Tekton Double Impacts

Courtesy of Mark and Will of LTA, I got a chance to hear the  Micro-ZTOL/ZOTL-40 pair at AXPONA, just a sensational sounding combination that bested a SS pre/power easily, more open, faster, better dynamics, and the ability to portray emotion in a voice. Well built, and a true bargain in the high end arena.

David,

i hear you, I couldn't see paying those prices either. When the Directstreams came out there were a lot of used Perfectwaves available at good prices and that's how I was able to afford them. There still might be a decent number of used Perfectwaves for sale. 

The Gustard X-20 is a favorite of Ric Shultz of Electronic Visionary systems (tweakaudio.com), a real modder, the new OPPO Sonica DAC uses the latest Sabre 9038 chips and Dan Wright has a tube mod out, and the HOLO Spring Kitsune tuned R2R DAC is very nice as well.

@klh007 :  I'm not familiar with Gustard, so I will check them out. As you know, I have the Exogal Comet. Aqua is outside of my budget, but would be terrific. Good to  hear you also like Border Patrol.

@mac48025: I almost went with the PS Audio flagship a few years ago, but couldn't bring myself to spend that much on a DAC, despite the overwhelming positive coverage. Perhaps I should look into demo/used units. I haven't been following PS Audio. Are they still committed to upgrading the software and modules? It's been out for awhile...and I'm assuming they might have another flagship in the wings? I'll PM you if I have any other questions...don't want to get off of the DIs.

Winlock,
congratulations on your new speakers,I hope that you really enjoy them and the music you enjoy with them.

I receive my Di's on wed and I'm looking forward to hear what all the hubub is all about.
Kenny.

Quite an interesting thread. I have pair of Tekton's Impact loudspeakers and also a pair of the Goldenear Triton Fives. While I am not an audio engineer, I have been able to extensively A/B the two in my system and can say that to my ears the Impacts are significantly superior. The bass is materially tighter than the Goldenears and there is a coherence and "presence" to the music that the Tritons simple cannot compete with. The best way to describe it is that the impacts sound like real music and the Tritons sound almost veiled in comparison. I have to say that, given the price of admission, the Impacts are breathing air well above its pay grade. I would imagine the Double Impacts are doing the same.  

A left field comment prompted by the above comments.  Was going to use fed ex but for various reasons went with the standard carrier....and my boxes were almost pristine.  Maybe not be worth the extra $ for fed ex.

Regarding DACs, I second Gary's Border patrol, Exogal Comet, Gustard, and top of the heap AQUA LaScala. I wish I could hear the DIs in Chicago at AXPONA?

@mac48025:

Thanks! Mulling future direction... : )

I've already spent more on upgrading the chain than the DIs, since getting the DIs!!!!!!!!!!  Not good,,,,,, and very good -- well, until my wife gets wind of my buys.

Other Double Impact or Tekton owners??? (Regarding DAC pairings)

Something simple like Border Patrol?

@hockeyme 

My boxes were also beat up, despite being on pallets (I think).

Recently, Eric's website made the upgrade much more prominent on the main DI page, which will be helpful for future purchasers.

His recommendation to upgrade was very soft, when I discussed the Double Impacts with him. 

I second what mac48025 says and would not go forward with it.

In fact, I would apply the savings from the cost of shipping and the upgrade towards a pair of future Tekton speakers that might be a better fit / major upgrade for you, given Eric's creative proclivities.

Of my many amplifiers, I own a modified Citation 12, putting out a real 1 watt of class A power ( based on a Nelson Pass design ). It drives my modified Klipsch LaScalas fairly well, sounding excellent. But, I can easily clip it, depending on the music I am playing. I know a tube amp clips differently than a solid state amp, but, find it hard to believe what I am reading. Just my voice on it. MrD

David,
I am using the PS Audio Perfectwave DAC and transport and think they sound awesome with the DI's. I also have the good ole California Audio Labs Sigma tube DAC and Delta transport and while not quite up to the Perfectwave standard they are quite close. Before the Perfectwaves I had the Schiit Yggdrassil which is an amazing sounding DAC, especially for the money.

hockeyme,
im not sure I'd bother with the upgrades if I were you. Like you my boxes were beat up by Fedex but it sounds like they ship them palletized by freight now. You're welcome to hear mine with the upgrades but in a different room with different components it will be difficult at best to know what to attribute any sound differences to. There will be three DI owners that I know of in Motown soon as someone that came to hear mine is saving up to order a pair. 

I've had my DI's since early Jan, I know Eric mentioned in a previous post that the upgrades were available from the beginning but for whatever reason I was not made aware of them. How would one go about the upgrade? My boxes were demolished in shipping, plus I wouldn't want to ship them off and take a chance of damage plus the $$ involved.
@mac48025 Another Detroit DI owner here as well. 

