Tekton Double Impacts

@aolprodj   Wow! Ezra 'IS' going all out. Perhaps @tektondesign  can post more about what's being created? 

@teajay  Good to hear. Can you or Allan can share electronics ahead of Allan's SEs? Thanks.

@aolprodj  Thank You. 

You have two systems posted. Which one are your SEs in?

Do you still have the T+A PA 3000 HV, shown in your HT system?  I ask as I have the 3100 in on demo and am curious if you are using it to the drive the SEs?

Thanks.

@aolprodj  Thank you. Email sent.

@mswobo would like to audition the Double Impacts.

He is in Central IL and also visits Chicago.

Does someone know of a DI owner local to him who may be open to having him over?

Post regarding a possible amplifier pairing for the SEs.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of demoing the Mastersound Evolution 845 Integrated Amplifier in-home.

It was demoed as is stock, with stock tubes and was run with signal through to the speakers for about 9 hours prior to first listen.

The following DACs were used: my primary DAC, the Denafrips Terminator; the North Star Designs Venti; and my Schiit Yggdrasil.

We also ran the Evolution 845 direct, bypassing it’s Preamp section and using the Pass XP-20 as Pre.

Those of you I have spoken with directly know that I recommend tubed components as a primary consideration for the SEs, despite my personal quest for a solid state pairing / solution.

As pointed out with regard to the Double Impacts by most, the SEs also showcased the individual flavors and signatures of the three DACs clearly. As well as the A/B/C/D differences between the T+A / Pass Separates / Mastersound / Mastersound + Pass XP-20 The direct A/Bing was conducted primarily with the Denafrips DAC and to a lesser extent with the North Star Design Venti.

I can say that the Mastersound, by itself and ALSO with it’s amplifier section alone, is a very nice pairing with the SEs.

For those of you who are more comfortable with and prefer to have more watts on hand especially from tubed components but still pine or crave for that SET magic: the EVOs 845s in Parallel SET at 55 watts per side, are worth considering.

@corelli  Actually, I can't keep up with my cables! : )  It's been a ride with cabling evaluations...however, all good now with terrific outcomes.

Not much component movement until recently. There have been two amp related demos. Still figuring that out.

I need to listen to the Lyngdorf again. I know how strongly Bill feels about it as well as Kenny and others here. And I'd love to listen to the new LTA gear that @lancelock has, preferably in his system once he gets his SEs. : )

@klh007  Thanks. I've seen the early bulletins on the 3400 and will keep an eye on the reviews/reports.

@corelli  Thanks for the update on your room treatments and Hsu subs and how you've been able to work them in and integrate them. I'd like to hear the DIs / SEs with subs. Great hearing about the improvements you've been able to make happen.

I have not posted photos of the SEs nor my current system before.

Here are links from my DAC review that have photos, inclusive of the T+A and Mastersound amplifiers on demo.

The room will look bare (still waiting on renovation to be completed downstairs) and is not treated BUT is actually, and luckily, well balanced.

https://www.denafrips.com/single-post/2018/03/23/Main-Review

https://www.denafrips.com/single-post/2018/03/23/Method-System-Room-Music

@corelli NOLA 73 Bright sun. 39% humidity 12mph winds. Perfect for a ride.

I have taken more than a few peeks at your system since you posted it. I’ve been meaning to post there and will. BTW, I expected to see a training bike where your comfortable chair is!

Thanks. The color is a Mercedes Diamond Silver (has some blue and some grey in the finish).

The console is normally pushed back about two feet from the back of the speakers and sits much closer to the wall. I’ve had it out for ease of cable changes, etc for the auditions.

@knollbrent   Brent, congratulations on your move to the Double Impacts as well. 

Looking forward to hearing more from both of you regarding your experience with the DIs.

All the best!

@stelo  Congratulations on the Double Impacts!

That's a significant replacement in terms of speakers  & type+subs.

Regarding placement, folks are doing it differently based on individual needs. You will get varying feedback on this. What you are doing to optimize placement and position for your room and needs is the best way to go about it.

I personally feel that out in the room is best. I had them (all approximate) 5 feet from the front wall, 5 feet from the side walls and about 8 feet apart with the listening position 8-9 feet from the center plane. I preferred strong toe in and kept them as such, but I was also fine with them pointed straight ahead.

Others have them closer to the wall, closer together, and sit closer or farther away.

@laaudionut  Any further updates on your SEs?

Update: I just concluded a very successful and compelling audition / demo of some truly terrific and exceptional amplification components.

