Tekton Double Impacts

Hells Bells, what's with all of this AC/DC talk? I don't have any of their cd's, maybe I should :)

A lot has been posted here since last night. Fun times.

Yes Charles, I am having a ball with Aric's amp driving the DI's. Once things settle down on my end I'm looking forward to having you over for a listen. I think you'll like what you hear as I'm getting closer to the sound of your system....and that's a good thing!

Grannyring, thanks for sharing your thoughts on the DI's. I find it strange that some find the DI lacking in bass as don't at all. Maybe it's my room or my ears but would never describe the DI's as lean on bass but I respect your evaluation of them. I wish I had the guts to modify components like you do as it sounds like fun and it would be interesting hearing the results. Your use of the 10g WE wire is interesting, I only used 14g and 16g. You even modified your Lyngdorf? That's a product that is very intriguing. I looked into getting one but it being so unconventional and seemingly too good to be true made me shy at pulling the trigger on one. While I'm very happy with the sound I getting now, the Lyngdorf is crying out to me andi won't be gun shy next time. I wish you the best with your health, get well soon. 

Teajay, thanks again for another great review. I'm glad my room isn't large enough for the Ulfbehrts since I can't afford them 🤑 I'll have to settle for the measly SE's ;)

Perfect timing as I just commissioned Aric to build me a " no holds barred" 300B SET. The KT 120 amp of his is VERY good but I'm going all out with this custom 300B build in hopes of finally obtaining my forever amp. I'll be going with the EML 300B XLS tubes with NOS 6SN7's and 5U4's. I believe this will be the perfect amp for the DI SE's......or at least close enough for me. 

Lol Jcarcopo, I hate to admit it but I sure love some good tube glow.....especially the pics I see of tube glow enhanced with blue LED's. Eye candy is good too!

Not sure what I'll do with the KT88, David. Might keep it for a back up. Might sell it. Might give it to my son. It really sounds good and I'm probably crazy for trying something else but after hearing Charles' Frankensteins in my room I just can't get that sound out of my head. The kt88 comes close but I'm not playing horse shoes :) After talking with Aric and others I decided the 300B is the way I wanted to go. The 2A3 might be a better option but I really liked the full, dynamic sound that both the KT 88 and the Frankensteins provide. I'm not sure if the 2A3 would provide that or not and while the 300B only provides a little more than 3 db more headroom, it just might be the additional oomph I need. I was very close to going with a 2A3 build but it's all Charles' fault that I'm going the 300B route 😆🎼🔉

Greg, some of my favs.....not all are totally unplugged.

Rickie Lee Jones, Naked Songs
Cowboy Junkies, Trinity Sessions Revisted
The Howlin Jenny's, Live
Nils Lofgren Live
Loreena McKennitt, Nights from the Alahambra
Alison Krause and the Union Station Live
Sinatra at the Sands
Sarah Jarouz, Live at the Troubadour 
Morgan James at the Coca Cola Club

please feel free to share your favs as the DI's convey live music very well. 

A few reasons David. One, while the Frankensteins are superb I have total faith in Aric to design and build an amp that will bring about the same musical bliss. Two, simple finances. I've been spending too much on audio lately and at $3600 Aric's premium build should provide the level of sonics I'm after at a price I can afford. Three, I have an established business relationship with Aric and admire his knowledge, honesty, talent and integrity. Lastly......Halloween is a scary time of year for Frankensteins :)

evolvist, I'm all over the map with musical preferences......jazz, blues, folk, country, world music and getting into classical....but acoustic live music is my fav. 

Sbayne, I think Aric will do just that and I'll certainly let everyone know about Aric's 300B amp as soon as I get it....well, after it burns in. 

Charles,
I'll let Aric discuss the technical aspects of the build as I'll most likely get it wrong, but yes I also believe he will create what I'm looking for in an amp. Thanks to you and your Frankensteins I had a lofty goal to aim for. I look forward to having you hear my new system....and bring more cd's as I love hearing music I'm not familiar with. I'm really enjoying the music of Bobby Hutcherson that you turned me onto.

Thanks Greg, I enjoy trying new music and I'll be ordering cd's from your list later today. 

