Pretty amazing teajay. Really appreciate your posts on these different amplifier options. Must be some nice synergy between the 4 ohm DI's and the Micro-ZOTL.
A bit ago you gave a nice review to the Melody 300b, an interesting design that used two 300b's in push pull. Do you still have that amp?
Please keep the posts coming on your impression of different amp/DI combinations you try. Thanks
mac, when do you anticipate delivery of your Micro-ZOTL?
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Thanks for the info Charles. I was looking at the Tone Imports page where they did not have the 508ia listed. Sounds like another good option to look at.
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Charles, did you mean the 518ia?? I can't find a 508 in their line up. I ask because as I mentioned before the 518ia is one integrated on my radar. I have to believe this would be a great match as well. Off the 4 ohm tap it's distortion signature is that of falling even harmonics--hardly any odd order. (see stereophile review) I don't place a lot of faith in specs but this pattern often is quite pleasing.
I think as teajay said it's all what your looking for. That's where it's so helpful to hear from you guys that have actually played with these toys!
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Charles, again thanks for the further info/advice. I'll be sure to check out Audio shark.
Walter, your experience will probably parallel ours in that the DI's are good out of the box and rapidly improve. I did not find these took nearly the time of my VSA VR-33's (those took forever). I'm really looking forward to your comments on your amp/speaker interface.
david_ten, I have read about Decware over the years. I could be way off here but I wonder if the LM gear provides a bit more low end weight and control. It just seems to be a great value and clearly one of the top lines out of China. The Melody AN300b looks like another great choice. Twin 300's in push-pull. Read teajays review. This captured the known attributes of the 300 tube while having impressive extension on both ends all while possessing 3D imaging. Then there's the LTA gear.
The DI's open up a whole new world of lower powered choices I never had with the Magnepans. Yes, this is fun.
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Charles, I must say I admire how you followed your ears and put together a system that keeps you very happy--and have stuck with it!! I look in disbelief at how some on Audiogon have gone through incredible amounts of equipment in a never ending quest.
If I died today listening to my DI's driven by my Marantz Reference gear (as I am now-Handel Organ Concerto/Harmonia Mundi SACD) I would feel lucky to have enjoyed such great music reproduction in my home.
That doesn't mean I don't enjoy possibilities. This site makes it fun to gather information and learn from others experiences.
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mac, it should be fairly easy to bypass the volume control. How are you with a soldering iron?? I'm like you and don't even care for switches I don't need in the circuit.
Might not want to order it without the volume control--not that you would ever sell it! :)
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Walter, how are the DI's sounding?
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Glad to hear it Walter. Again it's remarkable how consistent the impressions of this speaker are in terms of dynamics, sound stage, etc.in all our different systems I'm sure your LM 805 is a great match. Will look forward to your comments down the road. I do believe that subtle improvement will be noted as crossover caps, suspensions settle in.
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cmss, what aspect of the DI's disappointed you?
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Question for Charles, Teajay, or any others with direct insight.
Have an opportunity to pick up a Melody integrated, the AN211 at about half retail. Seems like it would have plenty of power for the DI's. From what I have read seems to be a very nice amp. Any downsides to the 211 tube I ought to be aware of? Are there any safety concerns relative to the high voltages the 211/845/805 power tubes employ? (aside from the kids, pets, burning down the house stuff).
Teajay, you really loved the AN300. Have you ever heard the AN211?
Thanks guys.
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david_ten
Interesting. I originally checked out the 2A3 (astro22) but it is no longer imported.
I am looking for an integrated tube amp that complements my SS marantz gear.
My priorities:
--BIG 3D soundtage with air about performers/instruments
--tone, color
--need to maintain some speed/transient abilities--no maple syrup please.
--I can give up deep bass, but not top end extension
appreciate the input!
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Thanks to everyone for your thoughts. I appreciate what you are saying Charles. The Melody AN300 may be a good example of this. A push pull design no doubt is a big part of that but per teajay it still imparts many of many qualities we look for in a SET amp.
I do like what I see in the Melody and Line Magnetic gear. Also I need to give a call on the LTA integrated that's in the works.
