Tekton Double Impacts

Congrats middleofnowhere,

Im quite sure you won't be disappointed. I bought the Outlaw processor last fall and still haven't used it yet as I haven't bought speakers for the theater room yet. I'm having too much fun and spending too much money on my two channel system! 

Enjoy and im looking forward to your impressions of the DI's.

Great looking system, and room, porscheracer. I bet your system sounds great now but it will get even better with time. 

Brotw,

Terry London is using the Triode Labs 2A3S III and the Linear Tube Audio MZ2 as a pre with the DI's in his reference system and loves it. I drive my DI's with the 1watt MZ2 and it sounds amazingly good. The DI's are very efficient and sound great with small tube amps.....with any quality amp for that matter. I have the Decware Torii mk IV and haven't used it since getting the MZ2 about three months ago. I much prefer the sound from the MZ2.....,.and the Torii is a good sounding amp. I had the Raven Blackhawk prior to the Decware and while I liked it it had noise issues with the high effiency DI's. I use the remote volume control on my PS Audio DAC but could add a remote volume control to the MZ2. The Triode Labs 2A3 FFX SET amp or a LTA ZOTL amp will be added to my system later this year.  

Evolvist,

I’m pretty sure Dave has the noise issues resolved now. At the time he was at a loss as to why I and another Blackhawk owner were experiencing noise issues with the DI’s and could only surmise it was due to their high efficiency accentuating the noise. With the Legacy SE’s I could only hear the noise at a distance of about 2’ from the speaker, with the DI’s it could be heard 10’ away. The music sounded great with the Blackhawk until coming to a silent passage. The LTA amp is the best sound I’ve had yet......but I haven’t heard SET amp yet.


Brotw, Charles’ suggestion is right on IMO. Please let us know what you decide upon and how it works out for you.

Evolvist,

Youre in the same situation I was when ordering the DI's, as the first one to purchase them I had no idea what they looked or how they sounded. All Eric told me was that they had a 7 tweeter array and that they would blow me away. Right he was! Since the DI's were the second pair of Tektons I purchased I trusted Eric and am glad I did. I anxiously await the impressions of the mini Ulfberhts as its a speaker I'm very interested in. Eric's biggest competition tends to be his own speakers as he has many that similar......which can be quite confusing. I love my DI's but are the DI SE's significantly better? What about the mini Ulfberhts? Like you I'm thinking the mini Ulfberhts will be quite special. Hang in there and your patience will be rewarded

Yep, serial numbers 1&2. Jeffery333 might have serial numbers 1&2 Ulfberhts. 

Youre preaching to the choir as patience isn't a virtue I possess. Just like I can resist anything except temptation :)

If it helps, many here are chomping at the bit for you guys to get your mini Ulfberhts. Inquiring minds need to know how they sound! I would love to compare the Ulfberhts, mini Ulfberhts, DI SE's and DI's. I'm assuming they finish in that order but it would be interesting to hear the comparative differences. 

Brody,

I've used both the Raven Blackhawk and Torii mkIV with the DI's and they are very nice amps. I prefer driving the DI's with the LTA MZ2 and will add either the Triode Labs 2A3S FFX or a LTA amp later this year.

If you're looking for a used Torii mkIV that is nearly new let me know as I haven't gotten around to selling mine yet, but I would suggest going the SET route with an MZ2. The MZ2 sound is very fast, dynamic, detailed and organic and from what I'm told a SET will add even more texture while breathing more life into the music. While I'm very satisfied with using the MZ2 alone there are times I wish for a bit more power and I'm very interested in hearing that SET magic on the DI's. 

This thread just gets better and better all the time. Great to see so many enjoying their DI's. 

Looking forward to teajays review of the Ulfberhts. Something tells me they are very special speakers.

Kenny and Corelli, the ZOTL 40 would be a great amp for you to consider. The Berning design blends the best of tubes and SS sound. They are very fast, dynamic with lots of punch along with providing great tone, sweet mids and realism.......and they can be bridged into mono blocks to provide even more power if needed. Just a thought. Oh......self biasing and very long tube life also. I believe Lancelock tried his ZOTL 40 with his DI's, along with teajay. They could offer their impressions of them together and compare their sound with the many fine SS amps they've used.

