I recently placed my order for the DI's and have spoken with Eric several times. He universally recommended the 4 ohm version. I believe the 8 ohm is more pricey as well.
Tekton Double Impacts
Anybody out there heard these??
I have dedicated audio room 14.5x20.5x9 ft. Currently have Marantz Reference CD/Intergrated paired to Magnepan 1.7's with REL T-7 subs. For the vast majority of music I love this system. The only nit pick is that it is lacking/limited in covering say below 35 hz or so. For the first time actually buzzed the panel with an organ sacd. Bummer. Thought of upgrading subs to rythmicks but then I will need to high pass the 1.7's. Really don't want to deal with that approach.
Enter the Double Impacts. Many interesting things here. Would certainly have a different set of strengths here. Dynamics, claimed bottom octave coverage in one package, suspect a good match to current electronics.
I've read all the threads here so we do not need to rehash that. Just wondering if others out there have FIRST HAND experience with these or other Tekton speakers
Thanks.
I have dedicated audio room 14.5x20.5x9 ft. Currently have Marantz Reference CD/Intergrated paired to Magnepan 1.7's with REL T-7 subs. For the vast majority of music I love this system. The only nit pick is that it is lacking/limited in covering say below 35 hz or so. For the first time actually buzzed the panel with an organ sacd. Bummer. Thought of upgrading subs to rythmicks but then I will need to high pass the 1.7's. Really don't want to deal with that approach.
Enter the Double Impacts. Many interesting things here. Would certainly have a different set of strengths here. Dynamics, claimed bottom octave coverage in one package, suspect a good match to current electronics.
I've read all the threads here so we do not need to rehash that. Just wondering if others out there have FIRST HAND experience with these or other Tekton speakers
Thanks.
Showing 50 responses by lmswjm
Walter, I've been very interested in the LM-508IA myself, and in the process of tracking one down currently. I read how it had performance advantages over the well regarded LM-518IA in direct comparison. Have you compared the integrated preamp versus any external preamps? Since I may likely have the same set-up as you, would you mind sharing which tubes you settled on please? Thanks, Bill |
Thanks for the welcome Kenny, I placed my order on Friday. Eric says I should have them most likely delivered to NY within 2 weeks. I ordered the upgraded version in bronzed orange (less red, more neutral color). I'm just as excited at the prospect of getting my first serious tube amp to complement the DI's. I'm coming from a NHT Xd system that once consisted of 4 satellites and 4 subs. I've since broken that down and am running it as the ideal 2.2 bedroom system. Cheers, Bill M |
Yes, similar experience. I was briefly thinking First Watt J2 with 8 ohm DI's because that would draw twice the power from that particular amp (15 watts from 4 ohms / 30 watts from 8 ohms). Eric expressed that he thought the 8 ohm version was less optimal, plus I didn't want to spend extra cash anyway. Not to de-rail the thread too much, but any recommendations on speaker cables? |
DI's in the house. Fit and finish, esthetics surpassed my expectations. Very nice indeed. The bronzed orange was a good choice afterall. I posted a picture on my page. I'm waiting on a proper amp still. Temporarily powering them with a higher powered headphone amp for now. I hear a lot of potential so far. Very satisfied thus far. |
@milpai Sources: Theta Data III, Yggdrasil, Modwright Sony CD player. Actually iPad streaming through an AirPort via Yggy is better than I would have thought. Convenience has its merits. I’ve also heard modifying a MHDT Pagoda yields great results. Everything else is up for grabs. I’m getting very good sound (easily exceeding my expectations) temporarily using an Audio-GD Master 6 SS preamp and a simple pro audio 2 Ch Roland 150 watt power amp (which is only turned up to 9:00). Ultimately, I’ll be exploring tube based amplification options. The DI’s seem like a perfect option to build a system around. The DI SE and Ulfberht II’s have my attention as well. Someone asked about the stands in the picture. They are the IsoAcoustics ISO-L8R430. Bill |
Terry, Thanks for the heads-up on that KingKo integrated review. I found the Steve Hoffman thread on it where the reviewing author gives yet more details. Supposedly it's a very good headphone amp too, that can do a great job with the Sennheiser HD600's, which is no easy task. Definitely not an after thought. I believe there were additional windings from the transformer to the headphone out, which would most likely make all of the difference. Possibly making this a tough standalone headphone amp to beat for the price. Forgive me if you can't post links http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/kingko-ka-101-experiences.673633/ Sounds like a wonderful little amp for very little money. Like you mentioned, supposedly easier to take it even further with inexpensive tube upgrades and adding a dedicated preamp, not that it's required to make it sound good. I will most likely buy this amp to compare with some others as I continue to build my system around the DI'S. If it pans out, the DI's with the KingKo amp might be the budget system to beat. Bill |
