Daedalus Ulysses

“Plastic sounding bass” is a bit ambiguous I understand but that’s the term that pops into my mind when I hear Daedalus speakers.  “Synthetic” is another term.  Perhaps this relates to the cone material or perhaps to some unevenness in the response or perhaps some resonances.  I don’t know.  All I know is that I hear this coloration when I listen to Daedalus speakers.  

For some context, my speakers at home use vintage paper cone 15” woofers.  These sound fast and detailed and to my ears are less colored, but they do not go as deep in the bass as Daedalus woofers.  

I am not surprised that a number of Daedalus owners disagree with my characterization.  As I said before, many people love Daedalus speakers, but some do not.

My suggestion is that you listen carefully to a pair of Daedalus speakers (any model) before deciding to buy the Ulysses.  If you aren’t bothered by the bass, then you will likely love the Ulysses.  But if you do hear problems, you can expect to hear them in the Ulysses too.

That’s the Cliff Notes version.

If it is of any help, I also listened to these speakers at Capital Audio Fest over the weekend. I went a few times just to check if it was a source material or maybe something related to me at that moment that was not right. It seemed that people listening were very pleased. However, for me that was the room with the sound I really did not want to hear. I agree with salectric's posts to the last letter. It was not the sound I could get used to or start appreciating over time. Obviously, careful listening before buying is a must but I think this, in fact, can be figured out after a few minutes. If you have a Daedalus receptor, they will be golden. If you do not, skip them.

If anyone is looking to purchase a pair of Daedalus Ulysses speakers someone on UsMart is selling for $6500. You can get the final v2 upgrade for $2500 and pretty much have a $20k pair of speakers for $9k. Just wanted to put that out there.

Well, I know @salectric ’s tastes (he’s a good customer) and I get what he’s saying.
Take both his and my comments with a grain of salt. I’ve never heard anything that moved me the way an alnico 15" Altec woofer does.

I have to however, maintain at least one "mainstream" listening room for my clients, and the Ulysses fill the bill nicely.

My Ulysses are quite a few years old and are updated only to the point of the polyester cap replacement. I run them with the maple base plate but without that silly riser box for reasons stated earlier. I found the maple base plate to work better in my room than the outrigger feet Lou started supplying. Different rooms / different strokes.

I’ve run them with as low as a very weak 2A3 amplifier (Serious Stereo ... more like a 45 in terms of output - 1w), and am currently driving them with my NiWatt 300B amplifiers.

While they’re nowhere near the claimed 96dB, they’re an easy drive for a tube amplifier. If I were to guess, I’d say they’re a real world 92dB.

They are not imaging champs, but they do OK in this regard.

Tonally, I’d say they have a BBC balance, which is why many would say they don’t have an extended top end. They’re a very fatigue free speaker that delivers the goods, with plenty of insight into the musical performance. If you’re not unraveling complex musical lines through your Ulysses, then something else is wrong with your system.

Lou Hinkley is one of the good guys in hi-fi.

Do I prefer a serious pair of horns with a 15" driver? You bet, but then again, I’m in the minority with respect to most tastes.

Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier Design