Tekton Double Impacts

This is what I was getting at in an earlier discussion today regarding the Linn and Lyngdorf cost ratio and performance. The High End market can "sometimes" be deceptive and contrarian with regard to cost, prestige and pecking orders. Very tricky at times.

See, you were probably trying to get at this, by being polite, but you really didn't get to the you're-so-full-of-crap part. That's very tricky at time.

Here's the deal though, perhaps I'm thinking on a quantum level. We all pay a certain price of admission, whether we buy some junk DAC for $50 bucks, and call it the best, of a $50k DAC and call it a turd. One might get you a seat to watch the game, while the other probably puts you in a skyebox, meeting the cheerleaders, getting player autographs, and sipping something a bit better rated than Ripple.

I mean, you can drive a Pinto and call it a Cadillac, but you'd be wrong, even though in your mind you can imagine the Cadillac chassis around that Pinto engine. There are DACS like that, too.

The point is, again, that last 3%-1% is a real mother. That's where most of the bread is spent, or most of the fretting lives, over that list small bit of SQ. That was what I was getting at, and I'm saying it. Like the once you get down to a micro-cellular level, the distance between two subatomic particles might as well be relative to the distance between the earth and the moon.

That's it. I chose to buy my 2%-1% in one chunk, instead of spreading it out over various devices and such. That leaves 1% more for other junk like speaker stands, some snake oil, and the various audio tweaks I can't wait to not spend much more money on, lest I find the cost-to-performance ration too much to bear.

I

n the case of the units you mentioned which provide DSP-based corrections (Linn, Lyngdorf, DEQX), that you found superior to much higher priced DACs, was that superiority contributed to by the corrections, or was it true even with the corrections disabled?

Also, which DEQX model were you using?

The HDP-5. It belongs to a guy here in town, and he left me use it for a few weeks in exchange for the DAVE. I thought the DEQX was great, but was probably more reliant on correction over the other two. That doesn't mean "bad." The guy who owns the DEQX has that thing dialed in to perfection, in the smallest dedicated room I've ever been in with full sized speakers (Revel Salon IIs). It sounds like a recording studio in there. As you know, the DEQX has a learning curve and so much you can do with it. It's astounding. Plus, it was the first DAC I tinkered with that had an Ethernet input. When I heard the difference I knew I wanted one, or one like it. When I learned the science of going RJ45, then I knew that I could never go back to USB.

Back to the DIs, though: my pair has 123 hours on them now, and they are sitting on bare stone floors, still without spikes, and these already sound better in my room than any speakers I've had here.

No body pointed out, gracefully, that I kept referring to the DI SE's as the "SI's".  Well, of course I did not rename the speaker, but mistakenly got into the groove of using the wrong wording in the post regarding the field report on the SE's performance.  Sorry about that!

Ezra, the owner of the SE's called me twice since I left his house because he could not stop listening to his system because of his pleasure/amazement of what the music sounds like now through his new SE's!  It's pretty late here in the Chicago land area, but I would not be surprised if he's still listening with glee!

I'd stay up all night too if I was Ezra.....as it is I'm up early. The Chicagoland area is blessed with having the DI's, SE's and Ulfbehrts to hear. I need to make a trip down there. If Ezra is enjoying the SE's this much now, just imagine how much he will be enjoying them once they are broken in. I expect the bass to get better yet along with even better mids, more smoothness and improved imaging. The SE's could be the pinnacle speaker for me.....hopefully I can swing buying a pair soon. 

SE's.....SI's.....we knew what you meant teajay 😃

Evolvist, Well, to be frank there’s no "you’re so full of crap part" I’m sorry you perceive my inquiry and comments this way. Yes I am aware of the obtaining that last 1 % level and this final quest can often be an expensive commitment. All of this is understood. Your Pinto/Cadillac and sports ticket analogies confirm (to me ) you missed my point.

We do agree (I think) that by its very nature judging or determining value, true performance upgrade decisions, getting that final 1% are individually and subjectively rooted. I do believe that generally speaking you get what you have paid for. There are exceptions to this axiom, particularly so in High End audio.

In your case I clearly understand your reasoning and explanation for preferring the Linn over the Lyngdorf, makes perfect sense based on your experience with both. I do not question your choice of the Linn. My only observation is another listener could hear both and choose the Lyngdorf as "their"preference. That simple and nothing more. You could believe that they’re simply fooling themselves yet they may be absolutely genuine in their belief. This is the nature of subjectivity and perception.

Many audiophiles would/could be skeptical and dismissive of Ezra’s finding the Tekton Double Impact SE superior sounding to the "far" more expensive YG Acoustics, Magico and Sonus Faber he has owned. Actually I believe there are those who would flat out reject the very idea and probably question Ezra’s taste and hearing acumen. No way is this possible despite his and teajay’s opinion to the contrary. No way is this possible some would insist vociferously. 

One could say that You and Ezra achieved that coveted 1 % in alternative ways. You by spending more for the Linn and Ezra by spending less for the DI SE relative to his more expensive former speakers. In both cases one could conclude, mission accomplished. Both of you are happy and satisfied with your respective choices. There are without question audio products that occupy different levels of a hierarchy. Most often than not you pay the cost of admission to get there.

Sometimes you can get there without paying this higher rate of admission. In Ezra’s situation this seems to be the happy outcome.
Charles

+Charles1dad.

You demonstrate wisdom in your writing's that I enjoy reading from you. Sometimes we forget that what we hear is subjective at best, and regardless of how much a component costs, someone would always prefer something of a lesser value based on sound alone.  We all hear differently.  Tekton is making dreams come through for some of us who want high-end sound for far less.  BRAVO Tekton!!