Okay, I don't know how useful this will be considering that I don't have a good point of reference for comparison. I borrowed a Roland SRA-200E 150 watt pro audio power amp to get me going with the DI's. The Roland surpassed my expectations as a loaner. Very good sound quality. The KingKo KA-101 was clearly better as expected. Listening to classic R&B, quality of the bass to me was the most obvious improvement. My Lover's Prayer by Otis Redding, convincingly puts a Fender Precision bass through an Ampeg B15 amp right in the room. Even at low volume, bass gravitas is realistic some how. I guess that's another striking attribute of the DI's, in conjunction with the KingKo: Striking sound with realistic dynamics at low listening levels. This illustrates the recent theme in this thread whereby less is more when you have speaker efficiency and quality amplification. Where in this world, 12 watts > 150 watts. Using the KA-101 as a power amp with my Audio-GD Master 6 pre was another clear step up in quality. I would have preferred to use it as an integrated for simplicity's sake, but it was not to be. In combination with Yggdrasil, things were quite good indeed. These impressions were done straight out of the box, with no burn-in. Of course things should significantly improve even further by swapping tubes. Here is what King recommended in the article's interview: "I think the amplifier is just fine with the tubes that I supply as they are the Shuguang tubes from China. That said I think there are some big improvements that are attainable through tube rolling. The tubes that make the biggest impact on my amp are the 5AR4 Rectifier and 12AX7 preamp tubes. I suggest the NOS RCA 5U4G which is a 5AR4 equivalent. And I suggest the Gold Lion Gold Pin 12AX7, followed by the Tungsol 803s gold pin and EH (Electro Harmonix) Gold Pin. The EH is inexpensive and can be a little noisier in dynamic passages. There are many more expensive tubes that you may like better but these tubes are very good and quite reasonable. For the 12AU7, I prefer NOS from Brimer and Amperex, and finally I like the Gold Lion EL84s." Some other R&B classics that showcased a large, detailed soundstage were: "Trust In Me" and "At last" by Etta James "A Change is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke The Etta James' tunes were eerie. I turned the volume down several times because I was convinced someone was in the room with me. I'll keep updating as the journey continues. I hope to audition other low watt tube amps to see how things compare. Bill M |
My 2 cents David fwiw: Transparency of a speaker will determine the appropriate quality of the other upstream components in a system. Sensitivity of a speaker will of course determine how much wattage is required to efficiently power them to greatest effect. Instinctively, I want to find that sweet spot if it exists. Obviously you don’t want to use insufficient power, but I wouldn’t want to enter the domain of overkill either. I’d rather invest in quality of watts than quantity. I believe system synergy relies on the interaction of these two components most dependently. Whereas, a high quality source will probably be a more universal solution to most systems. I like the way Terry approaches system building by starting with the end points. That being a transparent, efficient pair of speakers and a high quality source. Then nailing down a preamp that has extreme amplification synergy with those speakers because of said attributes. Lastly, workout and invest in the number of, and type of quality watts required to hit the proverbial sweet spot in the pursuit of audio nirvana. Bill M |
I believe the Electrons are slightly less sensitive than the DI's. Not sure if that will be of significance or not. I personally would go with the LTA MZ2-S, which is probably the most popularly satisfying preamp on this thread. Especially if I had a 2A3 amp in mind. I believe that teajay favored this particular combo over all others that he tried. |
@evolvist: "Remember, my Linn has Space Optimization, which is a unique room correction that doesn’t use a mic. So, you measure the speakers by distance from various locations in the room, tell it what the floor is made of, the walls, windows, etc, etc, and it takes the room out of the equation, as opposed to getting readings from a much more fallible mic setup." Please expand on this sentiment. Why would a mic set-up be more fallible? I would be interested in reviewing any reliable source of information that would support this. |
