Tekton Double Impacts

No problem, and you were probably fine with the line conditioner, I just wanted to point it out as a caution for those who were interested to that end. 

I also agree wholeheartedly on the "pressure lock" a solid subwoofer can put on the lowest fundamentals of the bass. I came from being a bass player for most of my life and am very particular to that low end being produced accurately and with aplomb!

Alright guys, I sent my Double Impacts, 4 ohm w/ Upgrades back. I ran them continuously for a couple weeks. Sorry to say, they just ain’t my cup of tea......I'm attempting to give people seeking opinions an honest evaluation from a previous demo’er.. I’m not going to claim to be some sort of professional magazine editor or something, so I will just tell you in laymen's terms my observations. Ok .....My Equipment . 1) Marantz 8801 Processor.. 2) ATI Signature Series 6005 300 Watt (450 @ 4 ohm) x 5 Channel Amp.. 3) OPPO 205 Player.. 4) Bang and Olufsen Turntable.. 5) (2) Furman Elite 20 PFI line Conditioners..6) All Blue Jean Cabling ... 7) I was using my current surrounds and center .. Ascend Acoustics Raal Ribbon Horizon Center and Raal Ribbon Sierra 2’s...8) I also have 2 PSA 18 inch ported 750 watt subs. Room is a 16 x 24 with 8 1/2 foot ceiling with a listening position of 9.5 feet.. Like a stated, I’m retired now so I was able to continuously play with the system for a solid two weeks.. The last 2 of those days at high SPL’s ...One day by myself, as my wife was out of town, and the second day with her helping me. She had the final “they gotta go”, but I was thinking the same thing and was in total agreement . I was comparing them to my Ascend Acoustics Raal Sierra Towers.. We made the following conclusions .. If I was looking for something for home theater only,....The Tektons are a clear winner.. bingo, jackpot, YIPPIE !... Much fuller than my Ascends, and the soundstage was the entire front wall. Imaging was better than the Ascends. While I was breaking them in, I had the center channel shut off and was just running the cable TV, which is Spectrum, in Stereo mode ... you honestly could not tell the center speaker was not on. My wife thought it was . When I told her is wasn’t, she didn't believe me, so I had her get up and come over to the center speaker and check that it was indeed dead . The Tektons were so “solid sounding”. They ARE big, they sound big,... and they sound solid . One thing I noticed and so did she,was the nasally sound the voices have. I don’t know if that’s what you call coloring..? Like Tom Petty was doing all the talking. Very noticeable at first, and irritating ... but by the end of the second week I was getting used to it, and it was not as big a deal. Movies in 5.2 with Audessey in command, sounded really,really, nice. Better than the theaters. Dynamic is not a big enough word for the wall of sound these speakers put out .. BTW,the Tektons blended with the Ascends fine, at least we thought so .. Eric told me they would, and he was right .. By now your thinking, what's the catch, what's the rub, why send them back ? The answer,,,,music . First let me tell you why I tried Tektons in the first place. Movies are not my bag. Their alright, but I’m a music lover first and foremost. And one of my favorite things to do, is sit down in front of the system, put in a CD, crank it up, and listen to, and watch video concerts. Maybe invite another couple over, or maybe with my wife, or sometimes just me and a good stout drink .. I grew up in the Bars of Ohio. Back then just about every bar had live rock bands every Friday and Saturday nights.. Went to many, many concerts when I was younger also. Still do, we are heading to “ Get The Led Out”, A Led Zeppelin copy band, in a few weeks ... My Ascend Towers (along with those subs and surrounds), do this chore extremely well. Extremely . Like being in a live