That's great sjwpwrpo (can I buy a vowel?)
Consider yourself just fashionably late to the party. Glad the DI's are working out so well for you. Once you get things settled in please share your thoughts to help others like you who pondered and carefully gathered info before jumping in.
DI posts---1515
Biking miles--1455
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Go ahead and pull evolvist. Can't imagine you would be sorry. If you read this thread we all struggled with the parting of $3000 to purchase an unheard speaker. Then, after installing a speaker not even broken in we all had big smiles on our faces. And then marveled at what a sonic bargain this was.
Consistent feedback, in very different rooms, and very different equipment, should reassure you it would be hard to go wrong.
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Evolvist
My hats off to you...all 32 pages. Quite a bit of info there from some really good people with many years of experience.
I keep enjoying my DI's more and more. My single best purchase in 40 plus years of audio enjoyment!
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No ride today lpretiring so you win! But I will get 75 tomorrow early.
I never got much communication either. But I wouldn't hesitate to send an email.
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@hiendmmoe You know, it really isn't very helpful to post on a speaker you have never even heard. If you read this entire thread, you might have gained some insight into what makes this one of the biggest gifts to music lovers of all time. The value is unheard of. But if it makes you feel better, Wilson is waiting. Don't mean to be rude, but you make some fatal assumptions in your analysis of Tekton. In life, you DON'T always get what you pay for. Some are driven to give more. Some are driven by corporate greed.
@brad1138 One thing I can tell you is you won't go wrong with either. I have had my DI's for over 2 yrs and they only get better. Never have I felt that I am missing out. Sure I have looked at the Moabs, but I keep dragging my feet as I am so content. I've been in this for half a century and the DI's are the single best decision in audio I have ever made. |
@jcarcopo I am glad you continue to enjoy your Encores. I am totally with you man! Once you arrive at a really good place, do you really need to keep looking? Reminds me of when I use to cut down my own Christmas tree. Would walk around the whole farm thinking that the one on the horizon looked so much better. Often came back full circle the first good looking tree I spotted when I first arrived! |
porscheracer,
curious how your speakers are set up and the size of your room
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I believe twoch is very confused. Of course I am unable to remove his post. He ought to contact the Audiogon moderators. Judging by his abrasive language it is easy to see how they might delete his post.
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@james_w514 Glad you are enjoying your DI's James. Wow, what an array of equipment you have used. What was your take on the Marantz Refernce gear you have/had. |
Gee whiz, pretty sad to see haters coming out on Easter Sunday no less. Never in the 5500 plus posts on this thread did I hear a pleased Tekton owner say their speaker was perfect. To the naysayers, please read the entire thread and get back to me. What you will find is one of the most cordial threads on this site. Many pleased Tekton owners sharing their experiences. Friendships created. Uplifting.
Some posters remind me of a kid at the beach that just can't wait to destroy that beautiful sand castle someone else created. |
Thanks for the info Lance. It's funny, but several mo ago when you mentioned this integrated I guessed it might be around 10 watts. I'm sure it will have great sound quality but the 10 watts may not cut it for me. So you have helped me! Thanks man. Consider the cat bagged. Unless of course Mark undid the knot.
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You guys are killing me.
Bike mileage--1821 (alright, I added the mountain bike)
DI thread posts--1854
Been almost 6 months now with the DI's. What a great value. Love them more than ever.
As some of you may know, I have been enjoying the DI's very much with my Marantz Reference gear. I've toyed with a tubed integrated--really not interested in separates. I really struggle with the limited power of an SET vs something like the Primaluna Dialogue Premium HP. I love firm control of the bass afforded by my SS gear and I do tend to prefer realistic volume levels appropriate to the music. So I may tend to listen louder than others. That little voice keeps asking if I'm missing out on a more spatial soundstage with a bit more organic goodness tubes might afford. So what about the Primaluna or perhaps the LTA integrated in the works (any thoughts Lance)
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So last night I asked my wife her take on a tube amp that I had pictured. Understand she knows NOTHING about tube amps or for that matter about any of my gear.
"Why don't they let those tubes out of jail?" she says.
Fine, here's a pic without the cage.
"That's ridiculous. NO tube amp should ever have that many tubes! (there were 14) NO tube amp should EVER have more than six tubes. No more, no less!" she demands.
Good grief.....she's probably right.
I can see you smiling now Charles.
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My wife says your Franks are "awesome" once she realized you have a total tube count was 6. So you have my wife's total approval and she is convinced you have a great system (which you do). Many of you other guys may be in trouble.
It was a Primaluna Dialogue Premium HP Charles.
