I found the DIs rather different than a lot of speakers. The cabinets are crap and at high volumes that empty sound came through. The tweeter mid range array I believe there is something to that. Stringed guitars you could hear every stroke and it was almost physical. Wish I had them to compare with my Focals. Kinda looking for a pair.
There's No Question
I get it. There has been a LOT of hype about Tekton speakers. I also understand why some guys have been disappointed with them. Allow me to qualify for both categories by saying I bought into the hype. I found some of the hype to be real, but I know there are better, or at least more convenient solutions to audio bliss.
I bought my Double Impact speakers after reading and watching every available review. I had been an owner of Magneplanar 1.7i for a couple of years, loved them very much, and there is still a place in my heart for them. I still think they are some of the best sounding speakers you can buy at a very reasonable price. But after well over 2000 hours over two years (and I am not exaggerating), I really needed some bass in my life. The Maggs only do 40hz, which is almost enough for some applications. Naturally a speaker claiming to comfortably accommodate down to 20hz was appealing for this guy. I think it is fair to say that almost no speaker manufacturer claims very far below 30kz.
I make a decent living but am not wealthy. I had noticed the Double Impact speakers as a "hype" ad in a magazine I read, then started really reading the reviews and getting interested. It has always been my goal to build the best sounding system for the least amount of money possible. I am pretty sure most audio enthusiasts and music lovers can at least identify with that. We all started somewhere.
I realize this is an expensive hobby, and the sky is no limit for how much you can get carried away with spending.
The point of me writing now is to inform the naysayers as well as the potential buyers/dreamers about a process. I won't lie. It's an extremely painful process.
I think it is an important reminder that you can take a million dollars worth of equipment, set it up in a room, and it can sound like absolute garbage. It should also be pointed out that less expensive equipment, set up with great attention, can sound significantly better than that million dollars worth of equipment that was set up poorly.
That said, I bought some Tekton Double Impacts with some upgrades. I can tell you that in two different listening rooms my experience has varied from wanting to smash them to pieces with the earliest available sledgehammer, to utmost enjoyment to the point of truly wondering if it could get better, to "YES! That's it!" And back again.
I thought the Magneplanars were difficult to position, and had similar experiences. But after three years of ownership, I can tell you with absolute certainty that the Double Impact speakers are NOT for the newb. They are very, very hard to position optimally. When you get it right you know it down to your toes. When it's OK, you shop for other speakers. When it's bad, there is no measurement for your buyer's remorse.
I really think some people on this forum have been unfair to Tekton. Alexander is good at making speakers. He may not have been born a business man, but he really made some special (not for beginners) speakers. I have found some tweaks and methods that work for me. I have literally built my current listening room around these speakers. Are there better? Sure. More expensive by a long, long, way, but sure. Bang for the buck is in abundance, but only if you have the patience to study about things like parametric wave patterns in relation to your seated position, sound treatments, invest in some better amplification, position, reposition and repeat 30,000 (exaggeration, but not by much) times. The results really can be extraordinary. But you will definitely work for the dollars you save.
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Also intrested in Focals. I have doubts about their capabilities in relation to cost vs. performance comparded to the DI, but I am open to opine. I did take notice of other members' comments as the DI's were "monitors" and I don't disagree. I have first-hand listening experience in a couple of studios with a couple different studio monitors. I can say that the DIs are very much like studio monitors in that they convey any colors injected into the system. I don't have the expertise to lable the DI absolutely neutral, but in my experience with them, they are really pretty neutral. It's the garbage in, garbage out thing you have probably read or heard so many times. When l have them to what I believe to be absolutely right things like Foghat- Fool Fir The City sounds like never before. For example, the bass drum resonance is so strange, like it is also reflecting one of the toms with each stroke. I am also a drummer. Maybe I should have mentioned that, but I didn't think that really was a qualification for what we have been talking about. I am not 100% sure what you mean by "empty sound" but there is a chance I experienced that sound you are describing as "less than interesting." |
@benmeadows My pathway to the DI’s was similar to yours. I transitioned from the Magnepan 1.7’s. I enjoyed that speaker very much. A classic. It did many but not all things well. Unlike you I did not have any issues placing mine. Roughly used the Cardas rule of thirds and then a little fine tuning. I was rewarded with a holographic and precise soundstage. I felt in this regard it was quite superior to the Magnepans. The DI’s are detailed, very neutral, almost full range (solid down to 30hz) as you have noted. A great value and well rounded speaker. Very revealing of upstream gear. Does many things well. As for the cabinet, as my grandmother used to say "to each his own." Ironically, as an amateur woodworker, I admire fine cabinetry. But I was never put off by the satin black cabinet that vanishes in my dimly lit dedicated audio room. A fine cabinet would require a final cost twice that of the DI’s. All the money went into the sound, not the looks. The value of this speaker is rather incredible. If you look at the total cost of the drivers to cost of the finished product (shipped!) I know of no other product in the industry that competes in this regard.
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@benmeadows I've always been a form-follows-function guy myself. |
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