recording studio. The problem was SPL’s. I like about 110 –112 dB at that 9.5 LP. I like to feel it, as well as hear it.. Problem is, those volumes are wide open for the Ascends. In talking to Dave at Ascend, he told me NOT to exceed 110 dBs.. He figured my listening position,amplifier and so forth and gave me these boundaries, which I must live by, if I want no damage... BUT, I don’t like the idea of running ANYTHING, right on the edge of clipping. Just puts my speakers on the edge of damage the entire time we are enjoying them... So I was looking for a speaker that would sound like the Ascends,maybe even better, but be idling at those volumes .... The Tektons have quite a bit better sensitivity for higher volumes than the Ascends,,So enter the Tektons .... Bottom line, they are no ways near as clear as the Ascends. But the Tektons have there high points. The drums sound like you are on the seat, hitting the drum yourself. I credit that to the twin 10 inch woofers, and in my next speaker choice I will certainly look for that.... But the mid ranges are,,,as my wife stated “compressed, cramped up, like their all mixed up”. Really forward, and in your face. It’s a WHOLE LOT ...of nothing.... Just too much mid range and not enough clarity. And yes, we tried to EQ it out.We always use EQ on music anyway. Don’t like the bland feeling Auddessy provides in music. Problem is, it strips everything else in that band while your doing so ...EQ’in just won’t work.. A couple of hours of Tektons and my left ear actually hurt. At the same identical SPLs I had listened to the Ascends many times over .. BTW.We were using a Triplett Sonicheck MC meter ..We listened to many of our favorite concerts we knew quite well. Eagles, Floyd. Jeff Beck ..etc . Well recorded disc. Didn’t listen to poorly recorded ones, as I very seldom ever listen to them..   For instance, the Pretenders have a concert recorded in LA called “Pretenders...Loose in LA.”.. It’s mixed quite well and I recommend it for you rockers.. Crissey Hynde’s vocals, when coming thru the Ascends, are breathtaking, give ya chills..On some songs you can kind of hear her breath between notes...Keep in mind this is a live recording of a  rock and roll band, and a lot of other “stuff” is happening at the same time she is singing, killer lead guitar riffs, impacting drums, a heavy bass guitar... But even with all that going on, utter clarity where it’s needed.   Not so with the Tektons, you can’t pick any of that out... Its gone, and you have to “hunt” for those things we took for granted ..I guess I shouldn't say its gone, more like its “masked” .. I’m assuming these issues are that tweeter array, and the way they cross over... I don’t know all the technical reasons.. but we were not liking it . You know, everybody says the Tektons sound like live music. Maybe their right. But most concert's I been to are distorted as heck . I try to sit as close to the mixing board as I can, whenever I go to live performances. That’s where I have found it sounds best. But live performances usually suck as far a clarity. But then again I’m attending Rock venues.  I want the clarity of a studio, with the impact and dynamics of a concert. I was not looking for a speaker that resembles a PA system ...When I talked to Eric, he informed me I must be one of the “Warm Freaks” or something ... LOL . I guess I am. I have learned I really like a good ribbon tweeter. They are so crisp, and non fatiguing even when turned up loud. .... So, I'm looking for a good, dynamic, warm, speaker that has a real crisp tweeter and big inch woofers, and can play loud... Know of any ? !!!... I hope this review didn’t rub anybody the wrong way. Everybody likes different stuff. And in Talking to Eric, I was told his returns are about 1 in 30 .... That’s tells me I’m in the rarity, so take this review for what its worth....whatever that may be ..    ...