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My single biggest audio epiphany was many years ago when I purchased a pair of speakers from a non-mainstream individual who suggested the speakers be placed WAY out into the room. Prior to that I always felt they looked so tidy up against the front wall and that in fact if you wanted any bass you had to do that.
I'll never forget that moment. That open, airy, huge sound stage changed me forever. Not sure if I ever made it to dinner that night.
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Charles,
congrats on 6000th post. WOW!
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That sounds like a very good start evolvist. As you may know it's good to keep the front wall and side wall different and I agree with toe in as teajay suggested. Others like Kenny fire theirs with no toe in.
Yes, the DI's and I suspect your new Ulf's will be forgiving of placement but they really sing when well placed. In my experience if you don't get placement optimized power cords, tube choice all pale in comparison (atleast to my ears)
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Jeffery,
I'm with Charles. While the intent was good, word choice might have been better. I'm sure there is a reason for your set up. I think some of us get so excited by room placement and what it does for our DI's/Ulf's people did not want you to miss out on what they are capable of. In any event, I respect that, in the end, the choice is YOURS. So hope you stick around.
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Mine were fine. I can understand the frustration here. While this will not affect sound quality, it is not acceptable that one has to "shop vac" their new speakers. This ought to have been evident when the speaker was put together.
Eric needs to be careful here. He has great products. He is clearly very busy. Not sure how he does it all. BUT, if quality control is sacrificed I hate to think how this might impact the future of his very promising endeavor
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Addendum: Jetter the dust cap deformation did not occur when the speaker shipped. They ship ground. Suspect it occurred when the drivers shipped, hence my comment.
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Really hope that this gets resolved. Again, shopvacs are not the answer here. A new speaker should be just that. New. Without damage. I would call daily until this is resolved porscheracer. If quality control suffers this really could be damaging to the future of Tekton. What a shame that would be.
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Porscheracer,
Glad to hear this was resolved. Do you need any tips with swapping out the woofers? Do you have a soldering iron?
Agree with Kenny--listen to one song and take some notes on what is important to you. I listen to that song several times before swapping amps. Our acoustic memory can be short.
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Well, it's always good to see a happy ending.
Helpful suggestions have been made. For me, quality control is always critical. Delays in shipment are far more forgivable..as long as the quality is there. It sounds like Eric is on the same page. Given that, I encourage patience as Eric goes through growing pains. Far better he hires skilled help rather than "get the job done quickly" help.
We all appreciate what Eric has done for the audio community. And I'm glad he took the time to post here. Here's wishing Tekton success in the future.
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Funny, I sold my Magnepan 1.7's after 2 weeks with the DI's. I can assure you none of us have been paid off.
As my departed grandmother used to say, "to each his own."
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I've really enjoyed the recent posts. It quite amazing to consider the cumulative experience found on this thread. So many different (and valid) points have been made as we power our DI's in different ways.
I don't know that I can recall a speaker that affords so many options in this regard.
Lance, I just love what SS can do when it comes to iron-fisted control of bass fundamentals.
I like the point made earlier that sometimes we are swept off our feet by something new in our lives, only to later realize that our true love was with us the whole time.
So to test this thought, Corelli has some glass and steel comin' his way.
Stay tuned.
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I will mac. I'm already doing the mental tube rolling thing. May need to call your tube buddy (Andy?)in my neck of the woods!
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Mack71,
I can't recall one post where someone said there DI's sounded lousy with there given electronics. But make no mistake that they will accurately reflect whatever you feed them. Hence, all the interesting discussion on amp choices!
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oops, correction--"their"'
coffee has not kicked in yet
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I'd respond........but not until the Diana's next song is over.....maybe.
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After a rather complicated Audiogon transaction, I finally have some glowing glass and steel in house. It's currently driving a pair of VSA VR-33's. This is the best amp I've had driving these speakers. Very nice air and detail, paints a big picture with nice color saturation . I'll keep you guessing for a while while I do some listening. But I'm enjoying this system so much right now the DI's may need to wait a bit. What a great problem having two systems you enjoy so much!
Really good posts recently.
teajay, was a bit shocked to hear that a kt-120 floated your boat! I've heard very mixed reviews on that tube. Of course the tube is only half the story. Implementation is the other. Sounds like Aric has some nice amps going.
Kenny, you are the AmpMaster. Thanks for all your insightful posts. Much appreciate reading about what these different amps bring to the DI table.
Mac, I'm excited for the loaners that are coming your way. What a great opportunity you have right now to help you find your ultimate amp. And really nice of Charles to let you enjoy his amps as well.
