Tekton Design Ulfberht Floorstanding Speaker Reviewed

Published On: October 16, 2017
Last Updated on: October 31, 2020
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Tekton Design Ulfberht Floorstanding Speaker Reviewed

Terry London explores the $12,000/pair Tekton Ulfberht floorstanding speaker--a four-way design that uses a total of 21 drivers, building upon the patented high-frequency driver array that Tekton first introduced in the Double Impact speaker.

Tekton Design Ulfberht Floorstanding Speaker Reviewed

By Author: Terry London

Terry London has always had a great passion for music, especially jazz, and has amassed a collection of over 7,000 CDs covering the history of this uniquely American art form. Even in his teenage years, Terry developed a passion for auditioning different systems and components to see if they could come anywhere close to the sound of live music, and has for the last forty years had great fun and pleasure chasing this illusion in his two-channel home system.
Terry is a practitioner of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy by day, and runs the Chicago Institute for REBT. He has also authored nine books on this of type psychotherapy and education.

The shock wave caused by the release of Tekton Design's Double Impact speaker is still rocking the world of high-end speaker aficionados. As I stated in my review of the $3,000/pair Double Impact, this speaker is a disruptive product because it snaps the ratio of cost to performance to the point of absurdity--completely outperforming my reference speakers, the $18,000/pair Lawrence Audio Cellos. I personally know three other professional reviewers who have put their reference speakers (which average $30,000/pair) in the closet and replaced them with Tekton Design Double Impacts.

In my Double Impact review, I mentioned that Tekton was coming out with a version of the Double Impact called the Special Edition, which would feature significant upgrades in all the drive units and internal parts. However, Tekton owner Eric Alexander had already conceptualized a totally new reference-level model that would allow him to implement his breakthrough design without any cost considerations, and he offered HomeTheaterReview.com the opportunity to be the first to professionally review his new creation. The name of this speaker is the Ulfberht, and it retails for $12,000/pair. The unusual moniker is taken from the name for legendary Viking medieval swords, famous for their strength and their ability to keep their sharp edge during battles.

The patented Ulfberht is a physically imposing speaker that weighs 200 pounds and measures 73 inches high by 16 inches long by 17 inches wide. The pair sent to me for review was finished in a beautiful black piano lacquer with imbedded silver flakes that subtly shine in the right light. The Ulfberht is a four-way design that uses a total of 21 drivers. Starting at the bottom of the front baffle is the highest quality 12-inch woofer that is manufactured by Eminence. Above the woofer is a pair of seven-inch mid-bass patented "overtone & harmonic" bass transducers of Italian origin. Next is a proprietary, patent-pending 15-dome radiating hybrid MTM high-frequency array of Scan-Speak drivers from Denmark. They are larger domes with extremely low resonance frequencies, and they are highly efficient. Flanking this array are four small vents. Another pair of mid-bass drivers followed by a 12-inch woofer takes you to the highest point of the front baffle.

On the back of the Ulfberht are two twin ports to vent the woofers and two pairs of high-quality speaker wire terminals for bi-wiring. Finally, there's a pair of terminals that accept differently rated resistors, if you want to change the performance of the highest frequencies when using a rather "hot" sounding amplifier. Because the high-end frequencies always sounded sweet and natural, I never had to use any resistors with the many solid-state and tube amplifiers I used while auditioning the Ulfberht. Its frequency range is 20 Hz to 30 kHz, with a sensitivity of 99 dB and an average impedance of four ohms. This means that virtually any amplifier can drive the Ulfberht Speakers to tremendously high volume levels in any sized acoustic space. All crossover parts are hand sourced by Eric, and he is very proud of the "pure minimum phase" crossover design throughout the entire midrange.

Tekton-Ulfberht-top.jpgThe Hookup
The pair of Ulfberht Speakers arrived strapped to a large, heavy wooden platform in a very intelligently designed double crate with internal padding to keep the speakers pristine during shipping. Because of the sheer bulk of these massive speakers, I strongly advise that at least two people unpack them (which is a relatively straightforward and easy task) and place them in their optimum position.