@nitrobob

Thanks for your honest and interesting write up on the Tektons. I don’t think you rubbed anyone the wrong way at all. You seemed like you tried everything you had at your disposal. For me though I had to make a decent amount of changes in my system to get what I wanted from the Tektons. Some people (grannyring) had to modify the speakers. Some just placed them in the room and magic!

Have you thought about trying Model 3a signature Vandersteen speakers? Not the most efficient but they have 10" woofers. When I heard them I thought they had a warm natural character, but the highs had nice amount of detail. Not only that, but they have tweeter and mid controls on them, to fine tune them. There is a fine line with warm and super crisp highs though, so keep that in mind. You can’t really have both...sorta a middle ground. At least that is from my experience. Anyways Vandersteen came to mind, I am sure others might have other examples for you to try.

Best of luck and thanks.

My takeaway is "no" audio product will please every listener. The Tekton Double Impact is no exception to this fact, 
Charles 

I'm looking for a good, dynamic, warm, speaker that has a real crisp tweeter and big inch woofers, and can play loud... Know of any ?

Very few audiophile-oriented speakers can generate 110 to 112 db SPLs at 9.5 feet and be in their comfort zone, if they can do so at all.  Especially speakers that are in the price range of the DI.  Perhaps some Klipsch models would be suitable candidates, although I don't know if they would meet your other requirements.

In any event, thanks for providing the thorough writeup.

Regards,
-- Al
  

@nitrobob  no doubt that 110 db at the listening position which is 120 db at 1 meter is going to be a challenge for most speakers...if you don't mind the look of these and if you can put them 3' out from the wall, I think you may find them up to the challenge... http://www.spatialaudio.us/m3-triode-master
give Clayton Shaw a call, tell him about your DI experience and what you are looking for and I think he will give you an honest opinion.  otherwise, maybe these since they will give you that ribbon sound and play really loud
http://legacyaudio.com/products/view/signature-se/

nitrobob,

Having heard DI just once at Capital Audifest this year, I wonder if the shortcomings you describe might be attributed to the listening position being only 9’ away? In general larger speakers with multiple drivers need some distance to the listening position for everything to gel properly especially in regards to detail.

At Cap Audiofest, the DIs were set up in a average size hotel room, not particularly large and I’d estimate I was at a similar distance listening.

The only negative I noticed as I cited in comments here shortly after were I could locate the drivers location with eyes closed meaning that imaging was not fully gelling. I would expect better results in that regard with more distance from listening position to speakers. A larger room would have suited the fairly large DIs better in general I’d say.

Just a thought. It may be more an artifact of limitations in setup in a particular room as opposed to an inherent problem with the speakers.

I tend to shy away from most any larger  "tower" design speakers in closer quarters these days based on past experience trying without total success to get those to gel properly for both imaging and sound stage in closer quarters along the lines you describe in your case.  Especially towers with multiple  drivers for the mid and higher (more directional) frequencies that are not located in close proximity to each other.

@nitrobob Sorry to hear that they did not work out for you. Charles best delivers on a universal audio truth:

My takeaway is "no" audio product will please every listener. The Tekton Double Impact is no exception to this fact

The truly important thing is that you gave them a serious audition and likely learned more about what’s really important to you, in terms of how you want your system to deliver on Your Goals.

For me, the mid-range is (one area) where the beauty of the Double Impacts truly shines, and in my system it is clear and detailed and layered and defined and natural. Can it be better...Absolutely.

@mapman brings up positioning and the room, both of which are factors but both of which I have found the DIs to be less finicky with, though they definitely help deliver more from them when fully dialed in.

In addition to his point, I’d add the system ahead of the DIs as being just as important, if not more so. I’ve gone through a number of changes as I’ve worked on squeezing more out of the DIs, and I have found that they are sensitive to what’s ahead of them.

All the best on your speaker quest. Do post what you choose and your impressions of them. Exciting to have something to look forward to!

Hi David,
My thoughts regarding nitrobob’s listening impressions mirror yours. Incapatible electronics (for this speaker)  in the signal path not gelling with the Double Impacts, this more So than distance between speaker and listener.

When I heard Tom’s DIs the sitting distance seemed to be about 8 or 9 feet away and there were no issues. In his system set up midrange was clearly a strength. But to be fair the preamp and power amplifier were very different from what nitrobob used. So not surprising that the outcome is different.

Nitrobob will undoubtedly find speakers more suitable to his components and his particular taste and needs. Nothing new, once agai demonstrating the importance of audio system synergy IMO.
Charles

The tektons are efficient and fairly easy to drive. I heard them on a 10 watt tube amp and that did quite well. Low power amps would seem to be their best match. Speakers that do well with few watts often easily get overdriven with many. Especially if built to a lower price point.

