@tektondesign,
Bose probably figured you are designing way bigger (physically) speakers than they would like. |
Eric. No disrespect to you, but aren't you a bit above and a bit more humble than your last post????
Tim |
Tim,
Yes, I am. However, I need to stick to past statements I've made on the topic. There's so much to this one I'd love to talk about it but it's probably not necessary nor the right venue.
Eric
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@bullitt5094 Are you therefore, watching movies outdoors in your Mustang....? : )
Of course! Haven't you seen the movie "Bullitt"? It's all related. My car is a 2001 Bullitt edition mustang rendered after the car Steve McQueen drove in the movie. It's like living the movie. And as far as mileage? Might as well have 100 people in it. A gallon of race fuel per 1/4 mile pass. Eric is a car freak too, BTW. |
You guys are killing me.
Bike mileage--1821 (alright, I added the mountain bike)
DI thread posts--1854
Been almost 6 months now with the DI's. What a great value. Love them more than ever.
As some of you may know, I have been enjoying the DI's very much with my Marantz Reference gear. I've toyed with a tubed integrated--really not interested in separates. I really struggle with the limited power of an SET vs something like the Primaluna Dialogue Premium HP. I love firm control of the bass afforded by my SS gear and I do tend to prefer realistic volume levels appropriate to the music. So I may tend to listen louder than others. That little voice keeps asking if I'm missing out on a more spatial soundstage with a bit more organic goodness tubes might afford. So what about the Primaluna or perhaps the LTA integrated in the works (any thoughts Lance)
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@corelli , I think the new LTA integrated will be ready soon. It will be 10 watts and will have true balanced inputs, not transformer coupled balanced but a special "David Berning" designed tube circuit. I think Mark is working on an upgraded power supply for it. I want to get one to test for him. I'm pretty sure Mark has talked about this one already so I'm not letting the cat out of the bag.
Lance
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Bullitt
I've only ever owned two Mustangs. A red 289 1965 and a lime-greenish 1973 Mach 1 fastback. Never have owned the big engine Ford cars. Sometimes I wish I had. |
Hello Rockytophigh,
The Sistrum stands are the standard Apprentice with three spikes per stand.
Hope this helps. |
Thanks for the info Lance. It's funny, but several mo ago when you mentioned this integrated I guessed it might be around 10 watts. I'm sure it will have great sound quality but the 10 watts may not cut it for me. So you have helped me! Thanks man. Consider the cat bagged. Unless of course Mark undid the knot.
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Teajay,
Just noticed your post! I'm thrilled you've got the Ulf's up and running! Gosh, I hope they weren't too hard to get out of the boxes and set up. I'm honored to have you evaluating these one-of-a-kind loudspeakers and cannot wait for your debut review!
Happy listening!
Eric
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Vitop, those are two awesome stangs. Worth LOTS of money now. My two are my 2001 Bullitt GT and a 2003 Mach. Both 4.6 liter = 281CID so your 289 was larger than either of mine. The 289 was an awesome engine. Square bore-stroke and turn it to 10K rpm if it's built right.
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Lance,
"I'm pretty sure Mark has talked about this one already so I'm not letting the cat out of the bag"
Mark told me about this new 10watt Intergrated about 3 weeks ago when I Inquired about any new gear they are working on.
I have no doubt that it will sound good but 10 watts isn't enough for me overall.
I recently tried my MZ2S with tung sol vt-99 tubes with adapters powering my DI's just by itself,these tubes have slightly more gain than 6sn7's and I do believe slightly more pwr.I have been using the vt-99's for awhile but paired with pwr amps.I may have to retest the output of the MZ2S by itself.
Corelli,
You sure do ride a lot,all my free time is used for music listening.But I do walk quite a bit though so I'm not a total coach potato.
From what you have said before regarding your room size and music preferences I don't think a 10 watt amp would be enough for you either.My suggestion is to look into a first watt F7,might get you closer to some of the Tube amp qualities but with more pwr.
Kenny. |
Does anyone listen to large scale orchestral music with DI?
Could anyone share his/her opinion on DI's performance on Mahler, Wagner, Verdi?
Thanks in advance.
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Hey wschee,
I do. The DI's just scale up regarding macro-dynamics and to the size of the acoustic space where the music was recorded. |
This thread just gets better and better all the time. Great to see so many enjoying their DI's.
Looking forward to teajays review of the Ulfberhts. Something tells me they are very special speakers.
Kenny and Corelli, the ZOTL 40 would be a great amp for you to consider. The Berning design blends the best of tubes and SS sound. They are very fast, dynamic with lots of punch along with providing great tone, sweet mids and realism.......and they can be bridged into mono blocks to provide even more power if needed. Just a thought. Oh......self biasing and very long tube life also. I believe Lancelock tried his ZOTL 40 with his DI's, along with teajay. They could offer their impressions of them together and compare their sound with the many fine SS amps they've used.