Kinda crazy. So, smaller cabs and a combined 8" less in bass driver size saves you $4500? Assuming he's keeping the 15 tweeter / 4 mid driver design the same. It would have made sense to me to keep the 2 10" drivers of the DI's together in the bottom of the cab, but what do I know? Eric hasn't taken any mis-steps yet. I would be be more lenient with the time allowance thing, but that's just me. A brand new design being released and all. Plus I'd bet this thread has increased sales numbers significantly, so he may be dealing with increased demand as well. |
Here's hoping Jeffery still wishes to contribute to this thread. It would be diminished if that were not the case. I'd be interested in him experimenting with positioning, if only temporarily so, to report any perceivable changes. Many are aware of ideal positioning, but don't necessarily adhere to those ideals due to practicality. I'm not entirely convinced that he has to do that to thoroughly enjoy the Ulf's. Only one way to find out. Thank you Jeff for all of your efforts! |
I feel like handing out cigars. I’m officially joining the Ulfberht club after talking with Eric today. I’m glad he’s plenty busy now, he deserves it. Less than 2 months ago, it took him 2-3 weeks to deliver my DI’s. Now, it’s a 3 month wait for the Ulfberhts. I don’t mind the wait at all. It’ll give me time to sell some equipment and work out my final signal chain. I know that this is a hobby of tweaks and changes, but it’s my belief that this very well could be my ideal system for years to come. Honestly speaking, I could have been completely happy with the upgraded DI’s if there was no such thing as Ulfberhts. I’ve had many "things couldn’t sound any better than this" moments with the DI’s. Bill M |
One thing I have believed since first talking to Eric about the no-comprimise, full-sized Ulfberhts is that they are not going to sonically overwhelm most rooms. It's his belief that speakers don't work that way. It's more likely that they will visually overwhelm the room however. I'm going to have the speakers painted a neutral color that will match the walls in the room. Btw, he mentioned that someone's Mini's were getting painted today! |
The challenges of piano reproduction came up yesterday. Eric mentioned he discussed this with Terry recently. I was just going through a string of different recordings of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, the vast majority of which are piano performances. I stumbled upon Mahan Esfahani’s award winning harpsichord recording of that work. It left me slack-jawed. One of the most powerful recordings I have heard on the DI’s. It simply filled the room with one of the most immersive, dynamic sounds I have heard. It was on a level clearly above any of the piano recordings that I demo’d. http://www.mahanesfahani.com/recordings/ https://www.amazon.com/Bach-Goldberg-Variations-Mahan-Esfahani/dp/B01FYHNG9A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&... |
"I love the grills on the Ulfs, too. I mean, these aren’t the most attractive speakers in the world. The grills certainly help." To each, their own. I think the grills look quite nice and work well in Jeffery’s room. I don’t think he has any other option there. In my room however, they will be displayed in their full splendor. I have more cubic space and lighter colors to allow that to happen. "You’re right; people should jump on board now before these go through the roof....If Eric could just find the help he needs to get his product out while people are getting hooked on Tekton, then he’ll stand a great chance to raise is prices...and the people will follow." I admit that I had an innate sense of urgency when placing my order yesterday, I guess unconsciously considering wait time and pricing. I had a sense of relief that I was officially in the que after hanging up. This Sasha comparison is not going to quell the fires any. I can honestly say that I don’t believe Eric has any underlying desires to increase his profit margins. When I talk to him what comes across is his genuine excitement for what he’s created, his desire to spread the word. I’ll interject on my own maybe a little deserved "I told you so" as well. At the same time, how else does one deal with increasing demand versus potentially compromising product quality with increased rates of production? I’m sure it’s a nice problem for Eric to have. I’ll spare you all the Karma pun that just crossed my mind... |
Original quote here on 8/19 by mykeryte re-quoted and expanded upon by Eric Alexander in another thread here: "We now have Michael Wright at Stereo Times pulling the Wilson Sasha's out of his rig for the Double Impacts because they perform to a higher level. The fact is... I've had multiple people to call me and email me to inform me of the fact the DI's sound superior to the Wilson Sasha's. Here's a quote from the REAL Double Impact Audiogon thread from a few days back: "Just to be clear on the statements I made about the DI's and my Sasha's a couple of months ago; the DI's, overall, did outperform my Sasha's. From the mid-bass up through their hi frequency performance, they were more enjoyable and more musically engaging than the Sasha's. The level of performance and achievement, especially in the all important lower mid-range to upper bass region of the DI's, is exemplary. Eric Alexander and his team should be lauded for what they have accomplished. To gain this level of performance is commendable for a speaker at any cost, but at $3,000??? It should have been interesting, sitting around the Tekton board-room table and hearing Eric discussing the lofty design goals he had for the DI's, then share with his confidantes that he could do it all for around $3,000 retail. I'm sure somebody snickered and said "Yeah right". All I can say is interested parties should get their speakers soon before Tekton figures out what they have on their hands and puts their speakers thru a well deserved pricing restructure." - Michael Wright" |