Im as surprised as you are that I went this new build so soon. I was so focused on either going with the KT 120 or 2A3 amp that I never really considered a 300B. Aric's KT 120 gets me a good way towards the SET sound I so loved from the Frankensteins but I decided to get all the way there and when Aric suggested he could build me a no holds barred 300B I jumped at it. At times I'm quite deliberate in my choices but I'm often very spontaneous.....and this was one of those times. My dilemma now is what to do with this exceptional KT 120. It's too good to not use, it's probably too new to sell at a decent price, so gifting it to my son makes the most sense.....the spoiled brat. Lol. Not really, he's a good kid, if one can be considered a kid at the age of 31. 

Tom

Jay, the speakers are 6' o.c. with the listening position about 8' from the speakers. 

Thanks for the recommendations Greg and Charles. I have some new CDs to look forward to Monday now.

thanks Aric, you explained the amp build far better than I ever could! There are many here that will understand the build much better than I as their informed questions will demonstrate......as Charles has already demonstrated.

tom

Congrats 333jeffrey, I found the same type performance with the Concert Fidelity DAC. I didn't realize just how much of a difference a DAC could make. I had the Yggy and Perfectwave DAC previously and as good as they are they don't compare to the smooth, organic and realistic sound of the Concert Fidelity. Looks like you've found the same in the Rockna. 

Stfoth, Aric is definitely worth giving a call. High quality parts, hand assembled by Aric himself and he's extremely competent and trustworthy. He's building a 300B SET for me right now. 

I thought my original Enzo's had an amazing slam factor......until I got my DI's and they took it to a whole new level. I imagine the SE's I have on order might have even more slam factor and I can't even begin to imagine what the 1812's provide! What's really impressive about all of these speakers is that while they are very adept at delivering that slam factor, they are also detailed, nuanced and nimble with great tonal balance.

Thanks for your update bullitt. Very informative and interesting. The Lyngdorf seems to suspend traditional belief......how can one seemingly innocuous unit perform so well on so many levels? And do so at such a reasonable price? Very intriguing to say the least and I appreciate you sharing your experience with it. Looks like I need to try a Lyngdorf next year. 

I agree with your assessment of LTA's products and service, both are top notch. I'm enjoying the MZ as a pre amp with my Aric Audio amp. Sorry to hear about your experience with Odyssey, I was fortunate to have had a great sales experience with them. 

Great to hear different perspectives on driving the DI's. Thanks again for your appraisal.

Wow grannyring, thanks for such an informative and detailed post. You are giving me the motivation I need to try doing some of the mods to my DI's......especially since I'll have the DI SE's in case I screw up my DI's trying to mod them. Thank you so much for the detailed parts list and reasons for your changes. I wish I could find someone like you to hire to fully mod my DI's like you have. 

With bullit's, Kennys and grannyring's endorsement of the Lyngdorf it's a product I will definitely try out next year ( my audio budget is shot for this year!). It's a difficult product for me to wrap my head around as its hard to believe one small box could do so much......and do it so well. But then it's hard to believe the DI can sound so good for so little. To think having only a source, the Lyngdorf and DI's and have it produce amazing music, well, it baffles my mind. I need more components than that! Lol. It will be like my Bang & Olefsun system I had many moons ago, but better sounding. 

Thanks again gents for sharing. 

While I'm loving the sound of my DI's driven with tubes and will most likely stick with them for a while, the simplistic all in one Lyngdorf solution is so very intriguing. I also appreciate its understated design. It's something I definitely need to try in my system. Grannyring's system with his modded DI's and Lyngdorf sounds like a steal.....offering state of the art sound for a total cost of less than $10k plus a source? What are most of you Lyngdorf users using as a source? Anyone using the Lyngdorf cd transport? 

While ive gone the tube route, I appreciate hearing the good results others are having with SS or SS with tubes. It's great having so many viable options. 