One thing I've found with the LTA gear is that they provide such a pitch black, dead silent background that it doesn't take as many decibels to make it sound loud. With the MZ2 alone I usually listen at sound levels of about 65-70 db's which leaves me close to 40 db of headroom. For 95% of my listening that suffices but I'll be adding an amp for that extra 5%......and hopefully it will make the other 95% sound better too!
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Mac,
I have been using my Zotl 40 for almost 2 months now with great results,I use Mullard Xf2's and Amperex type 1 bugle boys for the drivers.
Wschee,
I occasionally listen to large scale orchestra music with my DI's and they produce a very believable sound in all aspects.They will need some pwr and most Set tube amps are not enough for me.
Kenny. |
There are so many speakers out there that I'm not sure anyone can make a definitive statement, but just speaking for myself, I have not heard a $3000 speaker that is as good as the DI. As a matter of fact, like many on this list have said, I think the DI is better than most speakers I have heard at any price. I have no idea if the Ulf will have the same value proposition, but I am willing to bet that it sounds better than almost anything at it's price point. If the mini Ulf is close to the Ulf, that price/performance ratio is going to be hard to beat. |
Hey Guys,
Got about 15 hours on the Ulf's and the level of low end dynamics is blossoming and the level of liquidity is spreading like melting butter in a slightly warmed cast iron pan!
I was playing an album by the great jazz pianist, Cyrus Chestnut, and I can honestly say that the Ulf's created the most life-like illusion of an actual piano being played in real space that I have ever heard created by a stereo system. Just beautiful! |
Wow Terry... that is good stuff.
Any comparisons to other speakers you have heard in terms of how they sound or how good they are? |
@wschee
Yes, to your question: Does anyone listen to large scale orchestral music with DI? I would say the DIs are quite classically qualified. : ) |
@teajay Since you brought up a warmed cast iron pan with melting butter....
Add sugar and cinnamon, banana liqueur, bananas, rum. Flambe'
Serve the banana pieces with scoops of ice-cream and the warm sauce.
A Brennan's of New Orleans original!
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I just talked to Eric, and he is crazy busy as usual. I think he is going to be even more crazy busy after the Ulf reviews come out by the sound of things. I hope he can manage his growth. I have seen companies fail when they do not have the infrastructure in place for rapid growth. No one deserves success more than Eric. I know I call him when he is in the middle of stuff and I know he spends time with me when he really wants to be getting on with other things and I know I am probably not the only one that does that to him. He is a great guy and I wish he had more time because I genuinely like him and would love to just talk to him on this stuff. Time is not a luxury he has, lol. He is so knowledgeable. Every time I talk to him I learn something. I'd love to see him build this into a large company. He definitely has the know-how and the drive. The Ulf sounds like another home run.
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For Mac48025,
After I reviewed the ZOTL-40 amplifier I bought it and it became my reference amp being driven by the Micro-ZOTL. It's a wonderful piece, like Eric, David Berning is a true genius. I found out recently I like the 40 even more with EL-34's instead of the stock KT-77's. The DI's allowed me to go back to one of my first loves, SET amps, along with experimenting with the 2A3 tube. As you know I'm quite enamored with the Micro-ZOTL preamp with the Triode Lab 2A3 amp driving the DI's and now the Ulf's. This is just based on my personal taste, however, I'm still keeping the ZOTL-40 for my stable of amps because it's great and provides higher power for my reviewing assignments.
For Vitop,
I'm very spoiled in that I have heard just about all the most highly rated speakers either in people's home systems, my house, high-end store settings, or audio shows and to be quite honest I'm starting to come to the conclusion that Ulf's might be the all time best I have ever heard regardless of price! Let me fully burn them in to get all their possible maximum performance. Right now the theme that keeps coming up in my mind is you get all the "pop" of the DI's (with a much more room pressuring foundation to the music) along with a much higher level of "polish" of more pure tonality, soundstage layering with precise location of the players on that stage, and this buttery/liquidity ease of music just felling your room effortlessly. |
Since you brought up a warmed cast iron pan with melting butter....
Add sugar and cinnamon, banana liqueur, bananas, rum. Flambe'
Serve the banana pieces with scoops of ice-cream and the warm sauce.
A Brennan's of New Orleans original!
Please Stop! :) |
Kenny, I didn’t realize you were already using the ZOTL 40, good job! Great tubes also. I love how the LTA gear showcases each tubes qualities.
