Tekton Double Impacts

vitop, In reference to your ZOTL 10 comments, I find the LTA gear responds dramatically to tube rolling to match the sound you want with your system. The MZ2 needs to be gain matched with your system, the stock unit may have too much gain when used with highly efficient speakers and can sound a little bright/thin, tube rolling can lower the gain and restore the magic the MZ2 is fully capable of producing. The 10 can also be massaged with rolling glass. LTA and David aren't done yet, more goodies are coming from the collaberation.

So I received my Tekton Double Impacts three weeks ago. A big part of why I ordered them was Terry London's review and of course the potential of listening to a speaker that was comparable to some that cost thousands more.

I was starting with Zu Omen Dirty weekends (as seen in Steve Guttenbergs review) and a peachtree iNova amp and loved the sound that came from them. The problem with them was that I had to run my sound through an equalizer to improve the treble response of those speakers ( which are very dark) and I was really looking for a pair that I didn't have to do that with.

I will add that I really like a much stronger treble response than most so there is that.

In between getting the speakers I upgraded to one of peachtree's Nova150 amps. The treble response to me was much better though not necessarily my ideal (my ideal would probably be the sound coming from Final Audio Sonorous IV headphones, for reference).

I ordered mine in 4 ohm (which I recommend most of you do if you amp can support it), Charcoal black with the upgrade package. 

These things were much bigger than I anticipated and they shipped only with floor spikes which aren't ideal for my laminate flooring. Right out of the box, I didn't think they sounded that great.

I had to make the following changes before I was finally happy with the sound coming from them.

- Bought their in-house speaker wire (which was a significant upgrade from the generic wiring I'd bought before)
-Upgraded to a Nova300 (this really firmed up the bass and clarity)

Now i'd say that they sound deliciously sweet. They are very transparent so it really depends on how the music you listen to was recorded and the quality that you play them back in. 

I regularly listen to them at lower volumes at night and often find that it is three hours later and I really need to go to bed.

Was it an earth shattering experience for me? I'd say no, but I will say that it is a better sound than what I had before.

I'm extremely curious to pair them with a high quality tube amp like this:  “Doge - Prima Donna 88 Class A”

Either way I'm keeping them.

Perhaps the only thing that annoyed my about the speaker was the paint finish. My omens were a wood finish that was absolutely luscious to touch. The finish on my Double Impacts are not smooth and it feels a little sandpaper-esque, like the paint wasn't properly smoothed down post painting. The charcoal color makes them look like dull boxes sitting in my living room- good thing they sound good.

paradisle, you probably have already seen it, but in case not there is a you tube of the DIs being driven by the Doge Prima Donna 88.  It sounds very nice, as does James w514 video with his ModWright.  I would love either amp.  I believe these are the only two DI you tube videos of them actually playing.

That is exactly why I wanted the gloss finish on my speakers. TBH, the speakers are nothing more than a rectangle. They are all about the sound. So, without any fancy gloss wood like some competitors have, the gloss finish was about the only way to dress them up, and honestly, they look pretty good in gloss from what I can tell in the photos. When I get mine, I will be better able to assess that. But the real money is in the sound and the Tektons sound good.

Has anyone played with the Zen amps?

Jetter, I have seen the videos being driven with the Prima Donna 88. The guy that recorded the video also wrote a nice review that is available under the reviews section of the Tekton Design website.

The reason I didn't go with the Prima Donna when I upgraded my Nova150 was the fact that I couldn't stretch my budget too much further at this time to get a good stand-alone DAC also.

I will say I am happy with the peachtree unit so far. Efficient or not, the DI's definitely sound better with more power, at least when it comes to class D amps. 

Vitop, in hindsight, I should have gone with a gloss finish. but it is a small thing at the end of the day as they do sound great.

I wonder how many people ended up getting the upgrade package with the speakers?