Tekton Double Impacts

me too

Would also like some thoughts on the different amps you have tried.

mac, thanks for your helpful comments.  That's an impressive array of speakers you have owned and good to know the DI's are such a well rounded performer.  I'm not a believer in "the best" of anything.  But it does sound like the DI's are balanced performers.  One question--is there anything you really miss about the 1.7's that the DI's don't bring to the table?

Very helpful and consistent with what I've experienced with the 1.7's and read about the DI's.  Thanks for your advice.

I agree with both of you.  If it were my choice I wouldn't promote my speakers based on this patent or hype suggesting all other speakers are now obsolete.  It just undermines ones credibility and some might even find it a tad insulting.  I also understand he is a small fish in a big pond trying to set himself apart in an effort to market his product.

Now if the speaker sounds as great as many of the posts suggest, I don't really give two hoots about the fuzzy patent stuff.  Might pull the trigger on this today.  Worst case is I'm out $300 shipping in exchange for two months playing with a new toy.  We all find less enjoyable ways in this hobby to part with that sum!

Put in the order today.  Added the upgraded caps, wiring, connector package.

 Kind of crazy how this hobby has evolved over the years. Remember how I assembled by first system after only much careful A-B' ing various speakers, etc. Assembled a Pioneer SX-636, EV Interface B's, Pioneer PL-112D and Shure M91E.  Could have done much worse for a kid in high school.

Now we read review after review online and purchase often expensive equipment without ever a listen.  But you know what--it's still a lot of fun.  And I'm often impressed with how well we can still make an informed choice.

Let's hope for more of the same.

Teajay
Appreciate your frank comments on the Pendragon/DI comparison.  I always become a bit uneasy when someone loves every speaker of a given brand ( especially one as diverse as the Tekton line). You're mentioning many of the traits I'm looking for in my next speaker.  Gettin' a bit more excited.  How  significant did you find the break in period to be with this speaker?

Let's not let this thread get buried in the  pros and cons of marketing. Much more valuable to me are the thoughts of independent thinkers that have experience with the DI's.

Spent my Saturday at Home Depot buying $300 worth of mdf to enhance my dedicated listening room.  Maybe I'll post a pic when it's all done if I can figure out how to do that.

Rotarius,  truth is in the listening.  Reminds me of when I was 18 and some fly by night speaker outfit offered speakers that were SPEC-tacular.
Brought them home and my EV Interface B's shamed them.  Thank goodness I trusted my 18 year old ears.  Returned them.

In spite of your (and mine) uneasiness with marketing, I'll be surprised if these get returned based on so much consistent commentary regarding the DI's.

DI's ought to arrive next week sometime.

Spending my weekend working on my dedicated audio room.  Turned all that mdf into columns of varying depth that will occupy the front wall.  If they don't diffract they WILL look cool when I'm done!

mofojo, any idea when yours arrive?

Yes.  Seemed like a cost effective upgrade given that it included better wiring (lots of wiring in this speaker) as well as better posts. 

mofojo--
beat ya by a day!  Two big (cold!) boxes waiting for me when I got home.  Now for a bit of break in before some serious listening this weekend.  Are they going to be able to compete with the magic of the Magnepan 1.7's??

No doubt there will be some give and take.

Thanks mac. Very much looking forward to this weekend.  I'm sure you are right--seems our ears/brain learn to accept our prior system as  our point of reference.  After a month or two might be interesting to put the 1.7's back in action.

Will post some initial thoughts this weekend.

Weekend Music Fest begins.

Initial Review of the Double Impacts with upgrade package.

To recap, my dedicated audio room in 21x14.5x9. Electronics are Marantz Reference SACD/Integrated. Furman conditoner. Supra interconnects and cables. Front wall diffusers, rear wall rock wool absorbers.
 
In a nutshell, these speakers did not disappoint! My prior reference, Magnepan 1.7's and dual REL T-7 subs I really loved save for a few short comings. But I was unprepared to hear everything I was missing.....

