Tekton Double Impacts

Anybody using a tube based system using 211 tubes with the DIs?

@jarcopo I liked the AHB2 but not enough to keep it. I was persuaded to take it home as my friend didn't like his and wanted to sell it cheap. No complaints on the performance it just didn't jive with my system. Did you get to try it with Double Impacts?

vitop and mac48025, thank you.

vitop, In reference to your ZOTL 10 comments, I find the LTA gear responds dramatically to tube rolling to match the sound you want with your system. The MZ2 needs to be gain matched with your system, the stock unit may have too much gain when used with highly efficient speakers and can sound a little bright/thin, tube rolling can lower the gain and restore the magic the MZ2 is fully capable of producing. The 10 can also be massaged with rolling glass. LTA and David aren't done yet, more goodies are coming from the collaberation.

So I received my Tekton Double Impacts three weeks ago. A big part of why I ordered them was Terry London's review and of course the potential of listening to a speaker that was comparable to some that cost thousands more.

I was starting with Zu Omen Dirty weekends (as seen in Steve Guttenbergs review) and a peachtree iNova amp and loved the sound that came from them. The problem with them was that I had to run my sound through an equalizer to improve the treble response of those speakers ( which are very dark) and I was really looking for a pair that I didn't have to do that with.

I will add that I really like a much stronger treble response than most so there is that.

In between getting the speakers I upgraded to one of peachtree's Nova150 amps. The treble response to me was much better though not necessarily my ideal (my ideal would probably be the sound coming from Final Audio Sonorous IV headphones, for reference).

I ordered mine in 4 ohm (which I recommend most of you do if you amp can support it), Charcoal black with the upgrade package. 

These things were much bigger than I anticipated and they shipped only with floor spikes which aren't ideal for my laminate flooring. Right out of the box, I didn't think they sounded that great.

I had to make the following changes before I was finally happy with the sound coming from them.

- Bought their in-house speaker wire (which was a significant upgrade from the generic wiring I'd bought before)
-Upgraded to a Nova300 (this really firmed up the bass and clarity)

Now i'd say that they sound deliciously sweet. They are very transparent so it really depends on how the music you listen to was recorded and the quality that you play them back in. 

I regularly listen to them at lower volumes at night and often find that it is three hours later and I really need to go to bed.

Was it an earth shattering experience for me? I'd say no, but I will say that it is a better sound than what I had before.

I'm extremely curious to pair them with a high quality tube amp like this:  “Doge - Prima Donna 88 Class A”

Either way I'm keeping them.

Perhaps the only thing that annoyed my about the speaker was the paint finish. My omens were a wood finish that was absolutely luscious to touch. The finish on my Double Impacts are not smooth and it feels a little sandpaper-esque, like the paint wasn't properly smoothed down post painting. The charcoal color makes them look like dull boxes sitting in my living room- good thing they sound good.

paradisle, you probably have already seen it, but in case not there is a you tube of the DIs being driven by the Doge Prima Donna 88.  It sounds very nice, as does James w514 video with his ModWright.  I would love either amp.  I believe these are the only two DI you tube videos of them actually playing.

That is exactly why I wanted the gloss finish on my speakers. TBH, the speakers are nothing more than a rectangle. They are all about the sound. So, without any fancy gloss wood like some competitors have, the gloss finish was about the only way to dress them up, and honestly, they look pretty good in gloss from what I can tell in the photos. When I get mine, I will be better able to assess that. But the real money is in the sound and the Tektons sound good.

Has anyone played with the Zen amps?

Jetter, I have seen the videos being driven with the Prima Donna 88. The guy that recorded the video also wrote a nice review that is available under the reviews section of the Tekton Design website.

The reason I didn't go with the Prima Donna when I upgraded my Nova150 was the fact that I couldn't stretch my budget too much further at this time to get a good stand-alone DAC also.

I will say I am happy with the peachtree unit so far. Efficient or not, the DI's definitely sound better with more power, at least when it comes to class D amps. 

Vitop, in hindsight, I should have gone with a gloss finish. but it is a small thing at the end of the day as they do sound great.

I wonder how many people ended up getting the upgrade package with the speakers?