Thoughts, recommendations on synergistic DACs to pair with the Double Impacts?

Or put another way, what would your top three choices be, given your system / preferences? Current or wished for.

Just the same, I am eagerly waiting for the Triple Impact.

A lot of DI owners are just smiling right now. 

Just finished listening to a Schumann Carnaval recording/Naxos/Giltburg.
This is THE BEST piano reproduction I have ever heard in my home.  The clarity, air, weight, and coherence are just fantastic.
Kenny, me thinks you will have to work very hard to not love this speaker.

Teajay,
I'm very happy for you that you have discovered such a interesting system that I can see you are truly passionate about.I have read most of your reviews and I truly enjoy and respect your humble and passionate writing style.

I receive my pair of DI's next wed,I will give them ample time to see if  I like them,still a little doubtful.I will give this thread a full review regardless of the outcome.

Kenny.

Gentlemen,

The combo of the LTA Micro-ZTOL/ZOTL-40 offers some of the most beautiful sound, regardless of $, that I have ever had in my home system.  However, when compared to the MicroZOTL used as an integrated amplifier driving the standard DI's the combo sounds almost " a bit rough around the edges" when it comes another level of transparency, finesse of timbres/tonality, precise 3D imaging, and overall liquidity/ease that brings you closer to the music in a relaxing way.  The 6SN7 used as a power tube, at least the TungSol NOS Black Glass Oval plate, has the color and texture of a 300B, yet the speed/pop of a 211 to my ears.  I can sit for hours on end and get totally lost in the music because of this combination of color/transparency/the ability to easily hear all the micro-details, and an overall "ease" to the sound.  It's the best illusion of live music I have ever had in my system.  

I too, still find it hard to believe that in my very large listening room, you can see a picture of my system on Tekton's website under the blog section, that as far as sane ultimate volume levels I play to get to the sweet spot on all types of music in my acoustic space there is no loss of overall dynamics, no attenuation either of high or low end frequencies, or that sense of aliveness found in music being played in real time is being lost at all.  Now, remember this in the context, and I'm very lucky regarding my acoustic space and the synergy of the rest of the gear in my system that feeds the LTA amp before it drives the DI's to get these qualities I'm experiencing, so results might vary in each system depending on many factors.  However, I would find it hard to believe that anyone would not find the LTA gear and the DI's just a wonderful combination and one of the greatest price to performance bargains in high-end audio.

  

Looks like there is a scanspeak ring radiator tweeter that has a fs around 400 to 420 hz.Offcourse the DI's have a array of 6 tweeters,I think the middle one is crossed higher like a super tweeter would be,the speaker is a 4 way design.I don't know a lot about speaker design enough to grasp this quite yet but once I get mine I will figure it out.

I started into class d amps about 4 yrs ago with a pair of nc400,I have a pair of bel canto ref600m and a i have a new red dragon s500.
I know that class d has come a long way in the last few years and it also has needs for improvements going forward.I know full well it is'nt everyone's cup of tea.I practically gave away several amps on the used market because they did'nt  beat my class d amps.
Recently a pass lab xa30.8 and first watt j2 as examples.I have been extremely blessed and owned all kinds of gear in my 30yrs in this hobby and it's still all about the music for me.There is a lot of hype in this industry and I like what I like if it sounds the best to me and invokes the greatest amount of emotion and involvement with my music.
Just my honest opinion,Kenny.

Kenny, Please tell us the Class D amps that had you sell off your Class A and valve amps?

Mac,
Teajay formed his opinion in the most definitive manner, he listened. I’m an advocate of high quality but lower power amplifiers. Admittedly though I remain surprised that the 1 watt amplifier ((6SN7) out preforms the 40 watt amplifier (KT77)) with this particular speaker. Teajay has both of them in his system for direct comparison. 1 watt! 😊 Mac I have much interest in your subsequent listening experiences. 
Charles

I knew the tweeter array crossed over low, but 400hz?  I think the resonant frequency of that driver is 580hz so not sure how Eric pulled that off. 
So mac, did you put your order in for the MZ2-S yet?

I agree Charles.....teajay is a huge fan of the ZOTL 40 ( he put it in his reference system in place of a Pass Labs amp) and for him to prefer the MZ over it with the DI's speaks volumes. No pun intended 😏

I had a feeling the tweeter array was crossed over quite low as it handles a good amount of the high frequencies. I think Eric's crossover points and driver selection is a big part of the DI's magic. They are seamless from top to bottom. I don't much about the details of the speaker but after living with them for over 7 months now I can say they are the best speaker I've owned in my thirty plus years in audio. I think you're in for a very pleasant surprise Kenny! 

