mac48025, I am interested in your impressions of these speakers with your new LTA gear when it comes. I agree with others posters here that the Linear Tube Audio MZ2-S and ZOTL40 are great bang for the buck products and are also world class amps as well.
My listening room is pretty well set with my LTA gear and Janszen zA2.1 speakers but I do have a second system to work on.
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Mac, how far away from the wall is optimal? I think my current Monitor Audio speakers are about 2' away.
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I will chime in here. I have not heard the double impacts yet but I have the MZ2 and ZOTL40. The amp sounds fine by itself but it is taken to another level with the Micro ZOTL or MZ2-S in the preamp position. The two together make the LTA gear very special.
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Baranyi, you are right but the real magic is when the MZ2-S is mated with the ZOTL40. I have heard nothing that can compete. |
I live near LTA so I visit regularly and keep on top of the latest. The intergrated is probably the next product to be introduced along with a few others after that.
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I will have a news conference at the White House in the morning about LTA.
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I am looking at a future purchase of these double impacts. My floor is concrete with a thin carpet and padding. Any tips for which feet I need? |
The double Impact speakers will be in my near future. I do already have the ZOTL40 and MZ2-S. I concur the MZ2-S with the NOS Tung Sol black glass oval plates are special in this preamp/ amp.
i also powered my 93db radial speakers with the 1 watt and it was surprisingly loud.
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Charles1dad, if I were an EE maybe I could scratch the surface of explaining David Bernings designs but they are very complicated. These amps are unlike any other tube amp I have ever owned and they also seem more powerful than conventional tube amps. David Berning's ingenus impedance conversion tech is behind this. http://davidberning.com/technology |
I have been reading this thread with interest in the Double Impacts and then I read someone is powering them with the one watt MZ2 so Just for the heck of it, I hooked up my older Micro ZOTL2 amp and MZ2-S as preamp together to see what kind of SPL I could get with my 93db sensitive Decware Radial speakers in my living room. I'm playing at levels as loud as I want surprisingly without clipping. The sound is as good as I've ever heard these speakers sound. A small notch above the Berning ZH230 I use. It is no surprise this little 1 watt amp will drive the Tekton's.
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I have a 16'x 17' room with an 8' ceiling. How far off the wall do these speakers need to be for best result? I also have plenty of room treatments, mostly absorption. |
Thanks @david_ten for the info.
@waltersalas , I plan on getting the upgrade package and a different color. What was the additional cost? |
@waltersalas "Audiophile Nervosa being what it is, I didn't want to get, like, and keep the speakers, only to experience that niggling feeling six or eight months from now that I might be missing that extra few degrees of refinement or impact--if I had only gotten the upgrade" Well said. I eagerly await the DI duel with the Daedalus. |
@willsw
please get the DI's in the shop so I can come by and listen. I want to buy a pair but I would love to get in a listen first.
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Does anyone know what differences there are with the new SE version? I don't see anything on his web site but have heard some chatter here about this version. |
I've read enough! I just ordered a pair, also bronzed orange. I will be able to compare them to my Janszen hybrid electrostats in another system. They will replace my current Monitor Audio GX300 Gold which were a bit more expensive a few years ago. |
The Eva Cassidy album "Eva by Heart" has a song "blues in the night" that has a high note that will definitely test your tweeters.
ive seen many artist at Blues Alley in Georgetown and it's a great sounding venue but I didn't see Eva's show that night. The one that got away. |
Mac, you won't be sorry. I think I will order some May and Waits.
Lance
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I ordered my DI's over a week ago and Eric was painting another pair the same color that I want so he did paint them that day. Does anyone have a feel for how long it takes to get them. Im not in a hurry and don't really want to bother Eric yet.
Lance |
My orange DI's with upgrades are on the way. I am considering Herbies gliders temporarily to find optimum placement and then using spikes on thin carpet with concrete underneath. I suppose I could then sell the gliders.
anyone else have any ideas? Im guessing they will be difficult to move once spikes are installed.
im looking forward to joining the conversation about how they sound.