Here are some great value amps;

SS AMPS

- Job 225 - wonderful sounding
- Many Class D amps from companies like D Sonic & Nuprime - many great choices. Not for all, but no doubt they offer extreme value vs conventional amps just a few years ago.  
- Powered dacs like the Lyngdorf 2170 and Exogal Comet are particularly great values and amazing sounding. 
- Emotiva


TUBE

- Inspire by Dennis Had - must have very high efficiency speakers 
- Prima Luna 

I cancelled my Mini Ulf order as I felt things were not being done in a timely matter considering I received a damaged pair of Double Impacts over 2 months ago and have been waiting for a resolve ever since. IMO Tekton is making the best sounding product for the price right now. This was a matter of principle for me and nothing more.

Grannyring, thanks for the suggestions!

back down the rabbit hole i go! :)

I still have not heard back from Eric. I don't call because the last time I called, Karma told me that Eric is so busy building speakers that I should email instead. So that is what I am doing....

I am not particularly happy with Tekton right now.....

porscheracer, i've had to reach out to them via email several times. They do a decent job at getting back to you. It can be a bit of a pain after Eric seemingly being available when you call right away but I'm guessing he has gotten MUCH busier of late. It's worth the wait if you can. Good luck!

If you want to succeed selling $3000 to $15000 products in a market like this, customer service had better be quite good. Tekton are dropping the ball....

@james_w514, I didn't get to try the ahb2 on the Tektons.  I actually purchased their monitors and thought they were competent, but not magical or anything special.  Very well made though.  Yeah the amplifier seemed a tad unemotional to me, but very good for solid-state. Definitely a move in the right direction.  I'm very biased though towards SET Tube Amplifiers. 

Is anyone out there  using any McIntosh solid state amps with the Double Impacts ? if so what are your results, or opinions of the combo ?
I am curious how an MC402 would sound .I am using A McIntosh  MX151 pre and i have not ran the Lyngdorf Room correction (Room Perfect) yet.. Actually it is still on. It was from my prior speakers. I am waiting for the Ds to break in.
I think I am almost there

@paradisle  Congratulations on your DIs and the pairing with your new Nova300 integrated. Great to hear that you are really happy with your purchases.

Consider yourself very lucky if it's only a rabbit hole...Warning...mostly black holes out there in the Audio Way wilderness, all of which initially look like manageable ones made by cuddly bunny wabbits. : )

Hi Mac,
If you don’t mind would you email me your phone number and I will call you Thursday evening. Just a reminder the current Frankenstein MK II SET have 4 and 8 ohm speaker taps.  My version has 8 and 16 ohm speaker taps.  So I'm curious to hear the outcome. 
Charles

I am definitely leaning towards the Electrons for my  11x11 space in Florida....won't be there until December, so I can continue to procrastinate. The 8" woofers seem to be a plus. There was a comment (not sure which thread it was on) that stated the height is now 48 inches, rather than the listed 46. Has the weight increased as well? The 62 pounds is more inviting than the 107 for the DIs.

When I placed my Electron order for 8", I asked about the weight. I was told 67lb. I didn't think to ask about the enclosure size though. I hope the width and depth haven't increased.

    LP

As far as the Electrons size are concerned. The only thing size-wise that has changed is the height. That is what Eric told me over the phone.

Note: The Enzo 2.7 use 8" drivers and they have almost the same width and depth as the Electrons.

Is that a typo aniwolfe? The Enzo XL’s use 10" woofers. The Enzo’s use 8" and I felt they provided good bass, but not like the 10" woofers and larger cabinet of the DI’s.

Yes it was a typo I edited it while you posted :) Thanks

Well, no response in over two days......

LP, thanks for the heads up on your wait for electron.  I asked for a ballpark shipping date and they responded but only said they have been very busy but that I am in line.  So from what I gather the Electron is still being developed.   Does anyone know if any Electrons have ever shipped?  Anyone every hear them?  I agree with you that Eric getting them right in design is the priority.   A few extra weeks are not a big issue to me.

Some 6" Electrons are out there. A nice photo in the customer gallery in beige is displayed. I don't believe any 8" have been shipped since Eric is still tweaking.