Oop's I forgot to add that the center tweeter is more a super tweeter,and is probably crossed much higher than the other 6.
I think that might be a very good combo.I will be powering my set with one of three sets of class d mono's that I currently own,just recently sold all my class a and tubes and not looking back.
Kenny.

Mac,
I believe that you'll be fine with the 4 ohm version based on what's been reported on this thread.  I know teajay has experienced many High quality amplifiers in his system over the years.  His enthusiasm for the 1 watt amplifiers inspires confidence. 

Tweeters cross over at 400 hz,  wow! They're covering a very wide range and apparently doing so quite successfully. 
Charles 

I have skimmed back through this thread trying to find any specific crossover points for the DI's but found no detailed info.
I asked Eric over the phone where the tweeter array crosses over at and he told me 400hz.I would imagine the 2 mids don't play up as high as you might think.I would think the 2 10 inch woofers are probably below 250hz or maybe lower.
I'm just trying to learn all I can about this speaker,If anybody has more info please chime in.
Kenny.

I did buy the gloss black metallic upgraded pair that were on the specials page.I will get them next wed looks like after talking to the freight company.
They were a good deal but I will see if I like them,I'm still a skeptical.

I forgot about that Al. Mark of LTA explained that the amps aren't bridged in the traditional sense and while it may not produce as great of an output increase there's not supposed to be any degradation of sound at all......there's actually an improvement with better channel separation along with the power increase.

I'm thinking there's a good reason Eric chose the DI to be a 4 ohm speaker originally so I'm going to stick with what I have and hope two MZ2-S's will suffice. A few people have heard the DI's with the MZ and have been greatly impressed....the combination could be the audiophile bargain of the century!

@jetter 

Got it.

Thanks!

P.S. to my previous post: What I suspect is likely to make a more significant difference in sonics when the LTA amps are "bridged" than the resulting power increase, with the difference most likely being for the better, is the fact that the amp’s output impedance would be cut in half as a result of the channels being paralleled. And that potential benefit can be expected to be greater in degree in the case of the 4 ohm version of the DI than in the case of the 8 ohm version.  Higher speaker impedance makes amplifier output impedance less critical, everything else being equal.

Best regards,
-- Al

Mac48025 4-20-2017
The LTA specs show the MZ2-S output at 1 watt into 4 ohms and .5 watt into 14 ohm. Let’s say that makes it .7 watt into 8 ohm. Is there any real advantage of .7 watt into 8 ohm over 1 watt into 4 ohm? I know Al will have the answer!

Thanks, Mac. And I believe I do know the answer. I believe the answer is that it is unpredictable :-)

It will depend in part on how the impedances of each of the two versions of the speaker vary over the frequency range, in terms of both the magnitude of the impedance (i.e., the number of ohms), and the phase angle of the impedance (the degree to which the impedance has a capacitive or inductive component, as opposed to being purely resistive). And on how the amplifier reacts to those variations.

It will also depend, of course, on whatever intrinsic sonic differences may exist between the two versions of the speaker.

BTW, concerning bridging the LTA amps, I infer from various statements at their website that when the amps are used as monoblocks they are not being used in what is usually referred to as a bridged configuration. They are being used with the two channels connected in parallel. What is usually referred to as bridging generally provides much more than a 70% increase in power capability (potentially/theoretically as much as a 4x increase, although most designs fall short of realizing that much of an increase), but is often reported to compromise the sonics of an amplifier relative to the sonic quality the same amplifier provides in stereo mode. Especially if the amp is driving a low impedance speaker.  So presumably/hopefully that sonic compromise would not occur with the LTA amps if they are "bridged," although the resulting increase in power capability is not all that great. (A 70% increase in power is about 2.3 db). 

Best regards,
-- Al

Mac,
Good point in that the LTA amplifier 1 watt seems to have no problem with the 4 ohm DI per teajay. .7 watt to 1 watt is a negligible difference,  but generally speaking a higher speaker impedance load is easier on the amplifier in terms of driving it. May be a moot point with the LTA ZOTL.
Charles 

@jetter  @corelli @moderator

Reasons for the post removals???

Thanks Charles. I almost don't want to hear the Frankensteins, I'm afraid I'll like them so well that I'll need to spend more money yet again!

Im not sure if I'll need the 8 ohm DI's. Teajay is having great success with the 4 ohm DI with one MZ2-S and I'll be driving my DI's with two of them bridged as monoblocks. That will give me 70% more output......not that 70% more than 1 is a lot! 

The LTA specs show the MZ2-S output at 1 watt into 4 ohms and .5 watt into 14 ohm. Let's say that makes it .7 watt into 8 ohm. Is there any real advantage of .7 watt into 8 ohm over 1 watt into 4 ohm? I know Al will have the answer!

