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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
david_ten
5,480 posts
 
@teajay   Do you also have experience with the Townshend Seismic Podiums, and if so how do they compare to your Sistrum Platforms/stands? 
travbrow
276 posts
 
I've had Impact monitors for a couple weeks now. I think they offer very good clarity, resolution and are very efficient, but comparing to my Emerald Physics EP 4.7 the bass is a little unnatural sounding to me. Also I think the EP 4.7 portray the dynamics of music better and better ability to sound non fatiguing at high volumes. At this stage I prefer the soundstaging and imaging of the EP 4.7 also, I guess the open baffle design works better for me in my room, plus I have the ability to customize the response to the room with the DSP unit, which I did.

Anyway, I really like the Tektons but not sure if I will keep them at this stage. 
david_ten
5,480 posts
 
@travbrow Thanks for sharing your very interesting findings. I’ve been curious about a comparison with open baffle speakers (especially the Double Impacts).

In your specific situation, I’m wondering how well one can compare the Impact Monitors with something like the EP 4.7 since they are essentially full range vs a Monitor and the EPs have 15 inch woofers. Are you augmenting the IMs with subwoofers?

Also, what are you using to drive both the EPs and the IMs?

Thank you.
teajay
1,687 posts
 
Hey travbrow,

David Ten asked you the question I'm curious about, what amplifier(s) do you use in your system.  In my reviewing process I have driven the Tektons with SS (Usher 1.5) and tubes (AricAudio SET KT-88) and found that with either amplifier the IM's never become fatiguing at high volume levels at all.  You hear the differences between the two amps because the IM's are quite transparent, but never any harshness at all.  I also find that they offer very good bass that is blended in with the rest of the speakers frequencies in a natural way.
travbrow
276 posts
 
Hi guys, I only tried my Odyssey Extreme SE monoblocks. These are warm to neutral I think campared to other amps I've owned. I have an Emerald Physics EP 100.2 SE that I use for the mids and tweeter of the 4.7, those have more sparkle in the top end that works good for 4.7.

 I did some quick measurements of the Tektons with REW and from close up (about 3 feet) they measure very well from 200 to 20,000hz Within 2.5db.  20 to  200hz there are s some peaks and valleys which is expected. The biggest peak is about 6db at 85hz. Measuring from listening positions things don't measure as well and small changes in mic positions change the response in the upper region quite a bit which is true for all speakers I would think. I can find a mostly flat region at the listening position. Move the mic less than a foot and the highs slop down some. Though it's not a big change in the sound quality.  The 85hz peak is up to 15db out in the room so is probably the bass anomaly I hear. Rooms change bass response quite a bit. 

 I have a pair of DIY 15" Dayton Ultimax subs for HT and to handle the bass below 40hz. I didn't cross over the Tektons yet, just ran them full range with subs filling the bottom octave. I wanted more time on the speakers before I get too wrapped up in messing with sub settings and eq for the bass peak. Plus I would need to use a mini DSP unit, I wanted to hear the speakers first without any kind of digital crossover and correction. 

Also my left ear is sensitive to certain high frequencies (slight tinnitus) so the speakers are probably not the problem and the Emerald Pysics may well be a little rolled of at the frequencies that irritate my tinnitus. 
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