@grannyring et al. Any of you know if Lyngdorf has any plans to add an ethernet input to the TDAI 2170 (or alternative)? I started using one in my PS Audio PWDII and really don't want to play the USB game again...
Tekton Double Impacts
Anybody out there heard these??
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
Thanks.
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
Thanks.
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@granny 1) work on the DI toe in. Try no toe in at all and then a very slight toe in. I mean the slightest wee bit of toe in. This should help. I have them facing straight into the room at present, the are brighter hen toed in, so I went with the with no toe. I have a computer I built some time back it’s a tower and hand picked parts, at the time, meant for gaming. I also have older ONEAC power conditioner, and dedicated 20amp circuit for the PC. Also, the entire house has surge suppression at the box. I have only stock AC cords everywhere. 3) More burn in time for the speakers and 2170. It’s playing right now and probably has about 80hrs on it, so far.
There’s a bit of issue here, as the computer is in the next room and the USB is going through the wall. I use the PC for general use too and it is in my office, and the speakers are in the dedicated listening room next store. This means I need a longer USB cable of 10ft. (Too long?) As for making me the cables, do you mean USB or AC or both? I am definitely interested in this. :)
I do have an Singxer SU-1 sitting here, but it’s not in that chain at the moment. I have found it good at the decrap role. YMMV. I also have an IFI Ican Pro for headphones as well. I guess I should start by putting the Singxer in the chain, but I do not believe it will cure the issue. I think I would like to start with the USB and power cords and also, try a different source as well.
Lemme know about the cables and I will order the speaker cable you linked too.
JT O�y� |
Hi JT. I was talking about making you a power cable and we can contact each other directly on that. Yes, your computer is not ideal and I think you already know that. Computer audio can sound amazing, but like great analog rigs ..... everything matters. A gaming/business computer is powerful but contains all kinds of additional processes and complexity in the operating system that just kills sound quality. In addition, a quality usb card from SOtM is really a plus with the Lyngdorf. Powering this SOtM card with a linear power supply is also recommended. You can get a good one from TeraDak for $130. Lastly, the products I mentioned from ifi are just wonderful and with a stripped down computer optimized for music only, you have a killer front end. I realize this is more than you can do, but just wanted to make you aware of options and learnings with the Lyngdorf and computer audio. I have a dedicated computer for music that runs Windows 10 Pro, but I greatly simplified/reduced the operating system processes and maximized the sound quality with software products from Fidelizer and Audiophile Optimizer. This with a nice SOtM usb card powered by a linear power supply, decent usb cable, and the iFi Micro usb 3 have turned my computer front end into a digital music making marvel. The difference is literally night and day compared to a standard computer only. All digital glare, nasties, noise, edginess etc....is gone. What is left is smooth analog like rendering of your ripped cd collection and Tidal streaming. |
@grannyring It also looks like https://www.hdplex.com/ has some interesting stuff that would work nicely. I found a way to shoot you a PM and have done so... it sure is not intuitive.... |
Pertaining to this upgrade timeline, the Electrons I originally had I estimate were built between Sept. 29th and Oct. 4th. The D.I.'s I swapped them out for were built about Dec.15th. Performance besides the obvious extra lower octave, I noticed a smoother, more organic presentation, with a slightly deeper sound stage with the D.I.'s. Remembering a post by Eric where he made a statement similar to (people who have been on the fence about buying the D.I.'s now is the time) had me wondering at the time exactly why he made that statement. You can find Eric's post on this thread, page 74 dated 11-7-2017. FWIW based on this stuff my guess is the update was implemented somewhere in October 2017. LP |
@treebeard1 Supposedly the change is tied to the SN#. You need to contact Tekton with the SN# and they will tell you. Here’s a video summary on the resistor change https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6IMgA8O8IQ |
@grannyring Bill, I think we have a very similar opinion on the influence this new resistor you brought to light has on the musical performance. I mentioned the bass because there is a slightly deeper response just due to the basic design differences of the two models. I now realize that was confusing in a post pertaining to the resistor upgrade. LP |
