Hi All, I'm relatively new to Audiogon but have trolled the discussions for a few months. I have been listening to Spendor LS3/5As driven by a Quad 34/306 combination since the late 1980's and decided that it was finally time to upgrade my speakers. I love the Spendors but they are very limited in dynamics and scale. I auditioned the SVS Ultra Bookshelf speakers and while they brought some additional scale they simply didn't have the sweet midrange that I can't live without. I listened to some open baffle speakers (Emerald Physics) and loved them, but their size and need for space worried me, and I found them less satisfying at moderate and low volumes, where I do a fair bit of listening. I was fascinated by all the discussion regarding Tekton speakers and was considering getting a pair of Enzo 2.7s, but after a short discussion with Eric I followed his recommendation of the Impact Monitor with upgrade. They have the 7 tweeter array and a pair of 6.5" woofers and are rear-ported. I use a pair of SVS subs (the sealed variety). The Impact Monitors are simply amazing. The midrange is oh-so-sweet (very similar to my Spendors, but with more air) and the detail, even at low and moderate listening levels, is superb. The imaging is even better than my Spendors managed and the scale is huge and is much more music-appropriate. My system is really quite modest but now when I walk into my listening room (doubles as our living room - thankfully my wife appreciates Hi-Fi) I get the audio-show feeling of "being there". I have a Denon DP59L turntable with a DL110 HO moving coil cartridge running through an Emotiva XPS-1 phono preamp and the Tektons are absolutely incredible with classic rock on vinyl. I'm not sure how Eric managed it, but these speakers are superb, even with my 30 year old Quad electronics. I believe they are basically the top 24" of the Double Impacts, but are rear-ported rather than front ported. I can heartily recommend them and Eric and his team are great to work with. I'm not sure how many other Impact Monitors are out there since the pair I have are S/N 0005 and 0006!
Thanks for posting that image. Although it is a little dark, it doesn’t really resemble any tweeter on the Tymphany site that I could see. I of course could be very wrong, it’s a proven fact :) It does resemble the tweeter on the Brilliance, though.
The sensitivity would match up perfectly from the specs. But this tweeter has a higher resonance frequency than the Sb acoustics ring dome SB29RDNC-C000-4 that is used in the DI's floorstanders and wouldn't play as low, I don't think.
I was looking at those earlier and thought they looked more like it. I wonder if cost is the reason for the change. If it is a drop in replacement you could just replace them all, for a couple of hundred bucks, lol if you didn't like the soft domes.
pawsman I looked at the photos and I believe the tweeters are the same as those in the IMs that I had. You can look inside through the port with a flashlight and see the maker and number of the tweeters and I'll bet they are as kdude66 suggests, the SB tweeters. It is also interesting that you are really happy with your IMs and it just goes to show how the electronics and room, probably more the room, can influence the sound, to say nothing of the actual ears and brain doing the listening. Audio is fun. Music is great. My desert island disk is Jascha Heifetz playing Bruch and Vieuxtemps, recorded back in the early 60's. I've listened to hundreds of hours of live violin, so that is the sound I go after with my system.
@pawsman Thanks for posting the pic in your systems page. Your photo and the subsequent discussions have helped clarify the confusion I previously had. As I thought, per what Eric has posted on his site, the 'upper half' of the DIs and the Impact Monitor are different. As is the porting. And efficiency.
@ky1mag Please note, that my comments are in reference to the Double Impact 'upper half' configuration and not of the Impact Monitors. I apologize, if I added to the confusion over this.
ky1mag, I'll try the flashlight trick through the port and try to see the brand logo. david_ten - the upper half of the DI is different; I think the 6" drivers are Eminence-
I just got off the phone with Eric. We had a great conversation about the Impact Monitors that I returned. He tested them both on- and off-axis and declared them "perfect". He is very happy with the performance of the dome tweeter with this speaker and has other very happy owners. He was extremely nice about it, but it is a bit humbling since clearly this is an issue with my ears rather than the speakers. Thanks everyone for contributing to this discussion.
kdude66 & ky1mag, I checked with my flashlight, and the tweeter is indeed the SB Acoustics 26STCN-C0004. With this talk of a Scanspeak driver upgrade on the DI, I wonder if he’ll be doing the same with the Impact Monitors and offer an SE version?
danoroo, I use 24" Sanus stands with the IM, but the top plate was too small, so I cut a 9" x 12" piece of 3/4" white pine, painted it gloss black and screwed it to the top plate. It works fine, the middle tweeter is right at ear level-
Just wanted to comment that I am appreciating the continued dialogue. I am pretty close to getting them and I can always return if they don't work out.
After talking to Eric and reading through the various Tekton boards again I finally ordered a pair of Impact Monitors. As whyOwhy said, thanks everyone for the continued dialogue.
@danoroo and @sbayne Congratulations on your choices!
All of our systems are unique and when one throws the room into the mix, each one is: a one of a kind.