I ordered the T+A PA 3100 HV integrated amplifier, which will now serve as a central piece in the system driving the SEs.

This has been said before but I will repeat it once again: The SEs are uber revealing of what is upstream of them.

@wig   Thank you! The T+A is a very special component. Dave / Audio Doctor @audiodoctor has described it in detail within some of his posts, in case you are looking for more information.

I'm looking forward to learning more about your SW1X II Std DAC. Congratulations on your Don Sach's and SW1X gear!

@corelli Blue is in. : )

Thanks. Things are coming together. I will update once the system is settled....nearly there.

@charles1dad   You were instrumental to the process and helped me sort through those critical final 'bits' leading to my choice. Thank You!!!

I’d like to point out and reinforce how well the Tekton SEs scale. This has become abundantly obvious, based on the gear I’ve had a chance to evaluate over the past four months.

Can other SE owners and those who have heard the SEs comment on this?

I’m confident I’m not close to their outer limits.

@grannyring  Bill, Thank you! I'd love your thoughts on it, given your extensive background and experience. I'll PM you so we can stay on topic with the Tekton speakers here.

I just pulled the SEs out of rotation for the first time in months! Have the gorgeous Italian Chario Academy Sonnet Monitor speakers (with bespoke/dedicated stands) fired up for the first time in over a year. Bi-wiring with two different brands/types of speaker cables, one of which needs run in time. I'll post summary findings vs the full range SEs, should anything stand out.

@teajay  Congratulations on the trifecta!

Any word on The Ulf expecting? : )

Thanks for bringing Marilyn Moore to my attention. Playing her via Tidal/Roon as I type. BTW, I love Sketches of Spain.

@yohimey  Welcome to Audiogon! It's all about the music and one's enjoyment. No matter what the path or gear. Great to hear you are loving your system and sound.

@craigl59  As you probably know, the Pass XA-25 is now @teajay 's reference and is driving his Ulfberths. I would reach out to him to get his take on it.

As for the Valvet E2, Alfred Kainz of highend-electronics is the Importer and will be really helpful if you reach out to him.

I also found the reviewer from 10Audio (they recently reviewed the E2) approachable and helpful. This was over email.

Unfortunately, I don't have direct experience with either since my recent amp adventures took a turn I wasn't expecting and led me in a different direction. 

Based on the reviews and personal first hand experience/impressions shared with me, I think you will be able to drive them to the levels you are expecting (in your large room) and maintain grip, etc. to give you the density/textural feel you are looking for.

@craigl59   Great that you have been able to connect with @teajay   Hopefully Alfred will be able to help you as well.

The Valvet E2 is not a common amp and it is relatively new so I doubt you will be able to get direct owner feedback with it paired to the DIs. As you know, a leap of faith is probably in order. : )

I have not explored the Lyngdorf 2170 to the full extent that I would like to. At some point, if I can get a unit to demo, I'd love to. As for my amp adventures:

The SEs made me realize that investing more in my system was justifiable and would be rewarded (and it has in major ways), so I changed my budget for amplification.

I brought the Lyric Audio Ti140 Mk II (Push-Pull KT150) in for testing out whether I wanted to move to tubes (vs solid state as represented by my Pass separates at the time).  I chose to go with integrated options to get more value for what I was planning and applying the savings from one less power cord, interconnect, and isolation platform and a set of footers into upping the budget for the integrated.

The few tubed options I had in system repeated a pattern (for me) - terrific and hard to beat for vocals and acoustics, with glorious mid-range performance; but they fell short vs solid state options (again, for me ONLY) on low midrange to low bass frequency performance and in not offering a balanced, even and consistent 'spotlight' across the entire frequency range of music. 

I tried the following in my own system: a tubed integrated (Mastersound and Lyric), a solid state integrated (T+A), a hybrid integrated (Ypsilon); all vs my Pass Labs separates. Other integrated options were Vitus, Gryphon, and Grandinote, all which I was unable to audition as my trip to do so (to NYC/NJ) fell through. All of the products I had in system are great performers and I can see someone choosing one over the other for any number of reasons.

I ended up going forward with the T+A integrated which ships from Germany next week.

On another note, and a surprisingly good development for me, the SR signal cabling I am using has nudged system sound towards being more 'tubelike' than my Audience cabling (in this system configuration).

@lancelock   Saw you mention that your SEs are on their way to you. Can't wait to hear what you think of them with your gear. 