   LP

If you are looking at the Electrons you may want to check out the Impact Monitors, especially if you already have a subwoofer to use them with. You would save about $1k in upgraded form. Just a suggestion. (I currently have a pair of Impact Monitors)

Question: Has anyone compared 4" midrange drivers to 6"? What were your findings?

@aniwolfe

6" is too large for a mid range. 4" is a good size. 3" is probably ideal. 2 inch is too small (not enough SPL at the low end of mid range)

This are well known facts to speaker designers due to beaming that comes from a driver at wavelengths similar to the diameter and our scientific understanding (since the 80’s) that broad even dispersion is desirable in a speaker. Put another way - uneven dispersion does not sound natural and wide dispersion sounds better than narrow dispersion.

Unfortunately 6 inch drivers are easier and cheaper to build and they have reasonable LF capability too (which a smaller mid range driver will not have) - so 6 inch is what many designers use - especially in two ways as it does the job for less cost. Often these trade-offs are played down by designers but the physics is clear about the limitations of overly large mid range drivers.

Double impact owners, how far from the speakers have you listened and still found them great?  Would 7 to 8 feet away be too close?

Terpstation,

I currently sit 8' from the DI's and have gone as close as 6' with good results. 

@terpstation  

Seating 7 to 8 feet from the center is not 'too close.'

I'm getting good results in a 6 ft to 12 ft seating position range with the DIs being just over 8 ft apart. Ideal in my setup is about 8 to 9 feet away.

Excellent to hear, thanks much for the respone.  The DI would be visually dominant and out of preportion in my room I think but if the Electron does not work out good to know the DI would sound good in my room.

I got a response from Karma telling me she will be getting me a response from Eric....

That’s a response but not a very good one.

Another email sent after another day of no real response. I am now thinking about sending the speakers back...

Really hope that this gets resolved.  Again, shopvacs are not the answer here.  A new speaker should be just that. New. Without damage. I would call daily until this is resolved porscheracer.  If quality control suffers this really could be damaging to the future of Tekton.  What a shame that would be.

 I am now thinking about sending the speakers back...

You might fare worse doing that if my buddy's past experience is anything to go by.  Hope you used a cc that has an easy claims process.  I tried to warn others early on in this thread but got pounced on by the fanboys.  

I just received an email from Eric that says he is going to send me "new ones". I assume that means new woofers.  Karma is supposed to be getting in touch with me tomorrow.

My Pioneer M-22 amp is supposed to arrive tomorrow. I am looking forward to comparing it to my Vidar amp. I've never compared amps like this before. Any tips on how to do it to get the most objective comparison?

porscheracer,

I beat he probably will send you replacement woofers and they will need some time on them to loosen up and sound there best.

Directly comparing amps can be tough and my best advice is to play only a couple of songs that you know really well in the comparison.It may take multiple plays with one amp to lock that sound into your memory before you make the switch and be sure to use the exact same volume level because different levels can be deceiving.

I just listen for what sounds the best to my ears and since music to me is all about emotion I pick the amp that can envoke the most response.I also close my eyes when doing serious comparisons and don't want any interruptions or distractions.

Just take your time you will figure it out.

Best of luck to you,
Kenny.

So, I ordered my Mini Ulfs on August 7th (give it the 8th), and I was told by Eric it would take two weeks to ship. I didn’t offer up "two weeks;" Eric did.

I sort of knew this would be the case, though. How much longer, on the other hand, is a different question.

Tekton needs the money. Every company needs the money, otherwise we wouldn't be able to afford our Fritos, or gym memberships, or pet elephants, or whatever rocks our socks.

Yeah, something is amiss on planet Tekton.

There are a lot of other people squealing for my piggy bank. I just want to make sure that I put the right coin in the right slot.

Something has to give with Tekton, right? As good as they may be, and as much as I want to sing their praises, I just wonder how long they can go on like this. I really don’t want their name to be sullied.

I mean, if I had been told one month, I wouldn’t have batted an eye. Since I had been offered up two weeks, well, guess what? I expect two weeks.

After awhile even a Rolex will run down. The clock is ticking.

