Daedalus

With my experience limited to shows, a short audition at Lou's workshop and an extended weekend home audition; I agree with the impressions of the other Daedalus owners and would add a couple of my own.

In MY system, the Ulysses' had plenty of high quality bass. I was impressed by the ability to follow the bass line but if you're looking for the last 1/2 octave with a 'physical' presence, this speaker may not be for you.

I would agree that the house sound does not emphasize pinpoint imaging. However, I found the imaging very natural and not hyperdetailed, which for me is fatiguing.

The noise floor was clearly lowered in my system.

People who are less enthusiastic about the brand would cite potential integration issues related to the use of multiple drivers. I did not detect this problem in my relatively small room, but can only speak to this with the Ulysses and not to any of the other speakers in the Daedalus line.

Hi everyone,

Just a quick update on my previous post. I ended up purchasing a beautiful pair of Daedalus Ulysses' with cherry finish. The woodworking is drop dead gorgeous. Most importantly, the sound is divine. As others have noted, the sound is quite natural. Instrumental timbres, especially acoustic instruments, are lovely and accurate. The bass is high quality and very natural. However, you don't get the last 1/2 octave. The overally frequency balance is very accurate.

Where these speakers really stand out when compared to other box enclosures is the outstanding dynamic range. IMO, this is critical to accurately reproduce music and the Daedalus have a relaxed, wide dynamic range typically associated with horns or other high efficiency systems. This attribute doesn't overwhelm the listener, rather it makes you aware of how it is often lacking in other designs.

I recently auditioned a number of amplifiers and it was striking how the Ulysses' provided a window on what was happening upstream. The invidual characteristics of the amplifiers were easy to discern. I agree with Lou's assessment that despite the relatively high sensitivity, the speakers like amps with lots of current and a relatively high damping factor.

I am very pleased...

Barrelchief,

Thanks. It's good to be in the club!

I auditioned the DA-RMa and Ulysses at Lou's workshop. Obviously, this was a limited audition in an unfamilar system. For me, the increased refinement and authority were worth the difference in price and I bought the Ulysses.

Just my 2 pennies...I think that the two recent reviews of Daedalus in Stereo Times and Bound For Sound offer a pretty accurate appraisal of the Daedalus 'house sound'. Obviously, Lou's aesthetic appealed more to the reviewer at Stereo Times. That's to be expected.

We all interact with music as individuals in our own unique way. I have friends who are thrilled with their planar and horn speakers, but to my ear, those particular strengths and compromises are not my personal choice. That in no way invalidates either approach. In my experience, as you move up the food chain, all of the equipment seems to converge toward a uniform 'truth'. Different designers seem to approach it in their singular way. It sure makes this hobby a lot of fun.

Barrelchief,

Sorry I missed your previous post...

I ended up with the Einstein Light In Dark amplifier purchased through Lee Island Audio. The stock amplifier is wonderful but tube rolling takes things to a different level. Currently I have Amperex NOS tubes and dying to try either Siemens CCa or Telefunkens when funds allow.

At its price, the ModWright is excellent with the Daedalus. I know another Ulysses owner who is delighted with Atmasphere M-60 amps.

This weekend, Lou upgraded my speakers with Cardas binding posts which are heartily recommended.

Just wanted to let everyone know that I have found two highly effective 'tweaks' to the Ulysses that work well separately but even better in combination.

Lou can make up a layered maple slab that sits between the speaker and the stand. (I also removed the plinth that came with the stand.) This is very effective at resonance control and in my system, lowered the noise floor and low level distortion. An additional benefit was improved low frequency extension. This costs ~$200-$250 and is a 'no brainer' upgrade.

After discussion with Lou, I ordered EquaRack low profile footers. I was already familiar with EquaRack's products as an extremely happy owner of two EquaRack equipment stands.

After trying multiple permutations, the best sound comes with the following combination: speaker-maple slab-footers-stand. This was another significant improvement, primarily in image focus and detail retrieval. I would ascribe the improvement more to improved isolation of the speaker. A buddy of mine commented that "the speakers have a better grip on the music" which is a good descriptor. And yes, there was definite synergy with both the footers and maple slab. Low frequency extension and authority was improved. The bass is now visceral. High frequency sibilance has been eliminated. The EquaRack system is not cheap (~$900) but well worth the expense. I have not tried other similar isolation products, so here's hoping someone else will try and report their results.

The improvements do not compromise the fundamental Daedalus 'house sound'. It sounds like a Daedalus, only better! Here's my rationalization for giving this a try (and as Woody Allen says, we all need one good rationalization to make it through the day), if I had auditioned the base Ulysses system and the 'tweaked' Ulysses, I would have happily paid the difference.

Ooops! The maple block is ~$300...sorry for any confusion.

The ModWright equipment works quite well with Daedalus speakers. I have no experience with the others on your list.

Congratulations. Like you, I consider my Daedalus speakers my 'last' speakers. You'll love working with Lou.