Tekton Double Impacts

Jetter,

Thank You for your great enlightening assessment.
 

Let's hear something that you are actually passionate about.


Kenny.

Might want to do a recount jetter......at least 25 Tekton owners on this thread. If you really want to hear from a lot more go to the Tekton Owners thread at AK....over 100 pages from Tekton owners! We are just getting started here :)

I realize we may be a bit over zealous about our Tektons but we have good reason for doing so......as do many other speaker brand owners. 

Kenny,

the little MZ2 is going to shock you. Every time I look at that tiny black box hooked up to the Goliath DI's I shake my head in disbelief......how can something so small drive something so large so well? 

Mac,
Well said,Thank You.
I'm not active on AK but your right,Lots of happiness over there.

On to a diff. subject I know you have said you probably will get a tube amp eventually,some kind of DHT.I'm wandering if you have checked out some of the first watt amps from Nelson Pass.
Just might be another option for you in my opinion.

The MZ2 is small going to be very easy to add in my system after having much bigger preamps and or Intergrateds.

Enjoy,

Kenny.

Can you experts tell me what make are the tweeters in the DI? Know the Eminence woofer from the discussion above and am thinking of getting some replacements for those accidents that happen with my pets and occasional electronic spikes (also...have you heard the Telarc Wellington Victory album with the exploding fireworks? It will kill a tweeter in a heartbeat...). Thanks. My serial numbers are 229 and 230 in case they have changed over the run.

Craig,

The tweeters are SB Acoustics SB29RDNC-C000-4
The 10" woofers are Eminence Alpha's
The Mids are Eminence Alpha's. 6.5"

I'm not a big classical guy,I only mainly listen to classical Piano recordings along with most forms of Jazz and classic rock and pop and some new stuff.

I've played the piano most of life I don't own one anymore but I go visit a good friend and I blow the dust out of their baby grand every chance that I can,they bought it for their daughter who is away at college to be a medical doctor.

Best,

Kenny.

Long time lurker here; just acquired a set of DI  (w/ Cardas upgrade) for mains and matching center channel speaker--this has replaced my old system that consisted of Onix/AV123 Rocket RS1000s + bigfoot ctr channel system in my dedicated 14x25' home theater room.

Electronics is Anthem AVM60 and Oppo UDP205, Emotiva IPS-1 200wpc 7ch amp.  Sony VPL VW675ES projector on order.

I have a pair of SVS SB16's.  In-wall surround and Atmos speakers are James' speakers (8 of them).

Haven't had time to do extended listening, but right off the bat, compared w/ the Rockets, the treble/midrange performance is much more detailed, almost like a cloud has been lifted off the old system.  Bass isn't as potent as the RS1000s, but I haven't fully dialed in/integrated the SVS subs and Anthem ARC yet.

Interestingly, the build quality of the DIs are not as nice as the AV123 stuff.  I ordered the DIs in their black soft finish.  I guess the DIs remind me more of a 'studio quality' rather than 'high end furniture quality'.; it is a very industrial, utilitarian look.  Not a huge deal, since these go into my dedicated home theater room.  My RS1000s had a beautifully finished rosewood wrap and black gloss end caps.  Also, not sure if this means much, but the DI cabinets have some areas that could use more 'deadening' or bracing, at least when compared to the Rockets (via my informal 'rap test' on the speaker cabs).

Has anyone w/ the DIs received their grills yet?  I have already paid for them, but no grills were included in my shipment.  I have an email to them, but haven't heard anything back.

Mac, I don't need to recount.

doctorsubie,

Congrats on your DI's that you just got,I hope you enjoy them.
They do take a little time on them to sound their best,especially the bass.

My pair are black metallic paint which I like just fine,but I do agree with you they are a little industrial for some.The wonderful sound they produce makes up for the looks for me.I know they do offer wood veneers but takes a while.

I thought I would give my opinion of the cabinet deadness that you spoke about.
The mids and the tweeters are in their own sealed chamber which is pretty shallow about 8inches deep and the woofers use the rest of the cabinet for their volume which is key point to the bass quality that they are capable of.There is a crossbrace on each woofer to stiffen in that area.