@lpretiring. Thanks. My comments were in response to the Zero Fidelity video comments. This is really something every DI speaker owner should have in their speakers. We really enjoyed the result. The speaker was already great, this is just a nice little jump in musicality. While your at it upgrade those caps! Ha! |
This is a suggestion, purely a suggestion..... Bill, your work with the Tekton Double Impacts has been fantastic and helpful to many. I certainly appreciate it and I'm sure many others do as well. Your posts, not only on the DIs, but also in other areas like the TDAI 2170, etc. have been educational to me and I continue to learn from your posts. Perhaps those looking to modify their Double Impacts and other Tekton Design speakers would be best served with a thread, with you as the OP, that is focused on Modding Tekton Speakers. As a Double Impact owner and now a DI SE owner, I sometimes have trouble keeping up with all the variations one can apply to these speakers. And more importantly, once modded what / which version / type of speaker are we really discussing? It gets difficult for me. Those new to the thread or those initiating their research of the Double Impacts may be overwhelmed and perhaps even confused. Again, this is a suggestion. These are open threads and members can do what they personally feel works best for them. Perhaps others can comment with their thoughts. |
@grannyring Well just got off the phone with Eric (who was extremely pissy and rude I might add lol) and he explained that the DI’s are the only one’s that need the change. It is only for people with DI’s in smaller rooms. Apparently people are calling and bugging him about this (oh well too bad). I suggested to him maybe posting this on his blog, but he said, he doesn’t have the time. |
That’s why I posted the video earlier to help with the questions about it in this thread. Eric posted on that youtube channel to have people call with the serial numbers. "Eric Alexander1 week ago Call us directly with your DI serial numbers in hand. " |
@treebeard1 If you are willing to do the upgrade considering that your manufacturing date may be close, then it's probably best to actually take a look see and not completely trust your serial numbers. If I remember correctly from a while back that Aniwolfe's Electrons are serial #'s 35+36 and it was reported to me that there was also a 35-36 clone as well out there. I agree with so many that the original design is great to begin with and if you are uncomfortable with doing the upgrade,(if even necessary) then fortunately there are seemingly countless ways to work on improving your system. That is one of the beauties of this great hobby. LP |
IMHO, David Ten and Grannyring both offer significant value to this forum. I for one find it difficult to follow along on too many threads seeking needed information. Most of the tech heavy information I read about I will probably not be able to implement, but can put that aside and focus on what is more in my wheelhouse(so to speak). I hope Grannyring continues to share right here for all interested Tekton owners to try and learn from his wealth of knowledge. LP |
I saw an interesting Tekton DI inspired copycat that takes the same idea to the extreme. It's at 3:56 into this video. https://youtu.be/yVZKr5nITBM |
I too love all this thread has had to offer. It's great hearing from so many different people driving their DI's with many different components and also how they can be modified. I love the IDEA of the modifications but don't trust my skills ( or lack thereof) to implement them. I'm loving the SE's so much I'll sit back and enjoy them as they are for now. I do thank Grannyring for sharing his knowledge and for being so generous in helping others. jcarcopo....now that was one crazy looking speaker that would be interesting to hear. Thanks for sharing the link. |
It would be nice if Eric would take 10 minutes to post some info on the various reincarnations of the DI crossover. Would probably save him a lot of time/calls in the long run. I imagine that the latest version may or may not be the ticket for any given individual's system/room/ears. But it would be really nice to hear Eric's take on what each version accomplished in a relative sense. For now I'm sitting tight on crossover changes but it's still on my radar. @grannyring Bill, very sorry to hear you won't be posting here sharing your technical expertise. That is a real loss. Please reconsider! Subs should be arriving today. Looking forward to hearing (but not lifting) them. |
aniwolfe312 posts01-24-2018 9:58pm@treebeard1 If you are using anything with equalizer capabilities , such as JRiver, you can lower the 600hz and the 1khz by about 1.5 db to 2 db(depending on how forward your amp pre-amp and cable combination sounds ) for very close to the same results,without having to install any resistor. It seems to lower ,IMO,mostly the vocals area. This lowering of these frequencies allows the bass to become more prominent. I think this is a desirable effect for most people. I actually have mine at -1.5 db for each of those frequencies. Seems to work well for me . |