I will point out that quite a few DI owners have posted here of excellent results using high power solid state/class D amplifiers. 
Charles 

In fact I'd say if anything has been made clear regarding the Double Impacts over the course of this thread is their compatibility with a "wide" variety of amplifiers. 
C

Cranked up with very high power amplifiers?    

I think something at play here is the cabinet. It is only .75 inches thick even on the front baffle. It is NOT the most inert. At db levels of 110 dB they will undoubtably cause all kinds of vibration induced distortion and smearing. That is very, very loud and not something I would ever recommend for mere mortals. Anyway, put Star Sound Apprentice platforms under the DIs and you will hear a very different speaker at both low and very high listening levels. These speakers really need a footer of this quality to sound their best. I highly recommend Star Sound Apprentice platforms. I have no doubt they would have cleaned and sorted out the music much better. Food for thought.

Secondly, as I have said before the DI is a tad, just a tad, forward in the upper mids in stock form. I use Roon DSP and shave 1.75- 2 dB off the upper mids and find that perfect. I find this is needed more the louder the speaker is played. I understand the builder is now putting a resistor in series with the 6.5 inch mid drivers to accomplish the same thing. I find this interesting as I have been doing this since day one.

We don’t know the value of the resistor, but it is most likely 1.8-2.2 ohms. This would shave some 2 dB on an 8ohm speaker.

Agreed. I think one of the issues here is the very high playback levels with a very high power amplifier.

ATI is a well regarded amp. @nitrobob  Did you listen at 'mere mortal' levels and what were your findings under those conditions?

Bill ( @grannyring ) is correct in pointing out the value of isolating the DIs, and in fact, any speaker.

Agreed  Charles.  I've  listened with a few tube watts to a couple hundred SS watts.  The DI's have no "preference"  for what drives them.  There has been a huge variation in upstream equipment posted on this thread and most everyone has agreed the DI's reproduce clearly what is being fed to them.  For me amp choice is dictated by what I want to listen to.  There are some things tube SE designs will do what other amps don't.  And there is some music where I crave the firm control SS offers.  No different than pairing wine to your dinner entree.

I am at a loss to say exactly what accounted for nitrobobs experience.  It certainly does not bother or offend me.  But I have to say what he heard I have not. I have never heard issues with a nasal quality, driver integration, or power handling for what it's worth.  Any of these issues would have compelled me to ship these back as well.

I can only surmise, as was mentioned, you have to look at system synergy.  Furthermore, room acoustics can't be ignored.  Lastly, and I think this is a big one, is that we all have differences in our hearing.  If we all compared our audiograms, our ears would all measure differently.  Sometimes dramatically.  Is it any wonder we have different preferences? (and there are more complex reasons for our innate preferences beyond simple audiograms--but I'll pass on that discussion for now.)

What is also of interest to me is @nitrobob 's comment about the Ascends having the clarity they do, according to him, at those SPLs.

Hey Everybody,

I "mindfully" thought if I was going to post any comments on Nitrobob's experience with the DI's, and finally decided to share some assumptions regarding his reaction to them.

With respect to him:

1) Anybody who listens at 110 dB levels, or at average 100dB levels, at less then ten feet away is either deaf to begin with or has damaged their hearing to a serious level, indeed.

2) To have the DI's just a foot off the front wall and then played at these insane volume levels it makes sense to me that they surly could sound less then musical and harsh/edgy, and screw-up big time the beautiful highs and mid-range that these speakers are known to deliver.

3) Because of my assumptions stated above, this might not be PC or thought of as being "respectful" , but his experience has no merit or credibility regarding the performance of the DI's in any realistic fashion at all. 

It's hard for me to believe that nobody had commented on how unhealthy it is to listen at these volume levels, regardless what his take is on the speakers.  He has the prefect right to listen to any volume he wants to regardless of the dangers.  However, the rest of us should make it clear the risks involved in doing so.    

Could be a combo of all of the above.

Its rare to make a major change in speakers then not have to make other changes as well in order to dial in the desired sound. Could be as minor as tweaking placement or orientation or changing room treatments or much more than that.

