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
@kristofa In my more 'distant' seating position, my ears are aligned with the top most tweeter in the array. In my 'closer' seating postion my ears are aligned with the top of the midrange woofer (just below the lowest tweeter in the array). I'm quite happy with both positions, though I favor the higher / distant postion.
The Double Impacts have a very broad sweet spot (read volume or space due to the three dimensions), on all three axes.
My tweeter array is about 6" higher than my ears and I don't notice any decrease in sound quality at all. I raised my listening chair to put my ears level with the middle tweeter and didn't hear any difference.
Lance, are you using Mapleshade platforms and brass footers under your speakers? Threaded brass footers into the speakers and heavy or megafeet under the platform?
@kristofa, the tweeter array in my system is also above my head especially since I have them sitting higher on maple platforms with brass footers. The sound is spectacular. I’m getting all of the good stuff. I wouldnt worry about it.
Thanks, everyone, for an informative thread. First post on Agon.
I am close to pulling the trigger on the DI’s. I currently am using Polk rti-A3 standpoint speakers and have their tweeters at ear level. With the DIs, the tweeter array will be quite a bit higher than my ears at my listening position. Does anybody else have the array above their ears? If so, is it a non-issue?
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.
@stfoth, my house is old and old in the winter moths but the ss vk500 threw out about the same amount. I can't see how monblocks would be any better with these as they are very efficient .
So, I have to comment on the Tekton DI's after many hours and many changes in my system. The big change was replacing my BAT vk500 with the BAT VK55se. This has really made a huge difference. While the vk500 is a very very nice amp, sweet sound, unerring power, quiet, tube like and liquid, the 55se just blew this up to another level. The DI's can take any input effortlessly and put it out into the room in such a musical manner. All changes, no matter how small, are revealed. Power cord changes made the imaging more accurate, CT GE speaker cables brought tremendous soundstage and oh so black background. The CT GE IC's just reinforced it all. With an all BAT tube system the suppleness combined with a robust "meat on the bones" sound is really quite lively. The bass is to die for. Never have I heard such bass. The transients at all frequencies are incredible. On Herbie Hancock's 'Piano' I can hear his foot on the pedals in quiet passages. I have real trouble with Keith Jarrett jamming up the music with his off key howling, too much to take. The detail is superb from top to bottom. These speakers are really really good, and I haven't started the mods on them yet. Very detailed, very neutral. I got a chance to hear a pair of Magico M6. That left me with some interesting impressions of what a speaker could be capable of, both good and not so good. I knew I wanted to go tube when I heard, for the first time ever since as a kid listening to a tubed stereo console, an Atma sphere mk60 monos. I heard what a tube amp can do but they were thin sounding, very unlike the BAT 55se. I am very happy with this sound, these speakers, this system to the point that I can really foresee just a few improvements left to get the best that these are capable of giving. If there is anybody on the fence with these speakers then take that leap and see for yourself that these are amazing. I have no affiliation with Tekton, nor do I receive any kind of payment for comments. I first read about these on this thread and simply took a chance because some of these dudes are pretty experienced with very good performing equipment that isn't expensive, relatively speaking. The all BAT tube system really puts this over the top for me even though there isn't a lot of information out there about the 55se, or even the vkd5se cdp. Again, thank you for putting it out there and especially @kdude66 and @grannyring for pushing the envelope even further!!!! Best, Greg
@aniwolfe yes, this is what they are and, as a fine furniture maker, I did not like it at first but they are actually fine. They define a squareish line while looking at them from the front. I have the black speakers and the black cloth is actually a dark brown. Blacks are hard to match anyway, but again, you only see it from certain angles and in certain lights. I like the grills because they take the attention off of the the speaker faces. They calm it all down. It would be rather difficult to round those tops of the grills, but it would be possible. Frankly I think they just tidy up the whole scene.
My setup is in my living room and would not be categorized as a "listening room". There is an assortment of random couches and so forth kind of in the way. The room is about 14x24ish and I have the speakers set up along one of the short walls. They are about 2 feet each way from the corners. My sub is about 40% of the way along that same short wall. It's an old NHT that I had kicking around. The amp for the NHT allows me to cut out the signal above 50/80/100 hz. I found 50 hz was the best setting. I listen about 10 feet from the speakers and have them toed in to cross about 3 feet behind me. Despite the furniture etc, there is a pretty clear path from the speakers to where I listen, so it works out well. My neighbor across the way is a bassist and jazz nut and I had him help me dial in the settings. It's possible bourbon was involved. I am not sure if I'd need a sub with a different amp. I'd be neat to hook up a big SS amp sometime and hear that.
