Tekton Double Impacts

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.

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,

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.

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?

 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.  

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.

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

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.

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.

@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.

Terpstation,

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

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?

@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.

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

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)

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

@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. : )

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

@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. 

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....

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!

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.....

Grannyring, thanks for the suggestions!

back down the rabbit hole i go! :)

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.

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 

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?

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?

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.

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.

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.

vitop and mac48025, thank you.

@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?

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

I'd put the Benchmark AHB2 amplifier in the "Tekton of Amplifiers" category for most innovative solid-state at a cheaper price point than the upgraded Double Impacts ($3000 last I checked).  It sounds very good too, but I still ended up returning it and going with the Art Audio Diavolo SET 300b Copper Ref Tube amplifier at a bit more than double the price because I know what I love to hear and it delivers the goods everytime.
 There may very well be better SETS, but not for me, because I stopped looking. 

I so wish a used one was available at the time I was shopping, they make very affordable and reliable used tube amplifiers.  My last one clocked a decade before I stupidly sold it chasing Omega panel speakers dreams from Analysis Audio of Greece.  

"I would estimate the speakers will take 2-3 weeks to make for standard finish. At least that is what I was told this weekend."

Aniwolfe, and Terpstation,

2-3 weeks is surprising to me. I ordered the 8" Electrons, first in white, then about 10 days ago changed to gray while awaiting production news. I was told then that Eric is tweaking the 8" Electrons. I stated how important it was for me to have a finished product since I lack any tech experience, and would not want to attempt any updates. I'm sure Eric would not knowingly send out a model that needed additional fine tuning. I personally am willing to wait until he is completely comfortable with his adjustments to this model.I ordered my pair 5 weeks ago.

BTW, it feels good to find others who have chosen the Electrons. These D.I. guys are driving me nuts.

     LP

Mac: I just looked at the ZOTL10 and at least for me, it is not as compelling as the Tekton. I honestly believe that the Di can hold it's ground against 30k speakers I have heard. With the 2600 price of the ZOTL10, the same formula would put it against 26k amps. Some pretty heady stuff.

Olesno,

My DI's are the Mercedes black diamond. The metal flake is subtle and it needs to be in bright to fully appreciate. I liked it a lot when I had them in my family, even the wife liked the color. In my dark listening room they look like a gloss piano black, which is fine with me.

Vitop,

I would put the Linear Tube Audio gear in the "Tekton" price value family, especially the MZ2 and ZOTL 10. Quality parts made by hand is America, sound great and are priced for the average man. I look forward to hearing what others suggest. 

Grannyring,

I couldn't agree more with you, and teajay. Tekton will expose the common man to audiophile performance and expand the audio industries base. I gave my Tekton Enzo's to my son and he's totally into the audio scene now. Three of his friends bought Tekton speakers after hearing his. These twenty and thirty somethings could support the audio industry for many years to come. My son and his friends are all into tubes and vinyl also......old school for youngins. Gotta luv it. 

Eric told me the metallic black looks really good and has some pearl in it. That’s what I ordered, but have not received it yet so I can’t give any impressions

I ordered my pair of DI last week in piano black.  Since it will be a while before they make and ship them I can still change the color.  I was told that Ferrari metallic black looks very good and so does the Mercedes metallic black.  Did anybody order the speakers in different versions of black?  If yes, what are the impressions of the finish?

Who (if any) are "the Tekton" of the amps? ie -- who is selling a leading edge amp for a price that most would consider to be average? Both tube and SS. Is there one? Schiit has the Vidar, but I'm not sure that is leading edge an amp as the DI is a leading edge speaker.

Teajay, you are absolutely correct with your EGO comment and some audiophiles. I see this attitude more and more of late. Why? Because we are now seeing some extraordinary sounding wire and gear being sold at reasonable prices. Tekton is certainly at the top of the list for speakers. I really believe high end sound is becoming more and more affordable. Yes,  I realize astronomically priced gear is also on the rise. However,  I see that as a reaction to the fact that the SQ gap between big dollar gear and "affordable" gear is shrinking......and fast.

Products like Tekton can actually help expand our industry and bring in new consumers. This needs to happen.