Porscheracer,
Glad to hear this was resolved.  Do you need any tips with swapping out the woofers?  Do you have a soldering iron?
Agree with Kenny--listen to one song and take some notes on what is important to you.  I listen to that song several times before swapping amps.  Our acoustic memory can be short.

Kenny’’s approach to directly comparing amplifiers (or any audio product) is very similar to what I do as well. It is to your advantage to select recordings that you are very familiar with and also enjoy. I usually play about 5 different songs (sometimes more). Just relax and listen, you don’t have to take an excessive analytical attitude where you attempt to scrutinize/itemize every sonic aspect. This is artificial and is not a natural listening mindset.

I’ll make the assumption that you love music and with a passion so there is undeniably emotion involved. Simply listen to the same selection of your music through both amplifiers (after a thorough warm up). Trust your ear/brain processing ability and your spontaneous reaction to what you hear.

At some juncture during this listening period you’ll find that one of these amplifiers connects you to the music (emotional involvement) more than the other. One will emerge as the amplifier that when in use seems to increase the enjoyment of listening to your music.

At this point of awareness you will realize which amplifier is allowing more genuine joy and pleasure of conveying the impact and innate beauty of music you love. This is a natural process and will eventually unfold if you relax and just let it happen. In my opinion audio components are simply conduits to connect you to the fundamental objective, enjoying music.
Charles

Everyone... please have some patience with me. I’m overwhelmed with orders and I’m going as fast as I can. I cannot clone myself and I’ve hired more help. It’ll take time to get them properly trained and up to speed.

I pay Karma to field every last inquiry. Call or email her directly for even the smallest issue.

For the record: the DI’s w/upgraded x-over in standard black ship promptly - $3300 pair. It’s tends to be when clients order the high gloss custom finish or other custom add’s that projects get stalled out. It’s not fair to order something custom and come on here and complain as I’m working to make you something special that takes time.

Eric Alexander - audio designer

The beauty of High End Audio is the very talented/committed people who produce excellent sounding products. Quite a few are one man operations. Positive word of mouth commentary is obviously good for their business and significantly increases demand. Inevitably this demand exceeds current supply and manufacturing capacity. These are essentially hand made products and can’t be mass produced off an automated assembly line. It will be interesting to see how Tekton manages its rapidly growing business scenario.
I wish them success.
Charles

Years ago, I ordered a Supratek preamp and waited nearly nine months to get it. There were quite a few others who waited nearly as long or longer, as the designer lives in Australia and is (or was) a one-man show. It was a long wait, but worth it in the end. 

The difference is that people knew it was going to be a long wait going in. For what it's worth, I would recommend to Eric to "under-promise" and "over-deliver," rather than the other way around. Tell customers to expect their speakers in two weeks and deliver them in six weeks, they'll grouse on the forums or even cancel their orders. Tell  those same customers it will take two months to make their speakers and when they get them in six weeks, they'll sing your praises to the heavens. It is the same amount of time, but the perception is completely changed. Just food for thought.

The Supratek preamp was worth the wait. The Double Impacts--and I am sure the Ulfs and mini-Ulfs--are worth the wait. I love mine. They are not just a tremendous value. They are tremendous period.

Its a reflection of our society today. Complaining publicly at two weeks because you were told it would be a two week delivery. Refusing to even try to fix indented cones with a vacuum (I’ve used this trick - its easy) and insisting new cones be sent. I guess that's how most people react now a days.

Respectfully, call Karma this very moment so she can take care of you.

She’s telling me she’s tried to email and phone you - if this is who we think it is. I honestly do not know for sure who you are. Please call 801-836-0764 so we can ship parts tonight.

By the way... I’ve gone to great lengths to design packaging that is ’damage proof’ and we rarely see damages incurred. Please understand that if I could make them ’idiot proof’ I certainly would. When your speakers shipped they were in perfect condition, and while your personal property (loudspeakers) was in the care and possession of FedEx (or whomever) an idiot handled them. I repeat... and idiot handled them. Now you come on here and hold me accountable for damages outside of my control...?? Respectfully, will please be kind to me...

Please call Karma so we can get your problem resolved promptly.

Eric Alexander
President/CEO
Tekton Design, LLC