Thanks to grannyring I've been bitten by the diy bug now! It may take me months to properly research and plan but I'm thinking I'll be re-doing the crossovers and internal wiring on my DI SE's eventually. Question for grannyring, Tekton used to offer Mundorf silver oil caps as an upgrade, if I can get my DI SE's upgraded with them do you think it will be a decent improvement? It might help tide me over until I figure out and develop the confidence I need to mod them. 

Thanks,
Tom

I appreciate all of the information shared here and am more excited than ever to get my DI SE's as I feel they will the best possible sound from the DI while conforming to Eric's design intentions. Is it possible that they could be modded to better tailor my personal preferences? Maybe, but that's above my pay scale and I'd most likely do more harm than good! Listening to my DI's now I find it difficult to believe they could sound much better......until I hear something that sounds better and I'm hoping the SE's do just that. 

I very much appreciate all of Eric's time and passion in creating speakers I've been enjoying for over three years now ( from the Enzo's to the DI's and soon the DI SE's) and I can appreciate grannyring's and others desire to tailor their sound to their liking. No right or wrong, better or worse.....just differences in listening preferences. It's all good. 

Muzikmann,

I applaud you building a dedicated listening room first. I think you'll find it to be one of the best audio investments you can make. If done right it will provide an environment for all of your components to shine......especially speakers. Good luck with your build. 

HI David,
Unfortunetly I had to delay shipping while I'm out of town and the amp won't arrive until late Tuesday. Aric says it sounds amazing and I'm looking forward to hearing it myself. I'll definitely be sharing my impressions later this week. 

Hopefully our SE's will be shipping soon so I can put the final touch on my system. 

Teajay,
i have high hopes for Aric's 300B and will get my first listen to it tomorrow. Can't wait. 

I love my tube DAC, pre and amp but have a very open mind towards the Lyngdorf and will give it a try in the next year. I'm not saying I'll switch to it but I just have to give it a listen to hear what all of the buzz is about. I believe besides being a class D amp it incorporates a few other technologies that together make it something very different. Very intriguing to say the least. 

I would welcome all Lyngdorf users to share their experiences with the DI's with it. As Charles stated I find this thread very accepting and cordial regarding alternate amplification. There's never a right or wrong in my book.....only what's right for your personal enjoyment. So please share your Lyngdorf/DI experiences with us. 

On a side note. After spending the last four days in New Orleans my appreciation of live acoustical music is greater than ever. So much talent and wonderful performances everywhere you go here. Amazing! My goal with my system has been to recreate a live performance but after hearing so many great performances this weekend I just don't think I'll ever be able to recreate the lifelike dynamics and sounds I've experienced here.......but I'll still enjoy my music listening at home as much as ever. 

I find it quite encouraging that many differant amps are being enjoyed driving the DI's......and other speakers. Initially I favored high powered SS amps and have gravitated to small tube amps with my first SET amp arriving tomorrow. I still appreciate what my SS amps brought to the table but prefer what tubes offer. Not sure if I'll enjoy the Lyngdorf more than my beloved tubes but I look forward to giving it a try. No matter what amp I'm employing I enjoy reading what others are using and hope everyone continues to share their experiences. If not for such dialogue I doubt my system would sound nearly as good. 

Ozzy,
When talking to Eric while ordering my speakers he mentioned that the DI's tested extremely flat which made them very easy to drive. I've found that to be very true having driven them with the one watt LTA MZ2 for months. Not sure if that's any help to you or not and hopefully Eric will respond to you soon. 

I finally had some time to hook up the Aric 300B and give it a lesson. Since I had to hold off on shipping it until I was back in town Aric had it pretty well burned in already. So how does it sound with the DI's? In one word.......sublime. As much as I like his Transcend KT 120, the 300B is just what I was looking for. It has all of the attributes of the KT120 with more texture, better tone and a more open soundstage with more pinpoint imaging. 

I am am experiencing a slight hum/buzz from the tweeters when music isn't playing but the background is pitch black when music is playing. There are two cathode bypass switches that allow me to engage/disengage cathode capacitors which effect gain and that hum so hopefully I'll find the right setting that will diminish the noise when music isn't playing. 

Thats a a minor issue as the music this amp provides is so engaging and delightful that I'm as happy as can be. As far as I'm concerned Aric has hit a home run with this amp!