One thing I've found with the LTA gear is that they provide such a pitch black, dead silent background that it doesn't take as many decibels to make it sound loud. With the MZ2 alone I usually listen at sound levels of about 65-70 db's which leaves me close to 40 db of headroom. For 95% of my listening that suffices but I'll be adding an amp for that extra 5%......and hopefully it will make the other 95% sound better too! 

Kenny, I didn’t realize you were already using the ZOTL 40, good job! Great tubes also. I love how the LTA gear showcases each tubes qualities.

Thanks for the update teajay. 333jeffrey mentioned the same thing as you.....the most realistic piano he’s ever heard. That’s quite an accomplishment as piano notes are difficult to re-create. I can only imagine how good the Ulfberhts will sound when fully broken in. I’m very familiar with your pre, amp, speaker preferences and I’m following in your footsteps. While I absolutely love driving the DI’s with the MZ2 using Marconi BL63(with adapters).......they sound even better than my TungSol round plate 6SN7’s......and Brimar yellow T label 12AT7’s I’m looking forward to adding the Triode Labs 2A3S III FFX when I’m able, I was suggesting the ZOTL 40 for those wanting more power. After that I hope to add the mini Ulfberhts or DI SE’s to my system. Thanks for all your suggestions as they’ve been spot on to my ears. I’m hoping to thank you personally when I visit Mike at Audio Archon to hopefully hear the Ulfberhts and/or DI SE’s later this year.

You hit the nail on the head Kenny. What the DI's do best is totally disappear and let the music flow. While they do all the "audiophile" sound effects very well, what I appreciate most about them is how natural......real.....right.....they sound. The PMD line sounds like they take that a step further and that's very impressive. As much as I love my DI's it looks like I need to start saving up for the mini Ulfberhts or DI SE's. Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences with these amazing and fun speakers. 

Sounds like the 1812 of Ulfberhts........you guys might be onto something here! I'll need to start building an auditorium. I say lets go all out with two 18" woofers, two 12", four 6" and four tweeter arrays. Sensitivity of 104 or so, sounds like a winner to me but I'll have to settle for the mini Ulfberhts........poor, poor me :)

Like teajay I found the DI's to sound best out into the room. Having said that they still sound very good close to the back or side walls. I found the same went for the Enzo's. It's more surprising with the DI's though as they are rear ported and I assume the Ulfberhts are also. Great sounding speakers that aren't fussy about placement.......gotta luv it. 

When I initially got my DI's I didn't have much choice as to speaker placement and had them about 2' from the back wall, 2' from one side wall with no side wall on the other side. Not ideal by any stretch yet the DI's sounded very good to me. It wasn't until building a dedicated listening room did I hear all that the DI's had to offer. By bringing them well out into the room the sound really opened up with a much larger and delineated soundstage, better imaging and more detail and air around each note. 

I think what we have here is a case of both sides of an argument being right. Yes, the DI's can sound quite good in less than optimum placement. And yes, they can sound even better given more space and with proper room treatment. For many aesthetics ( or your significant other) don't allow for pulling the speakers out into the room where they might sound best and luckily the DI's will sound very good in spite of the poor placement......but should you ever get the chance to give them the room they perform best in you'll be well rewarded with exceptional sound. 

Whatever your listening environment may allow, enjoy your DI's as much as possible!

Wow, if the DI’s are sonically at, or above, the likes of the Wilson Sasha’s I can only imagine what the Ulfberhts compare to. The low ceilings of my basement listening room won’t accommodate the Ulfberhts height so I can be content only spending $8500 for the mini Ulfberhts. I can now tell my wife I just saved $3500!!!

Thanks again to teajay and mykerte, along with everyone else, for sharing their Tekton experiences. It’s quite exciting hearing such praise for speakers us mere mortals can afford.

I agree with Jonathan, room size be damned, get the DI’s and you won’t be disappointed. They as well in intimate settings as they do in filling large spaces with beautiful music. I believe they sound best away from the walls, but still sound very good near them.

Congrats aniwolfe, I agree with Kenny that you'll most likely be very pleasantly surprised.

stfoth, I've had my listening position as close as 6' from the DI's with very good results. My DI's are 6' apart and I now have my listening position about 8' away. The DI's allow for a lot of latitude with regards to positioning, room size and listening position. 

