Tekton Double Impacts

Yet with a $21,000 Linn KDS/3, Linn recommends using the stock cord and plugging right into the wall socket. 

Go figure, this audio world. 

Well, here's the rub:

1.) I have no business telling a business how to conduct their business. 

2.) Tekton has never done me wrong. 

3.) If you strip everything away from a man - everything, including the clothes on his back - all he has is his word and his ability to back up those words. 

That's all I know at this moment. 

@Vitop - There is a guy here in town who is an absolute expert in transcribing vinly to digital. He has it down to a science. I could reach out to him and see if he'll pass on some information to you if you wish. 

Does anybody know when the Mini's may start shipping.


Kenny.

Kenny, "may" is the keyword here, being the 5th month of the year, as in May 2018.

It's always super cool to hear when people love their DIs.

Eric certainly has special products.

@333Jeffery  - My oh my, your video is getting around! :-)

http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showthread.php?22616-Tekton-Design-Double-Impact-Reference-Loudspeaker... 

I noticed that...wow, your Ulfs aren't that far away from the front walls. Can that even be a foot behind your speakers? What's more, really no space to speak of the side walls, either.

This seems to be a reoccurring theme, that the Tekton speakers don't necessarily need that much room to breath, or shine. I've seen it myself at Raven Audio and Bullitt's house.

Terry, on the other hand has his Ulfs really far from the front and side walls.

When I spoke to Eric he said maybe a foot from the front and side walls, and said that he wouldn't make a claim that any more distance would do much good. I imagine, like any speaker, that the placing is going to be room dependent, yet I still wonder that what if @teajay placed his Ulfs very close to the front and side walls as a part of his review, he might answer some questions for those people who are thinking about buying Tekton, but they wonder if the larger models are too large.

weird.

@mac48025 - Hmmmm...curious. You know, I can't remember exactly what Eric said, but he said that the ports on the back of his speakers don't act as usual ports. I'm not sure what that was about, but maybe @tektondesign design can talk a little bit about that. Because, as is, they seem to exhibit characteristics of full range single drivers that I've played with, inasmuch as sure, they sound better out in the room, but you can get them pretty darn close to the wall. I mean, it can't be magick. There has to be some science behind it. 

At any rate, I'm committing myself to at least learning the basics of the Sumiko method of speaker placement, because it should work in any room, to let the speaker/room pressure paradigm play itself out in a natural way.Then add room correction and/or treatment as needed...*if* needed!

The only speakers I have in-house as the moment are Dynaudio 340s, so if I play around with them an the Sumkio method and come out aces, with better SQ, I would imagine the mini-Ulfs would work much better, whether the room dictates a few inches or a few feet.

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=60819.0 

@teajay -
 

It saddens me that this proud owner of these very special speakers will not really hear the magic of what the Ulf's can do if placed in the correct position in the right sized room.

Are you familiar with the Sumiko method that I linked a few posts back? According to this method - in theory - there is no such thing as a "right sized room," but only how your speakers act in the room, and only by careful positioning will one achieve (thus conquering) the room's nulls, voids, etc., which might not equate to a symmetrical placement, yet an optimal placement, nonetheless.

Of course, much of the Sumiko method relies on the ears, but what better ears than your own to judge tone, timbre and SPL levels at they interact with whatever room they are placed in? In fact, the only negative feedback I've read about this method was that it's time consuming, and for a person who doesn't care for patience, like myself, that can be a problem. However, for those who have stuck it out, I have read from people who have reaped extreme dividends by using this method; indeed, some who were able to get rid of expensive panels and crap on their walls. That's because the method first requires the end user to take down their acoustic paneling.

All of this to say, I'm not sure there is a "correct" position in the "right sized" room. I know a dude who have Revel Salon2s in a 12x10x8 room, and while he didn't set up his speakers with the Sumiko method; nevertheless, he has a DEQX rig that makes the music in his room sound as if you're listening to analog tape in a recording studio (if you're familiar with that sound).

I'm sure that taste has a lot to do with it. Who's to say I would come over to your pad and dig the vibes you have going on? I might go over and visit Jeffery and imagine the trumps of the second coming, you know?

I've got a 13x12x8 room. I've ordered the mini-Ulfs. If I wanted to I could literally turn the room into an anechoic chamber. I've got the money and I've got the room. But I'm not going to do that.

