Tekton Double Impacts

Craig, sorry to hear of the health issues. I am puzzled...none of our ten (3 to 7 yrs) have ever been to the vet since their initial puppy vaccinations. Our first one lived 14 years with no issues. 

Anyhow, as you said, they are the most loving dogs ever so worth the trouble.

Dave

I wanted to add that I've ordered a Peachtree Nova300 integrated amp to my demo scenario. It should arrive at about the same time as the ZOTL early next week.

All I've done since my last post has been to break-in the DIs by running them 14 hours/day with a highly dynamic CD. I won't do any serious evaluation until all of the amps/pre are in the house.  

Two quick observations to share: 1) the DI sonic signature noticeably changed from right out of the box to about 10-20 hours in, and 2) the DI has a sonic presentation clearly different from the Spatial Triode Master M3 and B&W 702 S2; not "better" to my ears, but just different, and time will tell how affected I am after a focused test.

I didn't really appreciate what the other speakers did until I had the ability to do a quick side-by-side comparative listen. The well-broken-in Spatials are able to deliver a very clever, palpable, convincing, and engaging 3D simulation with my PrimaLuna gear.    

Hi Craig,

I am a registered CKCS breeder with AKC. You are right on that the challenge with this breed is avoiding hereditary health issues. Responsible breeders have their CKCS parent dogs tested for mitral valve disease, eye and knee issues by experts in the field and get certification of health in those areas prior to breeding. Buyers should insist on seeing these documents as well as an AKC-certified bloodline prior to purchasing a pup. This is one reason why this breed is expensive to purchase.

We have indeed been fortunate in that none of our dogs nor their offspring have yet been diagnosed nor exhibited signs of the maladies you mention.

All Cavaliers will eventually develop mitral valve disease due to the lack of detection of this issue in the breeder stock used to re-establish the breed in 1926 due to efforts by Roscoe Eldridge and worsened later by inbreeding following WWII. The goal of good CKCS breeders is to delay the onset of this disease until very late in life so that the dog lives a happy, healthy life.

Syringomelia is a heartbreaking congenital defect (skull is too small for the brain) that is mostly limited to dogs in Europe and is a result of poor breeding practices. Almost nonexistent among well-bred dogs in the US.

Point being there here are issues to vet when selecting a CKCS pup but the breed is not a “Typhoid Mary” by any means. Proper due diligence in selecting a reputable breeder is the key to success.

Apologies to the OP for sidetracking his thread.

Dave

dlcockrum:
Agree with most of your informed description...
...however,
have just had a young female diagnosed with Syringomelia and it is not uncommon in the USA -- roughly 15% of US cavaliers eventually contract this condition. About 95% of Cavaliers have the underlying skull deformity that can or cannot result in the eventual problem.
There are 3 neurological centers in Phoenix devoted significantly to this problem and they make a good deal of money from MRIs. The breeder of the aforementioned female is well known, married to a vet, and claims she has not had another case in 18 years of breeding. She was questioned about this problem extensively before purchase and it still happened.
BTW, the surgical option is laughably bad -- roughly a 40% success rate and frequent recidivism.
AND I echo your comments about sidetracking this thread and will not continue.