Sorry to hear about your dust caps porscheracer. I'm sure Eric will take care of you properly. I've never had good luck emailing Eric and would suggest calling him. It sounds like he's busier than ever so show some patience ( easier said than done!) and I'm sure you'll have perfect looking drivers soon. 

So there is a difference between 2.83 volts/ 1 meter and 1 watt/ 1 meter. Thanks for the calculation Al. Since speakers are listed both ways on the Tekton site I figured they were two different measurement that meant the same thing......i.e. that 2.83 volts equalled 1 watt. 

 I'm surprised the 8 watt Frank's wouldn't be enough to drive the DI's. Forgive my ignorance but if I, and others, are driving the DI's with the 1 watt MZ2 wouldn't the Frank's drive them easily.....or is the impedence mismatch too much of an issue? I only ask as the Frank's are an option I'm considering should I decide to add an amp and can fit them into my budget. I think I can order the Frank's with 4&8 ohm taps which would eliminate any impedence mismatch. 

Charles,

That sounds great. My schedule has finally settled down and I look forward to getting together when you're back in town. Hearing the Frank's with the MZ2 and DI's will be interesting. I've tried three other tube amps with the MZ2 and much preferred the sound of the MZ2 alone. None of them were SETs though, so I'd very much welcome hearing your Frank's. Give me a shout when you're back in town.

Thanks Al,

Once again your explanations make things so clear and simple.....and make perfect sense to me. I knew it took double the power to produce 3 db more in sound level, so the doubling of power needed to drive a 4 ohm load over an 8 ohm load decreases the sound output by 3 db. Got it, thanks again. 

Thanks to everyone else's responses. While I don't know the science behind much what our audio gear accomplishes, I do know what sound I like and like Terry if the tone/timbre isn't right for me the rest doesn't matter. I used to be a dynamics freak, hence all of the large SS amps I used to own, and at times miss the feeling of a bass drum nearly knocking me over. That's not to say SS amps don't get tone/timbre right, I just haven't come across one that does them as well as a good tube amp with good NOS tubes. Though the First Watt amps intrigue me and hope to hear one.The MZ2's one watt provides everything I could want in sound.....tone, timbre, air, detail, realism, great soundstage, deep and controlled bass, sound levels into the mid 90 db's with peaks over 100..........everything except the bone jarring dynamics and concert level sound levels. I'm sure my relatively small and acoustically treated room plays heavily into that, along with my preference for acoustical music. If I listened to more orchestral or hard rock I'm sure I'd be clamoring for more power. Like many have already stated, there's no right or wrong, just personal preferences. My problem is that I like it all! Need to get my second system with a tube pre and SS amp going soon so that I can move some serious air :)

Olesno,

My DI's are the Mercedes black diamond. The metal flake is subtle and it needs to be in bright to fully appreciate. I liked it a lot when I had them in my family, even the wife liked the color. In my dark listening room they look like a gloss piano black, which is fine with me.

Vitop,

I would put the Linear Tube Audio gear in the "Tekton" price value family, especially the MZ2 and ZOTL 10. Quality parts made by hand is America, sound great and are priced for the average man. I look forward to hearing what others suggest. 

Grannyring,

I couldn't agree more with you, and teajay. Tekton will expose the common man to audiophile performance and expand the audio industries base. I gave my Tekton Enzo's to my son and he's totally into the audio scene now. Three of his friends bought Tekton speakers after hearing his. These twenty and thirty somethings could support the audio industry for many years to come. My son and his friends are all into tubes and vinyl also......old school for youngins. Gotta luv it. 

Is that a typo aniwolfe? The Enzo XL’s use 10" woofers. The Enzo’s use 8" and I felt they provided good bass, but not like the 10" woofers and larger cabinet of the DI’s.

Terpstation,

I currently sit 8' from the DI's and have gone as close as 6' with good results. 

I'll also echo walterseas.......Eric is well intended when promising shipping but then reality hits when demand exceeds production capability. The idea of under promising and over delivering would go far. For those getting impatient for their speakers, and I can certainly understand why you are, your patience will be well rewarded. As Walterseas stated, Tekton speakers aren't just great speakers for the money, they are great speakers period. When I ordered my DI's they were just an idea in Eric's head at the time and it took a bit longer than promised to get them. I'm so glad I waited as I've been blessed with nearly a year of musical bliss since. Hang in there gents, you will be so glad you did. 