Thanks for the update teajay. 333jeffrey mentioned the same thing as you.....the most realistic piano he’s ever heard. That’s quite an accomplishment as piano notes are difficult to re-create. I can only imagine how good the Ulfberhts will sound when fully broken in. I’m very familiar with your pre, amp, speaker preferences and I’m following in your footsteps. While I absolutely love driving the DI’s with the MZ2 using Marconi BL63(with adapters).......they sound even better than my TungSol round plate 6SN7’s......and Brimar yellow T label 12AT7’s I’m looking forward to adding the Triode Labs 2A3S III FFX when I’m able, I was suggesting the ZOTL 40 for those wanting more power. After that I hope to add the mini Ulfberhts or DI SE’s to my system. Thanks for all your suggestions as they’ve been spot on to my ears. I’m hoping to thank you personally when I visit Mike at Audio Archon to hopefully hear the Ulfberhts and/or DI SE’s later this year. |
Mac,
Yes the LTA gear showcases different tube combinations more than any other Tubed pre or amp that I have ever owned,borrowed or heard.Quite remarkable in MHO,I did try the gold lions,kt77's,12ax7's and 12au7's that came with my Zotl 40 but that sounded very lean in the mids and like some SS amps to my ears,just not my cup of tea.
I was going to get some bl63 tubes for my MZ2S but they do require a higher current for the heaters and they are very hard to find especially the Marconi's.
I hope your budget allows you to get the triode labs 2a3 amp in the near future,they make some very good gear and I think you will really like it,just wouldn't be enough pwr for me overall.
Kenny.
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Thank you, teajay, kdude66, david_ten for the insightful opinions!!!!
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"Tekton Design" needs a dealer/audition space in the Baltimore, Washington metropolitan area. I was soooo close to pulling the trigger on those "Double Impacts" a month ago but decided to go in a different direction. I have talked to Eric Alexander on the phone and he's a straight shooter. He answered all of my questions to great satisfaction and even a bit beyond that with no hesitation. That's rare for me as I can get quite technical and love to talk theory as well. I've only heard one bad thing and that was a buyer's fault, He could not return his new speakers for a refund because they had been damaged at his home. He was trying to in-load them on-line. Oddly, he wouldn't say WHY he wanted to return them. And I received the feeling it was a financial problem and not an audio one.
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Hi Mac,
I believe that your stated plans and future acquisitions are on the mark and you're going to be happy to an extraordinary degree 😊.
Charles |
Hi Terry,
As you know there are a number of Double Impact owners very happily using solid state amplifiers. Do you plan to use your Pass Labs XA 60 .8 with the Ulfberths to give a contrast comparison to your Triode Labs 2A3 SET. I strongly suspect that the Ulfberths will reveal all that both fine amplifiers have to offer and their differences.
Charles |
@jollygreenaudiophile2 , Mark at Linear Tube Audio in Takoma Park told me months ago that Eric was sending him a pair of speakers. I waited for quite a while to listen to them but they never showed up. I got impatient and went ahead and ordered them anyway. No regrets. Maybe I'm the only one that has them in the Baltimore, Washington metropolitan area.
Lance |
I'm awaiting delivery on a Pass Labs X 250.5 for the Mini Ulfs (when they arrive) So far there has only been 1 tube amp used with DI's and it was disappointing compared to ModWright SS. If there is one amp I should have kept around for the Mini Ulfs it would be the Finale 3008 SET integrated. Hopefully I will get to hear them with a proper tube amp at some point. |
James_w514,
I sold my Modwright kwa100se a couple of months ago but it sounded great with my DI's I just prefer my first watts better for SS.
Do you have the 100 or the 150.
Kenny. |
Any DI owner in SF bay area? Thx |
Hey Kenny, I'm a little confused. Maybe you might be able to help me out, because I've seen different info here and there.
Are the tweeters in the DIs Scanspeak or are they something else? |
The tweeters in the standard DI look like SB Acoustics but I could be wrong.
Kenny the amp is a KWI 200 integrated. Hopefully the Pass Labs will be a step up. The XA 30.8 will be the next purchase if the X 250.5 works out. |
Evolvist,
My Di's use Sb acoustics SB29RDNC-C000-4. |
So, you didn't mod them, right, Kenny? Those are the tweets that came in them? |
I didn't change the tweeters I only modded the crossovers. |
How did you mod the crossovers and what were the differences you heard? |
Has anyone tried a Pioneer M-22 class A amp with the DI's? 30 watts of dual mono pure class A power should sound great! |
Thuhalle,
It is my understanding that the "SE" version of the Double Impacts has all Scanspeak drivers as well as an upgraded crossover parts package. I strongly suspect that this version could have the increased "refinement " (at least to some extent) that Teajay hears listening to the Ulfberths .
