Double Impact

14 reviews for Double Impact

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1. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   E.D. – February 7, 2023

   This is a follow-up to my first review 18 months ago. The Double Impacts are fully broken-in. When listening to electronica, I am sometimes distracted by an unexpected sound coming from somewhere in my home. There is a sudden sound to my left, or a beeping or clicking, or a “What the heck was that?” sound coming from two rooms away. So I hit the mute button to investigate. Nothing. It turns out to be recorded sound effects. These are recordings I’ve heard since the early 90’s.

   Over and over, with all kinds of genres, the sound has so much there-ness that the experience is visceral and emotional. I hear the music. I see the speakers. But I can’t hear the speakers. They disappear.

   The only caveat regarding the Double Impacts is that they will reveal deficiencies your upstream components. You don’t need to spend a fortune. But you will have to do your homework. Mine paid off. The Double Impacts make me feel set for life after 30 years of audiophile pursuits. 5 Stars confirmed.

   
2. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   J – October 13, 2022

   I work in audio and am a musician and long time audioholic. I’ve listened to many speakers from many different brands and speaker arrangements. Currently I use focal monitors for my studio. These are my impressions of the DI:

   I hooked up the Double Impacts to my plain old Onkyo Tx-NR676 receiver and placed them directly where my old speakers were with my Amazon basics wiring that I attached to generic banana clips. I put the receiver on bypass, thereby terminating my two Rhythmik LVX12 subs. Here are my impressions of their sound, as that’s what people actually care about:

   Listening to Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon is a whole new experience. As the album starts, the sense of space and realism is palpable. I know I’ve entered a new realm. My wife comes down stairs remarking on how good it sounds upstairs at the end of the hallway. I can’t help but giggle at her.

   When the song Time opens up, and the clocks are ticking and then the alarms go off, I literally burst into laughter at the sheer sound being delivered to my eardrums. The raw detail, gigantic soundstage, and holographic imaging floored me. I can’t wait to see people’s faces when they hear it.

   The bass is taut and textured and fills my rather large open floor plan downstairs. I think the rhythmik subs I have help fill out the lowest of lows but in a medium sized or small room, these could be all you need ever. The mids are spot on. The soundstage is absolutely enormous with precise imaging.

   Last night track after track I put through these blew my socks off. From real instruments to electronic music, everything just sounded…. Basically perfect. I am in audio nirvana and won’t be leaving the couch much today. Best $2000 I have ever spent. I can’t get myself to try to toe them in for anything. They just sound so good. Eventually I will. For now, that would take away from listening time. I’m spellbound

   J

3. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Bill – February 27, 2022

   Holy Smokes! I’m about 40 hours in and these things get better each day! I’m running allo DigiOne > mac C52 > mac MC452. Today I put in the Jerry Garcia Band Live douuble CD(flac). I’ve had this music for 30 years and I heard things in this recording that I’ve never heard before. I had the C52 set at 60% so I was pushing these with 375+ watt peaks. Sitting about 15 feet away. I’ve never heard Jerry sound like this before. The sound was 3D in nature. Was in listening heaven. Best purchase ever!

4. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   E. Diaz – August 17, 2021

   This evaluation is done after over 200 hrs of break-in.

   The last time I had experienced sonic bliss was with a system that cost $70,000 in 1998: 550lb. Dunlavy SC-VI speakers, monoblock tube amps that looked like jewelry, speaker cables as thick as my wrist, and a fully-treated, dedicated, audio-retailer listening room that had walls filled with sand. That system would cost $117,000 in today’s dollars. The Dunlavys alone would cost $42,000.

   That was then. Now, I have finally arrived at a small fraction of the price. I feel no need to further chase the audiophile horizon. As the Double Impacts have broken in, I have been continuously and increasingly astonished at their natural and ghostly-holographic sound. Just this week I switched from a Sony Blu-ray transport to a server, using Exact Audio Copy to ensure perfect digital data transfer onto the hard drive. The difference was INSTANTLY noticeable to myself and my non-audiophile friend. Some people say that digital source makes no sonic difference: “Its all 1’s and 0’s”. But the Double Impacts revealed the change of digital source in way that jumped out at my non-audiophile friend. Well, that is an understatement. It was more like the sonic difference was thrown (lovingly) at our heads. And this transport/server comparison was done with real-time A/B switching. I had also experienced a prior improvement in clarity and soundstaging by re-terminating the speaker cables to eliminate signal-thru-solder.