Now I said all of that to say this basically one of the qualities I look for in a speaker is how much cabinet talk or resonance coloration there is to the sound.If there is too much then piano music and or acoustic instruments don't sound real to my ears and just the same if there is to little the music loses that this sounds real kinda sound.

The DI's in my room and with my equipment sound astonishingly real,with the right amount of resonance sound you hear certain spatial clues in the music that to me get me closer and more involved and lost into the music.

I haven't read anybody else talking about this subject so I thought I might give my opinion,I hope I made sense.


Best,

Kenny.

Hey Kenny:

The color I chose was also metallic black. Do you think that the metallic black looks better than the standard piano black?
I think that the speakers are a super buy and part of it has to do with the savings in finish. I really think the gloss finish is needed to help dress them up, but that’s just my opinion.

I was going for the Legacy Audio look -- they have a metallic that has larger flakes and more spread out -- it looks like black granite which is a nice look IMO.

@craigl59:  I'm sans subs also. Cannot see any reason to add, given my music choices, but would if I migrate the DIs to HT duties.

@kdude66 :  Kenny, I'm very curious about how First Watt would pair with the DIs. Specific thoughts?

@doctorsubie: 2 months on, and I do not have the grills I ordered.

Congratulations!!! Let us know more detailed impressions once you have had some time with your DIs.

Also, I'm curious about how the center works for you? I had originally planned on the DIs for HT paired with an OPPO 205 and possibly an Anthem AVM 60 and/or a Classe Sigma SSP MkII; and NAD M27. I've decided to focus on 2ch for now, given how amazing the DIs were in my system. Center channel is on hold until I have a better feel for Eric's new offerings.

@vitop: I’m surprised you are replacing your JL Audio subs. Will they be on hand when the new subs come in so you can get a feel for comparative impressions? I like the sound of "they Will Be my system" !!!

I’m planning on making the hike to Orem when I am in Colorado, which is likely in July or August.

@333jeffery: Thanks for the additional information on the BHK Signature Preamp. Sounds like a perfect match for your system. I’m auditioning the Pass XP-20 and it does pretty much what you and Mac have shared. Like I said, the BHK 250 was something I should have gone for. The reviews of it paired with the matching (and your) Preamp are all very, very positive.

@contuzzi: Why??? And pay the 100% markup. Just order them. Yes, there is a cost to re-ship if they don’t work for you, but in my opinion, the only way to get a feel for gear is to listen within your own system and 60 days is a good bit of listening. : )

Thanks to everyone who have replied to my humble post; I didn't start this thread, but my resurgence into my audiophile hobby led me to research the DIs, and so far so good...

I think my next move will be heavier duty room treatments, as my room is quite 'lively' with a lot of 'slap echoes'...

I can't give much of an opinion on the matching Tekton DI center channel--still haven't used it for movies yet; at least sonically, they match the mains, so we will see...

David:
Your system is going to be very close to mine. I have an AVM60 and will probably go with the NAD M27. I have the Oppo 203.


I agree -- I am going out on a limb with the JL Audio subs. They are really excellent. No complaints whatsoever. I think some of the best subs made. Eric told me his would be faster and better matched to the speakers. Yes, I will have both for a short while and I am definitely going to compare.

As far as the center, that is where the majority of the dialogue comes from and I focused on that during my listening session.

First, I LOVE ribbons and electrostats. I am getting older and am going to have to move to something smaller and so I am getting rid of my 2 channel setup which I never use since it sits upstairs and want to just go to a HT that also plays music excellent.

My two channel speakers are Apogee Stage speakers which just sit there. I thought about making them my left and right for HT, but they are too wide and I don't know what I would do for the center. But that's the kind of open sound I like.

I made it a point to listen to some badly recorded movie dialogue and wanted to hear the Legacy speakers both because they have an excellent reputation and they have that super ribbon tweeter.

I listened to the Signatures and the DI's. It took literally 10 seconds to determine (at least to my ears) that the Signatures were not in the same league as the DI even though they cost around $7000.