So now, the question. Did Corelli follow his wife's advice when she declared that "no tube amp should have more than 6 tubes!"?
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Maybe......... Alright, sot it's got more than six tubes!
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Perkri,
If your question is how do the DI's compare to the VSA VR-33's I can shed some light on that as I own both. The 33's took forever to break in--almost sent them back. But after 300hr they evolved into a very nice speaker. Easy to drive, they sound very nice with tubes or SS. The BIG advantage for some is that this speaker was designed to sound great up against the front wall. So in some situations this is a big advantage. I have them in a large open room and they sound far better with a seated position towards the rear of the room. This is not a speaker that sounds great in near field applications. They really open up when there is more reflected sound
The DI's however best the 33's in just about every other respect. The DI's are a bit more dynamic, have better clarity and detail, have much better impact in the bass and midbass. I would never listen to the DI's up against the front wall. Pulled well out into the room and maximizing first arrival information they image beautifully and outclass the 33's here too.
Both these speakers are excellent values for the money. The 33's have have fewer higher quality drivers and a much better dead cabinet. But the DI's, despite their economy cabinet, win out overall. Driver quality is good to very good--but the key to the great sound is in the driver implementation/tweeter array.
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greg,
Not gonna say we told you so, but....
Glad you are happy with your new DI's. Just think, with break in they will even be a bit better! Glad this thread helped
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Mac,
Unless I missed it, never knew you had tried the Blackhawk with your DI's. That amp or the Osprey were among my finalists. Sorry to hear that did not work out--and perhaps glad I did not go with that. Was the noise there at your normal listening level or just with the volume control turned up near its max?
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I'll be curious to see how your search for an amp turns out mac. You are wisely taking your time.
I think it's great that several A'gon members have shared their amps in an effort to help others find an amp that suites their needs. One more example of how valuable sites like this are.
Great to see some new posts here from individuals who have benefited from this thread. Reminds me of when I read your posts on another site mac. That is what gave me the confidence that the DI's were the speaker for me.
I trust far more in the information gleaned from threads like this than most reviews offered by the major players out there.
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brotw,
The advice I would give is simple--trust your ears! While I'm sure there are some valid points made in this guide, I for one would never listen to my DI's up against the front wall. Yes, you will have gains in low end extension at the cost of worse imaging, less depth and air.
About 1-2 mo ago several members placed there DI's up against the front wall just to see what affect it had on their performance.
But in the end trust your ears and go with what sounds best overall to you. And remember, there is no perfect and there are always compromises on every decision we make in our hobby
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Brian,
If you enjoy the fundamental qualities of you current electronics I can tell you that the DI's will let that shine through. Can't imagine a "problem" that you will encounter-so I would not let that concern hold you back at all.
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@david_ten Always good to hear from you David. Hope you continue to enjoy your journey into SE/fullrange driver world. I have no doubt your system works some magic. More importantly, hope you and your family are well in these uncharted times. I did speak with Tom not too long ago and he mentioned meeting up with you to audition your system. Given recent events not sure if that happened. In any event, both of you have been a great asset to this thread. Best wishes. |
Charles, not at all do I mind. I have really enjoyed the quality of the posts and individuals on this thread. Never did I imagine this thread would take off as it did--and still going strong! While there are many divergent opinions on gear we have associated with our DI's, one thing remains a constant--the DI's let you clearly experience the qualities of the gear you place upstream. It's hard to not spend a good amount of time sharing one's experiences.
Speaking of, I mentioned a few weeks ago I ventured into the world of valves. I have been very happy indeed with my Marantz Reference SACD/integrated driving my DI's. I find this gear to be very neutral top to bottom and extremely enjoyable to listen to for long hours at a stretch--never offensive yet not lacking in detail. But I wanted to see what tubes might bring to the table. I only considered intergrateds. (Just not a multi-boxed kinda guy for various reasons) Considered SET's and PP 's. Now don't cringe Charles/Mac/others, but settled on a Primaluna Dialogue HP that I picked up on this site. I felt that this might be a bit less limiting on the wide variety of music I listen to. I was also impressed with quality of the transformers and point to point construction. And at 63# I can lift it!
Remember how Julian Hirsch told us years ago that any properly operating amplifier sounds the same as the next. Wow. Wonder if he would have said that with a pair of DI's in his system.
So last night I was listening to the boxed set of Jacqueline Du Pre's EMI recodings, CD 7/Beethoven Cello Sonatas. I listened to this live recording over and over. I like to sometimes describe what I hear in visual terms. The Primaluna is certainly not a pastel watercolor painting. Rather an oil painting--deep color saturation, detailed facial features with beautiful light on the subject. Very nice contrasts are evident between the subject and background of the painting. Alright, enough of the visual analogy.