I placed the Ulfberhts exactly in the same position where the Double Impacts usually reside in my listening room, which has dimensions of 30 feet wide by 50 feet long by 24 feet high. I positioned the Ulfberhts seven feet apart with a slight toe-in, seven feet off the front wall, and four feet off the sidewalls. The Ulfberht speakers were mounted on Sistrum Apprentice Platforms.

The rest of my system consisted of an MBL 1621 CD transport, a Concert Fidelity-040 hybrid DAC, an Audio Tube Linear Micro-Zotl preamp, numerous power amplifiers (Pass Labs XA-60.8 mono blocks, ZOTL-40, Triode Lab SET 2A3S-MK2, Canary Audio SET 300b M-80 mono blocks, and Sophia Electric SET 300b 91-01 mono blocks), a Running Springs Dmitri power conditioner, MG Cable reference silver and copper wiring, and Harmonix Studio Master and Audio Archon power cords, all placed on a Tomo rack with footers by Krolo Design.

Performance
I made the decision that I would use the exact musical selections that I used when I auditioned the Double Impact speakers in order to have a clear baseline to evaluate what the Ulfberht speakers would do differently than their less expensive siblings in the Tekton line.

On the wonderfully recorded big band album by Bill Holman called Brilliant Corners: The Music of Thelonious Monk (JVC), the Ulfberht speakers took the Double Impacts' transient speed and velocity of a horn speaker to another level. When the big band hit extreme crescendos, the transient speed of the Ulfberhts rendered the most spectacular macro-dynamics I've ever heard in my system. The inherent sense of the music being "live" was even higher than I got with the Double Impacts. It was also apparent that the noise floor of the Ulfberht is lower than that of the Double Impact, which led to an incredible resolution of micro-details--so I could more easily hear the timbres/color nuances of the different instruments.

Thelonious Monk - Brilliant Corners (Full Album) 1956

The next selection was Bob Marley's Legend: The Best of Bob Marley and the Wailers (Island), which is a mixture of live recordings and studio sessions. Through a reference-level speaker, the size/shape, soundstage layering, and location of each individual player should be precisely projected in your room, leaving the speaker out of the equation by doing a magical disappearing act. The Double Impacts were excellent at pulling this off with Bob Marley's music. Depending on the venue where each song was recorded, you experienced either a "you are there" or "they are here" effect and could precisely locate each singer/player in that space. In the area of soundstaging, the Ulfberht offered a higher level of precision in re-creating the type of venue and an even more realistic illusion of three-dimensional musicians performing on a stage within that venue.

01. Is This Love? - (Bob Marley) - [Legend]

My next selection was Johnny Griffin's Tenor Scene (Prestige), which is a great album of hard-bop early 1960s jazz recorded live at a club in New York City. As I have stated in previous reviews, if a speaker cannot get the timbres/colors/tonality of the different instruments and the vocals to sound their best, it does not matter to me what else it can do correctly. I had the pleasure of hearing Johnny Griffin on many occasions at different clubs in Chicago, and I have a very good take on how his timbres/tonality sounded in person. The Ulfberht speakers came as close to what I experienced hearing Johnny Griffin play live than I've ever heard before in any stereo system. All of his tonality and the little changes in his blowing on the reed to get different sounds were easy to hear without a hint of being analytically cold or sterile in any way. This speaker has a special liquidity and ease that allows the music to effortlessly flow into your room, connecting you with the music in an emotional way.

The last selection was the heart-stirring album of Keith Jarrett's solo piano playing, The Melody at Night, with You (ECM), recorded at his home studio. As I listened to this music through the Ulfberht speakers, I was shocked by how Keith Jarrett's piano sounded in my acoustic space. With my eyes closed, I could have sworn that the Steinway Grand was in my house at that moment. These speakers pressurized my total room with low bass notes. I could clearly/easily hear the decays off the sounding board, and I could hear Jarrett's fingertips striking the keys as he played. This was the best I have ever heard piano portrayed on a system.