So then I moved to the Focus speakers which I want to say are about $11000. I really liked their sound and they are finished very nicely. This was more of a fair fight. I thought they were very close even though the DI speakers were not broken in. The Legacys supposedly get compared to speakers twice their cost and here a set of $3000 speakers was right there with them.

I used the Legacy Silhouette Center with the Legacy Audio Signatures. The sound was great. I put in the movie soundtrack and it sounded very good to me. As good as my memory told me that the Paradigm Persona sounded on them (wish they were there for a head to head).


Dave did not have a Tekton center so we had to move one of the DI speakers over to do the center duty and the Focus speakers were the sides. Not the best, but my real priority was to see how the dialogue sounded through that tweeter array versus a really good ribbon.

I thought the DI did an even better job than the Focus did, but I have to admit that it was close. The Focus speakers are no joke. But they are about 3X the cost and I still think the DI speakers are just a little better. You can't go wrong with either, but with the cost difference, I just don't think there was a real comparison. You can make the argument that the Focus are better looking - and they are, but too big a difference in cost.


Plus, in a HT, when you think that you have to buy the surrounds and the centers, all of the cost difference really adds up. The surrounds that sounded as good as the Focus for me were the Calibre and they are $5500 a pair and large. They sound great. but you take a look at what a HT with Legacy will cost and what a Tekton will cost for the same or better sound, and it made it easy. Plus, I am sure the double tweeter array will be even better.

Vitop,

Yes I think the black metallic would be a little better than plain gloss black.
I'ts a smaller flake and needs light on it to show up in a dark room you won't see it.

Even though I have 2 subs I haven't had the need to use them for music even big orchestra and organ music,which I don't listen to that much.I like most forms of jazz,piano music of most kinds,classic rock and pop and some new stuff.

Look's like you are getting some really nice gear for your new setup I hope you really like it and the gear meets all of your expectations.

Best,


Kenny.

Jeffery,

Glad to hear your liking the BHK,I was going to get one but I chose the MZ2 instead for now,should have it in about 1week.

They both are highly rated I don't think you could go wrong with either one.

Best,

Kenny,

David ten,

I sent you a PM earlier you may be busy and hav'nt seen it yet.


Kenny.

Hi Walter,
Do you have any further listening impressions regarding the Double Impacts and the Line Magnetic 508ia? This combo is very intriguing. 
Charles 

They're dynamic as heck, and reasonably uncolored given that they're pro audio drivers with paper cones.  They move serious amounts of air, and don't need tons of power to do it.

That said, if I liked the Maggie sound I (and I do!) I don't think I could live with Tektons.  I'd use an active crossover and high pass 1.7s.  Or passively cross them over using line-level filters. Dipoles do so many things right ... I'd suggest at least trying better sub-woeferage before giving up them.  Also, Magnaplaner now has dipole subwoofers - they might be worth an audition.

Hi Charles, et al.

Well, nothing is ever easy in audio, is it? I have been spending quite a bit of time comparing the Daedalus and Tekton speakers, and my feelings have sort of evolved, I guess. When I first put back in the Daedalus speakers after two solid weeks of listening through the Double Impacts, my immediate impression was that the Ulysses sounded slightly "purer" and slightly more coherent. The bass wasn't as deep, but felt a little tighter and more focused. On the other hand, the DI  speakers were, overall, more immersive and certainly easier to drive, though the Ulysses are also very efficient. If I had been forced to make a decision in the moment, I met have kept the Ulysses.

A couple of days later, I put back in the Double Impacts and found that I had really been missing their incredible sound stage and dynamics. Over the next several days, I perceived improvements in coherence and the bass, which seemed to gain depth and focus as they surpassed a hundred hours or so. 

I put the Ulysses back in again, and this time the differences I perceived earlier were not as pronounced. Maybe the Ulysses were still just a touch more coherent with a tad more clarity in sorting out difficult passages, but we are talking a matter of degrees here. This time, I found that I was missing the DI's presentation and that the Ulysses might sound just a little boxy, by comparison.