   Putting audio into visual terms, we audiophiles seek a transparency akin to a clear window pane. These speakers are more like a wide open window; no glass. Your upstream changes will stand out.

   I have at least 2 dozen audiophile-grade recording on CD’s that I’ve owned for 20-35 years. Everything from classical, to jazz, to electronica. I am hearing the music again for the first time- with background instrumentation and minute sounds effects that eluded me for over 1/3 of a century. The difference in low level detail is not subtle.

   The bass is phenomenal; powerful and nuanced. The Double Impacts do not overpower the living room of my average-sized apartment. Sine wave tests with a decibel meter show a startlingly flat bass response at my seating position even though the back of the speakers are 10 inches from the back wall. Maybe I got lucky? And the soundstage has very good depth in spite of the compromised speaker placement. The midrange is glorious, deserving more words than I can write here. The treble is pristine and liquid. These are like electrostats with sensitivity and SLAM.

   The reason is now obvious for the rave magazine reviews of the Double Impacts. Writing to describe the Double Impact’s transparency and oomph is like discussing sex with with a virgin. I didn’t have to win the lottery to finally achieve my goal of re-experiencing the jaw-dropping sound of that crazy-dollar system from 1998.

   Associated equipment: Musical Fidelity A300, Schiit Bifrost DAC, Kimber PBJ interconnects, Audioquest Type 4 (crimp terminated without solder), dedicated laptop computer configured with Fidelizer and playing WAV files ripped from CD’s.

5. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   User Review (store manager) – March 4, 2020

   Eric, i received my double impacts today and I am amazed. I am dumbfounded as to how you designed this speaker, was it a dream, was it a premonition, was it science. I cannot fathom how you have done it. I would think that your doors are being beaten down by audio shops that want to carry your line. This reminds me of the day I was at the unveiling of the ess heil line. That was at a shop called Paragon and of course they specialized in the paragon, when the heils were auditioned half the room rushed to the hallway to confront the owner of the shop. I had a feeling that I should have gotten the SE, based on what i have experienced with the double impacts I am confident that the SE would certainly be worth the upgrade.

   Good luck!
   Jim

6. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   User Review (store manager) – March 4, 2020

   We recently took a Family Vacation that ended up taking us through Orem UT on the way to Lagoon. I stopped at a Golden ear / Revel dealer on the way up and spent an hour listening to both brands, (very different from each other), and in my opinion were both just poorly paired with electronics for my taste. In fact I would’ve swapped configurations had I had the time but left feeling that the revel was a muddy mess and the Golden ears were dry and lean lacking organic bass. The pairing of gear was no doubt the issue. I’ve been in shops that preferred the overly creamy bass sound before so it’s a taste I’m not a fan of because it kills the treble detail that I like. Upon leaving I called Tekton with about 2 hours of advance notice, which I don’t recommend (later), and I was met with an extremely pleasant welcoming experience. I was expecting a showroom properly treated like the last I had experienced, with music of choice on a server ready to pipe into the speakers of choice. Actually what I was met with was a shop. Cabinets placed in a warehouse at different stages of completion and a few very busy, but polite individuals, including Eric Alexander. I was lead to another small warehouse location with more cabinets but in the center an opening where a drum set, a pair of DI’s and a pair of Ulfberhts sat. Probably Eric’s “break area”. There was no treatment to the room at all, the electronics were Parasound. Very modest in comparison to the shops I’ve been in. Sean does a great job of describing the speakers sound. The speakers deliver the detail top to bottom frequency wise, details of the bass were stellar, the highs with just the right amount of air, and hearty midrange. Like u were there and the audio guy knew what he was doing. I knew then that had I had more time that day it wouldn’t have mattered, nor if I had brought my own demo music. Why? Because I would’ve chosen music that the DIs would’ve sounded awesome reproducing but only because I don’t choose average material to demo. I immediately started asking for music that I was truly fond of, average rock recordings and such. They didn’t have my music collection, sorely, nor were they given more than 2 hours for a nobody to walk into their shop looking to demo speakers where building them was their sole focus. After about 10 songs from various artists that I picked from a crate full of Erics CDs I knew I found what I was looking for. The last time I had an experience like this I was listening to Focal Sopra 2s paired with McIntosh gear. Wish I had known, I’d have come perpared to be comfortable and pick all the songs I love not just the well recorded ones. I may have stayed so long they had to charge rent. Getting a pair in that deep grey, they’re gorgeous.

7. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   User Review (store manager) – March 4, 2020

   I want to leave you guys (Eric and Karma) with a few words of my feelings toward the Double Impact speakers. Hopefully what I have to say will motivate you to stay the coarse that you are on. Because I used to own and operate an audio store I have had the opportunity to live with a lot of different speakers.This gives me a different view than most people have.
   These Double Impacts play really big and they are very transparent, but organic and natural sounding at the same time. These are attributes normally only found in speakers costing ridiculous amounts of money and even then there are no guarantees. The best thing I can say about them is that I really like them and hope that your company does well, so that more products like the Double Impacts will be available to us all.

   Thank You
   Robert Vaughan

8. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   User Review (store manager) – March 4, 2020

   I wanted to send you a brief email to let you know I received my DIs two days ago. After taking my time unpacking and positioning my speakers I connected them using the Mogami cables you sent to my Peachtree Nova300 integrated amp. The first track I played was Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew and like everyone else I’ve read reviews from I was absolutely blown away by the sound emanating from my new speakers! Words cannot describe my excitement and elation. I am a mathematician by education and certainly not an engineer by any stretch so although I took the time to go to the US Patent Office website and read your patent I don’t understand much of what is written there but I do understand the basic concept of what you have accomplished. However, not knowing the details of the technology you have created is not a necessity in order to enjoy these Double Impact speakers. I have been a music lover for some 56 years since I was 10 years old so I have quite an extensive and eclectic library of music. Listening to my music through your newly designed speakers has made my library anew since I am hearing things that have been there all along but I never heard. I really appreciate what you have done along with the price point that allows so many people who can’t afford the price of other high end speakers. I love these Double Impacts!!

   Thank you Eric!

   Sincere Regards,
   ​
   Ray

9. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   User Review (store manager) – March 4, 2020

   I can’t tell you how awesome these speakers sound (i’m sure you’ve heard them). Every day after work I have been “jamming out” and just having a blast.

   I mentioned that I had been hunting for a pair of speakers for around 7 years because I didn’t want to get a case of upgrade-itis after I heard something better. My patience has paid off!!! These have just blown me away and I have to say that the more I listen I have to say that there is nothing I heard at The RMAF that I would swap out for my Double Impacts. Even at a cost no object all the way up to the names of Tidal, Wilson, and other exotic stuff that cost more than my house and I can’t pronounce, I still want the DI’s because they make music fun!!!!!!!

   wait…… what about the all the detail of highs, lows and everything in between. If I cant tell what mouthwash the performers use than the speaker isn’t transparent. Plus, if the snare drum sounds like it’s 14 feet away in just the right 3d image…. Blah Blah Blah.

   forget that….THESE ARE FUN!!!! I can forget about all the audiophile language and just enjoy music. These speakers are perfect at telling the story the artist wants to tell.

   If you spend your time analyzing the minuscule details of music you miss the big picture. Music is a big picture experience, and your speakers get it right. Keep in mind this is with my Denon receiver. I think the big name audio companies have been selling a lot of sizzle and not a lot of substance. Keep doing what you’re doing Eric.

   You’re always welcome in Gillette WY if you are ever passing though!!!

   Andrew

10. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    User Review (store manager) – March 4, 2020

    Got my Double Impacts up and running and so far they are incredible! Only have about 20 hours on them so far, but I am completely blown away!

    Thanks for making these incredible speakers, and for selling them at such a reasonable price point! Every day while sitting at work I can’t wait to get home to throw on a record and experience it in a whole new way!