@teajay You are correct in your concern about healthy listening levels.

I had the same concern and asked as much, which is why I did not repeat it here.

On 11/22 I asked/posted this:

"@nitrobob Any concerns around protecting your and your son’s hearing?"

He has had his hearing tested yearly and passed with flying colors (per nitrobob).

My recollection is that anything continuous over 83db loud or so causes some damage to hearing. Gotta watch that!

Given Nitrobob's preferred listening levels of 108 to 112 db, what would be surprising to me is if his impressions of the speaker did **not** differ considerably from most of the others that have been reported.   Not only would I expect the sonic characteristics of the speaker to be significantly different at those levels than at the levels most of us listen at, due to the cabinet-related effects Bill mentioned as well as driver-related effects such as thermal compression and increased non-linearity, but I'd expect our hearing mechanisms to behave differently at those levels than at the levels most of us listen at.

Regards,
-- Al

Having heard a 10 watt soft clipping tube amp drive those to satisfying listening levels no problem, I’d be willing to bet that high power SS amp cranked is overdriving them resulting in thermal compression and other forms of distortion associated with overdriving a speaker.

Depending on impedance curve amp clipping is always another possibility at very high volumes even if the speaker is more efficient overall. Having heard them, a power draining impedance dip or two in the bass would not surprise me.

Teajay,
Regarding the preferred listening volumes of nitrobob I feel the same as James. Some things just are self evident in life. Sheer common sense would dictact that listening regularly at 110 SPL is most certainly risking permanent hearing loss. What reasonable person would require reminding of this (obvious) point?

I have always made the assumption that we are mature adults who freely determine what suits them for better or worse. I won’t tell someone what’s the proper SPL they should adhere to. I just know what is right for me, to each their own. An analogy, you shouldn’t have to tell someone not to remove the radiator cap of an overheated car engine. 
Charles

Hey Charles,

Remember, common sense is often uncommon, and you are much more diplomatic then I chose to be regarding people's foolish behavior. I totally accept its his right to go deaf if he wants to.  

His so-called reviewing process that people thanked him for was based on an assumption of  volume levels that are dangerous/harmful to one's physical health and hearing.  Regarding his take on the DI's I believe this analogy would be more applicable, it would be like a partially or totally blind person going to an art gallery and then writing a review of the art work.  Yea, right!

Hi Teajay,
Essentially we’re making the same point. I understand the desire of some listeners who like to as they put it "crank it up". If  this is done only occasionally then probably little harm to one's hearing ability .

In my own experience I’ve come to realize that as the resolution and signal  purity retention  of your system improves you can actually enjoy music at lower or reasonable listening levels.

When a system reaches this degree of performance it "does" allow one to listen at higher SPL without stress or strain but there’s less of a need to do this to achieve listening satisfaction. That’s my 2 cents worth.
Charles

nitrobob,

FWIW I built my main rig to be able to go very loud and clear when needed with the kind of music you are talking about for a modest  cost (by high end audio standards at least). I achieved that goal quite well I would say.

My setup is Bel Canto Ref1000m amps (Class D 500w/ch into 8 Ohm) into OHM 5 speakers (12" Walsh style main driver), essentially the equivalent of OHM 5000 models in the current line.

This rig goes as loud and clear as I would ever want to go with rock, pop, big band, classical whatever and produces the most life like sound stage and imaging to be had in their price range.

That is my solution that works so just tossing that out.

The Walsh style drivers operate differently than most conventional dynamic drivers. I’ve owned various OHm Walsh models since ~ 1982 when they first came out and they are champs at taking whatever power you through at them and going loud and clear. I’ve even used them that way at outdoor parties from time to time. Older models in particular can be had for not much used for the amount of sound and overall sound quality you get. The sound with newer models is more refined over older..

Also Class D amps are newer high efficiency technology for amps that when paired up with the right speakers of just modest efficiency can achieve similar SPLs as higher efficiency speakers with lower power amps. A bonus is the energy efficiency saves you on on your power bill and helps keep overall TCO low.