The Downside
I only have two caveats/concerns regarding the Ulfberht speakers. This is a physically massive speaker that needs a large acoustic space to breathe and produce its magical lifelike presentation. In a small acoustic space, you could try to get maximum performance out of it with extensive room treatments, but that's where the other Tekton models (the Double Impact/Double Impact SE/Ulfberht Jr.) would really be a better fit, both physically and for ultimate sonic performance.

Because this speaker is the most transparent and incredibly resolving transducer I have ever had in my system, it was very easy to hear the difference when I changed the equipment (amplifiers, wires, tubes, or preamplifiers) in front of the Ulfberht speakers. You can drive this speaker with virtually any amplifier because of its 99-dB sensitivity; however, if you do not use high-quality sources or electronics, you will hear the shortcomings in what you are feeding the Ulfberht speakers.

Comparison and Competition
This section is tricky because these Tekton speakers aim to slay large dragons--i.e., lofty speakers that cost many times more than the Ulfberhts. I have been very fortunate over the years to hear some of the most highly regarded speakers at all price points--in home systems or audio salons, as well as at high-end stereo shows. After listening to scores of transducers, two speakers stand out for me because of their special performance: the $45,000/pair TAD Compact Reference 1 and the $58,000/pair Magico S7. I would put the Ulfberht's performance on the same level as these speakers in terms of macro-dynamics, total transparency/musical details, and overall musicality. You might want to have me checked into some form of institution by mentioning the Ulfberhts in the same breath as these uber-high-end speakers, but the comparison just highlights the stellar performance offered by the Tektons at $12,000/pair.

Another competitor is the Wilson Audio Sasha W/P in the $30,000/pair range. Wilsons come with a denser cabinet and comparable custom car paint finishes. Today's Wilsons aren't nearly as efficient as Tektons, nor can Sasha W/Ps produce the sheer volume. Wilson does have speakers that are capable of more output--it's just that they cost a lot more money.

Focal's Sopra line of speakers--including the Sopra N°2s at $14,999/pair that Jerry Del Colliano reviewed and ultimately bought and the Sopra N°3s at $20,000/pair that Dr. Ken Taraszka has reviewed and purchased--are worthy competitors. Their French industrial design is a notch or two above the monstrous Tektons. The Focal's Beryllium tweeters are as smooth as silk, offering a different sound, while Focal's mid and bass drivers are as good as any that one could invest in. The Focals aren't quite as efficient as the Tekton Ulfberht speakers, but they are up there for a non-horn speaker.

Other speakers that might pique your interest in this space include the $22,000/pair Bowers & Wilkins Diamond 802 D3s, which use the new, super-high-tech Diamond tweeter and a new Kevlar-replacing midrange composite material that is very slick. The 802 D3 and $30,000/pair 800 D3 have the build quality you'd expect from a Boeing Dreamliner more than a speaker. Sonically the Bowers & Wilkins have a much more conservative and staid sound than the Tektons.

Paradigm's partially powered Persona Series speakers might also catch your attention. With these striking-looking and fantastic-sounding speakers, you can select very low-powered amps (think: First Watt) to power the Beryllium tweeter and midrange drivers while the Paradigm speakers cover the power for the lower registers.

Tekton-Ulf-Blue.jpgConclusion
We've already established that the Tekton Design Double Impact speaker is a shockingly great speaker that will compete with speakers costing thousands of dollars more than its $3,000/pair price tag. Does the Ulfberht speaker deserve, based solely on its performance, the much higher price of admission? The answer is unquestionably yes for the following reasons:

