Tekton Double Impacts

@charles1dad Well, I may have spoken a tad prematurely. I had a local audiophile over who inquired about my DIs come over to hear the Encores because my DIs are not a compatible color to his room decor. So to punish him for not buying the DIs I forced him to hear only the Encores and not the DIs. I’m sadistic that way. 😂. Just kidding, not kidding. (Also, my back hurt from swapping speakers the day before for another local audiophile who heard both the DIs and the Encores)

The Elrogs at 8 wpc at a much higher volume level than I thought I could get away with before soft clipping, I was able to shrink the differences in the bass region performance. It was very close to the Nords with the exception of the transient attack and that chest hit of a kodo drum. Overall the Diavolo performed much better with the Elrogs, but maybe the best thing for these speakers is the Emission Labs 300b XLS because they are more dynamic and better in the bass region when compared to the Emission Labs 300b meshplates. So rest assured the Diavolo is staying here, but its nice to have the choice to swap amps for a change in pace and presentation. I’ll report back with the xls in and also with them tweaked to the higher 13 wpc output. So far I like both presentations for slightly different reasons. The Nords are good for pyrotechnics and fireworks that impress you, but the Diavolo is still more emotionally involving overall. Maybe my local audiophile visitor will chime in with his feelings of the Encores. He’s on Audiogon, but he said he doesn’t post much. I’ll leave that up to him. He owns the Tekton Lores now and is also a 300b tube guy at heart (Manley parallel SET). He spoke highly of you and your posts Charles.

What I find most amusing is just how much "energy" the Tekton brand has created on Audiogon.

I’m not a fan of the aesthetics, or the patent wording per se, but the hexagonal arrangement of tweeters is definitely a new, fun and interesting idea that audiophiles should experience for themselves.

Best,

E

What is the best tekton speaker to get under $5k?

@direstraitsfan98 The Double impacts for $3375 upgraded are hard to beat under $5k and that’s being conservative. Or you jump to $6500 for the Double Impacts SE, (unless theirs a break for ordering just plain softgloss black? (Call Tekton)) You could go nuts like I did on the Encores at $8000 in black softgloss finish which are like mini-ulfberhts which cost $12k, there is even a discounted pair in black softgloss discounted vs the high gloss custom color option still available in the original Ulfberhts for $9k, but I know you didn't want to spend that much. 

Hi jcarcopo,
Thanks for the additional clarification regarding your two amplifiers. Undoubtedly both of them are excellent but each revealing their individual sonic attributes via the Tekton Encores. It’s wonderful to have the option of swapping amplifiers as you desire.

No amplifier is flawless across the board (obviously) but I’ll always select the audio component that is the more emotionally involving every single time. You are on the mark in regard to the choice of 300b so it isn’t surprising the improvement provided by the terrific Elrog tube. I suspect that you’ll be very pleased with the EML XLS via the Encores. As I’ve written before it is a fantastic 300b and I’ve enjoyed it immensely in my amplifier the past 4 years. As you know it is very robust and utterly reliable. Jcarcopo I always enjoy reading your comments and listening impressions.

BTW I agree with your assessment of the XLS compared to the EML meshplate  as I’ve heard both in my SET amplifier. The mesh plate version has beautiful finesse and air but the XLS will come closer to the Nord in terms of dynamics, bass and authority.
Charles