Your experiences and what you determine works / doesn't work will be very helpful. Looking forward to hearing more about your specific systems and the results.
It's great to know that the back and forth of these threads is helpful.
I listen to a lot of rock music at fairly loud SPLs. The 2.7s are slightly more sensitive and the 8" drivers should offer more impact in the lower mid/upper bass region. Also the the tweeter in the 40.5" tall Enzos is at perfect ear level in my room. I'll give you guys my opinion of these speakers after I've evaluated them for a few days. I'll have the luxury of comparing them side by side with the Usher Dancer Mini One DMDs I'm using now.
I have just moved my Impact Monitors a little closer to the front wall (the front of the speaker is 2 feet from the front wall now). Also moved my listening position a bit more out into the room. The mid/upper bass has filled out, the sound is better balanced and the imaging is just as good, if not better. Speaker placement can indeed make a BIG difference-
"Speaker placement can indeed make a BIG difference-"
Oh yeah. I spend hours listening to where a new pair of speakers sound best in my room. I've owned a lot of speakers over the years and I can tell you even if a speaker designer tells you a certain placement is ok that doesn't mean its best for your room or musical tastes.
Also pay attention to your listening position. Moving your chair closer or farther from the speaker can make as big a difference as moving the speaker itself. The same is true for listening height. In the past, I've actually used an office chair so I could easily adjust the height of the chair.
My listening couch and desk/chair are aligned to the speakers. Everything is on footers that glide which makes my listening position very flexible in terms of what I'm using: couch or chair. As you point out, the height adjustment of the chair comes very handy.
Thanks @david_ten . Just thought I'd add, when going through this process I use a track from Holly Cole that I'm VERY familiar, I make sure not to change the volume level and I certainly don't change any equipment. That way I can hear the results based on the speaker or chair positioning (not some other variable) - it's like having constants in an experiment.
I've now received the Impact Monitors and have them breaking-in. I've spent considerable time getting them in position. Jury is still out on listening height and distance. I added a pic at the end of my system pictures if you want to see them.
@kdude66 (Kenny) - I spent way too much time last night messing with the height of that tweeter array. And, like you indicate, center tweeter at ear height sounds best. That's basically where I started at but, of course, I wanted to be sure. (Ha!). I think I have the positioning dialed-in but I still have to make sure my sub is correctly tuned for these speakers. So still more "preliminary" work to do.
@backsigns - The speaker stands I've had for awhile. I'm not sure of the brand. I can tell you they are solid wood and are very heavy. I had to do a little work on them when I got them such as refinishing and adjusting one of the top plates but really no additional bracing was required. They are height adjustable via removing the center-pin and repositioning the center column up or down.
@david_ten - Thanks! The SR Tranquility Bases help with EMI/RF problems. Since they are active it's easy to hear the difference - simply unplug them and listen, then plug them back-in and listen. The biggest difference is under my music server - pretty much night and day . With my preamp and amps the effect is more subtle but they do help "refine" the sound a little more. Under my turntable, I frankly don't hear any difference with the Tranquility turned off or on but since they are solid bases in their own right I've decided to keep using it there.
@sbayne Thanks!!! I just added two of the XL bases to my system. I'll pm you so as not to get off topic here, should I have any questions. My initial read is closer to what you say in terms of your pre and amp...subtle, refined...it's there but not as easy to put a clear finger on.
LOL.....My Enzo 2.7s shipped last night and are scheduled for delivery on Saturday. The speakers and Hurricane Harvey will get here at about the same time! Does FedEx do home delivery by boat?
I finally got the Impact Monitors broken-in, positioned and my sub dialed-in. This took much longer than I thought it would. Now for some serious listening. I'm sure everyone is waiting with bated-breath (ha,ha) but hopefully I'll get a review out in the next week or so.
I’ve been reading a lot about Tekton
Design’s Double Impact speakers. When a professional reviewer, Terry London,
chimed-in a few months ago with his super positive review I started paying even
more attention to what people were saying. I stalked the boards and asked
a few questions mostly about listening distances and room sizes. I
finally emailed Eric. He responded right away and when I called, Karma put Eric
on the phone for a short conversation to confirm a few details. I decided
on the upgraded Impact Monitors and since he had a pair in-stock Eric promised
to ship the same day. I received the tracking number shortly after the call and
had the speakers about 4 days later. They arrived well packed and without a
scratch. The fit-and-finish of the standard cabinet is excellent. No
complaints with communication, shipping speed or quality from me.
I spent considerable time figuring-out
where to place the Impact Monitors in my room and what listening distance to
use. My listening room is 25’ x 15’ x 10’. I ended-up with them 42” from the
front wall and about 5' from the closest sidewall. My listening position is 8’
from the front baffles with the center tweeters at 43"which is ear height.
They sit about 9' a part.