First, the Ulfberht Speaker takes to an even higher level the Double Impact's sense of aliveness and adds more transient speed and overall dynamics to its presentation. Second, the Ulfberht speaker scales a large musical event as if it has no limit in terms of macro-dynamics, never losing its composure or resolution. This leads to an effortlessness that you only find in large, high-efficiency, horn-loaded speakers, without the colorations found in those designs. Also, the Ulfberht has the lowest noise floor of any speaker I've ever listened to, which means that it delivers incredible resolution of the smallest details/nuances without sounding analytical or mechanical. The proprietary, patent-pending 15-dome radiating hybrid MTM frequency array delivers the music with the clarity, coherence, and resolution of a large electrostatic panel design. It makes other cone-based speakers sound slightly veiled and muffled in the treble and midrange regions. Not only does it provide more accurate low-bass frequencies than the Double Impact, but the power foundation (upper bass/lower midrange) is rendered more realistically to support the rest of the music's sense of aliveness. There is a wonderful liquidity and sense of ease to the Ulfberht speaker's performance--as if it's loping along, never being stressed or pushed to its limits. It creates a soundstage with great dimensionality and dense image palpability, then it physically vanishes into that soundstage like a great small two-way monitor. Finally, the Ulfberht speaker delivers beautiful, natural timbres/tonality at a level that gives you a virtual window on the emotional experience of live music.

In terms of value, the Tekton Design Ulfberht falls in an odd place: $12,000 isn't cheap by any measure, and the key technology in the speakers can be had in the Double Impact for $3,000/pair. Where the five-star ranking comes from is how these speakers compete with the finest engineered and built speakers from the world's most lauded speaker companies. Simply put, the Tekton Ulfberht is now in the conversation at $12,000/pair when the competition is often many times more money.

If you have enough physical space for this massive-sized speaker to breathe and deliver its magical presentation and can drive it with first-rate electronics, then you owe it to yourself to audition the Ulfberht before purchasing your next pair of speakers. The demo pair of Ulfberht speakers will not be leaving my reference system. I will be purchasing them for all the reasons stated in my review.

Additional Resources
• Visit the Tekton Design website for more product information.
• Check out our Floorstanding Speakers category page to read similar reviews.
Tekton Design Double Impact Floorstanding Speaker Reviewed at HomeTheaterReview.com.

  • michael pieri
    2022-10-30 18:43:47

    where in calif. can I audition them

  • William
    2020-03-03 16:56:18

    Thank you Terry London. Your review was pivotal to my Ulfberht purchase. I am writing my impressions on my little amateur blog and hope you don't mind a link for those interested: https://www.disqus.social/2020/02/review-tekton-design-ulfberht.html The Ulfberhts have been redefining what I once believed about hifi audio. I, however, did purchase a Tekton Ulfberht center channel that Eric sonically matched to the L and R speakers. Thanks again for your review!

  • Fink
    2018-06-30 04:27:36

    I'd like to see some measured data. Dispersion from such a massive number of drivers, especially all those tweeters, almost 'must' be awful. Waterfall? Phase against frequency? Reactance?

  • Todd DelGiudice
    2018-04-07 05:53:39

    Terry, If you had to choose between the DI's and the Aurum Cantus V7F (both of which I believe you bought after reviewing) and you were committed to a 175w/channel SS integrated (as I am) which would you choose? My room is about 11x15. Thanks, Todd

  • role2
    2017-12-01 22:00:19

    Hi Brent, I have indeed "discovered something that has so far eluded thousands of speaker designers who have preceded [me]." I will email you with a request for your address in order to ship a pair of Role Audio Sampan FTLs to you. I look forward to your publication of the measurement results. Erol Ricketts (Role Audio and NSMT Loudspeakers)

  • Brent Butterworth
    2017-11-29 00:17:55

    Hi, role2. I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage. I don't recall who you are, nor you offering me a set of speakers to measure, although I get lots of e-mails and comments so some escape my notice, and I deal with a lot of people in the audio industry so not every communication sticks in my memory. You may have noticed that I no longer write for this site, but if you'd like to send me a set to measure, perhaps I can get a column out of it for a different publication. E-mail me directly, use your real name and maybe we can work something out. BTW, I have 2+ decades of experience in measuring and evaluating speakers, and speakers with <4-inch drivers are something of a specialty for me. I've never encountered a speaker of this size with this driver complement that had anything close to usable response at 27 Hz. That doesn't make me closed-minded or unobjective -- it makes me informed. Being open-minded, I do realize it's possible you have discovered something that has so far eluded thousands of speaker designers who have preceded you. If you have, I'll say so. If you haven't, I'll say that, too.

