Tekton Double Impacts

I found the Brilliance to be a touch clearer than the DI's.

Out of idle curiosity, I'd be interested in hearing from some of the rest of you who, like myself, chose the Tekton-Design Brilliance over the DI's.

I listen mostly to classical music and some jazz through the First Watt F-3 amp and the VPI Classic 2 with the  Sound-Smith Voice Cartridge or the Oppo 93 DVD player.

I'd love to hear from others with similar equipment and taste. If you prefer, I'll start a different string

Living here in Utah and having known Eric over the years, I was able to audition both the Brilliance and the DI's in Eric's workshop.  Accoustically, the room was utterly different than my living room, but I could hear a definite improvement, imho, in the Brilliance over the DI.  But you're right, David: de gustibus nolum disputadem.  i.e. to each his own.  I said this was an idle inquiry. Are there any other happy Brillliance listeners out there?

disputandum, that is....my Latin is rusty

Here's a further correction and amplification of my broken Latin, mac:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_gustibus_non_est_disputandum

I like Haydn, Oscar Peterson, anything with the human voice from opera to  Jimmy Driftwood, Gilbert and Sullivan, Adele, string quartets,

If you want, let me know when you're coming out to Utah.  Maybe we can meet at Tekton Design.  btw, who is Sarah Jarouz?

Dear David, Mac48025 and anyone else following this idle, pleasurable, string:
By no means would I enter into an intermural contest between two of Eric's excellence speakers.  fyi, I have not yet heard the Ulfberhts.  Their size and price put them out of  my range. I'll probably visit Eric in the near future and give them a listen, though I doubt I can improve on the wonderful clarity and balance of my Brilliance. Perhaps we could met when you do the same.  What kind of music do your DI's channel?

Thanks, bullitt.  Now I've two new artists to try out on my Brilliance system. Both of these escaped my 77 year old radar.  Perhaps we should get back to discussing the speakers.  Is there anyone who has compared the DI's or Brilliance with the OB Sigmund?

David:
Please email me privately when you're coming out in our direction.  Perhaps Eric could suggest a date for us to meet and audition his masterpiece.

Me too, David

THANK YOU, DAVID, AND OTHER INTERESTED PARTIES.

MY LISTENING EXPERIENCE SINCE NOVEMBER CONFIRMS THIS REVIEW'S  CONCLUSION.  I CAN ADD THAT THE BRILLIANCE CLARIFIES THE VOICES OF COMPLEX SYMPHONIES.  I USE IT, AS I'VE SAID, WITH THE FIRST WATT F-3. IT PUTS OUT A MODEST 10 WATTS:
http://www.firstwatt.com/f3.html
IN MY SMALL LISTENING SPACE,I FIND NO LISTENING FATIGUE OR BASS EMPHASIS.  I SO ENJOY LISTENING TO ALL MY MUSIC.  WHAT MORE IS THERE TO SAY. QUESTIONS WELCOME, HOWEVER.

Hello everyone:

Is there anyone here who is interested in starting a separate thread discussing the Tekton Design Brilliance?  We've had our pair for nine months.

They work so well with  a First Watt F-3, a VPI Classic 2, a SoundSmith Voice Cartridge mated to a Sound-Smith preamp and an Oppo Universal Player. All of these feed to a passsive preamp by Placette.. I'd be interested in discussing all the options you DI fans have reviewed but with the Brilliance speakers. 

Hi, David_ten,

I did start a new thread on the Brilliance.  I'll continue to lurk on the DI thread as well and look forward to meeing u in Utah one of these years.  I assume  that Eric will out us both when it's practical. So here's a question for members of this forum:

I'm using a First Watt F-3 amp.  What (if any) improvement might I expect near field by up-ing to a higher powered amp?

Thank you, Kenny, for your most helpful response:

I'm listening to my Brilliance speaker at the mid-point of a ten foot equilateral triangle. The listening room is open at the back and runs the full length of the house with a dining area and a kitchen behind my wife and my listening chairs.  As I hear them now, these speakers must not be toe in directly at my listening area, but somewhere behind where I hear them for best results.  I love the clarity of this arrangement  and hear a great improvement with the F-3's over the J-2's The only limitation is when I listen to very high volume material at levels over a typical concert hall experience.  I expect that the only way to get greater clarity at high volume would be to go to amps that are much higher power than the 10 watts  class A per channel that my F-3's crank out. I don't anticipate that the added increase in quality at high volume would be worth the added price, but I keep watching Audiogon, Reno Hi-Fi, or other sites offer in used, reconditioned  Pass Lab amps. I'm open to all of you for suggestions or reflections. 
 

Thank you, Al, Kenny and everyone: I noticed the same  dynamics problem a couple of years ago.  As a result, (I I neglected to mention )my Placette is now supplemented with Guy Hammel's preamp stage, which I think is a buffer with a tiny bit of gain. This greatly improved my dynamics.  I anticipate that it corrected the impedence mismatch. Can you confirm if this is truly so? I'm a 77 year old non-techi.