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Hey guys, what thread size for the feet on the DI's?
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Excellent, standard 1/4 x 20. You can tell they're made in America.
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Bullitt, I agree with Craigl59, the Emotiva amps sound pretty good for the cost. I would also recommend a Job225 as a very good SS amp. My DI's will be here on Wednesday and I will start out using a Benchmark AHB2 direct from Modwright UDP205. I'm hoping the smooth tube stage of the Modwright will mean I won't need a preamp. I will also try my Micro ZOTL in the chain as well.
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Hi I'm Lance and I'm an audiophilaholic. My Orange DI's came in today. They sound pretty good right out of the box and from what I've read they will get better with some breakin. I have a feeling like some others have mentioned, these speakers are very sensitive to the gear upstream. I have a new Modwright Oppo UDP205 and a Benchmark AHB2 driving them and it's already spectacular.
After a some breakin time I will adjust speaker placement for best results and then a little Tube rolling perhaps. I just put a picture of them on my system page.
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My new DI's are breaking in nicely and sounding wonderful. I did get the upgrades and front grills. Does anyone know when the grills will be made available? They didn't come with the speakers. I did email Eric but haven't heard back yet. I'm guessing some of you guys have asked the same question.
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The new DI's have almost 100 hours on them. I've let them run non stop over the weekend. I still want to try some different speaker positioning but in my well treated room I don't really have any problems. I couldn't wait any longer so I pulled out the SS Benchmark AHB2 and inserted the Micro ZOTL and yes the 1 watt drives them to satisfying loud levels. As much as I love the Benchmark as my Reference SS amp, I prefer the Micro ZOTL. I will eventually need to try an SET but I'm also looking at some future LTA ZOTL amps coming down the road.
The Monitor Audio GX300 speakers I had in this system with its ribbon tweeters were bright enough to hurt the ears after a while. As jcarcapo mentioned there are no brightness issues with the DI's and if some think there is anything lacking in the highs they may be more accustomed to the brightness of some other speakers. Also compared to my previous speakers which were somewhat colored the DI's are completely neutral and colorless. They make real music as it's been said many times.
The woofers are now tightening up some and I'm hearing really good bass. I will wait for them to breakin some more before comparing to my Janszen electrostats but needless to say I'm impressed and I do hear what some have called an electrostat quality.
The bronzed orange looks good in my basement. I let my wife pick out the color so she feels she's invested in the system but every time she sees a new box arrive with stereo gear she starts talking about buying a new car, I think it's a Tesla this time.
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Corelli, my room is 17' x 18' x 8.5' high and the DI's on the shorter wall but the room is almost square. I have a few diffusers and lots of bass traps.
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The DI's are 2' from the front wall, about 8' to my seat and 8' apart. I have yet to experiment much with speaker placement. They do go through an interesting break-in period and change quite a bit. |
@teajay - I can concur the 12AU7's in the Micro ZOTL work fine with a little less gain. Also i am using NOS Tung Sol VT99 with adapters replacing the 6SN7's and they sound wonderful
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@kdude66 - I have rolled in quite a few different tubes, right now I have NOS Amperex 12AT7's, I also like NOS Mullards. The VT99's have more gain in the Micro ZOTL. It's a very Tube friendly design when it comes to rolling.
I drilled holes in the Lexan top of the Micro ZOTL but Mark sells a pre drilled lid for $50.
i am still using the Micro ZOTL alone and wanted to get good break-in time on the DI's before making too many changes an once. |
Wow, the DI's have opened up and are sounding spectacular this evening. Still driving with Modwright Oppo 205 to 1 watt Micro ZOTL but now with NOS Tung Sol 6F8G VT99 tubes there is leap in performance from the Sylvania bad boys 6SN7's. I can't believe I'm hearing all of this with 1 watt. Very happy.
