their size. They're too good to give up so she will have to adjust. I think all audiophiles have to deal with this kind of thing. Wives never get it and don't care.
Ok I posted a while back before I got the DIs-well I've been listening to them a week- and I've really been listening because my wife is at her parents the whole week. I get to blast it as loud as I want till 4-5 in the morning. Fun fun. Anyway these speakers are that good. I've had the Grand Veenas the last 4 years. Amazing speakers but these are a whole other level. More alive, more micro details, more slam better bass, cleaner highs. Forget what they cost, they are reference level regardless of price. Terry London my friend and the one who wrote the review on these, has heard most speakers out there and thinks these are the best. He's never steered me wrong so I'm sure he's right. One reminder- I am a musician for 37 years, professional for 21 and I play 8-9 instruments. I know what every instrument sounds like in the real world. I'm confident to say I hear better than non musicians because of all my years of training and experience. I play all my instruments at a high level and I've done loads of studio recording. You can trust me you can't go wrong with these speakers. Oh I'm listening to discs I've had for 30 years, albums I've heard a million times and im hearing things I've never heard before. Amazing.
I wasn't doubting anybody's credibility I have googled around the web and couldn't find any measurements on any of Tekton speakers and I'm just primarily curious which model is being talked about.
As you probably know the DI's is the only Tekton speaker that I have heard and unfortunately there is a lot of hype involved but I can easily look past that.
I really only care about great sound that gets me closer to the music I love and my current setup gives me the best sound I've ever had.😃
I've done on axis and off axis measurements with my crappy little iPhone audio tool app within 5db all the way. Mostly within 2-3. The DIs measure better than anything I've owned in the past 6 years in a room at my home and that's with a tube preamp. Maybe not real scientific but I do like them better than any speaker I've owned thus far by a good margin. B&W Diamond one of the big ones, 802 maybe measured worse than the Tekton stereophile measured I believe. I got no dog in the race, to my ears they are really freakin good with everything I throw at em.
I must say I have emailed and spoke to a couple of longtime Agon members who have owned some of the best gear available and know what is hype vs. the real deal. Kenny, the previous poster is one such Agon gem. Each one loves the DI and praises it as the best speaker they have owned. I believe them and have no reason to believe otherwise. They have proven trustworthy with no secret agenda. It is both possible and likely it represents the best value ever seen in speakers. Good for us all!
One speaker was put on the meter and graphed out, forgetting which model and it basically performed average at best.The posters even went further stating the reason we as consumers havent seen anything on the Double Impact is it would most likely fall on its face.
Can you provide any links to this website.
I personally have measured my pair of DI's in my own listening room and was quite pleased with the results proved to me the why's and how's of the sound I'm hearing.
You can label me a "Fanboy" if you desire but they are the best measuring and best sounding speaker that I have owned in my 35yrs in this hobby.
I wouldnt worry about it Milpai,some people get all uptight when challenged or disagreed with.From what Ive read(not on this site as like I said a few here are leading the charge for speaker of the decade ) but on more realistic forums the Tektons are not holding their own very well.One speaker was put on the meter and graphed out, forgetting which model and it basically performed average at best.The posters even went further stating the reason we as consumers havent seen anything on the Double Impact is it would most likely fall on its face..Their words not mine,Again I havent heard Tekton and until the make the over to retail stores I doubt I will.
Hi Mapman. Those old paper based maps worked also! Not a bad analogy, eh..... : ) I remember spending hours at the map stores, when I was a kid. Great memories.
I agree and would add that even current 'cheaper' speakers can sound great once the system ahead of them is optimized and is working well together.
As for a house sound for Tekton speakers, I cannot comment since the Double Impacts are my first Tekton speakers.
There are others who have had multiple models who will be able to answer your question.
Whenever I hook up an older pair of "cheap" speakers to my newer much better (than what I used to run old speakers off of) electronics the results never fail to impress me. My 40 year old OHM Ls ($400 a pair in 1978) never sounded better and compete with much more expensive modern speakers.
I think Billy Joel may have gotten it right. Older speakers are often bigger and can be much badder than modern often undersized big brothers that cost way more, when fed equally well and set up right. Inflation is a bugger! Plus I am much better able to set these things up well these days than I was many years ago after years of trial and error and learning.