I really like the way these sound. My neighbor and I go to the local jazz fest during one week in the summer and this year we would go hear a few acts and then do an "after event decompress" with my system and listen to some of the same acts we had just heard live. It's not "live" but its pretty good. That was before I put the sub in the mix, I can't wait to do it next year.
I hope not, but I'v been looking at my DIs and I can see where they would have to be because of the drivers being so close to the edge of the cabinets. The holes for the pins to go in are very close to the edge also, which looks to me like the edge of the grills will stick out past the round over. Agh... Oh well. BTW my review of these speakers will be in the near future, just 20hrs into break in. So far so sweet.
Got a question for Tekton Speaker Owners with Grills. I just received my grills for my Electrons. The grills are well built. However, they don’t seem like they fit the shape of the speaker cabinet. The corners of the grills are not flush with the corners of the speaker cabinet. The Speakers Cabinets have a rounded corner yet the Grills have a sharp corner, so the grill corners are sticking out a bit. Is this what you all have as well? Thanks
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?
I hear you stfoth, my wallet floats after the last couple of months!
I think you'll be very happy with the MZ2, Aric amp and Tekton combination. I sure am.
Like you I admire and appreciate the efforts of the likes of Eric, Aric and while I have no experience with Dennis I'm sure he fits right in. Hand built products by men passionate about audio, talented in their craft and committed to providing high end gear at very reasonable prices........right here in the US. Gotta luv it.
I looked inside my speakers and there was indeed an IOU note for a pair of missing resistors. J/K ~ My pair sound just fine even without any added resistance. Keep Calm & Play On!
Congrats theachean, Sounds like you put together a great system for really reasonable money. I’ve wanted to hear one of Dennis Had’s amps for a while now. I know the Brilliance is one of Eric’s favorite designs. No doubt you’re getting good sound. Good luck!
Oh well. No resistor in series with the 6.5 inch midrange drivers in my set or any other set I have seen the insides of with builds thru September. Seems he is padding them back a tad with some resistors? Interesting. Right now just 220uf cap in series and an inductor.
Like to know the value of the resistor he decided to add in series. If someone finds out please let us know.
I definitely want to know what that resistor mod thing is about. But then again it’s NO mystery that all DI’s are not built the same. Just read Grannyrings later posts.
FWIW I have had set of Tekton Brilliance speakers for about 6 months now. I am running a Dennis Had Inspire LP-2 Pre and Dennis Had Inspire HotRod SEP Amp with KT tubes (currently KT-150s). Fed by Sonos into a Shiit Bifrost Multibit and an iTube. I also put a subwoofer in the system with the cutoff at 50hz. About 1/3 of my music is lossless and the rest... not so much.
I love the sound from this system. Big sound stage, great clarity, plenty of power and a very musical feel to the whole thing. I listen to a lot of jazz, alternative, classical, and a bit of rock and it all sounds great. I ran it with out a sub for maybe 5 months and it was great, but the sub gives it a bit of extra at the bottom that I like, but I think that's really a personal preference thing, you don't need to have a sub with these.
I went with the Brilliance after a bunch of conversations with Eric at Tekton. I could not really fit the DI's into my room from a decor standpoint and after we talked through what I listen to and where I was heading from a system standpoint he suggested the Brilliance over the Impacts or the Electrons. I have not heard any of those, but a friend of mine has a set of Lore's that I listened to before pulling the trigger. Compared to the Lore's the Brilliance are a similar animal in my opinion, just... more. All I can say is I'm very happy with them.
Hi Cordlli, Yes, the ability to work closely with the amplifier builder who clearly understands your desires and needs is a substantial plus. If you do decide to have a 300b SET amplifier custom built I don’t believe you’ll regret it. Just know for sure what you want out of that amplifier and either of these builders Iam confident will come through for you. Charles
Hi Charles, Thanks for the words of encouragement. I should shoot Eric an email. I certainly like to patronize someone who cares about their work. One thing I like about both Aric and Audio Note is the ability to customize your gear from the get go. For example, while I favor an integrated, I have no need for an input selector. More cost and potentially worse sound. One input is just fine. Thanks again for your contributions to this thread.