    Devon

11. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    User Review (store manager) – March 4, 2020

    I received the Double Impacts on Tuesday and have done a lot of listening the last 5 days. First off, they arrived in perfect condition and really are impressive looking speakers. Your boxing is very clever, and although I’m 68, I had no trouble unpacking these bad boys all by myself.

    I have been listening in stereo and the DI’s have exceeded my expectations even though you told me how good they were. My current 5.1 system is no slouch with my fronts (more expensive than the DI’s), my rears are
    another well respected floor stander and my sub is highly reviewed and well acclaimed. I will not name brands as that just is not my style. This system produced some sweet music.

    Back to the Double Impacts.I have been listening in stereo only. These speakers have incredible dynamics. I had to move my listening point back 4 or 5 feet. The bass is the best I have ever heard and its not even close. It is clean, powerful and articulate. The detail of these speakers make all my music sources sound like I’m listening to them for the first time. They raised the sonic level of all my recordings. I am hearing background vocals and music I have never heard before. The differentiation of the instruments is unlike any other I have heard. It is a treat to listen to and watch on a Blu-Ray concert. The Eagles farewell tour on Blu-ray went from being very good sonically to just plain out of this world. The “best of Fourplay” is another good jazz cd that the DI’s just put right in my living room.

    I’ve sold my entire 5.1 system and will be listening to the DI’s in stereo only. I feel I have found the perfect speaker for me. I couldn’t be happier. You are a musical genius sir. I hope you market these well and get the acclaim and recognition that you and these speakers deserve.

    Thanks – Dan Z

12. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    User Review (store manager) – March 4, 2020

    I’ve been listening to the Double Impacts for about a month now and am impressed with how they sound. But before that let me quickly describe my speaker journey over the last 13 years.

    I’ve owned B&W 804 (mains), HTM3s (center) and CM5 (rear) for the past 13 years and loved the “signature” B&W sound. I’ve always wanted to upgrade to the 802’s and had been auditioning them
    for the last 6 years. However, the minor difference in the mid, lack of enough bass on the 804 and a better soundstage on the 802 would not justify the huge price difference between the two
    (I just added a sub). The 802 went from about 8K in 2003 to 22K in 2016 without any significant difference in sound aside from the materials used for the drivers and the “cool” looks.

    While looking for speakers that would not cost an arm and a leg, I auditioned the Paradigm S8, Monitor audio Platinum series, SVS Prime ultra and Martin Logan classic and finally decided
    to go with the Paradigm S8, but while looking for good deals I read a review about the GoldenEar Triton 1’s. The GE Triton 1’s were amazing, way way better than all the speakers I’d listened
    to, in terms of detail and soundstage. Only thing I disliked about them was that they are active speakers.

    So, I first bought the GE Triton 7’s for my living room and was reading up about the Triton 1’s when I stumbled upon Tekton’s testimonials, where someone described how much better the Tekton
    speakers were. After going through the Tekton thread on a certain blog, I went ahead called Eric and ordered the Double Impacts.

    Out of the box, the DI’s were insanely amazing. The first thing that it reminded me of was the Wilson Alexandria X-2 that I had a chance to listen to while auditioning for my 804. Please note that
    I listened to the wilson’s for about 15 mins, but, their sound got stuck in my head ever since. On the DI’s I could hear certain sounds on tracks that I had not heard before “clearly”. These are CD’s that
    I use to audition speakers and I’ve been listening to them for more than 15 yrs now. Thinking that it was my mind, I let the DI’s run on it’s own, went back and listened to the same tracks on the GE Triton 7’s
    and the 802 D3 (at the dealer), I was wrong, the Triton 7’s and 802’s could not reproduce them as accurately as the DI’s. After about 15 hrs on the DI’s I sat down for some serious listening, and blown away is an
    understatement on how I can describe what I was hearing. The soundstage is incredible, the high’s, mid and bass is spot on. Even at low volumes they are a pleasure to listen too and do not lose any
    detail or accuracy. At extremely high volumes (101 dB) they are clean and nice with no harshness. Listening to recorded live music is like being in front of the performance.
    Though these speakers are quite big, they disappear behind the huge wall of sound they present (as one DI owner described on a Tekton thread).