And good luck to Eric in training his new staff. Hopefully they will be kicking out record numbers of speakers in no time. 

First off, as owner of both the DI's and Enzo's I can confidently say both are great sounding speakers. My Enzo's were purchased in 2013. While the DI's are a definite step up from the Enzo's, the Enzo's are the reason I ordered the DI's without knowing a thing about them. The Enzo's blew me away, giving me the confidence to trust that Eric had an even bigger winner in the DI's. 

Thanks for the update teajay. Sounds like you're having a great time with the Ulfberhts. I'm not surprised they sound amazing. Are you still driving them with the MZ2 and 2A3? 

Sounds like fun Lance. The grip a good SS amp has upon the woofers is hard to beat and I bet the DI's respond extremely well to it. Bet that amp with DI's easily fully pressurized the room and drove the bass right through you. Have fun with it while you can!

Kenny,

great summation and I couldn't agree with you more. The less analytical my mind is the more I enjoy the musical experience. It took me years to figure that out as I seemed to be always listening for some audiophile sound effect instead of becoming immersed in the music. I'm very much looking forward to Charles bringing his Frankensteins over to hear with my MZ2 and DI's.......I also look forward to getting his accessment of my system and ideas to improving it.

Grannyring,

so insightful and so true. I've found myself loving the sound of a new piece of equipment and either grew tired of the new sound or realized I preferred the previous piece of equipment afterall. And yes......the same doesn't apply to the wife ( just in case she's looking over my shoulder :)

evolvist,

I hear you. Even after listening to my DI's with the 1 watt MZ2 for the last 3 months it still boggles my mind how good it sounds. I've finally given up trying to figure it out and am enjoying the beautiful music it creates. Obviously there are limitations, it wouldn't suffice for large orchestral music or concert level rock concert listening but for up to mid 90 db sound levels it's amazing. And yes, very dynamic ( less dynamic at the top end of its output) with deep, tight bass. I have no idea how it does it. For me adding a 3.5 watt 2A3 SET will give me about 5 db more headroom and I'll be quite happy. I'm still going to set up a second SS system for HT and rocking out to though. 

Congrats Corelli, please share your results when your new toy comes in. 

Youre so so right about the DI affording us so many amp options. I'm contemplating getting the Benchmark ABH2 along with the Triode Labs 2A3 SET to switch back and forth as my mood dictates. Eventually I could have one system consisting of the MZ2, 2A3 and DI SE's and the other with a good home theater processor/pre, the Benchmark ABH2 and the DI's. I could live with that!

Good to hear you're enjoying your DI's so much porscheracer. That Pioneer M-22 looks like a nice amp. How hot does it run?

A huge shout out of thanks to Charles for stopping by with his Coincident Frankenstein 300B Monoblocks. They are exceptionally well built, cosmetically appealing and most importantly great sounding. Even with having to hook up my DI's to their 8 ohm taps the level of realism, the added weight and dynamics and improved imaging was real music to my ears. I now know what my future amp needs to be.......the Frankensteins!

Charles' ability to analyze my systems sound and articulate every nuance of that sound was a real treat for me. He's also as much a true gentleman in person as he is on this forum. I truly appreciated his insight, knowledge and conversation.

Thanks for everything Charles. 

Kenny,

Yes, it was a very enjoyable time and I look forward to doing it again. Charles is very perceptive ( and a nice guy to boot) and I learned quite a bit about my system and how to make it even better. I'm thinking my PS Audio Perfectwaves and MZ2 with the Frank's and hopefully the DI SE's will give me a system that I'll enjoy for many years. 

Since Charles got me to play some Art Pepper and Miles Davis I haven't been able to stop listening to it. It's been in my collection for months but I never got around to listening to it. Love it! The best compliment I can give to the MZ2 is that even though I now know what I'm missing without having the Frank's the music is still very enjoyable to me. Normally once I hear what I've been missing I cant enjoy listening until I have it. 

I'll be looking forward to your assessment of your Aric 2A3 amp. It could be an amp to tide me over until I can get the Frank's. 

Teajay,
thank you for such a generous offer. I'll email you. Thanks so much again.