One of my biggest fears is  that despite all of DI's obvious strengths, they might not be quite as musical as the Ulysses over the long haul. That is one reason I have taken my sweet time doing this evaluation---I need to make sure I get this right before selling off the greatest pair of speakers I have ever owned. Indeed, the Ulysses are magical speakers, as beautiful to look at as to listen through.

The DI cannot match the Ulysses in the looks department, that is for sure, nor should they be expected to at their respective price points. But are they as musical? My conclusion is that they certainly are, and I don't think they are done breaking in completely yet. I still think there are certain areas where the Ulysses might hold a slight advantage, but there are also areas where the DI speakers have an advantage. 

In summary, this has been quite a battle between two great speakers. As always, it is going to come down to the listener's sonic priorities and preferences, as well as whether appearance is a huge factor, which is not to say the DI speakers are unattractive--we are talking relative to the furniture quality Daedalus speakers here.

I am going to do one more intensive comparison in a few days, but these are my thoughts so far. It has been challenging trying to sort all of this out, but a lot of fun as well. Barring some eleventh hour epiphany, the Double Impacts are here to stay. They are just as terrific as everybody else here says they are, at least in my view and for my tastes.

Thanks for such a thorough and enlightening review Walter. Like you I find something magical about the DI's that keeps drawing me in. My comparison with the Legacy Focus SE was easy for me as dynamics play an important part in my listening enjoyment and I've not heard a speaker yet that beats the DI in that department......yet I'm sure they are out there.  What makes the DI so special to me is that it's so much more than a dynamic speaker. The immersive wall of sound they create draws me into the music. Your Daedelus/DI battle sounds neck and neck but given more time I believe the DI's will win out.....they are addictive! With the automotive paint I find the DI's to be attractive but obviously not the furniture grade look that Daedelus does so well. I have a WyWires PowerBroker that Daedelus builds the body for, sweet wood work. My Legacys were done in Ash Burl and that was difficult to give up. 

Good luck choosing coming to your final decision, it's not easy I know. The good news is that no matter your choice you'll end up with an amazing pair of speakers. I must admit that one of my biggest hurdles to overcome when choosing the DI's over the Legacys was price. How could a speaker at nearly a quarter of the price sound better? I'm so glad I chose the DI's, especially since I'm having so much fun driving them with the one watt LTA MZ2......musical bliss. 

Chris (Waltersalas), thanks very much for the thoroughness not only of your report, but especially for the thoroughness of the comparisons you have been performing between these two fine speakers.  Your opinions always have extremely high credibility in my book, and in this case certainly help to validate the many very positive comments others have provided about the DIs.  As well as adding an exclamation point (or three) to the remarkable value the DIs represent at their price point.

 As Mac said just above, "the good news is that no matter your choice you'll end up with an amazing pair of speakers."  In my own case, given that the comparison seems to be a close one, with each speaker having mostly subtle pluses and minuses relative to the other, and given also that my listening room is my living room, appearance would be the overriding consideration (that being equally important to both me and my wife).  (I chose the same quartersawn white oak option for my Ulysses as you did, btw).

But again, the huge price differential between the two speakers further reinforces the remarkable achievement the DIs represent.

Thanks again.  Best regards,
-- Al
        

Hi Walter, 
Thank you for such a well written and insightful listening comparison of what I believe are two excellent speakers.  The Daedalus Ulysses is a known standard of high achievement and deservingof the high regard it's held in.  

This is why I was very interested in what you heard in your system with the terrific Line Magnetic 508ia amplifier.  I've followed your posts over the years and value your taste and listening impressions. I'm not surprised that this is a very close and competitive battle and that each speaker has certain advantages.  

Based on your comments the Double Impacts are extraordinarily dynamic yet at the same time nuanced and possessing finesse. This is certainly an example of where one of these speakers could be preferred over the other based purely on specific taste. 

No doubt in my mind that both sound superb with that 805 tubed SET  amplifier of yours 😊
Charles 

Walter,

Your absolutely right nothing does come easy in audio,I enjoyed reading your tough but enjoyable comparison of 2 really good sounding speakers.

My comparsion with my DI's vs my Zu audio def 4's was much easier even though I know really my 2 different sets of speakers are more like comparing apples to oranges.