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Walter, I was wondering how things were going for you. Glad to hear you are having fun. Will welcome further thoughts. Do you have any SS gear? Would be interested in any comparisons there as well. I'm sure your 805 has plenty power for the the DI's.
Mac, that was quick. Excited for you and look forward to your thoughts!
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Good to hear some feedback on C-core transformers. When I went to the Audio Note Kit site, their 34 C-core mono blocks looked interesting along with I believe their L4 preamp which used a triple c-core on its output. Not sure how important those are on the preamp output if using short interconnects. Any thoughts? There gear looks to be very well thought out with very high quality parts.
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Graham,
How big is your room?
What type of music do you like?
What equipment have yo purchased?
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Deadfan 23,
I agree that the DI's would be plenty of speaker for your room. Now as to which one would please you best--tough call.
You might be very wise to await Terry London's review of the Ulfbrecht if that is in your budget. Will it sound 4x as good as the DI's? No, but it certainly ought to do some things better given the cost difference. More effortless, even greater clarity, deeper soundstage--we shall see. But I do believe that the DI's will remain in the sweet spot on the performance/price curve of the Tekton line.
As for the 1812's, I don't have a clue. I have to believe they would sound different from the above two speakers as the driver configurations would have different appearing wave launches and dispersion patterns. One question I might have with the 1812's--can the woofer be placed against the front wall and the the other two arrays be brought out into the room to optimize bass extension (which probably is not a priority for you) while maintaining a great sound stage? I only bring this up because in my dedicated room I have the DI's 6 feet from the front wall. They sound great--but they do not go down to 20hz. Probably 32 would be my guess.
So far, Eric is the only one who has heard all three, so I'd be asking him very focused questions on the things that are important to you in a speaker. Good luck and keep us posted on what you find out.
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Walter,
Good to hear back on your experience with the DI's. There are so many good choices out there these days. A nice problem indeed. I'm glad to hear you have enjoyed your DI's. I love their abilities in creating a holographic sound stage. They replaced Magnepan 1.7's, a speaker lauded for its coherency. I find the DI's to be at least as good in this regard. Your Ulysses must be very special.
I opted for the plain satin black finish and I must say that if I could do this over, I would opt for the same. It just seems to up the value factor to a very high level. At the same time it fades away with the lights down and leaves just the music. (I love a beautiful wood/veneer product, but I tell myself it competes with the music. So I'm very content.)
I once laughed at a friend who had 7 different bikes. Now that my biking interests have expanded, I totally get it. Every machine is a compromise, each with it's strengths and weaknesses to one degree or another.
Do you remain happy with your LM 805? Curious if you have owned SS gear and how you feel the 805 compares.
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Kenny,
That is correct, it's a double CD of the original broadway cast. I remember when my wife used to love this genre and I was so slow on the uptake. Shame on me. Of all the broadway CD's that I have this may be the best. And that's saying a lot. What a great story beautifully retold in music. Again, it took me several time through to really appreciate what a great work this is. So open a bottle of Vino and enjoy. Sounds so great on the DI's!
Yes, just a gentle retorque is all that is needed. Most of the screws were fine, but a few clearly benefited from a little snug down.
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Gentleman,
Appreciated all the thoughtful posts today. Good food for thought.
I too listen primarily to Redbook and occasionally SACD. I thankfully saved the LP's of my youth. While I enjoy them on occasion, overall I find the sound of well engineered CD's very satisfying and this is what I listen to 99% of the time.
DI tweak--IT'S TIME TO GENTLY TIGHTEN THE DRIVERS. I did that last night and the soundtrack to Hamilton sounded better than ever--killer. Tight, tight and deep bass
Kenny, Let me take you in a totally different direction on CD suggestions. The Hamilton CD I have mentioned more than once sounds absolutely great on the DI's. It really shows off the low end capabilities of the DI's . (This may be a big reason I am enjoying my SS gear so much right now driving the DI's) The sound stage is great. It is a very well engineered CD set. And most of all the performance--WOW! A great musical journey into the story of one of the Founding Fathers. If you can listen to this and not be totally emotionally involved and moved (imagine this on tubes my my valved brethren!!) than I would be at a loss to explain why. It SOUNDED so good it took me a number of times through to really appreciate everything going on here. Best present my daughter ever gave me!