Ok, minor noise issue solved......total musical bliss with the Aric 300B amp. The B should stand for beast as this is one hefty and powerful amp. How can 8 watts produce such beautiful music with so much power? At the 9 am position on the MZ volume control its at 80-90 db. It can get MUCH louder. It amazes me.  

Thanks Charles, thanks to you for letting me hear what a well designed 300B amp such as your Frankensteins sound like I had a sonic goal to shoot for. Aric hit the mark and I feel I’ve achieved that goal. After about four of listening to music today I’m hooked. I can’t wait to hear what the SE’s sound like with this amp. Once my schedule settles down I look forward to having you back over to hear my new system.....it’s basically modeled after and similar to yours. Thanks for all of your input, insight and motivation.

Ozzy, I totally understand you not pursuing your DI purchase and it’s a shame as I think they would be amazing in your system. I’ll second Charles’ suggestion of the Herbies Giant Gliders, they make moving the DI’s around quite easy. They don’t make unboxing them any easier though :)

Facten,
On Aric's suggestion I turned one of the capacitor bypass switches off and added a cheater plug to the amp power cord. 

Sorry Steve, I missed your earlier post. I would think the DI's would suit your needs more so than the Legacy Focus SE's. I found the DI's to be more dynamic and more "live" sounding. I listen mostly to acoustical music but occasionally like to rock out and the DI's handle both with equal aplomb but are especially good for rocking out to. The Legacys were great speakers but to me the DI's could to everything they could do with added dynamics and slam.

Thanks Al. I'll need to get some longer IC's and try moving the MZ further away. 

David,
After experimenting with different tubes and cathode bypass switches the amp is sounding wonderful. I now understand what all the talk of SET magic is about. I got a taste of it with Charles' Frankensteins but experiencing it daily is a real treat. The Aric Audio 300B is amazingly powerful sounding, very dynamic, exceptional tone, beautiful midrange with a huge 3D soundstaging. The musical realism is addictive and I find myself spending a lot more time listening to music now. This is with EH 300B tubes, I can't wait to hear how it will sound with the EML XLS 300B's I'm ordering tomorrow.

You could say I'm quite happy with it! ;)

Congrats on your DI purchase cliff, you're in for some fun. 

I would recommend trying out all of your electronics with the DI's to see which you like best. While I prefer small SET tube amps with mine others prefer large SS amps with them. The DI's will reveal what is placed upstream of them....for good or bad. The only way for you to find out what you'll like best is to try the different options. Have fun with it and let your ears determine your choice. 

While not traditional your angled walls might work out just fine. Hopefully you'll experience less harmful standing waves with those angled walls and ceilings. I'm certainly no expert on room acoustics but with some placement experimenting I bet you'll do just fine with the DI's in your room. For me I've found the more I can get them out into the room and away from the walls, the better they sound. Good luck!

Awesome nitrobob, have a fun day of listening!

bullitt, it must be painful looking at those boxes without being able to move them until tonight. Looking forward to hearing you impressions of those beasts. Steve McQueen would be proud of such speakers! 

Did you get the Shelby GT paint job for your Ulfbehrts, bullitt? That would actually look sweet. Wasn't the Bullitt car white with blue racing stripes? I need to watch that movie again, it's been forever since I last saw it. 

Bet you never thought you'd have speakers that made your DI's look puny!

I've used the upgraded LTA power supply and the Vinnie Rossi mini pure DC-4EVR power supply with the MZ2. When using the MZ as a pre amp and the LTA power supply I experienced some noise but it was dead silent with VR power supply. Thanks to Mike at Audio Archon for recommending and selling me the VR power supply. 

Looking forward to your report bullitt, even though I'm quite sure we already know it will be a glowing report as teajay and jeffrey are in love with theirs. Would love to see the DI's next to the Ulfbehrts. Maybe if I stand next to the Ulfberhts I won't look so big!

The MZ and VR power supply were about 18" from the amp so that might have been the noise issue with the upgraded LTA power supply. Al mentioned earlier that could be the case. I'll have to get some longer interconnects to see if placing the amp further from MZ and PS makes any difference. 