But I will sale the Zu's and get something else for my 2nd system,my ultimate goal is too have a really nice solid state system and a really nice tube based system.

Even though the DI's are a very dynamic speaker with outstanding bass qualities without being bombastic,what I like most is the lightness,quickness,very engaging coherent midrange and upper frequencies that to my ears just present such a at ease type of balance.I'm hearing inner detail and nuances with some of my favorite recordings that I have never heard before and like you said for your experiences It's only a few degrees but It does get me closer to the music and makes it that much more enjoyable.

Another quality I like is the DI's are early risers and certainly don't need much volume and they retain their good sound qualities when pushed harder,I realize it can be system dependent.

If I were you and could just keep both I think I would,if I remember correctly the Ulysses has been discontinued unfortunately.


Best,

Kenny.

The Ulysses is still listed as a Daedalus offering it isn't under the discontinued list.

Walter,
Good to hear back on your experience with the DI's.  There are so many good choices out there these days.  A nice problem indeed.  I'm glad to hear you have enjoyed your DI's.  I love their abilities  in  creating  a holographic sound stage.  They replaced Magnepan 1.7's, a speaker lauded for its coherency.  I find the DI's to be at least as good in this regard.  Your Ulysses must be very special.
I opted for the plain satin black finish and I must say that if I could do this over, I would opt for the same.  It just seems to up the value factor to a very high level.  At the same time it fades away with the lights down and leaves just the music. (I love a beautiful wood/veneer product, but I tell myself it competes with the music.  So I'm very content.)
I once laughed at a friend who had 7 different bikes.  Now that my biking interests have expanded, I totally get it. Every machine is a compromise, each with it's strengths and weaknesses to one degree or another.
Do you remain happy with your LM 805?  Curious if you have owned SS gear and how you feel the 805 compares.

Corelli,
Chris (Waltersalas),
Has owned very good components including fine SS amplifiers. He is an experienced listener with good ears. I’d find it rare for a SS amplifier to match the pure naturalness and emotional involvement of his LM 508ia. Of course this is just my humble opinion. Chris is obviously quite capable of speaking for himself. 😊
Charles

Thanks for all the kind comments, folks, and I appreciate in particular the nice remarks from Charles and Al, two longtime members here for whom I have the utmost respect. It is also great hearing from fellow Double Impact enthusiasts, a couple of whom put me on this trail to start with. And thanks to teajay for his outstanding, spot-on review.

As for the question about amps I have known and loved prior to the LM 508ia, yes, there have been a few solid state amps along the way, a couple in particular that I really enjoyed. I was very fond of a Plinius SA-102 that I had several years ago, which I can easily imagine sounding great with the DI speakers. I also once owned TRL Samson monoblocks designed by the late and much missed Paul Weitzel, which I ran along with his Dude preamplifier. They were also very fine sounding amps. I took them to a friend's house to compare directly with some very expensive Pass Labs monoblocks--I believe they were 160.5s--and I thought the Samsons were within the thinnest sliver of being as good as the mighty Pass (both were driving another pair of Ulysses speakers). I also had a couple of years with a Devialet amp that, while very clean and powerful, just did not engage me on a musical level. It was "impressive" and a technological marvel in terms of its versatility and power, but I found myself listening to music less and less when I had it.

The bottom line is that Charles is right. None of these amps have engaged me on a visceral level like the best tube amps I have owned, especially the VAC Renaissance 70/70 and now the Line Magnetic 508ia. For years I split the difference, running several different tube preamps with my solid state amps, because prior to the Ulysses, I had speakers that were not as efficient and I thought I needed solid state amps to drive them properly. I had several pleasing combinations, but was never completely satisfied, which is why I kept trying new preamps, believing that the next one might be the last one.

When I bought the Ulysses, with its much more amp-friendly efficiency rating, I couldn't wait to try a tube amp, and when I finally bought the VAC amp, I found what I had been missing. Pure bliss. I think the LM 508 integrated might be just as good, perhaps even better in some parameters (although I have yet to hear any amp surpass VAC's magical midrange).