  • role2
    2017-11-28 22:39:45

    I haven't heard or seen this speaker so I can't comment on it. However, it seems to me when it comes to objectivity, Brent engages in a bit of grandstanding. Being objective is the opposite of being close minded. Without experiencing our Role Audio Sampan FTL, Brent wrote in his opus on driver configuration last year that, " Smaller full-range drivers, like the 3.5-incher used in the Role Audio Sampan FTL speaker recently reviewed here, may have a fairly smooth treble response and even dispersion up to somewhere between 5 and 7.5 kHz, so they can sound good--but because those drivers' resonant frequencies tend to be 100 Hz or higher, they will offer little or no bass response." The Sampan FTL measures 8 X 4 X 9.5 inches (H X W X D) and weighs four pounds but uses folded transmission line technology to achieve frequency response of 27 to 20,000 Hz, +/- 5 dBs, measured by the MLSSA measurement system. I have offered to send a pair to Brent for measurement. No response so far. However, the offer still stands.

  • Botswana Jones
    2017-11-04 09:12:16

    Well except this statement then. All music sounds better late at night with a good buzz on. I could show you the evidence to support my claim but I smoked it.

  • kevon27
    2017-11-02 16:28:13

    Meh, I'm poor, so.......

  • Audio Archon
    2017-10-26 12:18:30

    Terry - Nice review! If any of the Chicago area audiophiles or music enthusiasts would like to audition the Double Impact SE, we will have our pair on display shortly. In addition, if someone is seriously interested in the Ulfbehrt, it is possible to arrange an audition. Thanks! Mike - Audio Archon - Tekton Dealer

  • Audio Archon
    2017-10-24 20:56:55

    No Ulfberht Mini (or Jr) yet. The speaker next in size below the Tekton Ulfberht would be the Tekton Double Impact SE. If you have any further questions, we would be happy to try and help! We are an authorized Tekton retailer located in the Chicago area. Mike Audio Archon

  • HJC001
    2017-10-21 15:05:04

    AND, don't neglect to include the effects of gravitational waves on LG470s transmitters. getting more popcorn! keep it going guys. but seriously, this is very interesting. Thank you both. :)

  • terry london
    2017-10-20 03:47:50

    Hey Brent, I respect your long history of measurement/testing. However, and I'm not ruling out the placebo effect, what you refer to as "objective" data leaves out the psycho-acoustic aspects about how the brain processes sound. Remember, the highly touted Halco amplifiers that measured "objectively" superlatively, but sounded just awful. How about that tubes just can't reproduce sound as accurately as solid state, yet many experience tube based gear as sounding more like real music. Harbeth speakers do not measure well, yet they are wonderful music makers. When the great Nelson Pass and his crew develop a new generation of amplifiers, they do objective measuring, but the final tuning is done by listening and using their ears (The reference they use by the way is tubes!) Yes, there is a correlation between certain measured criteria and sonic performance, but not as robust as you as you present it to be. The late Julian Hersch said that amplifiers that objectively measure the same must all sound the same based on scientific reasoning. Well, they don't! If you can't measure it- it does not exist! One of the reasons we now know why many listeners like tube based gear over solid state is that tubes when they distort its with even harmonics and when solid state distorts its with odd harmonics that are experienced by the brain as being harsh/unpleasant. So, I'm not trying to make a false argument or either/or reasoning that objective measuring of audio gear has no merit. However, what you call objective measuring does not tell the whole story by any means when it comes to how pieces of stereo gear present sound to the listener. The history of bad science is to reject any phenomena that cannot be explained by the present paradigm, until enough data cracks that model and new explanations can explain the event that was scoffed at or out right rejected. Remember, any rigid/dogmatic reasoning smacks of what you called "religion" would apply to logical positivism which I believe is your philosophical position. Can't measure it- it does not exist.

