Looking at Tekton Double impacts SE. Anybody have any experience with them?

[Ridire Fáin]

Now that Thiel is no longer. I am exploring the idea of trading in my 3.6s while they are in peak working condition and move onto a company that is currently producing product.
I have been searching for something that has similar bang for the buck audio credentials. I do not have the $20 k for the Wilson's or B&W models I would like to replace them with. Budget is $10.5 k. There is a lot to choose from in this category but to be frank I do not like spending money on any speaker that cannot get down to 25 hertz. I do not have room for sub nor like sub sat type of setups. God I miss the days of Dunlavy where speaker manufactures were not afraid to make a big speaker that could put out some bass. Full range for me the primary criteria. I am exploring systems that can get in there and reproduce a 16hz organ note. I like Bach's organ fugues so I want bass output that makes the house rattle.

I am a bass head. I listen not only to Organ music, but also Bass centered Jazz, like Stanley Clarke and Marcus Miller. Primarily listen to Heavy Metal/Rock band like Elysion, Evanescence, Lacuna Coil, Unsum etc. Also I like world music like Japanese Taiko Drum, Electronic, Dance, and Dubstep. There are also listening sessions with singer song writer stuff, acoustic guitar, and chamber music.

Speaker cannot be over 15 1/2 inches wide. Can work fairly well being close to the wall. Have decent spousal acceptance. I have not made any decision yet. Of all the things I like and don't like in a speaker, I do not expect that there is the perfect one. However, with all the advances made in last decade or so, I do expect to find an over achieving big bang for the buck product.

One brand I have keen interested in but no way to audition is the Tekton Double Impact SE.
It is intriguing because at $6500.00 a pair they are very friendly on my budget, and offer the frequency range I am looking for. Anybody have experience with it and can give some insight to their clarity and detail?

The concern I have is that with 11 drivers how do the Tektons fair in terms of reliability? (I ask this because they seem to use drivers made out of cheaper materials compared to the brands I am looking at. IE Doped Paper Cones instead of Kevlar) In addition, with so many of them installed has any one had issue with them failing.
Will they offer the resolution and inner detail I am looking for. Which is why I am looking at B&W and Legacy product. I do not expect that they will sound the same, but will they bring out the inner nuance of a singer's/musician's performance? I am used to Thiel's after all, and do not want to take a step backwards on resolution.
In short, these thing look like they are done on the cheap, and scare me a bit.
Therefor I could use any insights on how decent a product they are compared to the offerings I have noted below. Especially since I would have purchase them unseen and unheard.

The second questions I have, is of the locally available speaker I am most leaning towards. Has anyone have insights on the Golden Ear Triton reference? If I move forward with those instead of the Tekton's would I be missing an opportunity to obtain something that can perform equally well for $6500.00 with no tax versus significantly more expensive system?
Is there something else I should consider? (Recommendation needs to get down below 25 hz.)

Pertinent detail:
Amplification used is an BAT VK500.

Notes on brands I have listened to so far:
B&W 804:
My bride hates the look
Great midrange, upper bass, and airy treble.
Rich and velvety
Does not move enough air to give me the punch I am looking for.

Legacy Audio Focus SE.
Highest Spousal acceptance factor.
Crisp effervescent sound.
Plenty of bass.
Lots of air and inner detail
Bass and treble are very prominent and seem to be more forward than the midrange.
Heaviest at 139 lbs.
The finish I want is out of budget.
Most expensive choice.

Legacy Signature SE.
Sound a lot like my Thiel's
Almost exactly the same size an weight as my Thiel will fit in my space without issues.
Bass is tight fast and clean but does not hit with the same impact the Focus does.
Is it a step up from the Thieles or will they be more of the same?

Golden Ear Triton reference.
Spouse not so exited about the looks. Leary of the tall size. They are OK
Most neutral offering that I have heard so far.
Airy treble, clean midrange, authorative bass.
Not as punchy and dynamic as the Focus.
Crisp presentation while not being so bubbly
It will be a hassle to run power cables along with speaker wire.
Since they are the thinnest of the lot will fit well in my narrow space.


Thanks all for your time and trouble.

 

[Kvn_Walker]

Unless you are hell bent on buying new, you should consider the previous generation Legacy Focus or Sigs that had 3 woofers instead of 2. Both of those could dig below 25Hz. Keep in mind that most large speakers are rear ported so that will affect how close to the wall you can reasonably place them.

You ought to contact Jim Salk about the Soundscape 8’s. I’m sure he would gladly give you real-world measurements on those, and his speakers are all priced well below what anyone else would sell them for.

I have a couple other things in mind but I’m running late for work as it is. More later!