---the tonal balance and voicing of this speaker is spot on. I have never tolerated a speaker that is bright or has any edge. Even driven hard, you will have none of that with the DI's. Strings are silky smooth. Now here's the rub. Combining smoothness and gobs of detail is never easy--but you get both with the DI's. Strings and the piano are my acid test, and they are gorgeous on this speaker.
---with complex music, I am floored with how much detail is there! In a recording of Telemann concertos, the plucked string of the harpsichord never gets buried by rest of the ensemble. The leading edge of a note and harmonics are all heard, all while the rest of the orchestra is treated equally well. And what a great sense of the venue is portrayed. The size of the hall is evident. In larger spaces, the notes decay goes on and on. Gotta love it! My 1.7's I thought were good in these regards, but the DI's took it to a whole different level. My wife, who rarely will pay a visit to the man cave, did not want to leave as we listened to the Hamilton soundtrack. She saw the production in Chicago and said this was better from an audio standpoint! Never one to like loud music, she asked if we could turn it up a bit. Who took my wife and where did she go? The different voices of the chorus were distinct. Again, such smoothness and detail. WOW. This CD also highlighted the quality of the bass--tight and well extended, even with my speakers over 6 ft from the front wall. (Speakers are one third from the front wall, seat two thirds, equilateral triangle arrangement.)
---dynamics are well documented. I feel my amp is just loafing. 1.7's lack this live quality that the DI's deliver beautifully. Speaking on amps, I just love how this equipment works together. While I have an EKCO tube amp, I have no desire to change a thing.
---soundstaging and imaging will break a deal for me quicker than most anything. A soundstage three feet tall need not apply. Same goes for tiny pianos . Thankfully, despite generous dimensions, the DI's float a big stage. The orchestra is UP on the stage, not down in the pit. The sound has great depth, width, and height. Instruments sound of the correct dimension. Soloists can be dead center when called for with no loss of center fill. Also several CD's demonstrated nice lateral extension beyond the far edge of the speaker. Cool.

So are there any down sides?

---I did ask Eric when I placed the order to make sure the woofers were color matched. (some one posted a gripe about this) Despite the request, my woofers came in two shades. Arggggh.
---the cabinets are plain. But at least the paint was of very good quality. No defects. But you know, it was good to know where your money was going. Like 7 tweeter per side. (this has A LOT to do with the remarkable qualities of this speaker). And hey, if you want a fancy cabinet, then just order it!
---the bass quality is great but won't take you down to a solid 20Hz. (Maybe if you put them in the corners and didn't give a hoot about your soundstage) So for you organ buffs who need to reproduce the big pipes, a subwoofer still would have a place here.

So obviously, these are here to stay. A tremendous value. I love 'em.

It's been my experience that small monitors often can produce very open expansive soundstages while larger speakers sometimes paradoxically fall short in this regard--just my experience and clearly not always the case

jetter

re-read my review.  these are wonderful speakers.  please don't tarnish my rather glowing review of this speaker with one little comment on the color of the woofer.  that's your agenda, NOT mine.

mac, you are right.  I don't have enough hours on them to comment on their ultimate bass extension.  Will post later on that.  As I said, the bass is of great quality even now.

I have played around a lot with speaker placement in this room and I do think they are in the rooms sweet spot.  Soundstage for me will always take precedence along with clean balanced bass.  So I am forced to give up a bit of extension. We all have to make our choices I guess.

I'm really looking forward to further listening.  And I want to thank you mac for your posts.  I read all your posts on another sight and  your commentary gave the information I needed to pull the trigger on this.  To think I might have otherwise missed out!

So I hope my posts might help someone else trying to make a decision down the road.  How our hobby has changed over the decades.  We now make purchases of equipment we have never heard based on the opinions of fellow audiophiles.  And you know what?  It's really not a bad way to go!