I dont believe the poster nor me is "bashing" them.Im just saying (and I think he is as well)that a flavor of the month comes and goes thats why they are called "flavor of the month"..and if the same posters completely dominate,salivate,go on and on makes me think..ok here we go again...Maybe they are as good as speakers costing 10 times or more,maybe not,wouldnt know until heard and since they are online sales only as far as I can see makes one wonder..I did read on another site the comments are not as overwhelming in the postive and are more what one would expect considering the cost and look.Maybe if the manufacture would actually do some measurements we could see,that might help.
Milpai, I recommended the Ulfberhts because they met all of the OP's requirements, and sound mighty damn good while doing it. Maybe you should try them before bashing them....
No need to be suspicious here. I have a pair of the Double Impacts breaking-in. In my 2 channel/HT system and they sound very good. They do compete well with higher cost speakers. They replaced my Monitor Audio GX300's and sound much better at half the price.
in my dedicated listening room upstairs I have JansZen zA2.1 hybrid electrostats with the very similar tube amplification from LTA. The DI's do not top my Janszen's in sound quality but the DI's do their own thing very well and if you don't have 4x the money for the Janszen's then the DI's really are a bargain.
I am beginning to feel the same @missioncoonery . There is another thread asking recommendations for $25k loudspeaker pair. One of the "handful of owners" responded with Tekton Ulfs on 07/03. The OP, nor anyone else in the thread responded to that. So one of the "handful of owners"
made the same recommendation for the same loudspeaker yesterday. I have not heard the Tektons, but that huge thread and the same people recommending the speakers over and over again is making me suspicious. Not sure what is going on here.
It appears there are a handful of owners that are pushing/posting the DI into the hall of fame of speakers.I admit I havent heard these speakers but they could'nt look any more distacting,IMO..I would suggest before jumping on the flavor of the month band wagon to listen to them and judge for yourself
Also also, I have some questions about electrical as well as air circulation so if anyone has knowledge in those areas and would like to help let me know and I'll shoot you a message..
We are already wayyyyyyy off the original topic here but since the thread is already established.... I have some questions regarding sound containment and y'all seem to know some things....
Now that the framing is up I can officially state the size of the room is 11x15... the room is freestanding as it is not attached to any structural walls or the ceiling. There will be 2 layers of insulation on the ceiling. Since I have a subfloor below my basement I put the framing on top of a layer of 1/4 inch styrofoam. I am double drywalling with green glue in between layers and will have insulation between the studs.. I am considering using the aforementioned styrofoam as a buffer between the studs and drywall.. Of course the spaces between drywall panels will be sealed and the outlets and whatnot will be sealed as well, most likely with spray insulation...
I don't plan on finishing the drywall so am curious about how to "finish" the walls and have the makings of a good sound space and also contain sound as much as possible...this is s a dedicated room so functionality is the important part... my original intent was to put industrial carpet on the walls and call it good... I am also considering curtains or panels that are similar to moving blankets but made specifically for the purpose of absorbing sound...
thoughts on on these ideas? Also open to suggestions as well but at this point cost is becoming more and more of a factor so please keep that in mind...
i couldnt stand having them staring at me any longer so I hooked them up to the original system I listed at the beginning of the thread.. *****i didnt change any of the settings on my receiver (room adjustments, equalization) so i know this isnt optimal**** nor is it the final destination for the DIs but I wanted to hear them!!! First impressions: 1. Yeah, that efficiency is there! These things effortlessly fill up a 10x14 room with 18 ft vaulted ceilings (just realized thats the size of the new room sans the ceiling space..) and a breakfast nook, and on into the kitchen with clarity 2. I found that bass I was worried about.. If there was supposed to be deep bass, there was deep bass, if the bass wasnt that low, it wasnt that low etc.. I feel they are very accurate speakers.. 3. Said differently, everything was very even... i found I could focus on any instrument and easily hear it in detail or I could "pull back" and not focus on anything specifically 4. At loud volumes (I mean ridiculously loud.. rock concert level...) the highs lost some clarity but im chalking that up to a couple of factors.. first and foremost, I didnt flatten the eq and my PSBs require a little boost in the higher range... Secondly. The speakers have not had adequate break in time. Now, at more reasonable levels they were just fine 5. The size does take a little getting used to but after a couple of days my wife didn't even mind them being in the room... so needless to say the 1-2 day trial has been extended...
in other news.. the room construction should begin in earnest within the next week or so along with other odds and ends falling into place as well... wish me luck!
obviously I'll l update the impressions once everything is in place
I can't argue that everyone hears differently, just as no two voices are the same. One of my best friends has Wilsons and they just leave me cold. I guess the only thing I would say is in my case what I hear in any stereo is more objective than usual because of my many years as a musician. As I said before I've heard every instrument many times in the real world so I know exactly what everything should sound like. And please believe me I'm not trying to be arrogant or a know it all. And as I said I haven't yet heard the DIs so I can't say anything about them until Mike ships them to me in the next 3 weeks. I'm sure they're amazing and I'll weigh in again once I have them in the house.
