@rmd1114 out of the box the Ulf’s were showing potential but they were like a puppy that was eager to please but the coordination wasn’t quite there. As they were breaking in ,I had to occasionally move them to get the stereo image I was looking for. All told I think I had about 100 hours on them before I was completely satisfied. Once they reached that point they literally disappear. One of my buddies was shocked at the soundstage stating “I didn’t think a speaker that big could disappear like that”. Also once they are broken in and you know how they sound, they will very quickly tell you whether any changes you make upstream are a positive or a negative.
What have other owners of Tekton Design Ulfberht Speakers discovered?
Now that I have lived with the Ulfberht's for close to a year I would like to share some assumptions about them with GON members, and see what conclusions that other Ulfberht's owners have come to based on their listening experiences.
There is no doubt in my mind that the Ulfberht's are the most lifelike and musical speaker I have ever had in my reference system. To think that a seven foot 21 driver speaker completely disappears in a totally accurate sound-stage, (how large or small is based on the recording) like a small two way monitor is still a remarkable feat, indeed. Many listeners to my home find it hard to believe how cohesive they are top to bottom and speak with "one voice". Many large speakers can do "big" power music, but sound "big" on all music. They can also blow out of proportion the size of individual players. Not the Ulfberht's, they present any music in a natural manner, never exaggerating anything out of proportion. Other special qualities of this speaker is it's overall "ease/effortlessness" regardless of volume levels, thunderous dynamics, its ability to pressurize the room with deep accurate bass frequencies and a sense of "aliveness" that you find in live music.
Some guidelines to optimism the Ulfberht's performance:
1) Get them at least four feet off the front wall and two/three feet off the side walls. My dear friend Ezra has his pair in a relatively small space, yet they sound beautiful. Still, his pair is about five feet off the front wall and two feet off the side walls.
2) I believe in most rooms a very slight toe-in gets you the the best center image, without narrowing the width of the sound-stage at all. The center tweeter should aim just on the outside of your head at your listening position.
3) Just like all Tekton Design speakers the Ulfberht's are a conduit, anything you put into them you will hear it. Be prepared to use the finest source and amplification to tailor the sound of your system to your personal taste.
4) Even though the Ulfberht's are an easy speaker to drive, they love high current amplifiers to get the best out of them. Right now, I have in for review a brand new model from Coda Technologies called the Number#8, beautiful looking with blue lighted meters, which has the current capability of 150 Amperes on a peak! Without a doubt the Coda Number#8 is a superlative amplifier, you will get all the details when I write the review for hometheaterreview.com, and might be the best amplifier that has ever driven my pair of Ulberht's. I have have tried six highly regarded amplifiers, they are all excellent in their own right and sounded great on the Ulberht's. However, the synergy with the Ulf's is very special in many ways.
There is no doubt in my mind that the Ulfberht's are the most lifelike and musical speaker I have ever had in my reference system. To think that a seven foot 21 driver speaker completely disappears in a totally accurate sound-stage, (how large or small is based on the recording) like a small two way monitor is still a remarkable feat, indeed. Many listeners to my home find it hard to believe how cohesive they are top to bottom and speak with "one voice". Many large speakers can do "big" power music, but sound "big" on all music. They can also blow out of proportion the size of individual players. Not the Ulfberht's, they present any music in a natural manner, never exaggerating anything out of proportion. Other special qualities of this speaker is it's overall "ease/effortlessness" regardless of volume levels, thunderous dynamics, its ability to pressurize the room with deep accurate bass frequencies and a sense of "aliveness" that you find in live music.
Some guidelines to optimism the Ulfberht's performance:
1) Get them at least four feet off the front wall and two/three feet off the side walls. My dear friend Ezra has his pair in a relatively small space, yet they sound beautiful. Still, his pair is about five feet off the front wall and two feet off the side walls.
2) I believe in most rooms a very slight toe-in gets you the the best center image, without narrowing the width of the sound-stage at all. The center tweeter should aim just on the outside of your head at your listening position.
3) Just like all Tekton Design speakers the Ulfberht's are a conduit, anything you put into them you will hear it. Be prepared to use the finest source and amplification to tailor the sound of your system to your personal taste.
4) Even though the Ulfberht's are an easy speaker to drive, they love high current amplifiers to get the best out of them. Right now, I have in for review a brand new model from Coda Technologies called the Number#8, beautiful looking with blue lighted meters, which has the current capability of 150 Amperes on a peak! Without a doubt the Coda Number#8 is a superlative amplifier, you will get all the details when I write the review for hometheaterreview.com, and might be the best amplifier that has ever driven my pair of Ulberht's. I have have tried six highly regarded amplifiers, they are all excellent in their own right and sounded great on the Ulberht's. However, the synergy with the Ulf's is very special in many ways.
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- 49 posts total
- 49 posts total