Yes, if you do the math the value here is very high indeed.  It's not just the cost of the drivers, but how they were all integrated.  I think I now get what that patent is about.
The cool thing is all the options you have.  Even if you opt for a beautiful veneer cabinet the value is still high.  I'm getting used the my "high value basic black" enclosure honestly.

mac, I know you have probably posted this but what are your room dimensions and how did you place your speakers, seated position, and what toe in did you settle on?

Thanks mac.  Eventually once everything is dialed in I will work on side wall treatments .  Acoustimac makes some nice stuff at a fair price.  Will post some pics some time when I'm done.

I'm with you.  Hope the Wolverines stay hot.  They've been lightin' it up.

kalali, my ears tell me all these drivers crossover at  relatively low frequencies.  The tweeter array is key to the performance I hear.  Given SIX tweeters (only the center tweeter handles the highest octaves), you can really increase power handling and afford to crossover so low.  This means you in fact do have very low mass drivers covering the midrange.   A further advantage is that the array controls the dispersion of sound (more direct and less reflected sound is the result).  All of this translates into a lot of delicate detail to my ears. The other drivers are not asked to go very high, so I can respect the notion that for a given frequency the moving mass of the driver is relatively low.

Before I received these speakers, I was a bit skeptical about some of Eric's hype.  Not anymore. 

What a great day
--DI music fest with coffee
--Wolverines to sweet 16
--30 mile bike ride on a sunny Michigan spring day
--Now vino and another DI music fest.  Does it get any better?!?!

Do a lot of thinking while I bike.  One other thing I forget to mention was that the DI tweeter array also functions as a point source for many octaves of coverage.  Maybe just one other reason it sounds so right.  Many designers have used various tweeter arrays, but this one is special.

Thanks mac for suggestions on favorite recordings. It's always fun to find new, great performances.

giantsalami, wish I could help you but this is the first Teckton speaker I've had the pleasure of experiencing.

Last night thought I would listen to a cut or two from Alan Parson's Eye in the Sky.  Yea right.  So the whole CD sounded great!  Then I played E.S.  POSTHUITIUS , UNEARTHED.  This CD is a kick.  It features the Seattle Choral Co. with orchestra melded  with electronica and a host of other unusual instruments.  The DI's produced the nice tight deep bass line on this CD impressively.  Even more awesome was how I was hearing a percussion/synthesized? instrument what would shoot 5 feet to the right of my right speaker. HUGE  sound stage.

This morning returned to Haydn Trio Eisenstadt.  They have an 8CD box set up Haydn's piano trios.  May  be the best box  set I have ever bought.  Great recording quality and performance. (buy it!)  The DI's perfectly place the three instruments in space.  The tonal quality is just superb!  You really feel transported into the recording venue.  The strings are rich, detailed, and I feel like their harmonics are all there in full measure.  I've said before that it is such a pleasure to listen to the piano on the DI's.  It just sounds so clear, full, detailed  and dynamic. You just better  experience the nuance of the musicians performance.

teajay,

Knowing how you love the ZOTL 40 with the DI's, I have a question.  What if I ran my Marantz SA15s2 directly  into the ZOTL  40 without the benefit of their preamp.  Would I still get a big slice of ZOTL heaven?

You know, right after I posted  I said to myself I'll bet teajay will say to try the preamp instead.  Knowing how I love that solid state slam, that might be a great idea if I need a new piece of gear to play with.  My integrated has preamp inputs so it would be easy to do.  A much more affordable to introduce myself to LTA gear too.  Right now I must say I'm so happy with the music this system produces I have nothing to compel me to change anything (save for final room treatments).  But you know how we can be with our need for a new toy.
Thanks to you both for your good advice.

I may have to let you jump in first mac.  Just got my taxes owed statements. ):
I will be very interested in you thoughts though.

teajay, I have no doubt in your enthusiasm for the LTA gear.  You've had the opportunity to listen to so much more equipment than I ever will and to see you so excited by this little preamp/amp combo really gets me thinking.  It really is a rush to find components that perform at such an incredibly high level --and they're affordable!!  American ingenuity at its best.