 

[Kvn_Walker]

I can't find a review with measurements of the Tekton DI's. but their fan base is legion. For all the reading I've done (and I was considering them once upon a time as well) there seems a chance that they might not measure well, and their specs might be inflated, but they will be pleasing to the ear. (which is all that matters, really) They certainly have a large enough box to get the most out of those dual 10's! Also rear ported though, so keep that in mind.

If you dare to tread the Audiogon waters, there's a huge following and maybe one of the forum members actually has measured the bass extention.

 

[ryanosaur]

Hi. I was very close to visiting Tekton in UT. SE was a little too rich for me, but thought the Upgraded Double Impact was right on. My biggest concern was echoed in post 3: no test bench results to see any hint of actual performance, and a slightly dinged reputation for the one speaker that did get tested in the DI Monitor. For me, potentially buying a 7.2 rig was too big a gamble at the price I would’ve spent.
That said, I know one guy here that was doubling down on Tekton and buying DI’s to replace his old Pen’s up front, moving those back to surround duty.
*shrugs
If you can go to UT and listen first. Do it. I couldn’t make the trip due to scheduling. And then....

I was offered an invitation to hear the Philharmonic Audio Phil-3s in a private residence near me. I ordered mine almost immediately! They got your bass! They can’t necessarily give you 16hz, but an excerpt of Saint Sean was beyond respectable, it was felt. 2 channel only on a First Watt 30w amp! Other bass tests I gave them were likewise reproduced stunningly and effortlessly. Beyond that, piano, both male and female vocal, saxophone: hell, everything sounded like it should, like I was there. (I should know cos I saw Nick Cave and his Piano perform at the Palace of Fine Arts in SF... and I used a test song that was just him and piano.)

You ought to contact Jim Salk about the Soundscape 8’s. I’m sure he would gladly give you real-world measurements on those, and his speakers are all priced well below what anyone else would sell them for.

Jim builds the cabinets for Dennis/Philharmonic audio. His cabinet work is supposed to be stellar. If I could have afforded his SS7, SS8 or Veracity HT3, I very well might have gone for that.
Regardless, the Phil-3 transmission line terminates at a top port on the lower box and Dennis readily said I could place these flat on the wall if I wanted. The tweeter/mid cabinet is open backed, but due to speaker design sits ~1ft from the wall: no problem there.
Last thing I will add is that Dennis also designed many of Jim’s speakers, and by all accounts his crossover work is remarkable.
At the end of the day, several people have opined that the Phil-3s are severely underpriced by at least half. I agree.

 

[ryanosaur]

Meant to ask where you're at?
Dennis is in Maryland near DC, and Salk is in Michigan. Dennis was able to arrange my audition of the Phil-3 with his client.

 

[Kvn_Walker]

I'm 5 days into my first transmission line experience and it does defy belief. I plan to play with some test tones tonight when I get home, to see how low they can audibly play.

 

[Swerd]

Budget is $10.5 k. There is a lot to choose from in this category but to be frank I do not like spending money any speaker that cannot get down to 25 hertz.

Full range for me the primary criteria. I am exploring systems that can get in there and reproduce a 16hz organ note. I like Bach's organ fugues so I want bass output that make the house rattle.

Speaker cannot be over 15 1/2 inches wide. Can work fairly well being close to the wall. Have decent spousal acceptance.

Will they offer the resolution and inner detail I am looking for. Which is why I am looking at B&W and Legacy product. I do not expect that they will sound the same, but will they bring out the inner nuance of a singer's/musician's performance? I am used to Thiel's after all, and do not want to take a step backwards on resolution.

I fully agree with the posts above that recommend either the Philharmonic 3 by Philharmonic Audio, or the Salk SoundScape 8. They meet all your criteria in bass slam, mid range detail, size, price, and spousal acceptance factor.

Although these two speakers sell at different prices, both are well below $10.5k. Both were designed by Dennis Murphy and they share a number of features. I've heard both and they're tied for my all-time-favorite speaker. It comes down to cabinet appearances. Jim Salk's cabinet finish work results in the best looking woodwork I've ever seen among any speakers or among any type of furniture. The Phil 3 design goes for a more modern look, while the SS8 is more classic.

Both achieve an honest 25 Hz with 100-125 wpc amps. Yours (250 wpc?) should do just fine.

Dennis Murphy owns Philharmonic Audio, and he closely collaborates with Salk. Now Salk builds the cabinets for the Phil 3. Hint: Salk will do custom veneers and finishes. He is expert at custom dyes that match a customer's existing furniture or color scheme. Let him talk with your wife.

