Daedalus upgrades

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Daedalus Audio

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Daedalus upgrades
« on: 8 Dec 2018, 12:07 am »
Just finished upgrading a 2010 set of Ulysses. They got the V.2 , new 2015 woofers, new tweeters, midrange trim rings, Duelunds and more, plus a refinish. They sound great! We really get a kick out of bringing our old speakers up to date and hearing them sing!
Almost all of our models can be brought very close to current spec and the results are more than worthwhile. It has been some time since we last listened to an older set, but last week a set of 2014 Argos came in for upgrade and we took them for a spin. Unpacked and they sounded very good but when we plugged our showroom Apollo in our jaws dropped :icon_surprised: We had to go back to the older Argos to confirm what we heard, the improvement was beyond substantial.
Since the changes the last three years came a bit at a time we hadn't realized just how big of a leap we had made. Anyway it is really something to hear the old side by side with the new and then to make the old "new".




ArthurDent

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Re: Daedalus upgrades
« Reply #1 on: 8 Dec 2018, 12:59 am »
Sweet Lou. Nice work, and I'm sure the owner will appreciate the improvement in the presentation.  :thumb:

MegaHz

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Re: Daedalus upgrades
« Reply #2 on: 9 Dec 2018, 09:17 pm »
Thanks for the compliments AD.  I am looking forward to the Ulysses safely crossing the country this week to get back home for the holidays. 

Great to see Lou working his acoustical magic on this pair and then dressing them up with new finish to match.  The hardwood and new drivers look fantastic.   Its exciting to see Lou keeps pushing his designs with the latest developments in driver and crossover components. 

I'll leave it to others here to share their thoughts on the improvements to sound Daedalus has achieved over the past several years. 

audiotom

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Re: Daedalus upgrades
« Reply #3 on: 12 Dec 2018, 12:47 am »
Congratulations megahz on your Ulysses upgrades.

What a great holidays to hear whole new music
(Your collection taken to new heights of realism on the updated speakers)

Not so fast on the "leave it to others" comment

As many of us are Ulysses owners, an insightful review would be most welcome

dodgealum

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Re: Daedalus upgrades
« Reply #4 on: 12 Dec 2018, 02:06 pm »
I agree--it would be great to hear your impressions MegaHz on the improvements wrought by the upgrades to your Ulysses. Until then I'll throw in my own two cents.....

I am about to take delivery on my third pair of Daedalus Audio speakers. My journey with Lou began with an original pair of DA-1's, which I settled on after a two year search for speakers to replace my beloved Harbeth Compact 7s. I had moved to a larger room and wanted a full range loudspeaker system that retained the tonal fidelity of the Harbeth sound. Despite listening to countless models in the sub-10K range, I had a surprisingly hard time finding a speaker that sounded "right" to my ears. When a pair of DA-1's came on the market I drove 200 miles to hear them and bought them on the spot. This was around 12 years ago. I had not been familiar with Daedalus Audio but was persuaded by the owner that it would be worth the drive--it was and I was happy to have found a speaker that got all the important stuff right. After I got the speakers home and had the opportunity to hear them in my own system I became even more intrigued by the design. I called Lou and introduced myself and we became fast friends. Some years later he told me he was coming out with a thoroughly revamped version of the DA-1--to be called the DA-1.1. After several conversations that clearly conveyed both Lou's passion and the extraordinary enhancements that were to be captured in the new design I ordered a pair, passing my DA-1s on to a friend who has enjoyed them ever since. The improvements offered by the DA-1.1s were not subtle--detail, imaging, dynamics, high frequency extension, musical flow--all improved considerably YET the overall character of the sound, the coherence and tonal correctness, remained as signature qualities. As Lou continued to improve his designs, I sent my DA-1.1s back (twice) for upgrades (AP and V2). Each time the speakers returned the same trick was performed--improvements in the areas highlighted above WHILE retaining the fundamental qualities (tonality and coherence) that make Daedalus speakers unique to the industry (IMHO). During a trip to Ferndale last October, and again last month at CAF, I was finally able to hear Lou's most recent designs (Zeus, Apollo 11 and Apollo--I've now heard all three). My take is that the new models once again raise the bar by pushing the performance envelope in the areas of detail, transparency, high frequency extension, deep AND well integrated bass, and staging WHILE retaining a level of system coherence and natural tonality that are hallmarks of the Daedalus sound (and standard setting in the field). Unique and worth highlighting with the introduction of the Apollo series, is a particularly large performance gain in the area of bass response--the ten inch woofer providing a degree of seamlessness and articulation that is perhaps the most notable improvement among the new designs. Throughout my journey I have feel I have been completely blessed by Lou's friendship, craft, and passion for the art of loudspeaker design and production. Daedalus speakers are not only among the best loudspeakers money can buy but each pair is handcrafted, reflecting the artistry of the builder and the aesthetic sensibilities of the proud owner. After a dozen years I can look back and say "It has been a wonderful journey" and with the arrival of my Apollo's in the next week or so, one that is about to move into an exciting new phase.

MKJM4

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Re: Daedalus upgrades
« Reply #5 on: 9 Sep 2020, 01:55 am »
You said very eloquently what I feel about the craftsmanship and pursuit of perfection that Lou has worked so hard to give us.