Really want to thank you guys for sharing your thoughts and enthusiasm for this type of gear.  These forums have become a vital link in the quest of enjoying our music at its best

Amen brother teajay.

I remember when I was an 18 yr old kid and specs were everything.  (I can still remember the capture ratio on my Pioneer sx-636 receiver--scary, I know). 
Your comments resonate with me Charles (bad pun).  But when you hear an instrument presented with its fundamentals  and harmonic overtones intact.....well, it sends a chill down your spine.  The DI's are certainly in this camp.  And all this is done with steel framed woofers.  No really glamorous drivers here.  Nice drivers, but not top shelf by any means.  The magic lies in driver integration, and this is where the DI's shine.  Credit Eric. 
Once built a pair of speakers using top shelf Scan Speak drivers.  It was very nice but all too quickly ended up for sale on this site.
Thankfully, it sounds like we've all learned to trust our ears.

Dang.  the ZOTL button keeps gettin' pushed.

Sent an email to LTA asking if they ever thought of offering a true integrated with an active preamp.  Something that would combine the awesome MZ2-s  and the ZOTL 40.  I've always enjoyed the virtues of an integrated.
Word back, with no details, is that there is an integrated in the works, but no date on availability.
This I would be very interested in .

Great to know. Not that we're asking you to "leak" any top secret info or anything lancelock.

Dang ,lancelock, you're the man.  Gettin' the job done!

An upgrade suggestion for the DI's.  I contacted Paul @ soundocity regarding outriggers for my DI's.  I have used this product before on other tall speakers and really like the stable platform it affords.  When you consider the physics behind it, it makes a lot of sense to minimize any rocking of the speaker--especially how it gets magnified at the top of the speaker where the tweeter array is.   Just seems to me this has got to blur the sound a tad.

I opted to buy just the bars, knobs without spikes, and used large rubber feet from Amazon and a 1" SS screw 1/4-20 thread to put it all together.  Level with large nylon washer if needed.  Makes for a very stable and solid  support.  Looks nice as well!

teajay,  curious what ugrade options/finish you went for in your new DI's.

david_ten,

If you go back a few pages different floor interfaces were touched on.  If you have a concern with your little one, you might consider what I used--soundocity steel outriggers.  This broadens the foot print and increases stability.  Good for both safety and sound. I used large rubber  rubber feet to interface with my vinyl plank floor. (It's a nice look as well).  check out their web site and if you have questions I can give you details on a less expensive/more rigid way to accomplish this than using their stock offerings.  One last thought--if you really want to hear your DI's soundstage open up, they also make outriggers on rollers.  Might keep everyone happy.  Any sonic sacrifice would be overshadowed by the huge increase in soundstage.

Mike, may have to tag along with mac to check out your LTA gear some Saturday.

david_ten

You  can purchase the outriggers alone for a mere $20 each. They have a 1/4-20 thread as I recall so you can custom attach many options. 

I remember 35 or so years ago attaching casters to my early edition Magneplaners.  Worked great!!  Up against the wall when not in use and easily rolled out on hardwood floors for a listen.

Safety for you little one trumps everything else.  Speaker position trumps speaker/floor interface (imho). 

I would go with whatever gives you the best combination of easy mobility and stability (i.e., no wobble)

mac,  live in grand rapids so a road trip is possible. 

Then again, if you pull the trigger first maybe you can tell me what I'm missing!

teajay, you keep danglin' that Micro-ZOTL  bait in front of me.  What an affordable way to experience LTA for so much of the music I enjoy.  Then I can leave the more bombastic moments to my Marantz amp.  After all, no amp can do it all, and isn't variety the spice of life?

Speaking of variety, teajay, have you ever listened to the Audio Note EL34i C-core kit??  There's  a part of me that longs for a whiff of solder. (fond memories of dynakits, hafler gear, etc. 