Here is the original quote from mykeryte that preceded the above also on 8/19: "Okay sports fans, here we go with the comparison of Double Impacts that teajay has been listening to with my Wilson Sashas. Keep in mind, my Stereo Times publisher, Clement Perry, is working on the Double Impact review and I don't want to get in the way of what he has to say. With that being said....... Allen Richards and I got together for this listening session and as was mentioned previously, we were listening with the VAC Renaissance Mk V preamp, two VAC Signature iQ amplifiers run in mono ( so that's 200 watts per amp) and I'm running Asus laptop with Fidelizer Pro (maxxed out at the "audiophile" level) and a custom NOS DAC built for me by Gilbert Yeung at Blue Circle Audio. I had been using Klee Acoustics cables throughout but discovered another little inexpensive gem from Tellurium Q called the Black II that I have been using on the speakers. Mike Kay's Archon Blue power cords are used on the amps and the preamp. Allen and I bought the DI's in the house and laid them down as we began to listen to music on the Sasha's. We each took two tracks to listen to, and once we were done, we set the DI's up, if you want to call it that. Nothing too serious. The DI's were set up with the side of each speaker five feet from the side wall, seven feet between the speakers and the front of each speakers was ten feet from the front wall. They were spiked. We re-listened to the four tracks we listened to on the Sasha's. Initially, the sound from the DI's was uninvolving, bass was diffuse from the midrange and the highs, and pretty much just not a good listen. The Sasha's were clearly the better sounding speaker. I shared with Allen that before I passed judgement on the DI's, they needed to settle into the carpet with the spikes, that I needed to spend a lot more time setting them up, remembering that we had merely set them up where we placed them when we bought them into the house, and that I need to do more experimentation the taps on the back of the amps. We were listening to the DI's on 2-4 ohm tap which is where they work best with the Sasha's and I suggested we listen on the 4-8 ohm tap. Allen didn't want to wait until later so I made the tap change right away. The improvement was immediate and it was not subtle at all. We started off with the four tracks we listened to on the Sasha's and the DI's and the music sparkled with life and energy. There was a sense of verve and reality, with the music seemingly being performed "live" within the landscape of my listening room. The Sasha's has these attributes as well, but not to the same level as the DI's. What's remarkable to me is the DI's ability to sound effortless like a horn speaker, have the ability to "see into" the performance like good planars, and the the ability to convey the life-like realism of dynamic speakers, all at the same time. Though they do a fine job, the Sasha's couldn't quite match that. The Sasha's deep bass performance exceeded that of the DI's if that type of thing is important to you. I need to move the Sasha's to the side, do my due diligence and devote some time doing some serious setup experimentation for the DI's in my listening room (25' X 16'). One last thing to add; I noticed a lot of you like using the SET or small powered tube amps to drive these speakers. That's cool. The sound of these amps has been quite impressive at teajay's on the DI's and Ulberchts. I just want to lend my two cents and say that the DI's can sound just as compelling with 200 watts/channel as they do with the lower powered amps. That's just my opinion and probably Allen's too. YMMV. " |
Bill (grannyring), I owe you a debt for giving great advice regarding building my system and selling gear. Thanks for the great feedback on the DI’s. I believe we hear things the same way. I’m glad to hear that you’re willing to hang on to the DI’s and experiment because you hear potential there. Your contributions will be sorely missed and it’s understandable why you would want to cut back on the unnecessary drama. We should recognize that we all have different tastes, rooms, goals and signal chains, etc. Many, many variables. As readers, we should be able to pick out the value of each post and not scrutinize what doesn’t match our own experience specifically. Thanks Bill! Bill M |