@lancelock   I figured as much. : )  Which is why I posted here. I am very curious and excited to learn from you, firsthand, how the Ultralinear and the SEs pair. All the best.

@corelli  Well said. Thanks!

@harv1021  Congratulations on the SEs. Great to hear about your excellent experience with Tekton Design.

Here is a post, copied fully, so we have the information to refer to.

This is from @wasson3 and is regarding the Tekton Design Ulfberth Be speakers.  Thank you, Wasson3.

"Since I purchased the first pair of these speakers [Ulfberth Be] I would like to provide some information.

I first learned about Tekton back in December 2017 when I read about the DIs. I became very interested in the Ulfberhts still not knowing what to expect. I booked a flight to SLC and auditioned the speakers at Tekton’s company headquarters. I liked their sound but asked Eric if he was was willing to use upgraded drivers. He agreed on the satori be tweeters as the main upgrade and started building in January. They were delivered and set up last Wednesday.

To put my review into perspective: I am generally very skeptical about audiophile hyperbole. Reviews are often exaggerated and I was perfectly ok with a less than great sound. I looked at it as an experiment. I also have no problem (and often do) calling my own equipment mediocre if it indeed is. I don’t care if people don’t agree with me. There are more important things than a pair of speakers. I also have never posted on any forum and will probably never post again. I am only writing this to provide some information to people considering these speakers since mine are so far the only ones around as far as I know.

To summarize in one word, these speakers provide the most life like sound I have ever heard. They are transparent and crystal clear without being harsh. There is absolutely no comb filtering, something I was very concerned about since I like a wide open soundstage and don’t want to be limited to a ‘sweet spot’ for listening. They sit in a large 3000ft2 space and when first listening I always found myself looking back or into hallways or peripheral areas as you do automatically expecting to see somebody walking, rustling, breathing until I realized this was on the recording I was listening too. The sound is very 3-dimensional in a way I didn’t know was possible with 2 speakers. I am hearing details that I have never heard before. I am not sure why they sound the way they do. It may be the midrange tweeter hexagon arrays of 14 tweeters per speaker crossed for midrange or the upgrade to beryllium and low moving mass per driver or just the sum of all parts. I am not a speaker designer and don’t pretend to be.

I just wanted to give people who are thinking about these speakers some feedback.

They will certainly be the last speakers I will ever buy. I know there is owner bias and there are strong opinions about high end audio equipment, I can’t think of any other industry with more BS in marketing than high end audio. This all has to be considered when buying speakers.

Hope this helps."

+1 @corelli  : )

@laaudionut Wonderful to hear how happy you are with the SEs!!!

Brian, as far as "chasing the audio dragon" .... it's far easier to chase (in my opinion).....however, seeing that you have caught up to your dragon, be careful NOT to wake it up!!! : )

Once there, the ride gets far trickier.... Unless one is willing to submit and accept. [Something I am learning / struggling with / and trying to understand better]

Tom, you are in good company. Charles is the only one I know who has tamed his dragon. I'm sure there are others, I just don't know them personally. My point was in jest, but also has truth to it (at least for me).

Great to hear so many enjoying their Double Impacts and SEs.

@lancelock  Congratulations to you and your wife on your 20th Wedding Anniversary!

@lancelock  Great that you have your SEs in system! Looking forward to the photos.

Reasons you chose to go with the outriggers plus the Gaias? Thanks.

@nickwin I'll echo what @corelli says. Dispersion is excellent.

The GAIAs are 'sticky' in their contact to the flooring and the I's are fairly wide. Which is why I asked. I'm sure you will try them in both configurations. Let us know how it goes.

Understood. Photos are great. Thanks.

Posting because of a thread on "Most Resolving Speaker" and a related finding. As all of you know the SEs (and DIs) are highly resolving. Note: The gear ahead of the speakers needs to play the same game (i.e. this is not just about the SEs).

The T+A amp has a 20 Amp IEC. Since all my PCs were 15 Amp, The Cable Co sent me a Shunyata IEC adaptor so I could get a feel for my PC vs the stock T+A cable. The Adaptor and my PC cable ramped up overall performance vs the stock cable. Easily noticeable.

Given the upside from that test, I asked Triode Wire Labs to make a new PC (same as my PC loom) but with a 20 Amp IEC. The new cable, right out of the box, beat the Adaptor + 15 Amp PC (both fully broken in) in sound quality and performance. 

Making the point that the SEs are resolving / transparent to the degree that a change like the above is expressed and transmitted. Very cool.