Eric,
        I would imagine that there must be some sonic difference between the 4 and 8 ohm version.  There must have been a reason that you brought out the 4 ohm version originally. I want to congratulate you for turning the high end of audio upside down. I heard your speaker at Teajay's house and it is amazing for the money charged. Is anyone showing the speaker at Axpona? Mike Kaye of Archon Audio is in Libertyville and not that far from Axpona. I wonder if he might be able to organize a listening session for those coming into town. At some point during the weekend.  I can assure that people will laugh at what Eric offers compared to they will see at Axpona. 

@tektondesign 

Eric,

If you are able to publicly comment, can you elaborate on why you launched with the 4ohm version before the 8ohm one?

Will the 8ohm option also be offered for the Center, etc variants?

Are you in the process of offering up some of your other models, like the Enzo 2.7, in an 8 ohm configuration as well?

Thanks,

-David.

@kdude66 

Congratulations. Even better buy if they were the ones from the specials page!

Looking forward to hearing your impressions and take on how they work with your equipment and room.

Hi Mac,
If you do eventually get the 8 ohm DIs and are interested in hearing them with the Coincident Frankenstein MK II at some point let me know. 
Charles 

Last week I had the privilege of swinging by teajay's house to give the DI's a listen.  I'm a bit late to share my thoughts on this thread, but wanted to offer my humble opinion...

Wow!  "Jaw-dropping..... especially for the money" is what's still resonating with me a week later.  How can Tekton build and sell speakers of this quality for $3k shipped?  Amazing. 

We listened to a range of music types and the DI's handled each with aplomb.  There was a relaxed sense of ease with these speakers.  They released the notes effortlessly.  Excellent timbre and the sense of decay was palpable.  The "air and space" was appropriate for each each recording - they had a sense of scale for larger recordings and an intimacy on classic audiophile-female-voice recordings.  The speakers disappeared too - with a wide soundstage.  Excellent low-level detail and a strong sense of slam/macro-dynamics.  

While we didn't push them too hard, my feeling is these speakers will ROCK.

One could have lots of fun rotating through supporting electronics (1 watt!?!?) with the DI's not being a limiting factor in associated equipment selection.  

Of course teajay's reference-grade equipment, room, and set-up contributed to the overall experience, but in no way did these $3k speakers seem like a weak link in the chain.

They are pretty large speakers.  Pound-for-pound just jaw-dropping for the money and sonics.  I can't imagine these will stay at $3k for long.  Couple the sonics, frequency range and sensitivity with the price-point and they add-up to a value equation unique in the hifi industry.  

I see a pair of 8 ohm DI's in my future! 

I'll be getting a pair of LTA MZ2-S that will be bridged and run as Monoblocks which will provide 70% more output than a single MZ-2S. I'm sure that will be fine with my 4 ohm DI's but the 8 ohm version should be better yet. I wonder if teajay had any influence into that decision since he's the one that realized just how good the DI's are with the MZ. I applaud Eric for making this possible. 

Congrats kdude, you're in for a real treat!

Hello everyone,
I have been looking for a speaker upgrade the last couple of months,I have been involved in this wonderful hobby for about 30yrs,So I owned a fair amount of speakers.
About the only type I have'nt had is OB'S I was seriously considering the pap with the vox full range or the spatial M3 turbo s.
Now that I have read this entire thread and all other info about the DI's,I decided to give Eric a call this morning and ask a few questions,he is a very busy guy but was accommodating.
I ended up buying a set that are gloss metallic black and have all the internal upgrades.I'm looking forward too receiving them and trying them out with my equipment and room.
I haven't heard any of the Tekton speakers and I don't know anybody in my area that has a pair.

Offering an  8 ohm version of the Tekton DI is a very smart idea in my humble opinion. SET and other low power amplifiers should thrive with the easier driven speaker load. Excellent decision.
Charles

For immediate release
April 19th 2017

Tekton Design LLC - We've prepared 8 Ohm versions of the patented Double Impact and Electron models. The new 8 Ohm version has been ideally optimized for lower wattage SET tube amplifier typologies, all tube amplifiers lacking 4 Ohm taps, and vintage solid state amplifiers.

Eric Alexander - Designer 

For those having a difficult time locating spikes here's the video instructions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rQR3NNp-Q4

Thanks for the tube sources! I'll be checking them out.
Well, I finally unburied the spikes. I thought they were going to be much bigger for some reason but they work. I also pulled the speakers together a little more (I had them at 8 ft apart originally, now a little less than 7).
And yes Teajay, the sound is definitely better with the spikes (and probably because of the spacing). Noticing a more stable center image. All notes are a little more defined and the bass is more solid. The speakers have disappeared and the sound is really nice! Can't wait to hear them with an MZ2. Keep the suggestions coming, much appreciated!