Charles,
i always thought the tone and soundstage of was my system was pretty good.....until hearing it with your Frank's. They took everything to a whole new level. I can only imagine how well your system emotes music and I look forward to experiencing it. 

Kenny,
according to my wife when it comes to audio my entire brain shuts off :) You're so right about though SET amps can have a magical sound that's addicting.......not that I couldn't quit anytime I wanted.

Evolvist,
my DI's are 6'6" apart with my listening position 8' away. 

I agree with grannyring, I've learned so much from this thread and the people on it in the last few weeks. I thoroughly enjoy all of the shared information and experiences from so many perspectives.

My latest find from Mike Kay at Audio Archon is the Vinnie Rossi mini power supply. While I'm not nearly as versed in the technical aspects as many here, this piece intrigues me. Using super capacitors it stores energy that it supplies to the component it feeds. It sort of acts like a battery pack. I'll be interested to see what "impact" it has. 

You have nothing to be sorry for snopro. Your experience and impression of the MZ2 while different than many of us here, is just as valid. What amp and speakers were you using with the MZ2? Like you I find the MZ2 to be very transperant and fast and with the Marconi BL63's or TungSol 12SN7's to have good tone and texture when used as an amp but when I heard it with the Frankenstein 300B SET Monoblocks I heard some truly amazing tone texture. My experience  is that the MZ2 will impart its speed and detail to the sound but otherwise is totally transperant allowing the tubes and amp to dictate the sound. I personally like that in a pre amp but can see where it wouldn't appeal to those looking to alter the sound presentation with their pre amp. 

Great looking system and room snopro! Bet it sounds even better than it looks.

 I loved the sound of Charles' Frankensteins in my system and I look forward to hearing his Coincident system. The Frankensteins are the amps I'm looking to add to my system but I'm fortunate enough to be able to borrow teajay's Consonance 2A3 amp to try out......the bar has been set quite high with the Frank's though as they're the best sounding amps I've ever heard. 

Good to hear porscheracer. They really are amazing speakers and it's good to see you're enjoying them. 

Had the pleasure of hearing Charles' system today. His Coincident system including their Line Stage, Frankenstein 300B mono blocks and Coincident speakers ( I forget their name) is the closest to real, live music I've heard in a system. I'm not surprised as his Frankensteins in my system took my sound to a level I've not heard before. After trying my MZ2 in his system ( more on that in a bit) I can confidently say the DI's are not the weak link in my system. Adding the Coincident Line Stage and Frankensteins to my system would give me a sound I could be very happy with for a very long time. I'm going to experiment with a 2A3 SET for now but the Coincident sound has set a high bar for me. 

Comparing the MZ2 to the Coincident Line Stage was quite a dramatic contrast. The MZ2 is very good as a preamp and I'm even enjoying it as an integrated amp currently but in Charles' system it sounded lifeless compared to his Line Stage. Comparatively it lacked in dynamics and fullness. Charles would be better able to describe the sound difference. Not a knock against the MZ2, the Line Stage just sounded that much better yet. Maybe the synergy between the Line Stage and Frank's is part of it. I do know that the combination of the two is magical. 

Thanks to Charles for sharing his system with me. I've learned much from him and one of the lessons learned is that the DI's will reflect whatever is placed upstream of them with a transparency that is impressive. 

I had not heard that grey9hound. I'm a big fan of Steely Dan. Sorry to hear of his passing. 

Thanks for the musical suggestions, I enjoy trying new artists out. 

Thanks so much for sharing your impressions schw06. Very insightful and educational. This thread keeps getting better all the time. 

The DI's offer so many amp options that it's refreshing and confounding at the same time. There are countless options it seems! The Lyngdorf is very intriguing, which isnt surprising as it's pretty much a universal truth around here that grannyring, along with many others, really knows good audio. I'm enjoying tubes too much for now to switch away from them, but should that ever change I'll be looking at Lyngdorf. 

Muzikmann,

i believe the CSL/Frankenstein combination is quite special, enjoying a synergy that makes them tough to beat. What baffles me is how good the MZ2 and Frank's sounded in my system. It didn't sound lifeless at all at my place yet it was clearly less dynamic and alive in Charles' system. The more I think about it the more baffling it becomes. Could the speakers be the difference? Now I'm wondering what the CSL/Frankenstein combo would sound like with my DI's. Even better than the MZ2 and Frank's sounded? I'd have to imagine so. Yikes, I didn't think it could sound better. 

