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Tekton Impact Monitors

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!  
ky1mag
audionut22's avatar
audionut22
43 posts
 
I just measured my LS50’s including the IsoAcoustic stands and they are 20.5"h x 8"w x 9.5"d, with the concentric tweeters level with my ears. So, the audio sickness in me says, Hey, they aren’t much bigger than what I have now ;-)

I also have a pair of HSU STF-1 subs under the desk to fill in the lower bass, due to the KEF’s are a little lacking there. 

However, I am sure the IM’s would look a LOT bigger than the LS50’s on stands. The IsoAcoustic stands are 8.5" tall so there is some "see through" space below the KEF’s, making them appear smaller.

I would be an interesting desktop system with the Tekton’s, but it probably wouldn’t pass the WAF test ;-)

stelo
14 posts
 
Thanks for sharing your impressions about the Tekton Impact Monitors. I am very intrigued by these speakers, after reading all the raves about the DI. I like monitor/bookshelf speakers, and I do not think I would be happy with the massive DI. I currently own a pair of B&W 805 D3 which are very nice, but I am wondering how the Tekton Impact Monitors would compare (considering they cost 1/3 of the price of the 805).
ky1mag OP
18 posts
 
Hi Stelo,
I haven't listened to any of the B&W 800 series in a long time, so I can't really comment about that comparison. I was listening to some early Susan Tedeschi last night and I was really impressed with how the Tektons kept all the instruments sorted out and separate from Tedeschi's gravelly voice. Keep in mind that the DIs would not be much bigger than the IMs on stands, but still I agree they would be imposing depending on the size of your room. Eric has a return policy, so I encourage you to give them (the IMs) a try. 

sbayne's avatar
sbayne
493 posts
 
ky1mag - what size of room are you using the Impact Monitors in and how far away do you sit from them? Also what height of stands do you use? Thanks
ky1mag OP
18 posts
 
Hi sbayne,
I'm listening on the short side, so to speak. The room is 13 x 35 or so and I'm listening across the 12' width. The speakers are 9' apart and right now are sitting directly on top of my SVS subwoofers until I get some stands. The tweeters are just below ear level when I'm in my favorite Ikea Poang listening chair. The front baffle of the speakers are about 30" from the wall and toed in so that they are aimed at a point 4-5' behind me (behind the back wall). This places my ears about 8-9' away from the speakers which is perhaps a little close. The only downside to these speakers that I can discern, and it may be the listening set-up, is that the soundstage is precise but small compared to my LS3/5As. Of course the scale achieved by the IMs is much bigger.
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