  • Brent Butterworth
    2017-10-20 01:31:38

    Well, I said specifically that my statement was a guess, so we're agreed on that. I'm not "resorting to" anything. I have decades of documented experience in blind testing and measurement, and I've seen too many cases where sighted subjective evaluations have led the listener far astray. Such cases are common: https://seanolive.blogspot.com/2009/04/dishonesty-of-sighted-audio-product.html. Anybody can say anything sounds better in a sighted test -- and they often do. My understanding of physics, measurement, and how audio products work makes it difficult for me to take seriously the idea that a speaker has a noise floor beyond the insignificant effects of thermal noise, and that things like wiring, soldering and terminals could have any effect on it if such a thing existed. Without evidence, I simply can't disregard my knowledge and accept a statement as true because someone said I should. That's religion, not engineering or science.

  • Javan Pohl
    2017-10-20 00:42:55

    Well, aside from a speaker adding or not adding noise, there is definitely a another, unique aspect to this speaker that could potentially reduce the listener's ability to detect (existing, line-signal) noise or hiss: it has 15 tweeters. If a normal line-level treble hiss is being spread out to 15 different tweeters, maybe that hiss is just below the threshold of the individual tweeters' ability to produce any output or the simple fact of spreading it out makes it that much harder to detect. I'm not disregarding the possibility of the crossover adding noise to the signal--I've seen far too many things that I, at first, thought would be impossible to discount this too being possible--but this is another possibility.

  • Ben
    2017-10-20 00:37:24

    Is there an Ulfberht Jr of did you mean to refer just to the Double Impact SE being the next size down ? We have a fairly large living room but these are just too big.

  • Javan Pohl
    2017-10-20 00:13:54

    But would crosstalk result in additional noise? ... I've never had a real firm understanding of what "crosstalk" is but my understanding it's the signal leaking from one signal path onto another, but if we're talking noise floor I don't understand how crosstalk would generate noise. If there's barely or no signal at all being passed through the speaker cables and the speaker is making a "noise" resulting from the crossover, wouldn't that noise be greatly amplified once the signal is increased?

  • terry london
    2017-10-19 11:41:31

    Hey Brent, Why don't you give Eric a call regarding what we are discussing here. I'm sure he in a technical way can explain your concern/lack of understanding how this can be so regarding a "lower noise floor through better internal parts". Your criticism of Day's lack of "serious evaluation" is something that you often resort to discount listener's experience of what they are hearing in a piece of gear. I'm in agreement with using objective criteria to measure certain aspects of performance. However, we both know some gear measures perfectly and sounds like shit and other pieces don't measure as well and sound much more like real music. And I don't agree with your statement, "that if a speaker appears to have a lower noise floor, it's got some treble roll-off", it is a guess on your part which I think is an invalid assumption.

  • Brent Butterworth
    2017-10-19 07:55:49

    I found the article you're talking about, but he doesn't seem to discuss noise. I searched the page for the word "noise," but I found it used only in a discussion about some diodes used in an amplifier. He also doesn't seem to do any serious evaluation, just "I changed this and it sounded like XXXXX...." I'm confident that you're hearing something, but I'm trying to understand what that is. TMK, speakers don't have a noise floor that's electrically significant. Just for kicks, I measured the noise level coming from the entire signal chain of my system before the speakers, and the noise level coming from the speakers (Revel F206s). The noise from the system signal chain measured 1.8 mV, which in my system, with amps rated at 200 wpc (40 V into 8 ohms), calculates to a noise floor of -86.9 dBFS. The speaker had a noise level of 15 uV (I would guess it's dominated by microphonic pickup of my listening room's noise floor), so -128.5 dBFS. That's 41.6 dB below what is already a noise floor that is inaudible from my listening chair (although audible if I put my ear an inch from the tweeter). So I don't see any reason to believe that changing parts in the speaker would audibly affect the noise floor. But of course, the noise floor of the amp/preamp/source would be more audible through a speaker with higher sensitivity, or a speaker that boosts the treble. My guess is, if a speaker appears to have a lower noise floor, it's got some treble roll-off.