Charles |
After a long night listening session another sonic virtue was very apparent as the Ulf's burn-in. The DI's in my experience are one of the best speakers at reproducing with uncanny accuracy the venue of were the music was recorded. The Ulf's take this factor to even a higher level. My hunch is that the Ulf's have an even lower noise floor then the DI's, so spacial cues are more easily heard, hence more accurate space reproduction and micro-details are clearer.
Yes, Charlies I will try at least three other amps, including the Pass Labs, in my reviewing process. |
@charles1dad - Yeah, that's what I was getting at in a roundabout way, wondering about the tweeters in the mini-Ulf that I ordered. That is to say, I wonder if they are the upgraded Scanspeak tweeters, and I would hope so given the price I paid for the mini-Ulfs.
I emailed Tekton about it, but I received no reply. |
@teajay In your opinion, what are the likely reasons for the lower noise floor? |
porscheracer,
Here is repeat of a much earlier post to address your question,
They did sound great right out of the shipping boxes,but I haven't owned a speaker yet that I did'nt mod and get better sound.
Even though I did buy a upgraded pair of Di's from Eric,I have upgraded farther with even better caps,inductors and resistors and some wiring.
I started with the crossover on the woofers,
The heavy duty Jantzen coil is fine I didn't change it but I did change the single cap and got rid off the sand cast resistor,I don't like that type,I think they can be noisy.From day one when I got the speakers I didn't like cosmetically the blue colored woofers with my black metallic paint so I changed to the Eminence beta which gave me black cones the stock ones are the alpha's with blue cones.The physical size including depth are the same but the specs are slightly different.The beta's are 2 Db more efficient in their specs of the driver in free air and they give me better bass and dynamics at very low volume levels and they equal or are slightly better defined bass at higher volumes.I also biwire mine with a single run of western electric 10ga wire that solders directly in the crossover,and I use the same wire to the woofers.The beta woofers cost 60.00 a piece from us speaker.I hear just better defined bass maybe tighter and does measure 2 to 3 db down at 20hz in room.
Now that's the easy stuff,I took a look at the crossover for the tweeters and mids and decided to change all caps,resistors,and coils to better parts IMO but I did'nt change any wiring,It's ok and would be a lot of work.
Even though my speakers sounded very good once broken in I couldn't leave them alone because I knew I could make them sound better,I basically gained overall smoothness and a tiny bit of clarity and coherence without hurting but only improving the magical midrange that these speakers have by design.
I wouldn't honestly recommend that everybody that owns a upgraded pair of Di's would want to incur the expense and time involved for the noticeable but modest gains in sound.
Basically what I'm saying It's a lot of work and it took me 2 whole days to do mine.
Take the time and remove a couple of tweeters and maybe the lwr mid and look at the crossover and you will have to decide if you want to tackle it.
One option might be just to change the little bypass cap on the tweeters input to better quality.
Overall I would say I gained a solid 3% gain in improved sound in every sonic apspect that I can think of.
With these sound improvements It doesn't make me in no hurry to upgrade to any other speakers,but my digital front end has seen some improvements as well in the last couple of weeks and as my budget allows I'm going to purchase a Music Vault M7 music server and I hope to have the best digital that I have ever heard,I was a analog guy for many years but I have'nt spun a LP in 3 weeks and I'm not missing it one bit.
Kenny.
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teajay,
Very nice that you keep us updated on the sound you are getting with those new big boys.
"My hunch is that the Ulf's have an even lower noise floor then the DI's, so spacial cues are more easily heard, hence more accurate space reproduction and micro-details are clearer"
I don't doubt this one bit,doubling up on the total driver count would most definitely lower distortion and give a lwr noise floor and more music.
I hope that you try your Zotl 40 with the Ulf's,I'm kinda biased towards that amp,I think everyone can tell that I love mine.
Enjoy the Music,
Kenny.
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teajay,
Very nice that you keep us updated on the sound you are getting with those new big boys.
"My hunch is that the Ulf's have an even lower noise floor then the DI's, so spacial cues are more easily heard, hence more accurate space reproduction and micro-details are clearer"
I don't doubt this one bit,doubling up on the total driver count would most definitely lower distortion and give a lwr noise floor and more music.
I hope that you try your Zotl 40 with the Ulf's,I'm kinda biased towards that amp,I think everyone can tell that I love mine.
Enjoy the Music,
Kenny.
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porscheracer,
I had a pioneer m22 in the mid 80's and I remember it being pretty good but once I got my first Threshold amp I sold the m22 like a hot potato.
The M22 was made from 76 to 80,
So they are getting quite old and would need some serious work and expense to make them sound good and be reliable.
Unless you have found one that has been rebuilt or wanted to do the work yourself I personally wouldn't recommend one.
Just my Opinion,
Kenny.
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@kdude66
Unless there is a Threshold amp I am unaware of, I am not prepared to spend $4K to $6K on an amp. Which Threshold do you like? |