Nitrobob since you play really loud, maybe traditional stereo won’t work, at that level most of this speakers won’t be able to handle.Maybe you need a Mackie PA 400 watt and those big JBL speakers , Like me I like to sing KAraoeke my stereo is not for that , so I bought this Kevlar speakers for Karaoke,no distortions, no worries to blow them up, My Kevlar are paired with Fender PA.From what I read the DI are fantastic if use properly, Iam ok with anyone playing any volume they wish....Iam not dictating how they want to use their systems...I also go to live concert a lot..We also have live band in our church every Sunday for praise and worship,

I only listen at 55-70 db, I feel like such a wimp lol. I do have a serious reason for listening at those levels. I developed tinnitus from playing drums for many years so its just not possible to listen louder for me. My ears are very sensitive. More power to people with ironclad ears.

A few years ago one of our members who performs professionally in a classical symphony orchestra posted the following, in this thread.  I would emphasize the words "continuous time weighted average" in his post.

Recently, there was a post on the ICSOM board that I thought I would share the info from. ICSOM is the International Congress of Symphony and Opera Musicians, which consists of the musicians of the major US and some international orchestras.

The topic was How long can a person endure a certain noise level before hearing impairment occurs. As you can imagine, this is a fairly hot topic among symphonic musicians the world over, as it has been proven that we will lose at least 20% of our hearing over the course of our careers. I think audiophiles will also be very interested in the following stats, especially those of you who like to listen very loudly for long periods.

What follows are the current standards for recommended permissible exposure duration for continuous time weighted average noise, according to NIOSH and CDC. Keep in mind this is an average level for continuous exposure, and these numbers may not represent a world wide view of the subject. Basically, for every 3dB beyond 82dB, the permissible exposure time is cut in half before hearing damage will occur.

82dB - 16 hours
85dB - 8 hours
88dB - 4 hours
91dB - 2 hours
94dB - 1 hour
97dB - 30 minutes
100dB - 15 minutes
103dB - 7.5 minutes
106dB - less than 4 minutes
109dB - less than 2 minutes
112dB - less than 1 minute
115dB - less than 30 seconds

Regards,
-- Al
 

Almarg:
Not sure about the word "noise" in your post. Music at 95db from acoustical instruments is not dangerous at all. Noise, however, can be troublesome as loud as 90 db. Am considering "noise" to be random in nature and not periodic as is music.
Regularly play on a piano at 95 db and it is not at all stressful. When I listen to a sound system at the same level, however, it sounds loud -- and can be stressful if there is any noise (=hiss) or distortion.
Know a number of symphonic musicians who are 65+ years old and they hear fine after playing loud symphonies all their life. They do, of course, worry about their sound exposure and take certain precautions.
I share a number of the views above about the dangers of listening to recorded music at the 105-110db level. Have done DB tests with my audio systems and find this dangerously loud.
The more you listen to very loud audio, the more deadened your hearing becomes and you tend to up the volume to recapture the pleasurable sense of "loud." Take an hour off, instead, and return to the level you were listening at -- you will notice how much louder this is than you earlier had thought.

I dont think audiologists have a clue. All we know is for sure that super loud prolonged exposure is bad - gunshots, cannon etc  can cause instant damage. Rock concerts are damaging. Another big factor is aging - hearing (like eye sight) deteriorates with age - some much faster than others.

I agree that giving ears a break is crucial. Avoiding loud rock concerts. Also avoiding instantaneous damage from loud explosions is key. It appears that continuous background noise is also bad (engine noise in a mechanical room or factory). 

I suspect ear buds are very bad as low frequencies are trapped in the ear between the bud and ear.

Natural variability in the individual makes it so hard to generalize. 

Hi nitrobob,
To be clear, obviously it's your call as to how loud a volume you prefer listening to music,  no argument.   You are correct, certain people seemingly defy known or established risk factors. For example the person who smoked a pack of cigarettes per day for 60 years and lived to an age of 100 years. It happens.

