The last time I saw Lou Hinkley of Daedalus Audio the look on his face was not unlike my cat Purcy when he strolls into the house clutching a bird in his mouth. As I sat down to listen to Lou's new flagship speaker, I began to understand why. My direct impression was "the Daedalus house sound, but much more refined". At the time, I didn't know the full degree of refinement. On first listen to this speaker, its relationship to the DA-1—Lou's first high-end offering—was apparent, but its degree of sophistication was light years forward. Since I was one of the first to extol the virtues of the DA-1, Lou thought it made sense for me to get a pair and take them through their paces ASAP. I agreed.

Daedalus Audio is steeped in Greco/Roman mythology, its namesake being the common symbol for the first architects, craftsmen, and sculptors, who principally worked with wood. Their new flagship speaker is named for the Greek hero Odysseus whose lengthy journeys are chronicled by Homer in the epic The Odyssey. Odysseus was known as Ulysses in Roman myths. After Lou told me the tale of all the work that went in to the development of this speaker, I've no doubt that the Daedalus Ulysses has been through an epic audio journey all its own.Sherman, set the wayback machine to July/Aug 2005, (seems so long ago) PFO Issue 20, my review of Daedalus Audio's DA-1: https://positive-feedback.com/Issue20/daedalusda1.htm.

I really enjoyed this speaker, one of the liveliest, most musical transducers I've ever listened to. It certainly had its own character, not your typical audiophile speaker. Some of the best dynamics and true textures I've ever heard, the DA-1 was a very good speaker. Although the lineage of the DA-1 and the Ulysses is apparent, these are very different devices. The DA-1 looks rather conventional (except for its two tweeters); while the Ulysses sports an unusual array that features two diagonally offset tweeters in the middle of the baffle.

The business end of the Ulysses includes 2 x1" Eaton dome tweeters, 2 x5" modified Fostex full-range mids, and 2 x 8" woofers made by Daedalus, for a total of six drivers per enclosure. The mid and bass drivers feature (according to Lou) "a custom coating which adds a precise amount of damping, but more importantly makes the cone more rigid. This keeps everything smoother and cleaner while still having the responsiveness of a light weight paper cone. Another benefit is this coating moisture-proofs the cone. Paper cones can over time absorb moisture and become slightly deformed, this treatment solves that issue, and these drivers should perform perfectly for decades."

The Ulysses measures 49" x 11" x 16" and weighs in at 115 lbs. each. The enclosure is made of solid hardwood with dovetail joints, 1 1/4" Baltic birch and solid walnut baffle, is heavily hardwood braced, and comes in a stunning hand-rubbed oil varnish finish. This makes for one inert cabinet. The front baffle is sculpted to reduce baffle reflection; this helps in the clarity of the system because much of the reflected sounds off the baffle have a 'distorted ' aspect. It also improves imaging.

On the rear there are three tuned port aperiodic vents (more abut these below) and one set of Vampire 5-way binding posts.

Frequency response is listed at 28 to 22 kHz +/- 1.5Bb, while sensitivity comes in at 97 Bb 1w/1m. A rear tweeter switch has three positions: flat, -1db, +1Bb. The crossover network is hand built, and features matched tolerances within 1%.

Lou sent me the pair that he'd been using to make the rounds for the audio show circuit, so I knew they were already broken in. Once they arrived in Colorado I wasted no time in setting them up. Luckily, I had three very different amplifiers to mix-n-match, the Audio Space 2A3 12-watt push-pull, the 28-watt Consonance Cyber 845 single-ended, and my Swiss army knife solid-state amp, the 150-watt PS Audio HCA-2.

The DA-1 was probably the easiest speaker to set up I've ever had. The Ulysses is a different animal. In my room they worked best far apart, at least nine feet. Tow-in was a slightly tricky affair. I found they worked best not pointed straight ahead, nor completely toed in, but somewhere in between. You'll need to see the insides of the cabinets to some degree. Once you hit the right spot… boom, the soundstage will open up, imaging will pop right into place, and all will be good. The optional stands are worth the few extra dollars. I had the Ulysses set up without them for a week or so and I thought the soundstage was killer. With the stands underneath it became ginormous. Floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall, the presentation expanded significantly.

I started with the Audio Space 2A3 amp. Instantly floored. Huge 3-dimensional soundstage. Resolution. Finesse. Detail. Coherence. Life-like mids. Tight, taut bass. My room is engulfed in glorious sound! Well… just my first impression, mind you. I shouldn't get too exited yet- but still...