Sslide, thanks for your comments. Most interesting and good for us to hear. Please remember what may sound good to you and Terry may still not be someone else's sonic bliss. We humans hear differently, have sonic flavors we prefer, and nothing in the world of audio is absolute except the fact that all preferences are subjective with no right or wrong. I am constantly amazed how some folks praise gear I have not really cared for as well as the reverse.
I am sure some like the sound of Wilson speakers better than Tekton and that is most understandable. It is just the simple truth about our individual preferences.
Oh one other thing- I'm married and anyone who is can relate to the wife acceptance factor. My wife has a bachelors in interior design and always complains my Grand Veenas are too big for our living room. She's gonna really freak when I get the DIs since they're bigger. But usually they get used to it once the speakers are in the room. Plus we finally got a new fridge stove and hood so she's super happy and I'm hoping it will ease the blow when the speakers arrive. Maybe you can get something new for the house to appease her.
I will be getting the DIs from Mike at Audio Archon- he's a very good friend. The home theater reviewer terry London is also our good friend. I will say this- I am a high level professional musician, been playing 37 years and I know exactly what every instrument sounds like in the real world, my ears are good and accurate as ears can be. I'm also somewhat of an engineer I've done tons of studio and home recording over the years. Anything terry London says can be 100% trusted, he and Mike Kay hear like musicians. My entire system has been recommended by terry and Mike, they're never been wrong. Yes these speakers are better than $50,000+ speakers. Furthermore magico Wilson etc suck, they sound like hi if not real music. They spend more on advertising and people buy into it and pay insane amounts of money for inferior speakers. I do agree with one of the posters in this thread that everything matters- wires, DAC, player, amps. But I do think speakers make the biggest difference in the sound. I also agree you have to hear them in your room- the room is huge in the equation. Terry has said these are the best speakers he's ever heard, I believe him. If you can afford the $300 to ship them back if you don't like them by all means give them a try, but to the original poster I would suggest better electronics as well. The best pre the three of us has heard? Linear Tube Audio microzotl a bargain at around $2000. Best DAC- concert Fidelity, wires MG cables. Power cords Furutech. Power conditioner Furutech. Get all these and the DIs and you'll never need to buy anything again for a long time.
+1 also rebbi. I have had the same experiences as you in the past. I have also found what a particular reviewer thinks is great sounding may just be OK with me at best. They have prejudices when it comes to sonic personalities and often have different sonic priorities.
Tekton Design offers a 60 day home trial. Most direct to end-user speaker companies do the same and it is absolutely worth taking advantage of. I would not have purchased the Tekton Double Impacts without a home trial guarantee.
I know that I am ridiculously late to the party on this one, but for whatever it’s worth, I can’t agree more emphatically with the truth that you simply can’t know how a given speaker is going to strike your fancy until you have heard it in your room, with your music, connected to your equipment. I’ve had an embarrassing number of speakers pass through my listening room over the years and I have regularly been surprised – both on the positive and negative side of the ledger – by how a particular design sounded. I also want to say that I’ve come to feel strongly that if you’re going to purchase a speaker directly from the manufacturer, it needs to come with a reasonable audition period. Speakers with dynamic drivers (I don’t really have any experience with planar magnetic or electrostatic designs) are mechanical devices and I’ve no doubt that the sonic changes that come with the mechanical break-in of the speaker surround, "spider" and so forth are real phenomena and not just psychological artifacts. So, it’s a matter of spending a reasonable amount of time with the speaker in your own environment, rather than reading specification sheets, etc. For whatever that’s worth!