You have apparently suffered no ill effects to your hearing despite high SPL exposure, congratulations my friend.  110 db SPL is too much for me. As I said before, we all make our choices .
Charles  

nitrobob,

One of my audio epiphanies occured back in teh mid 80’s when I provided the music at a party in grad school.

The party was on a farm out in the boonies of Western Kentucky. I set up my hifi on the farmhouse porch and "cranked it up" .

People were in a field nearby I’d estimate 50 yards or greater away directly in front of the porch. UB40, Neil Young, Jackson Browne, U2, Zeppelin, you name it, it sounded like a live band playing nearby on the porch. Better sounding than Woodstock I’d bet! :^) Slightly smaller venue though admittedly...

That was with with original 80s vintage OHm Walsh 2s (8" walsh driver somewhere between 1000 and 2000 models currently). I think they cost me less than $1K at the time new.

They were driven by a Tandberg tr2080 receiver, 80 very good quality (for the day) watts/ch. Source was an Aiwa AD6550 cassette deck (another beauty of the day before Aiwa went mass market).

Fast forward to today, and the OHMs are more refined sounding than ever (very hi end IMHO assuming similar quality gear upstream) and amps have improved as well. Yes things cost more as well but there are lots of bargains out there on the used market.

Craigl59 12-19-2017
Music at 95db from acoustical instruments is not dangerous at all. Noise, however, can be troublesome as loud as 90 db.... Regularly play on a piano at 95 db and it is not at all stressful.

Absolutely! As I can attest having sat within 20 or 30 feet of the performer at more than a few classical concerts for solo piano.

Which serves to illustrate why I and the poster I quoted both emphasized that the db levels cited in his post are based on a "continuous time weighted average." During many and often most of the milliseconds or even seconds between 95 db notes that may be produced with a piano the instantaneous SPL will be far lower than that. And consequently the "continuous time weighted average" will also be far lower.

Best regards,
-- Al

Nitrobob, the Ulfs will do what you want and then some. But Eric developed 1812s specifically to reproduce clean concert level output if you want to go for the ultimate. Hope you have some room in your room!

Is the frequency a factor in the spl?

I would think so, Stfoth, to some degree. That would seem likely based on the fact that (as you can see in the figure at the upper right of the Wikipedia page on "Equal Loudness Contour") our hearing mechanisms are most sensitive in the area of 3 to 4 kHz or so, while being considerably less sensitive at deep bass frequencies.

So it wouldn’t surprise me if an organization such as OSHA has developed standards for maximum SPL exposure which take frequency into account, but if so I have no specific knowledge of them.

Best regards,
-- Al

@stfoth - Remember DB drag racing? Weren’t some of the SPL kings hitting in the 150’s? In a former life I was an installer, and remember half ohm stable competition amps that put out thousands of watts into that load. They were "rated" at 25 watts x 2 into 4 ohms- so they would qualify in a lower power class. Oh, and FWIW I was an installer for the SQ (sound quality) portion, not the SPL. They were two distinct categories. Ahh the 90’s!

Yes indeed! All of that stuff was great! I wish I still had some pictures, unfortunately those are long gone.

nitrobob,
Thanks for the candid review of the DI.
There are some (not many) people that smoke 2 packs of cigs a day and live to be 100.
I listen to mostly orchestral music and find I don't need 100db to enjoy the experience. However, I value imaging way more than dynamic impact.
Clarity and imaging at a comfortable decibel level is what I'm looking for.
I see that most rock musicians (these days) now wear "in ear" plugs.

My problem with the DI is that it's an "a la carte" speaker. Does it even come with a grill? Special edition with better caps? And still can't get over that the 8 ohm version is an extra $500!
The B&W 683 S2  might be a piece of junk to posters in this thread but all the B&W 683 S2 are the same. You know what you are getting. And it's a CLASS B Stereophile component. If that's worth anything.
If the audio industry wasn't so full of snake oil, I might be less skeptical, but alas, here we are.