I ran them continuously for 5 days. The
sound opened-up a little each day but I had a hell of a time getting the lower
midrange and bass to sound right. No matter where I placed the speakers, or my
REL subwoofer, the low-end sounded weird. It sounded thick/smeared and no way
in the same league as the upper midrange and treble. I tried different speaker
stands and spikes. I tried different cables. I added a Synergistic Research
carbon XOT, which helped, but the sound in the low-end was simply screwed-up. I
knew it wasn’t my sub because the problems occurred even with it
turned-off. Finally, I remembered “the cheapest but most effective
tweak”: tighten the mounting screws around the speaker cones! (Don’t over
tighten them just make sure they are snug) Well, low and behold a screw on one
of the 6.5” speaker cones was very loose and a couple of tweeter screws needed
a few turns to completely secure them. With all the screws firmly in place
the bottom octaves snapped in to focus - tight yet with plenty of texture and
bloom.
I have a number of tube and solid-state amps that I tried
with the Impact Monitors. I really enjoyed a 25 watt Class A amp with them but
I ended-up preferring my 200 watt tube mono blocks. I readily admit the choice
of amps is subjective so your mileage will obviously vary. Rest assured any
quality amp will work well with the Impact Monitors. Even my flea-watt SET
worked well. However, remember, in normal configuration, they are 4 ohms (8
ohms is optional) and are rated at 94db sensitivity.
My taste in music is mostly jazz, blue
grass, country and rock. For instance, I listen to a lot of Gov’t Mule, Gregg
Allman, Neil Young, Holly Cole, Shelby Lynne, Johnny Cash, Nickel Creek, Earl
Scruggs, Led Zeppelin, Clark Terry, Oscar Peterson, Duke Ellington, Ella
Fitzgerald, etc. If I listen to classical music, it’s usually solo piano,
cello or violin.
LISTENING
Even during the set-up period I could
tell these speakers are special. If I were to describe their sound in one
word it would be: “natural”. The tone is spot-on and they present a very
coherent dynamic sound – much like good horn speakers. They don’t sound
laid-back, forward or any other term – they just sound right. There are
no overdone highs or lows. When a vocalist sings an “s” it doesn’t sound like a
“z”. Bass guitars don’t sound like one note blobs. Violins don’t sound
like nails on a chalkboard. As he claims in his
ads, Eric has “captured the harmonic
spectra of the music being played”.
They image as well as anything I’ve had in my listening
room. Each performer is properly placed in the soundstage but they aren’t
etched in stone – just like live music. Depth, width and height of the
soundstage are excellent.
The Impact Monitors “only” play down to 40Hz
or so. Based on your listening preferences, or room requirements, that
may be low enough. I would avoid pushing them into corners or towards the
front wall to augment their bass. Instead, as mentioned above, a subwoofer when
properly set-up is a very viable solution if you want more bass. I realize you
could buy a pair of Double Impacts or move even higher up the Tekton food-chain
but space constraints, cost or even aesthetics in your room my prevent
that.
Finally, I need to mention my extensive use of
Synergistic Research (SR) equipment. The SR stuff has always had a significant
impact on the sound in my system and that was especially true with the Tekton
speakers. I listened for a while with the SR Atmosphere/FEQ turned off and the
soundstage suffered. Not that the soundstage was bad but it REALLY shines with
the SR technology engaged. I highly recommend you try SR with Tekton’s
new tweeter array.
SUMMARY
Tekton Design’s Impact
Monitors do very little, if anything wrong and enter the realm of unbelievable
value when you consider their price of $1,800 ($2,100 with upgraded parts)
delivered!
(If you want to see pics I've posted them in my System page)
Thank's for your very through summary of this Tekton monitor speakers.Sounds to me like you are really enjoying them and took your time to really optimize them into your system.
For those folks that are interested in this speaker I do believe the true sensitivity is 91db with 1 watt @ 1M.The rating of 94db is with a input of 2.83 volts.
Can you tell us which tweeters that your pair came with.
Thanks Kenny. Thats right, Eric shows the specs on his website as:
94dB 2.83V@1m sensitivity
4 Ohm design for optimum performance (8 Ohm available please inquire)
40Hz-30kHz frequency response
So the conversion would be 91db sensitivity with 1w@1m. The tweeters appear to be SB Acoustics SB26STCN-C000-4. Have you heard the tweeter array with the ring radiators? Is there any difference in sound that you can detect?
I have the sb acoustics SB29RDNC-C0000-4 ring dome tweeters in my DI's and I haven't compared the 2 tweeters but I seriously doubt any big differences.
Even though neither tweeter is made from exotic materials,they are most definitely always in the sweet spot of very low excursion in this speaker design and I would also say that they sound "Natural" and never fatiguing to my ears like some designs can,and on the detail side of things I do not feel like I'm missing anything and only have gained a more Engaging sound overall.
You mentioned the band "Gov't Mule,I haven't listened to any of their music in awhile and I hope Tidal has them because I misplaced or lost my Cd's when we moved 3 yrs ago.I like them and think they are quite a unique sound.
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