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
Looks very nice,love the stands.
You may like the center tweeter at ear height.

I hope they work out for you and get some time on them and let us know what you think.

Kenny.

@kdude66 (Kenny) - I spent way too much time last night messing with the height of that tweeter array. And, like you indicate, center tweeter at ear height sounds best. That's basically where I started at but, of course, I wanted to be sure. (Ha!). I think I have the positioning dialed-in but I still have to make sure my sub is correctly tuned for these speakers. So still more "preliminary" work to do.

@backsigns - The speaker stands I've had for awhile. I'm not sure of the brand. I can tell you they are solid wood and are very heavy. I had to do a little work on them when I got them such as refinishing and adjusting one of the top plates but really no additional bracing was required. They are height adjustable via removing the center-pin and repositioning the center column up or down. 

@sbayne   I quickly looked at your Monitor pic yesterday. I spent more time just now looking through all of your system photos. Very nice setup!

What's your take on the Tranquility Bases?
@david_ten - Thanks! The SR Tranquility Bases help with EMI/RF problems. Since they are active it's easy to hear the difference - simply unplug them and listen, then plug them back-in and listen. The biggest difference is under my music server - pretty much night and day . With my preamp and amps the effect is more subtle but they do help "refine" the sound a little more. Under my turntable, I frankly don't hear any difference with the Tranquility turned off or on but since they are solid bases in their own right I've decided to keep using it there.  
@sbayne   Thanks!!! I just added two of the XL bases to my system. I'll pm you so as not to get off topic here, should I have any questions. My initial read is closer to what you say in terms of your pre and amp...subtle, refined...it's there but not as easy to put a clear finger on.