BTW. I sent the link for the video to Eric, and ask him if that guy in the video was correct. His reply was Yes. He told me exactly what aniwolfe said " Yip. And it’s far from necessary... only good for small rooms... and for DI speakers produced between June-October last year" I think mine sound fine either way.It is just a matter of preference . my room is pretty small. I have the Lygndorf room correction which helps with the small room , tremendously. |
Did I mention how much I love the sound of the LTA UltraLinear amp with my Double Impacts? I was going to write a review but a fellow Agoner beat me to it. https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/review-linear-tube-audio-lta-ultralinear-amplifier |
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Hey Tom, My mistake I mean't SE's in my post. So far, with very few exceptions, the great majority of owners of speakers that retail for more then 20K have sold off their much more expensive speakers because they were totally out performed by either DI's/SE's that I personally know. The list is up to eight professional reviewers, who were stunned at what they were hearing, yet had the honesty to go with what their ears were hearing. |
Terry: Enjoyed your review of the Pass Labs XA-25; this is an amplifier type/price point I have been searching for. Purchased the DIs, btw, partly on the basis of your original review (seems like a longtime ago, doesn't it?). The lack of a balanced architecture has me worried, however. You mention this in your review but am wondering if you could expand on that architecture and consider what, if any, pros and cons this input style has. Thanks. |
Hey craig59, As you know many amplifiers have XLR inputs, but really are not truly balanced designs. The beauty of the XA-25 is it's use of only two transistors per side and the tremendous power supple which drops tons of current when needed. So, I find no downside at all, and historically have never run XLR cables in my system even when I was using the XA-60.8's which are a true balanced circuit design. Less is really more can be heard in a great SET design and in Nelson's new simpler circuit. |
Hi Terry, I haven’t read your review of the Pass Labs XA 25 but will do so. If this is a simpler circuit design with fewer part count. I could certainly believe it sonically exceeds other Nelson Pass efforts. I can understand his decision to go with minimalist single ended rather than balance circuit. Only 2 transistors per channel? He does seem to have much genuine passion for these type of amplifiers. For all the talk concerning balanced audio components I can’t honestly say that they sound superior to non balanced components. I can say that some of the very finest sounding systems I’ve heard were based upon simpler single ended be they tube or solid state. Based on Nelson Pass writings and DIY contributions I get the sense he leans in this direction for maximum purity of sound. Just my hunch. Balanced components do however have a large segment of happy advocates no doubt. . Charles |
Upgrading the crossover with the same spec values, but only using carefully chosen, better quality parts will improve the sound. By the way, parts that are also tighter tolerance spec’d and layed out to eliminate inductor crosstalk. Internal wire is also plays an important SQ role. I know first hand As I did it. Two folks heard the SE speakers in Chicago and came to my home two weeks later to listen to my upgraded DIs. Both were speechless just kept looking at each other saying one word over and over....wow! Both shared these were better sounding. Perhaps my Lyngdorf 2170 played a role even though is costs far less than the gear running the SEs in Chicago. I share because some here are interested in these facts. In the spirit of what can be and options....I shared. I won’t share anymore technical details as stated earlier, however these speakers are perfect candidates for the stars in terms of SQ. ( yes they are to the moon in SQ stock). Eric’s design paired with a skilled and careful upgrade plan both can live wonderfully together. They are not at odds, but rather additive. Not all will care or want to deal with this sort of thing. Some will. These are perfect candidates because of their lower price point and positive response to top tier parts and layout. No different than affordable amps that are popular for DIY upgrades with all kinds of info here on the net. The topic at hand extends beyond a particular set of speakers. All gear is made to hit a price point so the builder and employees can make money. This is a must and we all should understand it. Your amps, dacs, speakers, etc... can all be improved with smart and well planned upgrades in parts. Most pieces sitting in our rooms are ripe for nice SQ improvements because builders are not going to put in $300 Duelund capacitors and $35 resistors. This is not voodoo stuff folks. |