I am, however, going to position the speakers about 2ft from the front wall, and 2ft from the side walls, giving me about 7ft apart from center to center of the speakers, and about 9ft to my listening position. Roughly. If the Sumiko method works.

I don't know; am I wasting my time, too? :-)

Yeah, see? How could Jeffrey *not* be offended? It would have been better to ask, "Hey, Jeffery, that's pretty close to the walls; how is your sound? Have you considered placing them in other places in your room, or are you even able to?"

Futher dialog ensues. 

Personally, I wouldn't be offended, yet I would start second-guessing the hell out of my audio sanity! 

Of course playing devil's advocate here, David, myself and Bullitt, have all heard from Eric and he's always said yes to any room placement, right? Well, one could say, "Of course he would say that! He wants to sell speakers!"

I'm not saying that's the case, nor that Eric would lie, but taken at face value the devil has the most radient face of them all. :-)

Since I have nothing better to do, taking the measurements of the mini-Ulf into consideration, I mapped out my room for standard triangle configuration.

I’ve got 2.5ft off of the front wall. 2ft off of the side walls. From center to center of the speakers that’s 6.5ft, which is just a hair over Eric’s recommendation. Then that’s 9ft from the speakers to my listening position.

Does that sound good, or is there anything wrong with this?

A new video of the Ulf's: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mp41geKe4zg

Thank you! Such an important piece of prog! "Pictures at an Exhibition."

The think that strikes me about this video that even captured on a non-audiophile device (I'm assuming here) that the highs are extended, the kick drum is very clear, as is the snare; the bass guitar is very natural, and the dynamics are off the charts.

I love the grills on the Ulfs, too. I mean, these aren't the most attractive speakers in the world. The grills certainly help.

Now, I'm listening to Greg Lake's vocals cut through like ice, as if he was there in your listening room.

I'm very familiar with the piece, so I know what I'm listening for, even on whatever recording device you used.

I love it!

Eric Alexander and his team should be lauded for what they have accomplished.  To gain this level of performance is commendable for a speaker at any cost, but at $3,000???  It should have been interesting, sitting around the Tekton board-room table and hearing Eric discussing the lofty design goals he had for the DI's, then share with his confidantes that he could do it all for around $3,000 retail.  I'm sure somebody snickered and said "Yeah right".

I'm not quite sure Eric has a "team" per se, and the "board room" might just be him and Karma sitting around a linoleum table having their morning coffee.

That is to say, from my understanding it's still a Mom 'n' Pop organization, but that means absolutely nothing toward Tekton's future. 

You're right; people should jump on board now before these go through the roof.

We see quality audio companies fail all of the time, for whatever reason. We also see some rise that have no business rising.

If Eric could just find the help he needs to get his product out while people are getting hooked on Tekton, then he'll stand a great chance to raise is prices...and the people will follow.

@grannyring - It shouldn't be a problem. I once purchased a Chord DAVE in the Czech Republic and took it right on and off the plane. I had to jump through few hoops at customs, but it wasn't a big deal. 

@lmswjm - I hope those are Vitop's mini-Ulfs. If not, I hope they are mine since I'm not asking for high-gloss. :-)

@teajay  - 
Hey Evolvist,

If you can evaluate the overall sound quality of Jeffery's system based on what you hear on that video you have some extraordinary auditory abilities, indeed!
I'll call later this morning my editor at hometheatereview.com and highly recommend you for the new staff writing position that's open.  

Brilliant! Being that I already write professionally, perhaps your editor will be agreeable to my rate, or I might be persuaded by the perks of auditioning new kit. 

As to my exceptional hearing, although tone, timbre, dynamics (to an extent), and imaging were lost in the video's audio; still, one could tell that there is an evenness to the overall projection and that soundstage was not lacking. At the very least, I was a little shocked that a rather dense piece of music could still be rendered well from the Ulfbehrts, being siphoned through a bottleneck like a cell phone or a small cam. 

So, I ordered my Mini Ulfs on August 7th (give it the 8th), and I was told by Eric it would take two weeks to ship. I didn’t offer up "two weeks;" Eric did.

I sort of knew this would be the case, though. How much longer, on the other hand, is a different question.

Tekton needs the money. Every company needs the money, otherwise we wouldn't be able to afford our Fritos, or gym memberships, or pet elephants, or whatever rocks our socks.

Yeah, something is amiss on planet Tekton.

There are a lot of other people squealing for my piggy bank. I just want to make sure that I put the right coin in the right slot.