Congrats treebeard, I think you'll be VERY happy with the mz2. It's a remarkable product. I would definately suggest that you try some NOS tubes as the MZ will reflect the character of the tubes used. My fav combo is Tungsol round plate 12sn7's with Sylvania gold brand, gold pin 12at7's. Have fun with it!

Corelli,

The 300B from Aric sounds great. I had to work through some strange noise issues which turned out to be from my Vinnie Rossi power supply being too close to the amp. Now that I moved the power supply I'm enjoying music again! I still have a slight hum coming from the speakers that I'm trying to eliminate but it's nothing major. A preamp with more gain might be the cure for that but I'm loath to replace the MZ. 

This amp is the most musical amp I've owned. It very much brings me the performance I remember Charles' Frankensteins providing when he brought them here and that's exactly what I was after. The textures, tone and richness of the music is so natural and real. The air around notes is enhanced. Vocals are amazing and the soundstage is so open and three dimensional with more space between performers. It's also amazingly powerful for 8 watts. 

Going from the Raven Blackhawk to the Decware Torri mkIV to the MZ2 to Aric's Transcend KT 120 to Aric's 300B has been a pleasurable journey. It's rewarding knowing that the 300B is my favorite and I have no regrets replacing the others with it. They are all great amps that I've enjoyed but the 300B is where I want to be. 

With the DI's it's a perfect amp for me. I tend to listen to acoustical performances, female vocalists and jazz and this 300B delivers them beautifully and effortlessly. This current system of mine probably isn't ideal for metal or hard rock but once my SE's get here ( hopefully in two weeks) I'll move my DI's to my tv system with a SS amp and I can rock out there. 

I believe all of the transformers are Hammonds, albeit very oversized ones, but Aric can correct me if I'm wrong. 

Good see this thread rejuvenated.

Well stated corelli, Tektons sound great with a variety of amps from SET’s to large SS amps. Ones personal preferences will determine which will suit them best. 
Congrats on your new amp corelli, glad you’re enjoying it so much. The DI’s will definitely fully exhibit upstream changes. 
I think it’s about time I put my SE’s back into my system for a change of pace to my single driver Omega’s and for some nostalgia. No, the SE’s aren’t perfect but that are damn good.

Thanks Aric, I appreciate your generous offer and shall take you up on it. Your amp will be sonic perfection with a dead silent background. I'll give you a shout to set it up. 

Can't wait to have you over again to hear the amp Charles. Once I get it back from Aric we will plan it. I should have the SE's by then too. Fun, fun!

Congrats David. Looks like Eric is cranking the SE's out in good order. Audio Archon got theirs last week, you got yours this week and hopefully I'll get mine next week or the week after. Looking forward to hearing your impressions of them. 

Sbayne and Charles,
Yes, Eric is a class act and I never had any reservations in having me build this amp or whether he would totally stand behind his work. As you can tell from his posts he is totally competent and knowledgeable but more importantly to me he's a stand up guy......a joy to deal with. 

corelli,
You're so right, there are so many good amp choices for the DI and they all have their strengths and weaknesses. I'm looking forward to hearing my DI's with a SS amp once my SE's get here. With the 300B with the SE's and my old Proceed amp with the DI's I'll get two different but great sounds. The fun never ends!

I'm hoping they ship this week, Lance. What color did you choose? I was going to get a screaming metallic yellow but opted for the BMW metallic mineral gray. Much more conservative than the BMW Phoenix Yellow but still sweet. 

I hear you stfoth, my wallet floats after the last couple of months!

I think you'll be very happy with the MZ2, Aric amp and Tekton combination. I sure am. 

Like you I admire and appreciate the efforts of the likes of Eric, Aric and while I have no experience with Dennis I'm sure he fits right in. Hand built products by men passionate about audio, talented in their craft and committed to providing high end gear at very reasonable prices........right here in the US. Gotta luv it. 

I settled on NOS Tungsol round plate 12SN7's with Sylvania Gold Brand 12AT7's and really like that combo in the MZ2. 

