Tekton Double Impact & Comb Filtering


Like many of you, I have been pondering purchasing these speakers but am very curious about the unusual tweeter array. I asked the smartest speaker person that I know (he is a student of Sean Olive) about the design and below is what he had to say.   

"In theory it could work, but the driver spacing means that the crossover point would need to be very low.
He is using the SB acoustics tweeter which is 72mm in diameter, center to center on the outside opposing drivers is around 5.7 inches, which is about 2400Hz. This means that combing would stop between 1/4 to 1/2 of the wavelength (between 1200-600Hz) is where the outside tweeters should start playing nice with each other.
Since he is not using low enough crossover points he has created a comb filtering monster. Now while it's not the great point source that was promised, it's no worse than most line arrays and the combing will average itself out given enough listening distance.

The MTM spacing on the other hand is ridiculous. Hopefully he is cutting the top end off on one of those midrange drivers to avoid combing."

seanheis1
james_w514,

"Insult an Audio Note product to a fan boy if you really want to deal with conflict"

You got that right +1.

Kenny.

stfoth:

The Dis can be placed quite close to the wall if you place some kind of absorbent material behind the two ports. I am using custom built wall panels that do the trick because they remove first-order reflections that fight with/confuse the direct speaker's output ("Muddies"). Drapes or a pillow also work.

The DI tweeter array is remarkable for a clean yet smooth result and allows for realistic images at any volume level. My setup is in a fairly large room and the bass response is so good down to 20 hz that I roll a little off through the plugin ApQualyzr. SACDs sound incredibly accurate for bass timbres - orchestral double basses punch very hard.

KDude66:

Your measurement of 95db at 1 watt confirms Eric's 98db figure at 2.83; the difference between the two is supposed to be 3 db.

Regardless, the DIs are very efficient and you can plug any amp into them and hear the power.


Mofojo, more insults from the cheap seats, at least come up with some good ones!   My critiques don't require ownership.  They are as ugly as sin.  They employ false advertising in the specs.  The cabinet's squarish design is resulting in expecting cabinet resonances.  Stereophile measures 4 big peaks.  That's poor speaker design, plain and simple.

I would never buy such a collection of compromises.  The comb filtering thing is ridiculous in a modern speaker.   $3000 is a complete rip off, but Bose sold junk to suckers for many years before people got wise to those little cube home theater nonsense speakers.  

I expect in a couple of years, unless Tekton gets serious about speaker design, the latest flavor of the month will be up for sale in the used marketplace in droves.   Too bad that marketing and the lemming instincts of the internet herd can cause such a waste of money.


Here's a Happiness Vitamin, Audiophile Version:

From Ranker: " Music is often the best way to express happiness or joy over something you can't stop smiling about. Most happy songs have to do with a relationship, but others celebrate the simple happiness of feeling good in day to day life. This is a ranked list of the best songs about happiness, as voted on by music fans like you."

The part about 'celebrating the simple happiness of feeling good in day to day life' resonates.

http://www.ranker.com/list/best-songs-about-happiness/reference?var=9&utm_expid=16418821-321.JB5...

We have much to be grateful for.
I did say reviews showed Tekton’s were off on sensitivity. I never said they were bad.

The SB Acoustics ring radiators are highly regarded, and not really that budget, especially 7 at a time! Also, I find the design pretty interesting. It is a near ideal solution of the coaxial speaker problems, if well executed.

I don’t like their looks, but I think most of the theoretical criticisms lobbed at them are unfair. They’re definitely worth a listen to, especially in a real listening room, I suspect they’ll punch far above their cost, especially in the realms of dynamic range and detail/clarity at the listening location, an area where most speakers at any price won't perform as well.

That said, not sure I’d pair them with flea-powered tube amps either. :) Good 100 W amp would be my personal starting point, without hearing them.

Best,


E