Something has to give with Tekton, right? As good as they may be, and as much as I want to sing their praises, I just wonder how long they can go on like this. I really don’t want their name to be sullied.

I mean, if I had been told one month, I wouldn’t have batted an eye. Since I had been offered up two weeks, well, guess what? I expect two weeks.

After awhile even a Rolex will run down. The clock is ticking.

Anyone wanting speakers quickly and promptly should consider purchasing the Double Impact featured in our standard soft gloss finish (normally black) with the upgraded x-overs. The price is $3300 for the pair and they typically have a 24-48 hour turnaround time. We're building them daily here so that's the way to go if you want things expedited.

Eric Alexander - audio designer

Thank you, Eric. I believe I will stick with the mini-Ulfs. I only grouse because I care. Heh.

@Kenny @sbayne - Well, I never said I was patient, yet that starts with patience toward myself, first. I have to keep moving forward, all of the time.

Sbayne mentioned societal changes. I’ve embraced those changes. We now live in a world of instant gratification. That’s just the way it is. Really, it puts extra pressure on those people, like Eric, who are trying to bring new things into world. As much as I love the concept of a mom ’n’ pop business, it’s mostly non-viable these days to have such dreams. One has to innovate or get out of the way. Perhaps that’s where Tekton is at the moment. Remember, Tekton started almost 10-years ago. That’s dog years in the audiophile/hi-fi world. Yet, here they are, still making speakers. The word got out; the pressure got juiced.

So, I ask myself, why didn’t I cancel my order? I suppose it’s because I was raised in the days where we didn’t know who was on the other end of the telephone line until we picked it up. When I was a kid, I played outside all day until the street lights came on. When it was time for supper I ate what was prepared, and if I didn’t like it, I would go without. With my first car, I could raise the hood and fix anything I needed.

A "Message board" was made of cork, and a person would use thumbtacks to pin little slips of paper to it.

I don’t necessarily wish for those days back. Still, I wear them like a shadow. They have a way of sticking around, though they are long dead.

I wish that Tekton will stick around.

Hey thanks David, I know know that me, Bullitt and Vitop might be in for an adventure with the hurricane hitting to the south of us. There's no telling how much of the three of us will. get in Houston. 

I don't know of anybody in here from Corpus, but if there are I hope they're safe.

The good news is that the DIs are big enough to double as canoes. 

It also makes me glad that Eric didn't ship my mini Ulfs on time. It's not a real good time for that kind of investment to arrive in the mail. Haha. 

@aniwolfe  - What? You can't have dissenting opinions in here?

The person was speaking from their experience. I would rather have that than a Tekton circle jerk.

It's okay to have a bad experience with a product. There's not a one-size-fits-all speaker for everybody.

@aniwolfe  - Help me to follow your point.

My point is that anybody can come in here and saying what they want to say (as long as they don't use blue language, evidently).

They don't need a hall monitor to shoo them away.

Is there some kind of rule that I'm missing which states that your first posts must be positive ones?

Remember, at the end of the day all we are doing is acting out of self-preservation, i.e. this is my stuff, and that is your stuff, and I love my stuff, so don't infringe upon my stuff. Maybe it makes some of us feel better to piss and moan about our stuff (or our lack thereof).

I know that when it comes time for me to read about your stuff, I'll anxiously read it all. :-)

The truth is, I’ve read customer reviews of $100k speakers that were less than stellar, but really never any negative reviews from professional reviewers.

I think that’s just to way the ball bounces. Somebody won’t like something for whatever reason.

Hey, there could be a bad batch, or whatever you want to call it. The lack of braces inside is weird.

I can tell you that the upgraded DIs that I heard were pretty special, while the standard ones sounded "just okay." Then again, the standard model was about 4ft apart, and about 6ft from the listener.

I think it’s good to hear all of these different experiences.

Yeah, Kenny, you've actually opened these boxes up. How was the design on the insides? 

What are those speaker stands that @teajay uses? I forgot. I should have bookmarked the site. 

It just amazes me that 3.5 WPC is driving the DIs. I can't get the concept out of my head. I still feel like that if a buy the 2a3 that it won't have enough headroom even for my small room. That's just my rational mind talking. 

I'm going stir crazy just sitting in this house. Yeah, I'm working, but still. 

On the bright side, I hear it's great working conditions in Orem, Utah. :-)

That sounds awesome, Kenny. I need to do some reading up on Aric & these tubes. 

