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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
why0why
70 posts
 
I was going to start a thread and found this one.  After reading much of the DI thread, I am close to buying the monitors.  I have a small room/office that is about 8x12 and my speakers are on the long wall about 6' apart.  I am currently running B&W CM5's and have had the 602's, which are similar in size to the Impacts.  Since my configuration is on the near field side, I emailed Tekton and Eric responded.  He said that the monitors would do well in my situation.  

I am supposed to be selling some gear this weekend and I will probably pull the trigger.  Did you guys go with the upgrade?  At $400, I feel it is probably worth getting, I don't want to be wishing that I had done it after I get them :)  I am also strongly considering buying the Micro ZOTL that everyone loves.  If it drives the DI's that well, I am sure it will be more than adequate for the monitors in a small room.
lancelock
1,094 posts
 
@why0why , don't be fooled by the size. The monitors are not quite as sensitive as the DI's.  The MZ2 might still be all you need however depending on the size of your room.
why0why
70 posts
 
Thanks for the info.  I have also been considering a Rogue Audio Chronus Magnum.  I figured I would get the speakers since I have a stack of SS amps that I can go through in the mean time.  I also have a small tube amp that I can try too.
enginedr1960
173 posts
 
I am interested in these monitors . I am using Ohm Walsh 2.2000 satellites on top of REL Q201e subs . I have a high pass filter in my amps set to 50hz and are using a DSPeaker Antimode 2.0 there is another pair of subs in the room for distributed bass . I am afraid of giving up the Omni sound but like the technology behind these speakers .    
ky1mag OP
18 posts
 
Well, I made the tough decision to return my Impact Monitors. I did extensive A to B comparisons with two other bookshelf speakers I have (my Spendor LS3/5As and some extinct Esper Systems speakers; both very warm mid-range specialists) and made the tough choice. Part of the problem is that my listening room is not dedicated and there is very little flexibility in positioning. I borrowed some stands that just did not work and having the IMs sitting on my subs did not get them up high enough. I even tried giving them a little up-tilt. They are great sounding speakers, as I described in my earlier posts, but are quite forward by comparison to my other speakers (which are too laid-back for many folks). When I toed them in so the tweeters were close to directly pointing at the listening position, I found the sound too forward and lacked mid-range warmth (rear-facing ports may have something to do with this). When they were facing directly forward the sound was fuller but the imaging had a hole in the middle (I was too close, probably). 

The IMs have very big sound for their size, and I think my listening position was too close, at least for my ears, and there is no fixing that. I definitely miss the big sound, in particular for classical, but that is only a small part of my listening. I'll try to answer any specific questions but I'm happy that Eric has a generous return policy. 
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