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vitop
I suspect clarity can actually improve with a properly executed large tweeter array. The end result of a large diameter tweeter array is controlled dispersion which can increase direct sound and decrease reflected sound. Far less distortion as well. It's like a really large set of headphones. I find when direct sound increases so does clarity and detail.
Perhaps the perceived increased clarity of the Brilliance has more to do with the voicing/drivers/crossover of that model.
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Yes, mofojo, Eric was quite open about the brand of caps and coils your $300 got you. So not quite sure where audioman is getting the impression this is all guarded information.
Teajay, I also noted my original review that the DI's do a very nice job of conveying a sense of the venue of the performance. I would be surprised if the Ulfs can't discriminate in this regard. As others have stated makes one question either room/placement issues or associated gear. If that's not the case....well,I'd keep my DI's.
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As I recall 1/4-20 lancelock.
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@kdude66
Kenny, I was interested in the reworking of your DI's. In particular how you changed your woofers from the alphas to the betas. On paper these are two different drivers. I could see how the betas with their larger magnets might offer slightly more efficiency and tighter bass, but at the expense of low end extension. The betas do have a slightly higher Fs as expected.
On a somewhat related note, how do these drivers achieve such low end extension when their resonant frequencies are in the low 50's?? They obviously extend well beyond that but I always read that Fs defines the low end extension and even in a reflex enclosure this seems way deeper than I would expect. Any thoughts?
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bullitt, what preamp will you be using?
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bullitt,
I must apologize. Did not read your post carefully enough. You clearly are looking for an amp, not an integrated.
I must agree in your case grannyring makes a nice suggestion.
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bullitt,
With your given budget I would highly suggest you consider a marantz integrated which is what I have been using to drive my DI's. I do not find this integrated to be cold or clinical in the least. Coupled with one of their SACD players it's a sound I can listen to for many hours. I keep toying with the idea of tubes but I really feel this gear does far more right than wrong. I listen to a wide variety of music--and when it comes to large scale works the Marantz Reference gear has been so composed and satisfying I'm quite happy.
There are some very knowledgeable friends on this thread and I would never argue the satisfaction they have with their gear nor do I doubt them. But for me, right now, this is an easy recommendation on your budget.
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Thanks David. Actually just a meager 100+ posts now.
Didn't think this thread would be going so strong after 3 months. I've really enjoyed watching this thread meander in different directions as more people enjoy their DI's (and other Tekton speakers). This really has proven to be a versatile speaker that been so successfully coupled to so many different systems, each reflecting their owners priorities in music reproduction.
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Sorry David. I see you meant 1000 posts for this thread!
Pretty good run.
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@milpai I have been driving my DI's with a Marantz Reference Integrated and have been extremely pleased with the sound I'm hearing. I will listen to large scale works and everything seems so well sorted out and precise. The bass is killer--so deep, tight, and controlled. The sound is not sterile or lacking in emotional impact. Smaller works are full of nuance and detail. So yes, the DI's can do great with SS amps. A hugely versatile speaker. Now don't confuse this with a right or wrong statement. I have much respect for my tube loving brethren on this thread and would love to audition a quality SET at some point in my system. But I'm just so darn happy right now.
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@giantsalami Good to see my old REL's being put to good use in your imaginative system!! Very cool use of space. I can absolutely see how this would make for a very nice compact yet full range system.
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Wow. Lot of posts today. You guys must have had the day off! Good to see so much good discussion continuing. Currently my seasons biking mileage and the thread post total are going neck and neck. Will see who wins at first snowfall.
Craig, my experience going from Maggies to DI's was the same as yours. I did not expect the DI's to have more detail and precision with sound staging . They clearly bested the Maggies. I suspect the Maggies suffered a bit from their reflected sound blurring some of the direct arrival wave. Like Mac, sold my 1.7's 3 weeks later.
Good luck with the ZOTL 40 Kenny. Await your thoughts.