Man, I love readings for exchanges like these. A wealth of experience and friendship shared. Plus, we've got different takes on amps! 

Kudos, guys! 

Mac, I forgot how far apart your DIs are, and how far back you listen. 

So, I spoke with Eric at Tekton, and he says that the mini-Ulfs are about 7 days out, 10 days at the max. 

This is a good things being that my loaner speakers sold, and I also sold some radials that I had. 

I'm speakerless! 

Wow, all of this tube amp talk really blows my mind. I mean, it's all really Tekton talk, if we're go by the premise that the DIs, maybe the Ulfs, and who knows about the mini-Ulfs, and near perfect conduits for your upstream gear, yes?

Okay, so what now? Heh.

When I went to Raven Audio, I was really shown that a valve amp could be just as quick as solid state. I liked that, plus there was a little extra magic, a little more ease to the brain with tubes.

But then you hear, or read things like, the 300B tube is "romantic" and good for jazz, or classical, maybe not so much classic rock, and forget about metal.

Then folks say yadda yadda about the 2a3, and now even the KT-120, and I'm thinking to myself, "Okay, then what's a good all around great tube set that will thrill all of music, and not just certain genres?" Does any animal like that even exists, and just as quick as what I heard at Raven?

Hmmm...many things to ponder as I await my mini-Ulfs.

@Aniwolfe - Be safe, be cool and be dry. My heart goes out to you having just experienced Harvey. Mother nature can be one scary mother. 

As to the Lyngdorf...I plan on getting another unit in to compare to my Linn KDS/3. I've had one before, and it was excellent, only I wanted to get away from USB. However, I'm now in a position to have shootout between the two. The Linn is 3xs as much. Imagine how much I'll save if I could sell off my Linn. 

We'll see. I have to get the mini-Ulfs in first. 

Nick

P. S. - I had previously slagged off mic-based room correction, but I've since had a chance of heart after hearing a system in a pro setup. With acoustic room treatment as part of the equation, the Lyngdorf becomes the icing on the cake. 

I'm getting my mini-Ulfs in white and installing colored lights in the ceilings when I get the speakers set in place. The lights will shine on the speakers. 

That way, in the dark, I can have any color speakers I want! 

David got the SEs because he figured his wife wouldn’t notice the difference. I mean, it’s not like she doesn’t pass these huge monoliths everyday, thinking to herself, "These are the best things that have happened to our relationship."

Okay, who would be more likely to own DIs, Edison or Tesla? 

So, has anybody heard when my mini-Ulfs will ship?

I've been meaning to ask. 

@david_ten

@evovist Any updates on your Mini being shipped?

I haven’t a friggin’ clue, man. This week marks the 6th week since I ordered, the 4th week after I was told they would be ready, and also 4 weeks after it was said that the mini-Ulfs would be on the Tekton website.

So, what’s the over/under that these will take a total of 3 months to get to me? Haha!

RE: mini-Ulfs. 

There is good news, bad news and even better news. 

The bad news is that I don't believe the mini-Ulfs will be ready for prime time any time soon. I spoke with Eric and he was not happy with the voicing. 

The good news is that I'm buying a pair of upgraded white DIs. These will be mine. However, as gesture of good faith and customer service, Eric will allow me to upgrade from the DIs to the mini-Ulfs whenever he has perfected them, with only the balance to pay for the Ulfs. 

The even better news is that Tekton is making sure the mini-Ulfs are perfect before sending them out. Eric believes the mUs will blow anything else away in its price range, and even way above. That he will sell lots of these (might be a big seller, only second to the DIs), it only makes sense that he takes his time. 

So, I'll have DIs pretty soon. :-)

I could be wrong, but I got the impression that the DI SEs are almost ready to go, and that the mU has quite aways to go. We spoke about the SEs, but it would be more waiting and I have zero speakers.  

It seems they have building DIs down to a science, though. About 10 days, per. 

Some footage of the Ulfs sans grills:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpVveDFRzuc&feature=youtu.be

The hurricane knocked me offline for a week, but we are okay. Massive power outages around here, though. Never been this bad before, and I’m a native.

Great footage @333Jeffery. First, I’m glad that you and your family are safe. Second, I still can’t decide of the Ulfs are ugly. Ha.

Fugly or not, I take it that they are effective in their goal.

