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
I would reach out to @laaudionut and @rubytuesday Both have very recently made the choice / move to the SEs. Brian (laaudionut) did the move from the DIs to the SEs. I’m sure they both had to work through similar questions / issues.
Same with regards to taking the modded approach. If you haven’t already done so, reach out to Bill @grannyring
Tom @mac48025 has the longest exposure to the DIs and has had significant time with the SEs now...and will be a terrific person to bounce your questions off of.
@teajay was personally helpful with my early decision making process with the SEs vs the DIs and Terry has been very open about being reached out to.
As for my take on this, Charles says it best in his post:
Without exception each account where someone has heard or owned both models they unequivocally say that as good as the Double Impact is the SE is the superior speaker. If you can comfortably afford the SE I’d suggest going that route. Decide what type of amplifier sound you most desire (as you’ll heard it with this speaker). My philosophy is get the best that you can responsibly afford and don’t look back.
As for your question on solid state and more output power:
I drove the DIs with the Spread Spectrum Technologies Son of Ampzilla II It's a Class A/B amp with 220W into 8Ohms; before moving to the Pass Labs XA-30.8
I have a T+A PA 3100 HV being delivered next week for an in-home demo. I'll report back as it will be my first go around with much higher power into the SEs.
Even though I am using Solid State amplification, and very happily so with the SEs, my primary recommendation would be Tubed Amplification for the SEs. With the DIs, either or.
Thank all of you guys very much, the information is very helpful. I live in Annapolis Maryland and I’m wondering if there was anyone in the Washington DC or Baltimore area that has either the DI‘s or the DI SEs. Now that I’m leaning heavily toward the SEs I would really love some sort of listening experience prior to pulling the trigger.
Thanks again for the dirrect responses and of course all of the information contained in this thread!
Joe, lancelock on this thread lives in Annapolis, owns DIs, and has ordered DI SEs. He has used all of the LTA tube amps, 10, 40, and new Ultralinear; Plinius, and Mirror Image SS amps @200WPC, so he can shed some light on the differences on amplification. Tekton did show with JC1s at 2017 RMAF to great effect, I'm sure they would be a worthy choice.
Finally getting around to upgrading from the DIs to the ulfberhts. Just waiting on a call back from Eric when he has some free time to get the ball rolling. One thing that I'm hoping, that this will possibly be the very last speaker upgrade for me in my lifetime. Excited.
As far as Amps go ,I am using the Rogue Audio St-100 with 1950s Mullard Long Plates in the 12AX7 positions ... Unreal Bass with liquid Mid range . Highly detailed , but not bright. Purchased from Andy at Vintage Tube services. While not cheap, they are the best small signal tubes that I have heard . Andy’s description " The warmest ,most liquid , but still detailed 12AX7 ever made ". I believe it !!
Thank you, everyone on audiogon that viewed my listing I had 4,328 views in 12 days. I now have my SE'S bandw2017ag has a very good pair of DIs and Ezra has his Ulfberhts on order,Life is good everybody is happy.
So as a piggy back to earlier posts regarding whether to consider the DI's, or go all out on the SE's...I just popped the top on my newly delivered SE's earlier today. I am about 50 tracks into the audition/break-in and I can state without hesitation that, out of the box, the SE's have far bettered the DI's! Much more refined, transparent and dimensional than my broken in DI's! Coupled with the Aric Audio Motherlode, I am almost rendered speechless! I can only Imagine what the next few months have in store for me as each of them bloom and settle into their true character!
Cheers to the talents of the small business audio geniuses!
@aolprodj Congratulations on being able to sell your DIs and now having the SEs!!! Are you able to share what made Ezra choose the Ulfberths over the SEs, since he doesn't post here?
Iaaudionut I totally agree with your assessment of the SEs I could not have said it better. All I know is this from Ezra is that he's getting a special edition pair of Elf's that cost get this $25,000 dollars.
@laaudionut - That's awesome to hear! I'm glad the ML is driving those Pass amps and in turn- your SE's with such finesse! Hitting that synergy is a wonderful thing. Also appreciate the kudos very much sir :-) Best wishes, Aric
Just left Allan's (Aolprodj) home to listen to his new SE's and they and the total system sounded great. All the details and transparency you would want, along with that aliveness and dynamics that make the music come alive, yet still being musical without etch or analytical front edges of the notes at all.
You have two systems posted. Which one are your SEs in?
Do you still have the T+A PA 3000 HV, shown in your HT system? I ask as I have the 3100 in on demo and am curious if you are using it to the drive the SEs?
I just want to thank @lancelock for inviting me into his home yesterday. He was kind enough to offer me an opportunity to hear the DIs, and also his other two systems. The DIs are impressive at their price point, but I am not selling my speakers yet. I admit that I anxious to hear the SEs as the DIs show great promise. Lances upstairs room with the Jantzens is a great listening experience. He has the system really dialed in nicely, I had to force myself to get up and let Lance get on with his day. I will definitely take advantage of Lances offer to come hear the DI SEs when they arrive.