As so many of you have already noted, one of the great attributes of the DI speakers is that you can drive them with just about anything. For sure, the 508 drives them beautifully. It has finesse and that tube magic--especially if you roll the 300Bs and 6SN7 tubes--and it can also rattle the china in your cabinet and the fillings in your teeth, if you're in the mood to "entertain" the neighbors. It sounds great at low volumes and great at high volumes. For me, a great tube amp just has that "breath of life" that keeps me up way too late listening to music.

Chris

Chris,

I can fully relate to this,

For me, a great tube amp just has that "breath of life" that keeps me up way too late listening to music.


I like to call it a inner glow or Lit with life from within,but I think we both are talking about the same thing.

I think It's truly a wonderful and magical place when a person can find his or hers musical bliss.


Even though I really enjoy the First watt amps and other solid state amps,I fully realize that no ss amp can fully replace a quality tube amp on all parameters in my humble opinion.


Best,

Kenny.

 Chris I also miss Paul of TRL. I also owned the Samson monoblocks twice and loved them. The only other SS amp I like as much happened to be hybrid types. I liked the Aesthetix Atlas and a CJ  ET250s. They were not as fast or extended as Paul's very last version of the Samson amps which he incorporated some new learnings. 

I have mostly owned great tube amps and in the end always came back to tubes. Well, this has changed over the last year and a half since owning the Lynfdorf 2170 dac/amp/room correction unit. This 20 pound all in one box has me scratching my head and not longing for tubes still. Is it the very short signal paths, absence of ICs and power cords etc... due to everything being in one unit? Is it their cutting edge digital technology and innovation around Class D amplification? Is it the SOTA room correction that removes the room from the equation and causes your speaker to sound as intended by the builder? Yes to all! 

I would love to hear the DIs with this unit after room correction has been run. 

In the end I am guessing one of the speakers will stay in your main rig, not both. Let us know which one stays put in this #1 position. Thanks for all your posts here. Good stuff for us interested in this speaker.

Hi Chris,
When you speak of "breath of life " that is an excellent summation of my experience/journey as well. I once owned a Symphonic Line amplifier which is a highly regarded German transistor power amplifier. I enjoyed my time with it yet in the back of my head I always felt/sensed that there was something missing to a relatively small degree.

Subsequent tube amplifiers got me closer to what I was seeking. When I got my 300b SET the search was over, all missing links and desires were filled. Pure flesh and blood presence and most important, deep emotional involvement/connection. It will undoubtedly vary for each one of of us, but when it’s right you’ll know it.

Chris, I can thoroughly relate to what you wrote (in your typical well written fashion).
Charles

Chris,
i concur with Charles, "breath of life" is the best description of that emotionally involving sound as I've ever heard. I'm getting very close to that sound but don't think I'm quite there yet. Thanks again for sharing your results with us in such an eloquent fashion and have fun with your Ulysses and DI's!

Chris,
Interesting your comments about the VAC Renaissance 70/70. I first heard that amplifier many years ago and was instantly smitten, it made instruments and human voices sound real and alive. In those days I was early in my career and had a wife and young children (buying a house etc.). I resisted the temptation to spend that much money on this very impressive but expensive new amplifier. To this day I still regard it as an all time classic natural sounding amplifier.
Charles

Are those of you who are using tubed components, primarily or mainly running analog as your source? Thanks.

David, After  many years of predominantly analog records I've been exclusively Redbook CD front end  for the past 8 years and very happy I might add. 
Charles 

David, I too am exclusively listening to Redbook CD and am very happy with it. 

Charles and Tom, Thanks.

In your case Charles, would you say that your personal reference for 'musicality' and what you prefer is based on your time in the analog realm which has led you to your choices in system build and synergy? (Tom, I'm not sure if you are also previously coming from a primarily analog based system/experience?)

I'm asking because I'm trying to get a feel for what my benchmark is or could be. I did spend most of my initial time in audio with tube based systems, but did leave those behind for a number of reasons. This 'second' coming into audio for me has been all solid state. Also for reference, I've never had the pleasure of owning analog gear because I came to this country in the digital age and had no records to begin with nor the means to acquire them. So a Sony Walkman it was. :)

David,
I listen to more digital now than I ever have and I would say the percentage is 70 to 30'percent digital to analog.The records I listen to are some that have never been released on cd or the record has better sound than my particular cd.
But with the better Dac's we have now I find myself spinning a lesser amount of records.