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@charles1dad - I used my LTA preamp with my old Decware ZMA and didn't hear much difference from using the ZMA alone. It seemed the Micro ZOTL was so transparent it really didn't have much effect but when I brought home the ZOTL40 and then paired it with the Micro ZOTL then the heavens opened up and angels sang. In other words - good synergy.
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My DI's are sounding better everyday with about 150 hours on them. I find these speakers to display some of the finest sound reproduction I have ever heard and most definitely nothing touches them at this price point. I have some nice maple speaker stands coming and I believe that will tighten up the bass some from previous experience. I am using a new Modwright Oppo UPD-205. and i'm sure the modded output stage is partly responsible for this glorious sound I'm getting. I have some CD's and blu-rays but for the most part I'm streaming via Ethernet from a dedicated server upstairs using jriver and jremote app. I'm still using only the LTA Micro ZOTL as my 1 watt amp with no preamp in between. I am waiting for Mark Schneider's next creation. I was at LTA recently and listened to a low watt prototype and was impressed. In a couple of weeks I will bring my ZOTL40 downstairs to try out with the DI's. I have some exotic tubes including NOS Mullard EL34's and EL38's with adaptors. I will report more on this later. I am not ready to suggest that the DI's best my Janszen zA2.1's and they of course cost 4x what the DI's cost. I worked long and hard to optimize them in a small dedicated room. They did not fill this basement room with sound as well as the DI's do although, so room dimensions matter. |
@porscheracer - but they are the finest 10 watts you've ever heard and are a bargain at 3K. I also agree with @mac48025, the 1 watt does the trick in an unbelievable way.
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I'm not a engineer so I can't explain why the ZOTL amps sound so good but theyre different from any other tube design out there. To me the sound is very powerful, dynamic and fast. It has the best qualities of tubes and SS combined.
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@kdude66 - In my dedicated listening room I'm running a MZ2-S and a ZOTL40 with NOS Mullard's powering my Janszen hybrid electrostats. This is providing me with the best sound I've ever heard in my home and amongst the very top contenders I've heard at any shows.
Regarding Art Dudley's quote: If I get anymore tube goodness I will have to and pick up a white chip.
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I did quite a bit of cycling once upon a time. The most insanely dedicated cyclist I've ever met is David Berning (ZOTL designer). 150 miles in a day? No big deal. He once delivered an amp strapped to the back of his bicycle. The man doesn't own a car.
@grannyring - i bet getting rid of the speaker binding post made good improvement. |
@Corelli, I will talk when I can. For now I am sworn to secrecy. I have never met with any Russians.
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@craigl59 - I found the set easily, looks like something to try out.
I am approaching the 200 hour mark on the DI's and with some new components in the chain the sound is sooooo good. Listening to Patricia Barber "cafe blue" and am practically having an out of body experience, so very holographic. It is Sunday morning, perhaps I've found my new religion. It is glorious. |
@porscheracer - I agree now that I'm listening to another amp and have a decent amount of headroom.
@mac48025 - I will try out the ZOTL40 next. |
The DI's are the Swiss Army knife of speakers. I suppose any amp will play with them. I stand by my statement that the 1 watt Micro ZOTL sounds absolutely beautiful and does not sound anemic in the least.
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@evolvist - I tried the ZOTL40 today with and without the MZ2 and it was a pleasant experience. The ZOTL40 sounded pretty good going direct as well but not the case in my other system. Maybe the Modwright tube stage in my 205 is smoothing things out somewhat.
As with teejays experience the Micro ZOTL did sound a little better by itself even with my primo tubes but not by much. This contradicts my findings with my electrostats. In this set up the ZOTL40 and Micro ZOTL are inseparable and a match made in heaven. The ZOTL40 does not sound nearly as good without the MZ.
Now that the DI's are properly broken in I will put the AHB2 back in to hear the difference but being familiar with both amps I doubt the pairing will sound better than the beauty of the LTA tube amps.
Lance |
@evolvist - I'm using a Modwright Oppo UDP-205 with great results.
if you take a listen to the LTA MZ2 with head phones you might just change your mind about tubes and head phones.