@mofojo Posting your question here because it’s a GREAT question and the answers and insights from others may be helpful not only to you but to those who may be considering one or the other.

wondering if you can elaborate on the difference between the DI and DISE. Are there any types of music or anything you think the DIs do as well or better. Rock and metal are a descent portion of my listening. If that was compromised with a more “grown up” speaker that would be disappointing.  Thanks

My answer hinges on the quality of the recordings (for the rock and metal) you listen to. If the quality is "typically average" (the norm with both genres and especially so for many older recordings) then I believe the DIs are the better choice. The SEs will lay bare, to a greater degree than the DIs, the quality of the recording.

For example, Tidal/Roon served up The Rolling Stones’ Saturday Club recordings the other day. Sound Quality was not good.

This is my take. Others who have moved from the DIs to the SEs may have found differently. I encourage them to post their findings.

I posted this video in another thread, but I think the point is very apropos regarding the question you are asking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ku7tge9qppo&t=31s

@danonano  Thanks for sharing these reviews. They are thorough and should be very helpful to those considering the Double Impacts. 

@teajay Thanks for letting us know about the Ulfberth review at Stereo Times. Another terrific review!!!

Another update on the SEs and system related components and performance changes.

I recently swapped in the newly released Synergistic Research Atmosphere X Level 3 (Euphoria) speaker cables. They are fully broken in at this point.

For those of you that are considering tubed integrated amplifiers, the SEs when driven by the Lyric Audio Ti140 MkII and the SR SCs are a superb pairing. The Lyric is Push-Pull and is setup with stock KT150s (at this time).

@sbayne  has a post in his system page that reinforces THIS (and other points)....and though it doesn't need repeating, I find it continues to surprise me ever so often...synergy and matching is critical for overall system results.

@lancelock   Terrific news! Would love to hear more about how your isolation setup specifically added to overall performance (unless the "crushing dynamics and more bass" is the finding).

Will you also be getting the new Microzotl Preamplifier in for a comparison to the MZ2? I imagine the new Pre paired with the UltraLinear will again bump up overall sound quality and performance.

@lancelock   Thank you. If you ever get a chance (and I realize now that you have them set up, it will not be easy to do) it would be great to hear how the GAIA 1s perform straight into the base of the SEs vs into the Soundocity outriggers?

I would also expect (in your current configuration) seamless coherence / integration from the lowest bass into the lower mids, denser / greater solidity to the image(s), increased / better separation, and an enhanced yet more defined soundstage.

Regarding the Linear Tube Audio gear...it sounds like they have another set of winners in their arsenal. Looking forward to how your entire system comes together when everything is dialed in and settled. 

@harv1021 Thanks for the update and really cool that the SEs are coming into their own.

@lancelock I get why you don’t want to redo the Gaia 1 setup (another two times in this case!). : )

Congratulations on moving ahead with the Microzotl Preamplifier.

@teajay  Thanks for the update, Terry. Higher power output with SET like character and quality sounds like an ultimate winning combination! Congratulations, Aric.

Steve Guttenberg / The Audiophiliac: On the Tekton Impact Monitors

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uti4PJ5Aafs

@kerbouchard84  Dan, hope you are all set with your Double Impact audition with grey9hound. I believe @waltersalas  is also in your 'range' though he has the SEs. Keep us posted.

Terrific news. You are one of the few that will get to listen to the DIs and the SEs prior to making a choice. All the best!

@rubytuesday  Congratulations on your NEW SYSTEM! 

@waltersalas  Looking forward to your "More to follow...." with the SEs. : )

@rubytuesday +2 re: "Great Story." Our journeys are as interesting and rich as the performance of our systems.

@mac48025  Congratulations on the EML XLS 300B tubes and how they have already impacted overall sound quality. 

Here's a point that holds true for me, and (I believe) it does for most who have also moved to the SEs...(and the Ulfberths)...

For those who are deciding between the Double Impacts or the SEs, I encourage you to consider or, at the very least, factor this in.

Since the SEs went in system, my entire system is different than it was with the Double Impacts.

What's New: the SEs, Amplification (Pre/Amp), DAC, Renderer, Power Supply, Cabling, etc. It is a completely different system than what I had with the Double Impacts.

The exceptions: the very front end of my computer audio chain [server / network] (early in the process of also changing) and the isolation components in my system (which I may re-evaluate).

As I read posts made by other members who have the SEs, I see a similar pattern (mostly).

Our hobby is naturally one of improvement and upgrades, but I see a number of us (myself included) moving rapidly in this area. The SEs are Most Deserving of it.