This article will be a departure from my normal format for reviewing audio components. The Tekton Design Double Impact speakers came to me by way of Steve Lefkowicz's personal pair. Steve and Rosina put the word out that they needed space in their living room to accommodate the holidays. Since we are only separated by about 25 miles, I gladly offered to host the 100lb. towers until after the New Year. As I sit down to compose my thoughts about the Tektons delivered home, I've come to the conclusion that my time with the Double Impacts was nothing short of a life altering experience, and caused me to deeply examine audio values I've held dear for decades. Therefore, consider the following paragraphs a record of my impressions and adventures with high efficiency rather than a formal review. You can read Steve's formal review HERE.
First of all, I firmly believe that the Tekton Double Impacts do not belong in the Hall of Peculiar and Forgotten Speakers. Certainly, their design is unconventional and visually striking but their sound is extraordinary. Second, the speaker does not have 7 tweeters. Refer SL's accompanying review for a concise explanation of the Tekton's technology. In a nutshell, the array of one-inch ring radiators function as a low mass upper midrange transducer surrounding one tweeter. From my point of view, however, the most remarkable aspect of the Double Impact's is their 98dB sensitivity.
The Double Impacts are the loudest speaker I have ever listened to in my home. They made my 60 watts Class D Bel Canto C7R integrated sound like a 160 pounds of carved from billet heat sinks, transistors, and transformers. Something wonderful happens to music when played through speakers with 95dB and above sensitivity. (All the high efficiency guys nod in agreement) Musical notes and passages to not begin or end where one was accustomed to hearing them through less efficient designs. (Again, all the high efficiency guys not in agreement.) With approximately 438 square inches of total surface radiating area, not including the output of 6 ports per side, the Tektons moved more air by a factor of 11 over my reference KEF LS50 speakers with 40 square inches of total radiating surface area.
No wonder that piano sounded so alive and present in the room. Gabriela Montero's marvelous 2006 recording Bach and Beyond captivated me with an authentic sense of scale and dynamics of the grand piano. Furthermore, according to the number on the display of my C7R, the volume setting was significantly lower than normal yet the full bloom of notes and dynamic shifts were acutely obvious and inspired intense listening. Similarly, Murray Perahia's 1999 recording Songs Without Words filled the room with the grace and beauty that only an expertly played grand piano can convey. Perahia's rendition of "Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 19, No. 1" by Felix Mendelssohn is breathtaking in its romantic lyricism. Low notes with the left hand resonated with uncanny realism.
The Double Impacts also impressed me with their explicit manner with voices and instruments in the upper midrange region. Whereas nearly all crossovers begin transitioning woofers to tweeters across the upper mid band, the Double Impact ring radiator array is dedicated by design to that critical range of human hearing. The result is a sound that is explicit and precise yet not forward or fatiguing. Indeed, the only fatigue I experienced came not from my ears, but in my facial muscles from smiling and stiffness in my lower back for not getting up from the listening chair for hours at a time.
"Love and Happiness" from Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris' 2006 album All the Road Running is a song I trust to determine a speaker's ability to capture the essence of song. Emmylou tells me if I need to move the listening position forward or back, sit up or slump down. Of course, I listened to other great voices such as Adele, Kathleen Battle, Ibrahim Ferrer, and Placido. The DI recreated all their gifted instruments with outstanding clarity and expressiveness I've not experienced in my system before. Could the DI's explicit clarity also be a result of the tweeter being located about 42 inches from the floor or 11 inches higher than the tweeter of my LS50's on 24 in. stands?
The acclaimed movie Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri features the late Townes Van Zandt song "Buckskin Stallion Blues" performed by Amy Annelle. A Tidal search resulted in the composer's version from his 1974 recording At My Window. So intense was my connection with this music that I had an epiphany revealing the words for my long delayed rib tattoo, "If love can be and still be lonely, where does that leave me and you?" Simply stated, the Tekton Double Impacts put my musical soul in direct contact with the deep pool of melancholy that was TVZ.
"But what about your Latin Music hot picks, Vic?" Los Hacheros is a group of talented young men from New York possessed by the spirit of Cuban music legend Arsenio Rodriguez. With a core group of five musicians, Los Hacheros passionately pay homage to pre-salsa Afro Cuban son. Listen to the song "Bambulaye" from their 2016 album of the same name. The extremely responsive Tekton Double Impacts stormed the listening room and beyond with the party on wheels that are Los Hacheros. If Marc Ribot y Los Cubanos Postizos or Buena Vista Social Club are in your collection, Los Hacheros are proud members of the same family.
One evening I was surprised by a visit from my 23 years old nephew Jason. He wanted to listen some vinyl with my 21 year old son Miguel. Both are amateur musicians and have knowledge and appreciation for a broad range of music. The listening session began with Glenn Gould playing Bach's The Well Tempred Clavier (Colombia MS 6776) and ended hours later with LCD Soundsystem American Dream. The deep and visceral electro-synth pulses from the song "Oh Baby" flashed though our bodies like sonic X-rays. Needless to say, the young men were extremely impressed with the Tekton Double Impacts.
On the morning of their return home and the family out shopping, I dedicated the listening session to disturbing my neighbors behind, next to, and across the street with the songs "Shipping Up to Boston" by Dropkick Murphys, "BYOB" by System of a Down, and "Du hast" by Rammstein. All guitars set to 11 and guys screaming their lungs out. I laughed mischievously and with amazement at the prodigious power packed by the Tektons.
As previously mentioned, I have spent decades and dollars cultivating a sound that pleases me after a long day. I enjoy introducing visitors to attributes like imaging, soundstage, and high fidelity that a good system can convey. Nevertheless, the uncompressed dynamic force and responsiveness of the Double Impacts was enthralling (again, all the high efficiency guys nod in agreement).
Looking forward I genuinely hope to listen to other reasonably priced high sensitivity speakers in the near future. As for the Tekton Double Impacts, they showed me an alternate path to musical happiness. The DI easily competes with speakers costing $10,000. In fact Tekton builds a version the DI for that price with high gloss finishes and upgraded parts. However, at $3000 a pair for standard painted finish, the Double Impacts are an incredible value and a must audition for listeners with an open mind and open ears.
Double Impact Loudspeakers
Retail: $3000/pair
Tekton Design