@corelli , saw your post dated a year ago but it resonated with me. I was 15, the year was 1975, in high school, and like you I put together my first high-end system (by mail-order) from The Stereo Warehouse in San Luis Obispo, CA. What made me feel compelled to post this was the gear was similar to yours: a Pioneer SX-737 receiver, Electro-Voice speakers, a BIC belt-drive TT, a Shure cart. Yes, it was quite a system for a high-school kid. I had worked all summer before and saved about $800 at age 14. The system cost almost $700, delivered to a little town in Texas. Wonderful memories.
@tomcarr Thanks for the post Tom. You know, it's scary how much I remember about that gear down to every last detail. And all the albums I played on it as well. Wonderful memories indeed.
Should finish up my acoustic treatments this weekend. Subwoofers breaking in nicely. I'll try to post some pics after things are complete. Really quite pleased how this is all coming together. Like the DI's, the Hsu subs have a very high performance/price ratio. Will post more details later this weekend.
Post regarding a possible amplifier pairing for the SEs.
Yesterday I had the pleasure of demoing the Mastersound Evolution 845 Integrated Amplifier in-home.
It was demoed as is stock, with stock tubes and was run with signal through to the speakers for about 9 hours prior to first listen.
The following DACs were used: my primary DAC, the Denafrips Terminator; the North Star Designs Venti; and my Schiit Yggdrasil.
We also ran the Evolution 845 direct, bypassing it’s Preamp section and using the Pass XP-20 as Pre.
Those of you I have spoken with directly know that I recommend tubed components as a primary consideration for the SEs, despite my personal quest for a solid state pairing / solution.
As pointed out with regard to the Double Impacts by most, the SEs also showcased the individual flavors and signatures of the three DACs clearly. As well as the A/B/C/D differences between the T+A / Pass Separates / Mastersound / Mastersound + Pass XP-20 The direct A/Bing was conducted primarily with the Denafrips DAC and to a lesser extent with the North Star Design Venti.
I can say that the Mastersound, by itself and ALSO with it’s amplifier section alone, is a very nice pairing with the SEs.
For those of you who are more comfortable with and prefer to have more watts on hand especially from tubed components but still pine or crave for that SET magic: the EVOs 845s in Parallel SET at 55 watts per side, are worth considering.
@david_ten I can't keep up with all your gear man! But it sounds like you are having fun. You know, with all the posts on this thread I can't recall if you tried the Lyngdorf 2170 that Bill is so fond of. This seems like a unique piece of solid state gear.
I finally finished by room treatments and am quite pleased with the outcome. The room now strikes a nice balance. Bass is now very tight and controlled down to below 20hz as I had hoped for. My DIY mega bass trap clearly improved the bass quality. Treatment of first reflection points increased detail and nuance without closing the sound stage in too much. And there is no sense of reflection off the rear wall. The DI's just seem to get better with time and respond to any improvements as we have all found. Please check out my system pics so you can get a better visual on the above.
The Hsu ULS 15 MK2 subs have been a nice addition to the DI's. They are so similar to the DI's I'm not surprised they worked out. Both have satin black finishes (with the Hsu's finish getting the nod--buttery smooth black satin) and are both are value packed. I lugged the subs all around my room and it seemed clear that the best sound was achieved predictably in the corners of the room. The Hsu subs do exactly what I had hoped for. They extend the music down to just below 20 Hz which was my objective. The DI's in my room do have response down to 30Hz (cabinet tuning frequency) but just didn't provide the full extension I wanted in the bottom octave. Well no longer is this an issue. The subs are dead quiet with no quirks. (On the other hand, I did need to spend time quieting several light connection boxes!) I don't sense any intrusion into the domain of the DI's. In short, I can fully recommend the Hsu's as a great complement to the DI's.
I'm impatiently waiting for new speakers to be made. I have 6 weeks of this anxiety to contend with. I have a NAD M22 rev2 to try out coming tomorrow, but I will likely not keep it because I'm pretty sure the NORD OneUp SE Monoblocks will slay the NAD and I ordered them yesterday I have 2 months to audition the NAD. Being a die hard SET guy I'm actually surprised I'm considering a CLASS D amp just for some variety in my system. I am very curious about the TDAI 2170 myself. I will try to find a used one at some point after my bank account recovers from all this hemorrhaging. I've heard lots of good things about it, but the price for the one I wanted is $2k more than I wanted to spend.
@corelli Actually, I can't keep up with my cables! : ) It's been a ride with cabling evaluations...however, all good now with terrific outcomes.
Not much component movement until recently. There have been two amp related demos. Still figuring that out.
I need to listen to the Lyngdorf again. I know how strongly Bill feels about it as well as Kenny and others here. And I'd love to listen to the new LTA gear that @lancelock has, preferably in his system once he gets his SEs. : )
@jcarcopo & david_ten, Lyngdorf just released a new integrated, TDAI- 3400, double the power and possibly other improvements. Bill raves about his modded TDAI-2170 and I'm very interested in this new model.