    Thank you Eric for putting the performers and performance right in front of me. These speakers will not be replaced anytime soon (unless Eric comes up with something better). Btw, I returned the GE Triton 7’s the next day I got the Double Impacts.

    Components paired with DI’s

    Rotel RMB-1075
    NAD T-175HD

    Anthem MCA-325
    Anthem AVM-60

    Thanks
    Johny

13. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    User Review (store manager) – March 4, 2020

    Just wanted to let you know that these new Double Impact speakers are outstanding! The music comes through at any volume level, from low to high. I’ve found a new enjoyment of listening at low volumes, as I can still hear all the dynamics in the music! However, when I want to crank it up, they respond like a Ferrari! I’ll admit to being a bit nervous about purchasing such large speakers without first hearing them, but I’ve found my concerns were completely unfounded. I have owned speakers from KEF, Monitor Audio, Magnepan, GoldenEar and others. All those speakers gave me a great deal of enjoyment, but I don’t miss any of them, now that I have your Double Impacts! Thanks so much for providing these tremendous offerings at prices that mere mortals can still afford!!!

    Mark B.

14. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    User Review (store manager) – March 4, 2020

    It’s difficult putting into words just how thrilled I am with the Double Impacts, but before I get into sharing their attributes let me describe my speaker journey prior to purchasing them.
    ​
    I was an “audiophile” for over 25 years constantly searching for the ultimate system. This search started in 1980 as a college student with my first system consisting of a NAD receiver, Genesis speakers with a Dual turntable. Not bad on a limited budget. Throughout the next 20 years I owned many well respected and known brands including Vandersteen, Magnepan, Revel, Audio Research,Odyssey, Levinson and Proceed. Due to life circumstances, including moving to a new home, I went without an audio system for about 5 years until the audio bug bit again and I pulled my theater system out of the basement. I was using Magnepans across the front with two Vandersteen subs. The wife never liked the height of the Maggie’s so I went on a search for new speakers. I toured the local hi fi shops and found mostly over priced and/or underwhelming speakers. I shifted my search to the Internet and after pouring over many reviews decided to try Aperion. I returned them after one week and fortunately came across Zu Audio and Tekton Designs. After talking to Eric I decided to go with his Enzo’s and was floored by what I was hearing! How could $1,700 speakers sound so good? They filled my room with such beautiful music I soon converted to mostly two channel listening. After a few differant amp purchases I settled on the Raven Audio Blackhawk LE integrated amp and was ready for to improve upon the Enzo’s. A friend convinced me that the Magneplanar 1.7i’s were a must have. They were nice but I couldn’t live without the dynamic, real sound of the Enzo’s and after three weeks went back to them. Raven Audio voices their amps using Legacy Audio speakers and they offered me a deal on their show demo models and I thought this would be the last speakers I’d ever buy. They are amazing speakers, totally full range, seemless from top to bottom with lush midrange and airy highs…….but once again they lacked that dynamic slam I grew accustomed to with the Enzo’s. That slam that drives a drum snap right through you and jolts you upright. My next call was to Eric to order a pair of Pendragons…….until he told me about a new speaker coming up and that I could buy the very first pair made…..the Double Impacts.

    After a month with them I couldn’t be more pleased and these are my speakers for life, unless Eric comes up with something even better! They possess the best bass I’ve ever heard……deep, controlled and musical. They are seemless from top to bottom with a liquid midrange and beautiful highs that seem to float in mid air. Oh, and yes, all the dynamic slam one could ask for. Basically they are the Legacy Focus SE’s ( at $12,000/pair) with the addition of huge dynamics. To be fair, the highs on the Focus SE’s might be better, but only slightly and certainly not worth another $8,000 if you ask me. For me the Double Impacts are the perfect speaker, creating a huge wall of sound that recreates live music better than any other speaker I’ve owned. You’ll hear details you didn’t know were in your favorite music and you’ll hear them in a way that places the performers in your room. Nothing is as good as a live performance but this is as close as I’ve heard and that’s the best compliment I can give to a speaker.

    Thanks to Eric for not only making such musically real sounding speakers, but for doing so at prices that are not only affordable but at a mere fraction of what you’d have to spend to match them,

    Tom