Thanks for the response teajay.

david_ten

If you use the studded glider directly to the speaker, agree with mac at 1.5".  If you use the outriggers, the steel is 1/4" and you would need another 1/4" for a brass acorn nut/washer on the top of the outrigger and then another 1/4" to adjust for uneven flooring, then the jam nut---so you will need the 1"  1/4-20 glider.  Also, I opted for the knobs from soundocity--they are only $3 each and look nicer than the acorn nut.
I attached the outriggers with hexhead SS bolts/washers, 1 1/4 length 1/4-20.
Either way ought to work well.  I would keep the speakers vertical.  Not a fan of self leveling footers.  Way to much wobble for me.  I'm a believer in a solid/stable footing for speakers to avoid "micro wobble" induced by the woofers which in my mind might slightly add some element of haze.  But I'll be the first to admit I have not spent hours, days, or weeks comparing all the many options out there.

Sounds good.  I've got the Meijer Garden covered with my annual membership.

Charles,
Funny you mention Line Magnetics.  This was another amp I was reading about--the 518 integrated to be specific.  Thought it might be a good match for the DI's.  Plus in the winter it could function as a space heater (:
Have you ever listened to this amp?

Glad you are so happy with your system.  "Upgradeitis" can be an expensive affliction that never gets us to an endpoint.  Sounds like you knew what you were after and achieved that goal.

P.S.  Thanks for the thoughts on the Line Magnetic gear guys.

Funny you mention the Spatial Audio Speakers david_ten.  Considered those also.  Glad I went with the DI's instead.  I become more and more convinced of that over time!

As I said earlier, while I loved my Magnepan 1.7's,  I would not go back to them after owning the DI's.  The DI's just have too many strengths, too much balance.  I feel that I actually lost detail (perhaps from rear wave interference) with the 1.7's.  Things were less precise with the soundstage.  As teajay said you do get a larger than life image which is fun but not always accurate.  When you look at voicing, sounstaging , dynamics, frequency response, quality of bass, this is a terribly hard speaker to beat.  So while I enjoy open baffle/planar approaches, I have no urge to back in that direction.

I knew the tweeter array crossed over low, but 400hz?  I think the resonant frequency of that driver is 580hz so not sure how Eric pulled that off. 
So mac, did you put your order in for the MZ2-S yet?

A lot of DI owners are just smiling right now. 

Just finished listening to a Schumann Carnaval recording/Naxos/Giltburg.
This is THE BEST piano reproduction I have ever heard in my home.  The clarity, air, weight, and coherence are just fantastic.
Kenny, me thinks you will have to work very hard to not love this speaker.

A left field comment prompted by the above comments.  Was going to use fed ex but for various reasons went with the standard carrier....and my boxes were almost pristine.  Maybe not be worth the extra $ for fed ex.

mac,
You  can always start with the Micro-ZOTL and add the 40 if need be.  I have to say I am so pleased with my current system I don't feel the need to push the ZOTL button.......yet.   I have no doubt the equipment is special as teajay has posted.
I must say, I am partial to integrated amps.  Maybe part of me is waiting for what LTA has in the works with their integrated.
The Line Magnetic 518ia still captures my attention.  One was just listed on the gon.  Not taken with the cosmetics, but my gut tells me it would probably be smokin' with the DI's (maybe literally if not given enough ventilation).

I will look forward to your impressions mac!  I'm sure you will be happy with it.  Please let us know how it compares to your current tube gear.  For that matter, your SS gear as well.

buds,
glad you are enjoying your new DI's.  I'm impressed, in spite of different equipment, rooms, and hearing we all seem to assign similar descriptions as to what we hear with the DI's.  A helpful thing for those who are at the place we all were not too long ago.
It would also seem that the DI's are very versatile and compatible with a wide range of associated amps/equipment.  On this thread we have class AB amps, class D, SET's, and even preamps--all with happy owners.  Pretty amazing.