Lance
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@evolvist , I have the Benchmark ABH2 back in the system. I'm going direct from my Modwright Oppo 205 without a preamp and I must say it is spectacular. A whole different sound now that the DI's are well broken in.
The ABH2 is well known for its lack of distortion and it sounds clear and tight. In a comparison to the ZOTL amps.... well.... I like both. The AHB2 could be very slightly clinical in comparison but nothing that bothers me. The ZOTL with my Mullard EL34's has a midrange to make you melt into your chair, maybe a little more musical.
i would prefer the ZOTL for jazz and classical. I would prefer the AHB2 for rocking out. The best part is that the DI's seem to let everything through. |
@evolovist , with the AHB2 you won't be dissapointed.
@kdude66 , the stock KT77's that come with the ZOTL40 are good tubes. They have excellent bass and make the ZOTL40 sound almost solid state, but the best SS ever.
Mark Schneider came over one weekend and we spent many hours doing a tube shoot-out to see what was best in the ZOTL40, listening through my Janszen's. We decided that day that the Gold Lion KT77 sounded better than any of the new stock EL34's we tried. He has since sold the amp with KT77's as stock tubes and even though they cost more he didn't raise the price. |
As I listen tonight, I still have the Modwright Oppo going direct to the Benchmark AHB2 and can it be getting better? The sound now has bumped up a notch. Maybe these speakers continue to improve over the first few hundred hours but they sound unbelievable tonight. For those of you who are SS fans, I can highly recommend the AHB2 to take full command of the drivers in the DI's. I will eventually go back to the LTA amps for further comparison. I have no doubt about the ability of these speakers to out perform the 20K competition.
Lance |
@kdude66 , I put the MZ2 back into the chain. The MZ2 is almost completely transparent as preamps go and pairing it with a relatively noiseless amp shows no added noise or lack of anything. There is a slightly softer tone but beautiful, still fast, dynamic and crisp. Plenty of detail still. It sounds like the sound stage has grown some.
In this comparison I can find no deficiencies with either set up. I would be happy listening either way with or without the preamp. I think perhaps if I didn't have tubes in the output section of my source then the preamp might be more of a necessity. |
@brotw , the Benchmark AHB2 is a phenomenal SS amp and I recommend it highly. I also think you would benefit from a tube preamp. It's been said that the AHB2 is a perfect conduit so your front end will make or break it. Using my Modwright Oppo with its tube stage direct to the AHB2 is very satisfying.
The LTA MZ2 is not only the best preamp I've ever heard but also a killer 1 watt amp. It sounds incredible powering the DI's to acceptable levels but i feel a little headroom would be better. It's also maintenance free, that is if you don't mind replacing tubes every 10 years.
The ZOTL40 is an incredible tube amp and like the AHB2 has far more power than you need. You will find no deficiencies in bass output in this amp compared to SS or at least it's very close. You will definity enjoy better midrange. I have also owned Decware amps and am a fan but the LTA amps make the Decware sound broken.
personally, I am waiting for some new products coming from Linear Tube Audio in a few months. I like to stop in frequently and see what they're up to since I live close. It's a blast because I get to do A/B listening tests on stuff they're working on. I can't really elaborate now but the best is yet to come.
Lance
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@corelli , I think the new LTA integrated will be ready soon. It will be 10 watts and will have true balanced inputs, not transformer coupled balanced but a special "David Berning" designed tube circuit. I think Mark is working on an upgraded power supply for it. I want to get one to test for him. I'm pretty sure Mark has talked about this one already so I'm not letting the cat out of the bag.
Lance
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@jollygreenaudiophile2 , Mark at Linear Tube Audio in Takoma Park told me months ago that Eric was sending him a pair of speakers. I waited for quite a while to listen to them but they never showed up. I got impatient and went ahead and ordered them anyway. No regrets. Maybe I'm the only one that has them in the Baltimore, Washington metropolitan area.
Lance |