 

[Swerd]

In my post above, I forgot to say that Dennis Murphy's crossover designs and driver selections all feature as nearly a flawless mid range sound as I've heard. His crossovers have a flat frequency response across the range where both drivers play. This results in natural sounding voices and instruments that widely disperse sound in a room without dips, peaks, or unwanted resonances. His crossovers are phase correct, and he takes great effort to make their roll-off slopes on either side of the crossover frequency as symmetrical as possible. To my ears, this results in the allusion that musicians sit in the room, outside the speaker cabinets. They aren't the only speakers that do this. So do Thiels. But, in my opinion, Dennis Murphy-designed speakers do this exceptionally well.

In addition, both the Phil3 and SS8 speakers feature a mid range driver inside a cabinet that has sides, but is open at the back. The owner can vary the stuffing behind the mid range, or close it completely, to vary the amount of rear wave that reflects off the wall behind the speaker. This has the effect of varying the apparent depth of sound stage that the listener hears. The owner gets to choose what he likes while also allowing a wide range of choices for speaker position within a room. I know of no other commercial speaker that does this.

 

[ryanosaur]

Jim Salk's cabinet finish work results in the best looking woodwork I've ever seen among any speakers or among any type of furniture.

Indeed! If you have any interest, Ridire, look at the gallery page on Salk’s website. Just the photos alone were enough to make me consider maxing out a credit card!
I will say that through Dennis, to get Jim’s standard finish work, there is a very small upcharge considering work being done.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Salk's SoundScape 8's are best speakers by far I've heard at any price point. That includes even Wilson Audio Maxx3 [100k]

 

[JerryLove]

I've owned and listened to a *lot*. At the high end of ownership would include products like the B&W 801 Nautilus s, and at the high end of extended listening the McIntosh XRT2k.

I've also had the opportunity to hear several different Salks (and I own Phil 2s)

My favorite speakers are my Salks (SCSTs). Truthfully, I'm not sure how much I'd even want to move myself up the chain from there as I pair with a sub (this is the 802+Sub > 800 without B&W argument). They are by far the most beautiful, and tied with other extremely flat speakers for sound (reminding me of my 801 matrix and Infinity RSIIIb in all but LF extension).

[FWIW: the XRT2k was beautiful until you got to upper frequencies. I think that once the frequencies became localizeable beyond a certain level, the fact that the size of the line array was larger than the imaging size caused them to sound "oddly diffuse". ]

I am not personally a huge fan of the shape of the Phil2/3, preferring the less-deep towers of the Salks; but you do get a very similar sound.

 

[ryanosaur]

I am not personally a huge fan of the shape of the Phil2/3

Ya... when I first saw them... but after hearing, and getting a Midnght Blue Dye on Curly Maple ordered up... now I just have to wait.

 

[Swerd]

Ya... when I first saw them... but after hearing…

I don't know what could be more convincing testimony .

Besides, the OP is used to the appearance of Thiel 3.6s

 

[Dennis Murphy]

Ya... when I first saw them... but after hearing, and getting a Midnght Blue Dye on Curly Maple ordered up... now I just have to wait.

I have a pair of 3's in midnight blue dye on Curly Maple, along with BMR's in the same finish, arriving from Jim fairly shortly. No--they're not yours. But I will send you pics. I'm not sure whether that will make the wait more or less painful.

 

[Swerd]

My favorite speakers are my Salks (SCSTs)…

I am not personally a huge fan of the shape of the Phil2/3, preferring the less-deep towers of the Salks; but you do get a very similar sound.

Hey JerryLove! It's been a long time since you were here. Good to see you back.

I know what you mean about those Salk towers. About two years ago, I got Salk Veracity STs, very similar to your SCST towers. I hadn't mentioned them because of the OP's interest in speakers capable of deeper bass.

 

[ryanosaur]

I have a pair of 3's in midnight blue dye on Curly Maple, along with BMR's in the same finish, arriving from Jim fairly shortly. No--they're not yours. But I will send you pics. I'm not sure whether that will make the wait more or less painful.

Probably more, because I really wanted to get the BMRs premiumed! It's bad enough that I have to wait on the Raals! But I still don't have my AVR, so... We good!

 

[JerryLove]

Hey JerryLove! It's been a long time since you were here. Good to see you back.

I know what you mean about those Salk towers. About two years ago, I got Salk Veracity STs, very similar to your SCST towers. I hadn't mentioned them because of the OP's interest in speakers capable of deeper bass.

Deaths, births, relocation.... life sometimes pops up.

Building a proper HT now. Figured it was a good excuse to come look/post around.

 

[Ridire Fáin]

Meant to ask where you're at?
Dennis is in Maryland near DC, and Salk is in Michigan. Dennis was able to arrange my audition of the Phil-3 with his client.