  • terry london
    2017-10-19 03:27:23

    No, I'm not referring to microphonics. We might be using different language (terms) to describe the same thing. I use the term " a lower noise floor" to describe an absence of background noise which leads to a "blacker background" so it appears that micro-details pop-up and are more easy to hear. For example, the Pass Labs series .8 compared to the .5 series are quieter ( lower noise floor) and offer more micro-details then the past generation of amps. I don't understand that when you tried to see what Jeff Day has written you did not find volumes regarding his use of hideously expensive caps/wiring in his external X-overs to lower the noise through his Tannoy speakers.

  • Brent Butterworth
    2017-10-19 01:06:28

    I Googled Jeff Day, but I couldn't find anything addressing the noise floor of a speaker. This is the first mention I've seen of a passive speaker having a noise floor. Are you referring to microphonics?

  • terry london
    2017-10-19 00:05:07

    Hey Brent, I believe there are many different sources that would validate that noise floor drops with better grade caps, wiring, soldering, terminals I would direct you to the very extensive writing of Jeff Day on his experiments on this topic. Secondly, why don't you contact Eric regrading his experience with dropping a noise floor with better components to get greater clarity/transparency to more effortlessly hear the micro-details in the music.

  • Arnie Howe
    2017-10-18 23:39:37

    So, are you interested in selling the DI's you special ordered? [email protected]

  • Brent Butterworth
    2017-10-18 15:29:11

    Is there some source where I can find supporting evidence for these claims? I'm very curious to learn more ...

  • daw212
    2017-10-17 20:03:13

    Great products continue to flow from this great company.

  • Jason Carman
    2017-10-17 19:01:22

    Would love to see a review of the "mini" Double Impacts, the Electron. This sized speaker seems to be one that might fit into more people's listening space than the DI or Ulfberht.

  • Woofy98102
    2017-10-17 01:13:14

    Poor crossover design can generate a boatload of crosstalk between the crossover components. This is especially true regarding the placement, orientation and spacing of the inductors in the circuit.

  • Woofy98102
    2017-10-17 01:05:48

    Arrrgh! I used to live in an enormously open, post and beam house, myself. The acoustics in that place were literally intoxicating! And I'm still kicking myself today for selling it twenty years ago. About the only change I'd make would be having radiant floor heating under the slate floors to make it feel seriously cozy during the cold months of winter...but then the resident dog and cat would be literally glued to the floor for several months a year.

  • Woofy98102
    2017-10-17 00:52:46

    The Double Impact SE? Do tell, Mr. London! The curiousity is killing us! Great review, too!

  • Woofy98102
    2017-10-17 00:48:10

    It certainly appears that the Double Impact Towers are a "gateway drug" that leads directly into Ulfbehrt-itis. Hmmm... [mock suspicious, moustache twirling grin]

  • terry london
    2017-10-17 00:38:15

    Hey Paul, At $6,500.00 Tekton Design's new speaker the Double Impact SE, which I heard/auditioned last week is a step above the Double Impact and it too is a special performer that competes with much more expensive speakers and will physically fit into many more listener's acoustic space.

  • Paully
    2017-10-16 23:08:06

    Almost .. The price should be about $6500 a pair.. Then these would fly out the door and become a killer to all the big names..

  • terry london
    2017-10-16 21:28:58

    Hi Javan, Yes, the quality of parts in the x-over, internal wiring, soldering, even the speaker wire binding posts effects the noise floor of a speaker.

  • jerrydel
    2017-10-16 20:58:56

    30x50x$1500 per foot is $2,250,000 for the ROOM!!!!! Ouch... Not a very LA or NYC listening space.

  • Javan Pohl
    2017-10-16 19:22:30

    "the Ulfberht has the lowest noise floor of any speaker I've ever listened to" From where would a non-active speaker generate noise? Does the crossover add noise to the signal?

  • terry london
    2017-10-16 17:43:03

    Hi Mrsatyre, I live in a completely open post and beam house that has over 40 beams running through it, so it's a very large and wonderful acoustic space, because of all the wood contained in it. The house was built around the stereo system, so I'm very lucky to hear music in this space.

  • mrsatyre
    2017-10-16 16:30:51

    "... my listening room, which has dimensions of 30 feet wide by 50 feet long by 24 feet high." ?!?

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