P.S, Kenny: My phono stage is Sound-Smith MM3 built only for MM cartridges. ( I saved a little money by excluding the low output MC option. Peter Lederman was so nice.

Thanks so very much to Al, Kenny, and all the rest who are responding so promptly to my posts about the Brilliance, various First Watt amps, and Placette audios preamp and amp.

fyi: Guy Hammel  told me that the preamp  section he made for me is the audio equivilant of his preamp minus the various inputs and controls. So perhaps I misspoke when I described the gain as "slight." To control the preamp, I use his Placette passive line stage. 

I compared the F-3  with the J-2 feeding my Tekton Design  Brilliance speakers and honestly found an improvement in clarity usng the F-3's. The j-2' currently feeds a pair of d'Appolito MTM's that Eric built for me many years ago.  It's less efficient than my Brilliance and suits that design well.

As you may have noticed, I've recently started a separate thread for the Brilliance speakers and I bet my posts belong on that thread rather on one devoted to the DI's.

Thanks for the amp recommendations.  I'll keep them on my computer and try them out at some future date. 

Meanwhile, I'll be describing my experience with the Brilliance at some later date. Thanks again to all who a music fanatic with idiosyncratic musical tastes.  Tekton design fits my needs to a T I'm sure you move up the quality scale as you increase price. I'd love to discuss the way in which all of you have your Tekon speakers set up.  Near field? Small or large rooms? toe in? etc.

Again, thank all of you for your help. Please forgive any posts I may have ignored. This thread is coming up fast and furious on my laptop. 

Thank you, Kenny:
Here is all the info I have about the Placette linestage preamp. It seems to give me enough clean volume to fill the room with the music I enjoy. I'm just looking for the next improvement after I've settled on my omptimal speaker
as I said, mine does not have the controls in the more expensive model:

Placette Active Linestage preamplifier Specifications

Sidebar 1: Specifications

Description:  unity-gain, line-stage preamplifier.   Input impedance: 18k ohms. Output impedance: 10 ohms.
Manufacturer: Placette Audio, 682 Granite Way, Boise, ID 83712. Tel: (888) 765-3330, (208) 342-6141. Fax: (208) 333-0138. Web:

Read more at https://www.stereophile.com/content/placette-active-linestage-preamplifier-specifications#1sc2rrLzkj...
Thank you so very much for your expertise and willingness to share.

Thanks, Al and Kenny:
Only one observation to add to your sagaceous advice:

I believe that the excellent sound I am getting from my best lp's is partially due to the high gain of my Sound-Smith Voice cart. At any rate, I'll keep your suggestionson file until my budget permits a substantial upgrade.  Again, thanks again.

BTW, does anyone know what the difference is between the DI's or Brilliance series and the PMD series with the same name?  I'm not doubting Eric's development skills. I just wonder if anyone has any information on the imporvements gained.  I don't wish to bother him if I am unable to jump to that  price level, but I'd dearly like to know what I'm missing .

For sure,  Kenny.

I also believe that Peter Lederman's phono stage doesn't hurt. Do you know anything about this item?

Quick spelling corrections: 'mediocrity', audiology,' and 'source

Sorry, Audiogoners. Forgive a 77 year old fumblefingers.  BTW, I'd be interested in knowing if there are many other senior citizens on this mad chain?

Dear all,

Every time I say to myself, "enough already."  I'm happy with my sound. I find it impossible to understand the fine points of amplifier design.. I'm ready to retire from the dialogue. Some of you post observations that encourage me to jump back in again.  Our fascination with 'absolute sound'  (pace H.P.) is so subjective that any observation has to begin with a bit of personal information so that all of you can take my observations with a touch of cynicsm: So here goes: 

 I believe I own the eleventh and twelvth productons of the Brilliance speakers.   I believe (from sources at the highest level ..as we say)  that my speakers enjoy some ot the higher end components of the PMD design, though that option didn't exist when I placed my order. 

My source materials  for critical listening are mostly lp's and sacd's, of symphonies, chamber music, and solo performances of piano, violin, trumpet, pipe organ, and the like.  I also love the human voice. In this area I'll listen to a rotten recording of a wonderful voice over a perfectly recorded mediocraty.

Because I have access to the audiogolgy department of the University of Utah I recently discovered that, despite my 77 years, I still hear 15,000 hz clearly, but I have a to slightly below normal at about 5,000 hz. 

My cartridge is a moving magnet high level  Sound-Smith. My amplifier (First Watt) puts out a clean 10 watts per channel of class A power. My pre-amp is an acive  buffer stage  coupled to a passive volume control regulated by Vishay resistors (Placette), whatever that means.

My listening room is 25 feet in length and 15 feet in width with a cathedral ceiling and a small circular rug in the center of this area. The room is relatively lively but not overly so.

With that as background, I'm happy to say that my system puts out extremely clear sound which is louder than I can bear in the loudest,  most compex of passages.  (The Great Gate of Kiev, the 1812 overture, Bach's Toccata and Fugue in d, and the like).