Tom, you won't regret the metallic gray. I get the temptation of yellow. But I'll save that for the sports car I'll never own. (I like to say that the Civic Si's I owned have payed for much of my audio gear.)
Hi Cordlli, Everything I’ve read or heard about the Audio Note Kit 300b SET has been positive. It as you note uses double C core output transformers (as does the Frankenstein ) these are held in very high regard.
My gut feeling is that this amplifier and Aric’s 300b SET would both be excellent with your Double Impacts. Different design and part selection yet I truly believe that either would make you proud and happy long term.
SET amplifiers are very simple circuits and probably why they are described as pure and natural sounding if built with dedication to high quality (no cutting corners) and implementing good transformers and power supplies. In my opinion you’ll get that with either of these choices. I like Aric’s decision to go with 6SL7+6SN7 pathway. Charles
I'm hoping they ship this week, Lance. What color did you choose? I was going to get a screaming metallic yellow but opted for the BMW metallic mineral gray. Much more conservative than the BMW Phoenix Yellow but still sweet.
Sbayne and Charles, Yes, Eric is a class act and I never had any reservations in having me build this amp or whether he would totally stand behind his work. As you can tell from his posts he is totally competent and knowledgeable but more importantly to me he's a stand up guy......a joy to deal with.
corelli, You're so right, there are so many good amp choices for the DI and they all have their strengths and weaknesses. I'm looking forward to hearing my DI's with a SS amp once my SE's get here. With the 300B with the SE's and my old Proceed amp with the DI's I'll get two different but great sounds. The fun never ends!
Tom, I'm glad you have found your amp for the DI's. Appreciate the nice review of what the amp is capable of in your system. With the type of music you most enjoy I can see where a 300b based amp is a great choice. While I really enjoy both my current amps, I still have an interest in 300b SE amps. Not at all because I feel wanting with my current gear, but rather because all amps bring a different set of strengths and it's fun to rotate in a different amp now and again depending on what CD's I'm spinning. I seem to keep looking at the Audio Note Kit 300b/10th anniversary edition with it's C core transformers. It's on sale right now for just under $3000 and seems crammed full of high quality components. Honestly I'd love to put one together. No doubt the nostalgia of it all--bringing me back to the Dynaco/Hafler kits of my youth! (What do you think Charles?) On the other hand, Aric has treated you great and I certainly applaud his offer! David, looking for ward to your review of the SE's! Wonder how these would stack up to Bill's revamped DI's. Lots of fun.
Thanks Aric, I appreciate your generous offer and shall take you up on it. Your amp will be sonic perfection with a dead silent background. I'll give you a shout to set it up.
Can't wait to have you over again to hear the amp Charles. Once I get it back from Aric we will plan it. I should have the SE's by then too. Fun, fun!
Congrats David. Looks like Eric is cranking the SE's out in good order. Audio Archon got theirs last week, you got yours this week and hopefully I'll get mine next week or the week after. Looking forward to hearing your impressions of them.
Hi Aric, Roger Modjeski owner of Music Reference Audio builts/offers a 6EM7 amplifier in single ended and push pull versions. I’m really looking forward to hearing your 300b SET amplifier when Tom is ready to invite me over again. He feels that it’s the best amplifier he’s owned to this point, I believe him. 300b implemented to a high standard is special as Tom has happily discovered.
BTW Aric the modification offer you made to Tom is both classy and kind IMHO. Charles
Hi Charles, Thanks for the kind words and sharing the driver info on your 300B.. It appears the 6EM7 was used to drive vertical deflection circuits in CRT TV's and can even be used as a power tube in a 1.5-2 watt amplifier. Definitely a lot of similarities to a 1/2 6SL7 and 1/2 6SN7- the best of both worlds it would seem. Best wishes, Aric
Hi Aric, I really appreciate your technical explanations and insight on this forum as they’re consistently educational. Your comments regarding the 6SN7/6SL7 tubes caught my interest. In my Frankenstein 300b SET the builder chose the 6EM7 as the input/driver tube. Apparently it’s a dual triode , One side is high current/low gain and the other half of this tube is low current/high gain. It seems there’re various ways to successfully drive the 300b.
Hello David, Congratulations on acquiring the DI SE speakers and I look forward to your listening impressions. Charles
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