My Marantz is a master of composure. It never gets rattled when the musical waters get rough. With the above CD you had a mid hall seat. Musical crescendos were there but never with any edge. With the Primaluna you are closer the the front of the hall. So there is a bit more excitement. Dynamics are more startling. But there's never a free lunch it seems. On occasion the Primaluna would present a bit of an edge noted on the upper registers of the piano. (Here begins the tube rolling--what 12AU7 driver will mitigate that edge?)
Honestly, what amp I prefer most is dictated more by the recording. Same goes for the option of triode vs. ulrtalinear. But one thing for sure--the DI's make all the differences easily discerned.
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Funny you mentioned the Gold Lions hifiman5----was reading on Upscales site the 12AU7's reviews and others felt this to be good choice in terms of what I would look for as well.
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I would agree break in is rather fast with the DI's. I felt after 75-100 hrs I was there.
Interesting comments on driver break in by Eric. I suspect that the prolonged break in by some speakers may relate to woofers with particularly stiff rubber surrounds or maybe even more so the passive crossover components, caps in particular.
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hifiaddict,
I enjoy on occasion those recordings that exploit that bottom octave of music. In my room, the DI's are optimized for a big stereo image and I won't sacrifice that by moving them towards the front wall. Given that, I have very high quality bass that seems very well integrated with the rest of the musical spectrum. But what I don't have is "room lock" say in the 16-32Hz range that I might like. So I suspect some day I will bring in a pair of high quality subs for such occasions. Eric clearly made the right call in voicing this speaker. It is beautifully integrated from top to bottom.
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limniscate,
You might be surprised how many of us, who love our Magnepans, moved on to the DI's. It is IMO an overall better transducer of music. I was shocked when I first got these and noted more detail and ambient information than my 1.7's--not to mention the dynamics, efficiency, and far superior bass response. The Magnepans will always be special to me, but if I could only have one speaker it would be the DI's
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Personally, I am not troubled when someone has a contrary opinion to mine. Always been an independent thinker without a need to be in the mainstream of things. If someone wants to challenge much of the consensus on this thread--go for it. On occasion it rather livens things up. Even the occasional troll doesn't bother me anymore, as they are usually recognized for what they are (and don't deserve a response).
BUT, if you want to have any credibility please don't form an opinion on gear you haven't even heard. So I don't feel too badly that some of the members here reacted strongly. They were not rising up to the Tekon cause but rather to rightly challenge a very flawed opinion.
Now, back to the music.
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audioman,
not sure if I'm following you entirely on your Maggie digression. If you go back to the first post of this thread I had the 1.7's coupled to REL subs. Nice for sure, but I sold them and kept the DI's. Better detail, speed, imaging, sound stage. All this with inexpensive drivers and economy crossover parts with their attendant higher levels of distortion. Honestly, I gave up placing much stock in numbers some time ago. Rarely do they predict how a product will sound.
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ccc,
several months back several DI owners placed there speakers very close to the front wall just to evaluate how much this would compromise the sound. I was surprised to read how well they did with that placement.
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Luke,
The 1812's are more aimed towards the home theater crowd. Music lovers would be better served by the Ulf's. (This is per Eric) I do not recall any posts here by 1812 owners.
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Hi Bullitt,
Like david_ten, wondering what specific sound qualities you noted in this comparison.
Also, when you listened in the corrected vs. uncorrected comparison, did you change your speaker position?
A bit surprised you were reluctant to post--I think most of us really enjoy reading what others enjoy with their DI's. Oh, there have been a few cranky posts but far far more civil and helpful ones.
Thanks for posting and look forward to a few more details.
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@don_1
Maggies will always be a speaker that I'm fond of. They occupy a very special place in the history of audio IMO. Good old American ingenuity--a great product at a very good price.
But another great American value would be the Tekton DI's. A performance/price ratio that is at the 99th percentile. So 8 months later have I ever regretted parting with my 1.7's. Not really. I mean we all like certain speakers for certain music so it would always be nice to give another listen. But if I could only have one speaker, with no regret I will happily continue enjoying my DI's. For me it just does more things right.
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Bill,
YOU ARE THE MAN!
Now I've got a great DIY project and upgrade pathway that I can obsess over for months. I hope you know what you've gotten yourself into--lot's of questions I'm sure. New caps will make great stocking stuffers this Christmas!
Totally geeked. Thanks man.
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