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Tekton Double Impacts

Anybody out there heard these??

I have dedicated audio room 14.5x20.5x9 ft.  Currently have Marantz Reference CD/Intergrated paired to Magnepan 1.7's with REL T-7 subs.  For the vast majority of music I love this system.  The only nit pick is that it is lacking/limited in covering say below 35 hz or so.  For the first time actually buzzed the panel with an organ sacd. Bummer.  Thought of upgrading subs to rythmicks but then I will need to high pass the 1.7's.  Really don't want to deal with that approach.

Enter the Double Impacts.  Many interesting things here.  Would certainly have a different set of strengths here.  Dynamics, claimed bottom octave coverage in one package, suspect a good match to current electronics.

I've read all the threads here so we do not need to rehash that.  Just wondering if others out there have FIRST HAND experience with these or other Tekton speakers

Thanks.
corelli
aricaudio's avatar
aricaudio
273 posts
 
@charles1dad  It would seem similar to the issues when doing push pull in that one tube will either be pushing or pulling harder than the other. One way to avoid this is using matched tubes, or to have a variable bias for each tube (instead of a balancing pot used in many push pull design). However I do see that using closely matched tubes would help, although once they burn in their specs will drift somewhat and not always in the same way. By having a separate bias adjust for each tube you could fine tune the current each one is drawing. One drawback however to parallel SE is the double current requirements for filaments and the high voltage requirements. Best, Aric
aricaudio's avatar
aricaudio
273 posts
 
@sbayne The 6B4G does not seem hard to work with. It would appear to require a bit more of a swing at the grid to drive to full output than say a 2A3, but isn't anything difficult to achieve. It also requires similar voltages and output transformer. As far as keeping the amp quiet (hum free), following good grounding and chassis isolation techniques as well as a choke-filtered power supply should keep it silent. I don't have hum issues with any of my single ended amplifiers after learning good layout and grounding techniques. Aric
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,249 posts
 
Aric, 
Thanks for the reply.  Yes,  eventual "drifting"-of matched tubes was the concern. Your solution of having separate bias control for each output tube seems as though it would solve that problem. Aric regarding hum  are you a proponent of DC heating versus AC heating in low power SETs  or is either acceptable to you?
Charles
sbayne's avatar
sbayne
492 posts
 
Aric - ditto Charles’ question and was what I was trying to get at previously regarding hum. AC or DC heating? Thanks, Scott
aricaudio's avatar
aricaudio
273 posts
 
@charles1dad  and @sbayne -  With regards to AC or DC. With Pentodes, tight twisting and layout of AC filaments can reduce all but the slightest of "ear to the speaker" hum. With Triodes, the 2A3 seems receptive to AC using good layout. However larger magnetic fields are induced with higher voltage and/or current filaments tubes (like the 845 which I would only use DC for the filaments). It seems the 6B4G (requiring 6.3 volts at 1 amp), would be a good candidate for AC heaters (since the draw and field is not large- even the KT series tubes get by with AC- and they draw almost twice the current). AC seems just a hair more "lively" in my opinion. That said, a good, simple circuit with respect to layout/lead dress, and using good quality parts in the signal path, and a good driver stage- should still yield a very lively system. Aric
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