I'll be rolling the different vintage carafes to see which one makes the coffee tastes better. Looking for a discontinued pear shaped one from the 30's. I am sure it will make the coffee taste smoother and more liquid.

I think you've just summed up the whole audiophile experience in just a single sip. 

teajay

1,077 posts

09-23-2017 10:40am

1) To have the DI's only 18 inches off the front wall would almost certainly negate them being able to produce a deep sound-stage or what you called depth in the sound-stage layering. I ran this experiment many times and to get the sound-staging/layering you were missing takes at least three feet off the front wall.

 

The best way to get away from the front wall is to have zero front wall. I have a 13x12x8 room, but I recently found this neat workaround. The only rub is that you have to have the right room, and not many have.

I flipped my room to a 35 degree angle, which lead to each speaker being placed in front of two alcoves. The speakers ports, therefore, fire into emptiness...or, if one wants to be technical, the closest solid object to the rears of each speaker is 8 to 6 ft away.

Once you get away from hard right angles in the room (a sufficient enough cant), then the reflection points from each speaker do not misaligned from left to right and right to left in a room, bouncing off the walls at unnatural angles.

See a quick and dirty diagram of my room (It's not to scale).

https://imgur.com/LHaCBkh 

The result? It was actually scary. Even without any room treatment - as I've gutted the room in preparation for a dedicated setup - with the sound bouncing around like crazy, and with those crappy  Dynaudio 340s, with no front wall behind the speakers, the bass and mid-bass (lower mids) immediately snapped into place, as natural as can be.

So, obviously I wasn't hearing much depth and layering, due to the bare room with hard walls. The impact of this setup was nevertheless experienced. I take it that having reduced the front wall considerably, in addition to the side walls - because there are no room walls that are square with the sides of the speakers - having some treatment in the room should add that width and depth to a point where the front wall is less detrimental to the sound. 

Which dovetails into...

brotw

32 posts

09-24-2017 10:47am

Mac,

So true about having a room all to yourself. I can already imagine my wife's response to the room treatments.

Once the DI's arrive and treatments are placed, I'll check in with the results.

 Room treatment, you don't say? GIK?

I've been speaking with GIK and we have a rough plan for my room. However, since I don't have speakers (except for the $15k Audio Physic Speakers sitting in my garage with busted bass drivers), I really can't move forward with GIK. So, I'm very interested in your experience with room treatment.

I should be getting my DIs relatively soon.

Until then, I went ahead and purchased a DB/SPL meter, because I want to see where my hot spots in the room are. Of course you need speakers for that, too. But I'm getting there. The point is, I don't want to just blindly guess with mirrors and lasers to treat all the spots in the room that are giving me trouble.

james_w514

106 posts

09-25-2017 12:11pm

@jcarcopo

I was using the Benchmark DAC3 HGC direct to a Pass Labs X250.5 with the Double Impacts and the pairing was a bit too harsh. It had gobs of detail and great bass but it was unlistenable at times. Maybe it would be more manageable with a different amp.

Could it be that Benchmark simply makes bright DACs that masquerades as hi-def? That has certainly been my experience with Benchmark DACs, going back several generations, including the DAC3 HGC. They sound much like the Mytek offerings. At first it's like, "Wow, listen to all of the clarity!" Next, you find out that the DAC is just "EQed" that way, for lack of a better term.

Lo and behold my white DIs have shipped! Wow!

Of course these are transitional while I await the mini-Ulfs. Moreover, I can burn them in every day, but my serious listening will be limited because my room is gutted at the moment as we remodel.

I just wanted to say, I never thought I was badmouthing Tekton (perhaps playing a little devil's advocate), when I threw out some of my concerns; nevertheless, Eric has taken care of me. The customer service ended up being superb!

In the end (at least this "ending"), I am glad that Eric didn't try to rush these mini-Ulfs. He didn't like the way they sounded, so he went back to the drawing board, so to speak, to make the best product he can.

The question is, will I fall in love with these DIs and not want to part with them? I've never heard them in a treated room, so perhaps in my room they might be resolving enough. We'll see. :-) 

The eagle has landed. I got my DIs this morning, but I had to bail, and didn't get a chance to open them. I will when I get home.

At first glance, though, I'm wondering how you get these speakers out of the boxes without tearing up the packaging.

How did you guys do it? I imagine opening them up from a side seam in the box, that way, when returning them, you can tape the box up while making sure the speakers remain upright.