@klh007 Thanks. I've seen the early bulletins on the 3400 and will keep an eye on the reviews/reports.
@corelli Thanks for the update on your room treatments and Hsu subs and how you've been able to work them in and integrate them. I'd like to hear the DIs / SEs with subs. Great hearing about the improvements you've been able to make happen.
@klh007 I went ahead and ordered a Lyngdorf TDAI 3400 today from Hifi-Heaven! They are going to have it drop-shipped to my house since there aren't any available here stateside, but he does have them on order.
I am very glad to have seen your post! I will be returning the NAD Reference 22 Rev2 to Crutchfield and the new Benchmark DAC3 HGC back to Benchmark. I'm ecstatic they added the Network streamer support to this unit. I can use it as a ROON READY device and stream my library directly to it over ethernet instead of tethering it to my passively cooled fanless pc computer via USB. This product really is a remarkable bargain for 400w into 4ohm with the DAC/PREAMP/NETWORK STREAMER/ROOM CORRECTION device all-in-one!
What a great thread! After reading through these reviews I'm returning my Def Tech 9040's to get the Double Impacts. My equipt consists of:
McIntosh MC402 amp Aloia Cd player Oppo 103 Anthem MRX 520 Audience chords, wire and interconnects.
It's been awhile since I've been able to just sit and listen to nice two channel. I've got nice speakers but they're just too big for my room these days (Piega C10 Ltds) and the 402 wouldn't push em enough believe it or not. The 402 should have noooooo problem running the Double Impacts.
These should make for a fun 2.1 Home Theater experience too! Very excited. I'll send an update once they arrive.
Nice pics David. Always fun to get a look at others systems we've all been reading about. The color of your pair of SE's looks great with your system. If you ever have a chance, would like to see a close up of the finish...and what's the official name of the color you went with?
Currently clear blue sky, not too much wind, crisp 44 degrees. Time for a ride. Then music-fest with the DI's. (did you catch my system pics I posted last week?) https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/7021
@corelli NOLA 73 Bright sun. 39% humidity 12mph winds. Perfect for a ride.
I have taken more than a few peeks at your system since you posted it. I’ve been meaning to post there and will. BTW, I expected to see a training bike where your comfortable chair is!
Thanks. The color is a Mercedes Diamond Silver (has some blue and some grey in the finish).
The console is normally pushed back about two feet from the back of the speakers and sits much closer to the wall. I’ve had it out for ease of cable changes, etc for the auditions.
@knollbrent Hope you enjoy the DI's. I just have a hard time believing your Mac will be able to drive them however......JUST KIDDIN'. It's a good knowing your amp is not even breaking a sweat driving the DI's. At least that how I feel with my system.
I am puzzled by your comment on speaker size though. Are the Piega's really bigger than the Di's??
Thanks to this long thread, I ordered and received my DIs a couple of days ago. They replace a pair of B&W 805D3 + REL T5. I am driving the DIs with a PrimaLuna Prologue Premium Integrated (Chord 2qute DAC). They are definitely a very different beast than the B&W. I never liked the hotness of the high frequencies on the B&W, but I got used to it and now it feels like the DIs tweeters are not as good. I am loving the mid-low frequencies, and I know that the speakers still have to be broken in.
Any suggestion on the placement? Distance from the back wall? Distance between them? Toe-in or not? I will experiment (it is part of the fun), but I would appreciate hearing about your experience.
That's a significant replacement in terms of speakers & type+subs.
Regarding placement, folks are doing it differently based on individual needs. You will get varying feedback on this. What you are doing to optimize placement and position for your room and needs is the best way to go about it.
I personally feel that out in the room is best. I had them (all approximate) 5 feet from the front wall, 5 feet from the side walls and about 8 feet apart with the listening position 8-9 feet from the center plane. I preferred strong toe in and kept them as such, but I was also fine with them pointed straight ahead.
Others have them closer to the wall, closer together, and sit closer or farther away.
@stelo I will echo David's comments. While I also prefer my DI's well out into the room, others have had good results otherwise. Depends on the room and your priorities--bass response, sound staging, etc. I also prefer the speakers toed in (see my pics
https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/7021) so I'm not so far off axis of the central tweeter. I find the DI's overall very well balanced and extended (but certainly not hot--a quality I loathe). OBTW, I have a PrimaLuna Dialogue Premium HP which drives the DI's in either triode or ultralinear beautifully. What output tubes are you using?
Found out on FB that my Ulfberhts are getting primed today. Getting close. Hoping the new Lyngdorf 3400 ships from Denmark soon. When I hear of extended wait times and I notice even established companies like Lyngdorf get back ordered too I learn to be patient, because I'm not a patient person at all. At this point Eric is ahead of schedule. I was originally told 6 weeks, but it's only been 3 and they will probably ship in a week. Very excited.
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