My tweeter array is about 6" higher than my ears and I don't notice any decrease in sound quality at all. I raised my listening chair to put my ears level with the middle tweeter and didn't hear any difference.

Lance, are you using Mapleshade platforms and brass footers under your speakers? Threaded brass footers into the speakers and heavy or megafeet under the platform? 

David,
Have your SE's shipped yet? Still waiting on mine and wondered what the status of yours was. 

Congrats Dave, I must have missed that. Looking forward to your impressions. 

Congrats Lance. Love the color you chose. It's making me wish I hadn't gone with such a conservative color now! Sounds like you have another winner with LTA's new amp. Bet the SE's will sing hooked up to it. 

Glad to see they are giving more realistic lead times and hopefully you'll be pleasantly surprised with something closer to 16 weeks or less. Mine should finally ship early next week making it 10 weeks since ordering. 

Brotw, I'm sure the Gaia II would work for the DI's but the sales rep suggested the Gaia I for them. Even though the II's are rated to 120 lbs their isolation effectiveness diminishes the closer you get to their upper weight limit. It would be interesting to test them both on the DI's as the II's are half the price of the I's making them a much better deal. 

I wanted to share some new updates with my DI’s, upcoming SE’s and associated equipment.

Aric Audio is working on upgrading the 300B amp he built for me while I’m having him move everything into one of his new, heavy duty, sweet looking brushed aluminum chassis. Aric has reported that he’s been able to create and even more organically textured sound with a dead silent background. Music to my ears! I’m also having him build me a matching 12SN7 linestage. The synergy should create even better music and they will look as good as they sound.

I wanted to try some different isolation footers for my speakers since I’d be needing some for the upcoming SE’s. After reading much praise about the Isoacoustic Gaia isolation footers I purchased the Gaia I’s even though I was quite skeptical of the sonic claims many were making regarding them. I figured I’d end up returning them as they probably wouldn’t live up to the hype. Boy was I wrong! I put them on my DI’s and was shocked by how much they cleaned up the sound. An even quieter background that allows the most subtle of details to emerge, smoother and richer vocals, better imaging and a tighter, more musical bass. While they aren’t cheap at $1300 with the carpet spikes I consider them a bargain for the improvements they made. Obviously YMMV, but on my carpet and padding over concrete floors the sonic improvements equaled a component upgrade for me. I wouldn’t have believed that was possible with just isolation footers

Now that's a thought Grannyring, the money saved using the Gaia II's could go towards the cost of the upgrades. Once I get my SE's I'll seriously look into modding my DI's. It would be very interesting comparing the modded DI's to the SE's. My biggest concern is soldering new wire onto the tweeters without damaging them. Any tips on minimizing heat to the tweeter? Would Duelund caps work? I've heard good things about the big Duelunds. 

Thanks Jcarcopo and grannyring. As you can tell I'm a total novice to modding but I think I can handle it. 

Whoa, I had no idea Duelund caps cost so much. I think using Duelund wire will suffice for me.....along with Jupiter and Mundorf caps. Let my research begin. Thanks for the part suggestions and tips gentlemen. I'll experiment on my DI's first before modding the SE's. 

grannyring, after modding the DI's I know you have a more refined sound but one of the qualities of the DI's I wouldn't want to lose is their "liveliness"....that natural, live, realism they impart. Have your mods affected this quality of them?

Thanks Charles,
It was due to your speakers and Duelund caps that made me think of Duelund but I had no idea they would add up so quickly. Mundorf and Jupiter are certainly quality caps and it sounds like they did wonders for Bill.

I will wait until my SE's and new amp and pre amp are burned in before I do any mods so as to be familiar with their sound before making changes. I hope to have everything in place shortly after the new year and can have you over to listen to things before I start modding anything. Every component in my system will be differant from when you last heard it and I look forward to your impression of the changes. The speaker cables will still be the same at least :) 

Thanks for the detailed answer grannyring. That makes a lot of sense to me and I know exactly what you mean about noise being that you don't know is there until it's gone. Every time I think my system is as quiet as it could get I change something that brings about another level of silence that allows more detail, textures and musical subtleties to emerge.....which brings about the refinement you're describing. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge with us.