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Well, I started my morning with, you guessed it, Corelli. But you've inspired me to pull out a Copeland CD. To me, nothing paints a better American musical portrait in my mind than Copeland's "Appalachian Spring."
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lancelock,
What are your room dimensions and where do you have your DI's placed?
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I'd be curious to know where they eventually end up. I think the DI's are fairly flexible on room placement but clearly respond to small changes and tweaking their position. In my 14.5x21x9 foot room mine ended up almost pulled out 1/3 from the front wall with my listening spot 2/3 from the front wall. Speakers 8.5 ft apart, equilateral triangle with seat. Very smooth and open sound. Give up a small amount of low end extension but gains in bass quality and sound stage.
Once yours break in let us know where they sound best.
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And how far from the front wall are the DI's/seat position?
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Listening to Copeland's Rodeo/Telarc.
The DI's are really doing justice to the big Telarc bass drum. The drum is so tight with really nice impact--closest to live I've heard. Strings are silky smooth but not without the magic that occurs when the rosined bow grips and releases the string. Brass is with nice bite. Gotta love it.
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Wish I could tell you Craig. I'm sure one of our esteemed brothers has checked that out and might let you know.
My first name is Buster. Buster Corelli. Arcangelo was my brother.
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Craig,
The moving mass is probably not as important as the Fs and power handling of the tweeter. There are many fine tweeters that might be employed in Eric's designs. The SB tweeter is a huge bargain and a major factor in the tremendous value the DI's offer.
I mentioned before a ScanSpeak two way DIY in my past that used top shelf drivers costing well over $200 each. This was a design by a well respected individual in the DIY community. Crossover all hardwired with components far more expensive than what's in the DI's. Sold them in one year.
Moral of the story for me is that premium drivers do not a winner make. The art of speaker design is far more important. This is why the DI's deliver the goods.
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There is a review on line of the Mark II unit that I read 1-2 mo ago. Seems that vs. the original, it is may lean a bit more in the solid state direction. It sounds like a very nice amp for the money. Just not sure if it offers the qualities of an SET amp as Kenny noted above. Encourage you to check out that review.
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LP,
Glad to hear the surgery went well. Sometimes out of adversity comes goodness. That is my wish for you and your family.
Corelli
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DI thread post total--1390
Biking Mileage--1335
I'm not sure if I'm winning or losing.
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Wow. If I do 100 in day I need some inspiration and a tail wind coming home!
Lance, the prototype you listened to--and details? My hope would be for a MZ2 preamp/power amp/power supply all in one box.
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Charles,
You are always so polite. My hat is off to you. As Al pointed out, 400 watts is what the speaker is capable of handling. Nothing more, nothing less. It makes no commentary on what sounds best.
Craig, feel free to use a high powered amp. Your DI's will sound great!. Just be careful of your hearing. I use a solid state amp and am pleased as I can be.
Yet I must respect the thoughts of others on this thread that really have a wealth of experience that I probably never will (too busy riding my bike, landscaping, taking care of my fish, etc)
When it comes to most things in life, including watts, quality trumps quantity every time.
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Charles,
I must say I really appreciate your contributions to this thread. Keep it coming! How someone can post so much on a thread that involves gear that one does not own yet has so much insight in remarkable.
Craig, there is just as much a place for you and others of differing opinions. Please share your experiences with the DI's. I really an drawn to how we all reach our audio destinations (ok, so none of us ever really get there 100%).
I'm really impressed with the wealth of experience this thread has drawn from.
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Sure Terry. Send me a PM and we'll see what we can work out.
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Porscheracer,
For your bedtime reading you will have to read all 1,450 some posts to get your answer.
Alright, just kiddin. Many of us have the central tweeter axis intersecting slightly behind our listening chair.
The DI's are forgiving on room placement. I an big on sound stage so I have mine 1/3 out into the room and listen at the 2/3 mark from the front wall.
Have fun!
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articdeth,
to add to what mac said understand the 6 tweeter array extends far lower into the midrange than you would ever guess. That is one of this speakers key design elements
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Kenny,
When you changed out your woofers do you recall the exact mods you made to the crossover as far as component values of resistors, caps, etc.
Thanks
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