@la10slgr: Congratulations. Great news about your room! Looking forward to your impressions and evaluation of the Double Impacts (I believe that is what you went with, correct?).
been "off the grid" for a while so figured I would update... I want to thank everyone for contributing (within this thread, messaging, and in a couple of cases actual conversations..) and helping me think about the "investment" from a variety of angles.. I took that little field trip to Utah and got to audition the DIs live and in person. On the negative side, the DIs were the only speakers available (no Enzo 2.7s or Electrons lying around...) On the plus side, they sounded pretty amazing... The "room" was a small-medium size warehouse so I can't say what they will sound like in my room but here are my impressions: 1) amazing clarity and detail.. On one song I have listened to for well over 20 years the clarity of the guitar confused me a little as it sounded different than what I am used to, can't wait to experience that with all of my favorites... 2) size is large yes, but not as obnoxious as I feared.. Especially considering they were sitting right in front of the new ulfberhts... those things are ridiculously tall!!!! no, I didn't get to listen to them... 3) bass was surprisingly ... light? I chalked that up to being in a warehouse and actually felt a little relieved as people have mentioned the bass would be overwhelming in my room... so as it is, I have 2 big boxes in my living room..
Why in boxes in my living room???? Well, the project has been going slower than I had hoped but I am hopeful things will really be picking up here in the next couple of weeks... but the good news is the room has grown to 10x14 ft as it moved to a different area of the basement... Also, I am learning all about sound dampening/isolation and have my fingers crossed that a sweet little integrated will be coming my way... I don't want to jinx it...
Bullitt, have you tried tubes in the signal path at all? Does your 4520 have a preamp input? I have an older Denon 5803 that I picked up in a pawn shop for $150. Score! Its amplifier section is pretty descent. You could probably find a used tube preamp into the Denon and you may be amazed at the color and vibrancy it brings just for a test to see if you like it. The DIs are easy to drive so the wattage of the 4520 is probably fine for now. IMO through my experiments the preamp is possibly the most important thing in the chain. I am sure 50% will disagree.
@la10slgr I am a DI owner. Basically bought them to prove to myself they weren't all hype, but never thought they would displace my much loved B&W 804s. They did. They are superior in all aspects. I was surprised. I am now, in fact, going to send them back for a DI SE upgrade. Like you, I don't have over-the-top electronics. I'm using a Denon 4520 to power them. Despite that, everyone that hears them, that were already use to some pretty decent B&W product in my HT, are just blown away. I am now going back through my signal path and upgrading things. Every time I do, the DIs take advantage of the change. Even with my lowly 4520 still at the end of the path. It's looking like a major amp upgrade will be in my future though. I hope Santa has good taste in separates.
Ok, so went and tested monitors... best they had to offer at either of the 2 places in town was svs ultras (admittedly, one place the guy heard my tool cd and wasn't going to let me get within 3 feet of his equipment.. if that's his thing then he doesn't need my money so I left...) they weren't bad but weren't quite what I was looking for either...
@helomech, that's a thought (getting some ls50s for in home...)
Rotarius is correct. You do not need large drivers or speakers to get deep bass in a 9x11 room. You keep mentioning that the cost of good monitors and a sub will basically equate to the same cost as some DI's. True, however, you could easily spend a couple hundred $$$ (more if using brand name panels) in room treatments trying to make a large floor stander sound good in a 9x11 room.
3-way and beyond speakers are highly overrated, especially in the typical domestic setting. I've auditioned numerous 3-way speakers under $5k and none of them outperformed my 2-way Spendors in coherency, dynamics, tone, or detail. Some of them had deeper bass due to their size, but were outclassed in every other respect. I have a plenty large enough room (25x15) for floor standers but still prefer stand mounted 2-ways.
Here's an almost risk-free proposition: order an integrated amp and some decent size stand mounters from Crutchfield, something along the lines of Monitor Audio Silver 2s or KEF LS50s. They only charge $10 for return shipping of each item. You can place some MDF board on top of cinder blocks for temporary stands. Give the system a try for a couple weeks. Of course, ask the Crutchfield Rep to confirm their return policy first, but total cost for this experiment should be around $35, assuming you'd need to buy the cinder blocks.
This might put to rest your idea of floor stander superiority.
@529proaudio: thanks for the tips, im currently reading up on sound isolation and treatment.... as for the kefs, y'all have been persistent enough thst im going to make the rounds and see what i can hear before buying anything.. but it wont be until next weekend...
I would implore you to factor into your budget some proper acoustic treatment to neutralize the small space before you do anything. Highly recommend GIK panels given their price point and quality. Put bass traps in all four corners and hang some panels from the low ceiling to prevent comb filtering from early reflections. This will help disappear the ceiling. If I were you I would demo the KEF LS50 and call it a day. For that small of a room, this seems like a no brainer.
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