For now I'll have fun trying the Consinance 2A3 in my system. Thanks to teajay for letting me try it out. The Consonance or Aric amps could be a great option to tide me over until I get a big boy amp.......unless I get really lucky and either of those amps turns out to be my forever amp.  Wouldn't that be nice?

Congrats David. I'm VERY interested in the Double Impact SE's. Looking forward to hearing your impressions of them and what brand of drivers is in them. 

I believe the PMD line includes high gloss paint? If so, the options are limitless. I have the Mercedes Diamond Black which has a bit of metal flake that is nice but needs bright lighting to see it. Whenever I get the SE's I'll try getting them in BMW Phoenix Green, a bright metallic M3 color. Not for the faint of heart! The gloss Porsche Gray is very classy looking.....or the BMW Mineral Gray. Whatever color you decide upon I bet they'll sound great. 

Mike from Audio Archon should be receiving a pair of SE's very soon, if he already hasn't, for a customer. So hopefully he can answer some of the questions regarding the specific components used. I didn't realize the cabinet is deeper......cool. Looks like Eric didn't limit himself at all in designing the SE as it would have been real easy to keep it the same size as the standard DI. 

I didn't realize the Lyngdorf had a DAC also. Very interesting. So someone like me who only listens to Redbook CD's would only need to add a transport? How slick is that? 

Grannyring, you would consider the Lyngdorfs tone, timbre and texture to match that of a good SET? Does it also have the dynamic slam SS amps are known for? Could it possess the best of both worlds? That's quite amazing and really has me thinking......but what that tube glow I like so much? Guess I could just plug a tube amp in for the lighting effect :)

Disruptive products reviewed by a disruptive reviewer. Gotta luv it. Terry flies in the face of many reviewers that patently praise the big name companies with huge marketing budgets and won’t give the highly innovative and cost conscious little guys the time of day. That’s understandable as how do you explain to the big boys that spend beau coup bucks on advertising with your magazine that you rated the little guys $3000 speaker ( that spends nothing on advertising) equal to or better than their $20k speaker? Terry deserves kudos for honestly reviewing these "disruptive" products and for putting his money where his mouth is by purchasing them for his reference system.

I look forward to having a disruptive system including the DI’s, MZ2 and soon the Aric Audio Transend SET amp.

vitop, should I ever go the Lyngdorf route I'll take your suggestion! As intriguing as the Lyndorf is I just have to give the SET route a go first. I so love my tubes!

As usual, well said teajay.

 In my younger days I preferred big SS amps in order to reproduce live concert sound levels. Hopefully I didn't damage my hearing too much! Now I prefer much lower listening sound levels with peaks in the high 90 db's so flea amps work best for me and I'm grateful the DI's perform equally well with either type amp. Even though I currently enjoy the sonic benefits of small tube amps I can definitely appreciate the appeal of a good high powered SS amp. As teajay stated there's no right or wrong, just personal preferences. 

I personally don't know how the DI's stack up to $20-30k speakers as I've never owned speakers in that stratosphere but I trust the opinions of those here that have. I do know that after many years of owning many very good speakers the DI's are my favorite. I'd say they are my forever speakers, but the DI SE's might be in my future :)

Only 24 different amps with the DI’s Kenny? Slacker! :)

I’m on amp #5 with the DI’s with #6 arriving Tuesday and #7 in a couple of weeks.....both SET amps. Fun, fun, fun!

As always it comes down to perspective and personal preference.

If dynamics and tighter, controlled bass is realism to you then high powered amps would probably be preferred. If tone, timbre and texture provides realism to you then SET amps are hard to beat in that regard. I’m not implying SS can’t do tone, timbre or texture well I’ve just never heard one do it as well as a SET. The same goes for tube amps with dynamic slam and bass, they can do it quite well but I’ve not heard one that could match a good high powered SS amp. Having said all of that, just because I haven’t heard something doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

As Kenny stated.....no right or way way. It’s all good and it's all fun.