Midwest 1 hour 40 minutes from Minneapolis, Green Bay 3 and 1/2, Madison 5 hours. Chicago is too far.

 

[Ridire Fáin]

Now that Thiel is no longer. I am exploring the idea of trading in my 3.6 while they are in peak working condition and move onto a company that is currently producing product.
I have been searching for something that has similar bang for the buck audio credentials. I do not have the $20 k for the Wilson's or B&W models I would like to replace them with. Budget is $10.5 k. There is a lot to choose from in this category but to be frank I do not like spending money any speaker that cannot get down to 25 hertz. I do not have room for sub nor like sub sat type of setups. God I miss the days of Dunlavy where speaker manufactures were not afraid to make a big speaker that could put out some bass. Full range for me the primary criteria. I am exploring systems that can get in there and reproduce a 16hz organ note. I like Bach's organ fugues so I want bass output that makes the house rattle.

I am a bass head. I listen not only to Organ music, but also Bass centered Jazz, like Stanley Clarke and Marcus Miller. Primarily listen to Heavy Metal/Rock band like Elysion, Evanescence, Lacuna Coil, Unsum etc. Also I like world music like Japanese Taiko Drum, Electronic, Dance, and Dubstep. There are also listening sessions with singer song writer stuff, acoustic guitar, and chamber music.

Speaker cannot be over 15 1/2 inches wide. Can work fairly well being close to the wall. Have decent spousal acceptance. I have not made any decision yet. Of all the things I like and don't like in a speaker, I do not expect that there is the perfect one. However, with all the advances made in last decade or so, I do expect to find an over achieving big bang for the buck product.

One brand I have keen interested in but no way to audition is the Tekton Double Impact SE.
It is intriguing because at $6500.00 a pair they are very friendly on my budget, and offer the frequency range I am looking for. Anybody have experience with it and can give some insight to their clarity and detail?

The concern I have is that with 11 drivers how do the Tektons fair in terms of reliability? (I ask this because they seem to use drivers made out of cheaper materials compared to the brands I am looking at. IE Doped Paper Cones instead of Kevlar) In addition, with so many of them installed has any one had issue with them failing.
Will they offer the resolution and inner detail I am looking for. Which is why I am looking at B&W and Legacy product. I do not expect that they will sound the same, but will they bring out the inner nuance of a singer's/musician's performance? I am used to Thiel's after all, and do not want to take a step backwards on resolution.
In short, these thing look like they are done on the cheap, and scare me a bit.
Therefor I could use any insights on how decent a product they are compared to the offerings I have noted below. Especially since I would have purchase them unseen and unheard.

The second questions I have, is of the locally available speaker I am most leaning towards. Has anyone have insights on the Golden Ear Triton reference? If I move forward with those instead of the Tekton's would I be missing an opportunity to obtain something that can perform equally well for $6500.00 with no tax versus significantly more expensive system?
Is there something else I should consider? (Recommendation needs to get down below 25 hz.)

Pertinent detail:
Amplification used is an BAT VK500.

Notes on brands I have listened to so far:
B&W 804:
My bride hates the look
Great midrange, upper bass, and airy treble.
Rich and velvety
Does not move enough air to give me the punch I am looking for.

Legacy Audio Focus SE.
Highest Spousal acceptance factor.
Crisp effervescent sound.
Plenty of bass.
Lots of air and inner detail
Bass and treble are very prominent and seem to be more forward than the midrange.
Heaviest at 139 lbs.
The finish I want is out of budget.
Most expensive choice.

Legacy Signature SE.
Sound a lot like my Thiel's
Almost exactly the same size an weight as my Thiel will fit in my space without issues.
Bass is tight fast and clean but does not hit with the same impact the Focus does.
Is it a step up from the Thieles or will they be more of the same?

Golden Ear Triton reference.
Spouse not so exited about the looks. Leary of the tall size. They are OK
Most neutral offering that I have heard so far.
Airy treble, clean midrange, authorative bass.
Not as punchy and dynamic as the Focus.
Crisp presentation while not being so bubbly
It will be a hassle to run power cables along with speaker wire.
Since they are the thinnest of the lot will fit well in my narrow space.


Thanks all for your time and trouble.

Thanks all for the wonderful input. Salk's where not on the radar until now. The Phil 3 would work if I were single. I like the price but my bride hates the "BUTT".

 

[ryanosaur]

Thanks all for the wonderful input. Salk's where not on the radar until now. The Phil 3 wood work if I were single. I like the price but my bride hates the "BUTT".

Baby got some back, all right, and she can drop it low! Which is to say... Yup, but that Bass!
Seems like you're an SS8 kinda guy!
Happy Hunting, Ridire!