You should have made an "unboxing" video! :)

Ha! Yeah. I would be a little less gentle perhaps (or maybe not) if the speakers weren't going back at some time in the future for an upgrade, but as is, I want to make sure everything is perfect. There were a couple of small dents in the box from shipping. I've taken photos. I hope these don't prove to be problematic.

Anyway, once I get them out, let the breaking in period begin. The cool thing is, I can leave them on all day doing their work, and most of the night, as well. I need to get snappy with my room treatment so that I can actually sit down and enjoy them.

Yeah, I'm breaking in my DIs, so I've had nothing but all of the Tom Petty albums playing on a loop all night.

The DIs sound good, even in my bare room with nothing in it. That's pretty cool. They sound better than any other pair of speaker I've had in there.

In other news, I spoke to Aric of Aric audio last night, and this is one cool dude! I think I'll be pulling the trigger soon.

They sound better than any other pair of speaker I've had in there.

That's impressive. Any additional details?

Well, yeah, now granted I'm in an echo chamber in that room, getting ready to paint, and put some considerable acoustic treatment in, but I've had EgglestonWorks Andra IIs, in there, Audio Physic Avanti 30th Anniversary, Vienna Acoustic Liszts, Dynaudio 340s, and some Decware ERRs, and....

...I'm not kidding, it's not about just getting a new toy, but I immediately heard that evenness from top to bottom. Well, almost, even. I wonder how much is the room. Seems a tad bass shy, but then again I don't have them on any stands, no spikes on yet, and I might be purchasing an Aric audio amp.

When I left home, to really get them kicking, I put on a bunch of hip-hop, and then things started cooking in the bass department, but then again, that's what you'd expect from old skool rap.

Do you guys think getting them off the floor will help in the bass?

Aric is great to deal with. He's finishing up my amp and will probably ship at the end of the week. Which amp are you looking at of his?

Tom,
I'm looking to get one exactly like yours! :-) 

You guys should just skip all of the hassle and get the Linn KDS/3.

The input is straight off of any music server via ethernet cable, so you can say goodbye to any colorization from USB cables and any extra box between the source and a DAC. 

It is similar to the Lyngdorf in that it waits until the last possible moment to do the analog conversion. It runs through an FPGA, first, where it bests any up-sampling I have ever heard, even the Chord DAVE (and especially PS Audio), and some of the best R2R DACs I have heard in my home, like TotalDac, Metrum, and the Yggy.

Every internal process of the Linn KDS/3 is governed by its own power supply, unlike 99.9% of the other units out there (if there are some like the Linn, I don't know about it). The importance of these power supplies cannot be expressed enough. There is a large margin for error in any DAC that has a single power supply that runs every process. Artifacts can be introduced at every stage, depending on the complexity of the DAC's architecture, and let's face it, DACs are growing more complex by the minute. 

Finally, there is the pre-amp, which is akin to the Metrum Adagio pre-amp, in that the volume does not produce any distortion upon raising it. This is actually a rarity, and manufacturers won't publish spec on their pre-amps lest the user sees an aggravating rise in distortion.

Anyway, I'm in love with mine. I don't think I'll part with it. Y'all should look into one. Oh yes, and it comes with Linn's own room correction.

My DIs have been breaking in for almost 72 hours now. I haven't been doing any critical listening, because my room is on its way from crap-to-good, but I walk by and I hear things in songs that I've never heard before. The snare hits and cymbal decay is amazing.

evolvist, The KDs/3 is not a current product, and the Linn site doesn't show a single streamer/DAC with a power amp built in?

https://www.linn.co.uk/hifi-separates/network-music-players/klimax#klimax-ds 

The breakdown is like this:

K = Klimax

DS = Digital Streamer

3 = Katalyst Engine

This came out in December 2016 as an upgrade to the DS/2. The Katalyst engine is what took the Linn to a new level. The difference between the DS/2 and the DS/3 is akin to the distance from Earth to Neptune. A totally different approach.

So, yeah, I can see why just looking up "KD/3" might cause some confusion. :-) 

Oh, and yeah, there's no amp in it. It's a streamer, DAC, and pre-amp combo.

Well, no, it's more than just a DAC and pre-amp in that it's a streamer, as well. Moreover, it's quite possible that the DAC section alone kicks the hell out of just about anything put there, including the Lyngdorf by more than a few miles. I've had the Lyndorf in-house for an extended period of time.