Daedalus

I'm in favor of people using subs with my speakers if they like, though I don't feel it's necessary. In the design of all my systems I decided to not make any compromises in order to achieve a flat response in the lowest half octave or so of music, feeling that a sub is better designed for that range if the room etc warrant it.
As it turns out the systems have a very gradual slope below the -3db point (many systems quickly die below that point). I find that this helps them to achieve a very natural bass on their own as well as integrate very well with a sub. For the large systems (DA-1.1 &Ulysses) I find 28-30hz works well and for the DA-2.1 & DA-RMa about 30-38hz. Of course run the speakers full range and add just a touch of the sub. Some of my customers use subs, some don't and some have sold their subs when getting my speakers as they felt they no longer needed them. Personal choice!
Another aspect is the mating of amplifier to the speaker. As some of you have noted with these speakers it is pretty evident what's going on with the other gear in the chain. I find that the extension and character of the bass can be markedly different with different power amplifiers. Possibly the best bass I've heard in an amplifier is the new Modwright, just changing to that amp is like adding a perfect sub-woofer!

hope this helps.
thanks,
Lou

Hi everyone,

Just a quick update on my previous post. I ended up purchasing a beautiful pair of Daedalus Ulysses' with cherry finish. The woodworking is drop dead gorgeous. Most importantly, the sound is divine. As others have noted, the sound is quite natural. Instrumental timbres, especially acoustic instruments, are lovely and accurate. The bass is high quality and very natural. However, you don't get the last 1/2 octave. The overally frequency balance is very accurate.

Where these speakers really stand out when compared to other box enclosures is the outstanding dynamic range. IMO, this is critical to accurately reproduce music and the Daedalus have a relaxed, wide dynamic range typically associated with horns or other high efficiency systems. This attribute doesn't overwhelm the listener, rather it makes you aware of how it is often lacking in other designs.

I recently auditioned a number of amplifiers and it was striking how the Ulysses' provided a window on what was happening upstream. The invidual characteristics of the amplifiers were easy to discern. I agree with Lou's assessment that despite the relatively high sensitivity, the speakers like amps with lots of current and a relatively high damping factor.

I am very pleased...

Welcome to the family, Doc!

Barrelchief,

Thanks. It's good to be in the club!

My DA-RMa's are impressing me more and more every day. Recently had a local audiobuddy over; his comment was that the DA-RMa's sounded so good it was almost like my prior spkrs (the Micro Utopias) were broken!!

I've been rolling various power and pre/input tubes thru my Cary SLI-80 the last couple of weeks--they all sound pretty good thru the DA-RMa's, but still the DA-RMa's let me hear the differences in various tube combinations much easier than I could before.

I really pleased with these guys!

Randy