My benchmark to adjust and to critically judge my system is about a dozen different songs that I know very well and they are all digital for the easier use and more solid repeatability.

Best of luck to you,

Kenny.

Hello David,
Here’s my background. I grew up in a very music oriented family, I played trumpet beginning at age 10, my mother, both grandmothers and a brother played the piano and another brother played the trombone. There was much live music in our home. My father loved music and the record player seemed to always be playing Duke Ellington recordings.

Live instruments were my reference by default. I grew up in the vinyl records era and stuck with this medium for decades as early digital just didn’t move me. Eventually I discovered digital components that sounded natural and believable. The genre of jazz has always been well recorded for the most part (IMO) on Redbook CD. I just had to aquire the right digital gear.

I don’t miss my previous analog system although it was very satisfying, I’m very content with what I currently have as its natural and engaging which meets my objective.
Charles

Honestly, I think that you can have tube components that sound bad as well as sound good. The very same with solid state components. You can have good and bad.

You can find stuff that finds great with both types. Some people may have a preference for one or another (hence sounds better to them), but I think you can have someone that would like just the opposite. I think once you hit a certain level, you start to split hairs, but that's just my opinion.

No, actually you can’t have tube components that sound bad. They all sound good. What you can have, however, is people that are all thumbs, people that can't hear and room acoustics that make everything sound bad.

Gentleman,

Appreciated all the thoughtful posts today.  Good food for thought. 
I too listen primarily to Redbook and occasionally SACD.  I thankfully saved the LP's of my youth.  While I enjoy them on occasion, overall I find the sound of well engineered CD's very satisfying and this is what I listen to 99% of the time.

DI tweak--IT'S TIME TO GENTLY TIGHTEN THE DRIVERS.  I did that last night and  the soundtrack to Hamilton sounded better than ever--killer.  Tight, tight and deep bass

Kenny,  Let me take you in a totally different direction on CD suggestions.  The Hamilton CD I have mentioned more than once sounds absolutely great on the DI's.  It really shows off the low end capabilities of the DI's .  (This may be a big reason I am enjoying my SS gear so much right now driving the DI's)  The sound stage is great.  It is a very well engineered CD set.  And most of all the performance--WOW!  A great musical journey into the story of one of the Founding Fathers.  If you can listen to this and not be totally emotionally involved and moved (imagine this on tubes my my valved brethren!!) than I would be at a loss to explain why.  It SOUNDED so good it took me a number of times through to really appreciate everything going on here.  Best present my daughter ever gave me!

Bill,

I'm still in AWE that a old tube guy like yourself has found this really interesting looking one box wonder that you are completely satisfied with.I say good for you and I'm so glad to read your enthusiasm about it.

I've been looking at one myself but I haven't called the contact that you gave me, afraid to because it will cost me money that I don't need to be spending right now.I would have to thin my herd down a little and free up some coin.But I do have it at the top of my list.

Wish there was more info about the 2170,I've searched and searched and come up empty,maybe still too new.

Might make a wonderful pairing with a set of DI's.

Best,

Kenny.

Corelli,

I probably missed you talking about the Hamilton cd before,
are you referring to the double cd set of the original broadway cast recordings.If so I have never heard this one.

Yes always a good idea to retorque those driver screws on occasion especially on fairly new speakers just be careful because the threads are in the wood,no blindnuts on the backside.

Best,

Kenny.

Kenny,

That is correct, it's a double CD  of the original broadway cast.  I remember when my wife used to love this genre and I was so slow on the uptake.  Shame on me. Of all the broadway CD's that I have this may be the best.  And that's saying a lot.  What a great story beautifully retold in music.  Again, it took me several time through to really appreciate what a great work this is.  So open a bottle of Vino and enjoy.  Sounds  so great on the DI's!

Yes, just a gentle retorque is all that is needed.  Most of the screws were fine, but a few clearly benefited from a little snug down.