Thanks for sharing teajay. Sounds exciting. Would you or Ezra ( or anyone else here) have any idea on where to purchase the Golden Dragons? I could find Shuguang Treasure KT 88 and out of England some Golden Dragon KT 88 Retro.....not sure if they're Shuguang though. Thanks

Thanks teajay, any info would be appreciated. They sound like wonderful tubes. I believe Kenny is correct in that they are not Shuguang tubes but are Golden Dragon Retro KT 88's that are replicas of the GEC. Thanks for the info Kenny.

Ill find out soon enough as I orders a matched quad of the Golden Dragon Retro KT 88's. The bay has them at a reasonable price, which I'm a bit leery seeing as they are twice the price at another shop in the US and at another in England. Hopefully I'm getting the real deal. 

Corelli, you tease! Share your tubes with us......that sounded so wrong :)

At the time Charles heard my system I was running Marconi BL 63's ( with adapters) and Brimar 12AT7 yellow T labels. I'm now running the TungSol 12SN7 round plates with Sylvania Gold Brand double mica 12AT's. Sound quality is quite similar and I can put the cover on the MZ2 with the TungSols in it. 

I thought the sound difference between driving the DI's with the MZ2 alone and using the MZ2 as a pre driving the Frankensteins was quite dramatic. I'd describe the MZ2 sound as very pure and clean, which I like. But compared to the Frank's that purity seemed as if the music was stripped of texture, density and weight. I can see where some might prefer that lean, pure sound but I preferred the more weighty sound of the Frank's. I'll be getting teajay's Cyber 30 2A3 SET today and the Aric Audio Transcend KT 120 SET in a couple of weeks to experiment with what sound I like better. I have high hopes that Aric's amp will sing with Eric's speakers. 

Brody,

Dave is definitely a great guy to deal with. The Blackhawk is what I was driving my DI's with when I first got them. It was a great amp but I had a noise issue with that only showed up with HE speakers that couldn't be resolved.  He also sold me the Legacy Focus SE's and couldn't believe I preferred the DI's over them......which prompted him to buy the DI's to try for himself. Glad to hear he's still using them and you'd get plenty of bass with a Raven/DI combo.

Hey Corelli,

The noise issue has since been resolved so it's not an issue anymore, but the hiss was loud enough to hear 10' with mine at any listening level.  It was a great sounding amp when playing music though, especially with good NOS tubes. While it didn't work out for me I would still highly recommend it. I would think about giving it another chance but I want to give the Aric Audio Transcend KT 120 SET a try. 

I agree totally with vitop. The DI's are extremely detailed and very electrostatic like in the upper end. I ended up selling my Focus SE's even though they were extremely good because the DI's did everything they did at least as well and were more dynamic and live sounding to me. Musical is an appropriate description....they sound like real live music. Some might prefer a more clinical sound but I'm really enjoying their musicality. A crisp, clear, detailed musicality with beau coup dynamics and deep, controlled bass. I really believe their biggest drawback is their price as many can't believe such an affordable speaker could possibly sound as good as they do..Let me tell you, they do! 

The DI SE's might end being more refined sounding than the DI's but I can't imagine they'll be significantly more detailed. If they are I'll have a very hard time not ordering them immediately!

Let us not forget about there, their and they're :)

brotw,
I use the Herbies Giant Gliders with the DI's and like them a lot. I bought the 1 1/2" length due to my basement floor being uneven and therefore needing the extra length to properly level the speakers. I had the Focus SE's when I purchased the DI's and never looked at other speaker options......except for the DI SE's which I hope to order soon. The mini Ulfs are intriguing to me also. 

Teajay,
Thanks once again for sharing your experiences with us. They've been invaluable to me in deciding what gear to use with my DI's. The MZ2 has been a joy, especially with good NOS tubes and I'll be ordering the Aric Audio SET KT 120 on Monday........I have the JJ Blue Glass and the Golden Dragon Retro's on the way already. I should be getting the Vinnie Rossi mini Pure DC-4EVR power supply for the MZ2 pretty soon also. Fun, fun, fun. 

Thanks Charles. I'm hoping to make a number of system upgrades in the next couple of months so there will be plenty of reasons for you to stop by to listen. No need to invite yourself as you have an open invitation!

evolvist, I believe teajay is using the Sistrum speaker stands. Charles uses them also. They are sweet looking. 

Grannyring, i think you might have misread grey9hounds post......or maybe I did. He already has the DI's and is extending an invitation for others in Tennessee to hear them, if I have it right. Nice gesture grey9hound.