I put all this information out, not necessarily to brag), but to plead the case of low wattage and very clear, class A  solid state amplification.  (I used to have a relatively primative unmodified Dynakit and found that the sound did not sound natural). 

But SO MUCH OF OUR QUEST FOR ABSOLUTE SOUND DEPENDS ON THE QUALITY OF THE SOURCE MATERIAL. Nothing is worse than a badly recorded lp and nothing better than the highest qualty record. Regular cd's range from mediocre to pretty good, but there's a certain point below which they do not sink.   I like them when I'm lazy or when the performance warrants .

As you discuss the relative merits of amplifiers, I'd appreciate hearing, as some have done, of  the context in which YOU listen.   Perhaps, down the line, a gathering of Tekton Design fans  here in Utah might be nice We could combine it with a live concert by our ample resorces for live music here in Happy Valley.

Mazikrav (a.k.a. Fred) 

Thanks, Kenny. 

Let's see how our budget works in the future and if Reno Hi-Fi will give a sufficient break on my F-3 to experiment.  Until then, I too am happy. I'm wondering where you live?

"Schwo6", I'm looking for your post, but got lost in the dialogues about tubes or paint......Join in, if you wish.

Thank you, Kenny, for reposting this  article by Nelson Pass. I read it a few years ago and didn't understand it then. I still don't understand it, but I misunderstand it less now than then. Like you, it helps explain why I like the sound I do from my F-3's feeding my Brilliance for opera and chamber music with some symphonies thrown in.

Regardless, Eric's speaker are sooo  revealing. I'm still tweeking minor speaker positioning. I still wish someone would tell me if I would benefit by moving higher up the food chain either in First Watt or Pass amps? Even though Reno Hi-Fi is generous in their return policy and trade ups, it still is a heavy lift for a retiree on a fixed income. But, for the sake of undistorted 3rd order sound...no pain, no gain (pun intended).  Others on this lively thread are welcome to chime in.....But please don't try to convert me to tubes.  I tried a modified Dyna-kit st-70 years ago and ...don't get me going. A real pain in the tochos for mushy sound.  Excuse this ramble. It's late in Utah.

Thanks, Kenny:

You're a real treasure!!!!!
I'll keep your post for reference over the next months and find a way to research all the options. No questions right now. I'm too busy listening and saving money.  But next year......

Many thanks to Charles, and jetter:

Jetter, when I had the ST 70 I was pleased at the beginning, but soon the tubes degenerated, the caps (or whaever) began to crackle and I had i rebuilt.  Unfortunately, that only revealed a cerain dullness at the top and a mush at the bottom. My dog once burned himself on the tubes and I never could keep he doggon thing biased.  I knew how popular it is and how many folks have modded it for love or money, At that point, however,  I decided that the amp was a means and not an end.  So I tried a Bryston B-60 and lived with it's flat harshness for a couple o years.  Finally I read Nelson Pass's articles about "the first watt  and that's my story to date. 
The closest I've gotten to anything electronic was changing the caps on an old pair of Spica TC-50's which I gave to Eric Alexander to excite his curiousity. (BTW the ST-70's had a bad habit of burning tweeters on my Paragon Jubilees which are still languishing at Aris Audio here in Salt Lake City.

 Only a bottom feeder's personal journey.  It might be interesting to hear how others have reached the rarified air of electronics worthy of Tekton Design.  

Charles, thanks for your confirmation of Kenny's recommendations. Do you (or anyone) have first hand experience with  the Lyngdorf 2170?
It seems that  this Danish firm also sells a stand alone amp without the equalization doo-dads, or am I off base.

I envy you folkis who are able to trade gear, but coveting is one of the Big Ten

Like good coffee, Tekton speakers can produce a product that is warm  and liquid with just a touch of subtle zing.  But I would never want to endanger its connection wiith the LDS community.  lol.

I meant to say...coffee maker. So much for frivolity.  Sorry, Eric.

Welcome to the wonderful world of Brilliance, Achean!  I've had mine for about a year. It is coupled with my First Watt J-3, Oppo Universal Player, and Placette Audio pre-amp/ Passive Line Stage.  Many nights I listen to classical with my VPI Classic 2 & Soundsmith Voice. 
I've been talking with Eric Alexander about upgrading to the Brilliance PMD, but am very pleased with the speakers I'm using now.  I sense a certain clarity in the Brilliance that I missed in the D/I, but that could be my taste along.  I'd be interested in how you've placed your Brilliance in your room. BTW, a while ago  I tried to start a page on the Brilliance but got no takers.  This is  sort of a repeat of what I posted there. Are there any other Brilliance users lurking on this site?

Thechean:  Thanks for asking.  fyi, I'm not asking for any special finish on my Brilliance PMD model, so the price differential won't be as large as you suggest. At any rate, I believe mine will be among the first of these that Eric has built, so all he has said is 'more of the good qualies of the Brilliance'  I'm lucky enough to live close enough to Eric so I can provide more specifics after the speakes are built.  Sorry I can't be more specific.