When I switched to the Consonance Cyber 845, a new world opened. Its 28-watts not only allowed me to drive the Ulysses to higher volumes, but also rendered glorious textures and voices and instruments, layers and layers of gorgeous sound. Bass was fast and full, overall presentation so, so lively, with detail always in attendance.

Jonesing for some Beethoven, I chose the Third Symphony, first movement, the classic '63 Deutchse Grammophon recording with Herbert von Karajan. The so-called Erioca was Beethoven's first beyond-genius work in the symphonic realm. From the instant I lowered the needle of the Shelter 501, I was rewarded with resplendent strains of Ludwig van. The opening theme was captivating, dynamics startling. The fundamental punch of the timpani came through as if I was there. I could feel the impact from the mallet striking the head, with all the splendid resonance of the copper kettles. Most recordings portray timpani like a pale gray ghost. The Ulysses gave me all of their impact in a way that most transducers only dream about. The decay on plucked string basses seemed to last forever. Ensemble timing was right on and conveyed this music in a most intimate way. To say Beethoven's impassioned genius was communicated is an understatement.

I listened to this piece first using the Consonance Cyber 845, then again with the 150-watt PS Audio HCA-2. Nutshell view, the Consonance gave me good dynamics, and rewarded me with lush textures you could almost reach out and touch. The HCA-2's iron grip resulted in dynamic swings that were so life-like I felt I was right there while the recording was being made. Pick your pleasure. I loved the three-position tweeter adjustment switch. It allowed me to tailor the sound to my room, but also to make changes while switching between amps and cables.

If it was up to me, all bass drivers would live in a sealed enclosure. The Ulysses provides extraordinary bass, and although there were three ports on the back, damn if they didn't behave—for the most part—like a sealed enclosure. I noticed each port was covered from the inside with a fabric. I asked Lou about this, he told me these are aperiodic ports; the covering helps the cabinet function as a sealed enclosure above the tuning frequency. It works!

When I listened to the title cut from Buddy Guy's Blues Singer, it was a truly ethereal experience. Buddy's voice came across so realistic and spooky it had quite an emotional effect on me. With only a couple of candles and the glow from the 845s illuminating the room, Buddy was right there, his voice eerily suspended in front of the Argent Room Lens. Chilling. I was drawn in and before I knew it I listened to the entire recording.

I on put Wrecking Ball from Emmy Lou Harris and again listened to the whole recording. Most of the tunes on this CD have a lot of bass energy that can obscure detail. Not so with the Ulysses. The glorious bass was portrayed with accuracy and inner detail in spades. The speaker really keeps its composure at very high SPLs and does not choke on the details. On "All My Tears" I heard the synth bass line clearly for the first time, in addition to the piano comp that I never noticed before. The harmony vocal on the chorus was lucid and punctuated. When Emmy Lou sings some notes have a distinct edge. I've heard her live many times, and occasionally unamplified, so I can confirm this. That edge came across on the Ulysses, its reproduction of vocal music is outstanding.

Listening to J. S. Bach, "Orchestral Suite # 1", the Academy of Ancient Music, Christopher Hogwood, I honestly got chills when I listened to this piece. IMHO you need a really good acoustic recording to truly assess accuracy. You can compare studio recordings with each other, some are great, and some decidedly, are not. What works for me is listening to an acoustic ensemble recorded in a small hall. Over the years I've been lucky enough to hear a lot really quality music in small recital halls. The Ulysses really excelled at reproducing not only the instruments, their timing and texture, but the interaction of the sound with the room. It connected me with the music in a way that few if any speakers have before.

Although I know that Lou did not design this speaker specifically for low-powered tubes, the Ulysses can certainly deliver when driven by them. Is your passion the gorgeous sound of low power tubes? If so this speaker can accommodate you, though within limits. I felt at the 12-watt push-pull Audio Space amp was probably at the lower limit of power you could use and still get realistic dynamics. The 28-watt 845 Consonance SET performed very nicely.

How about mid- to high-power solid-state or tube designs? The Ulysses was built for high power. When I used 15 watts of class D power I loved the unlimited realistic dynamics that made the music seem so natural. My only regret was I didn't have a chance to try this speaker with some high-power tube amps.

Which type of amplification/source did I prefer with the Ulysses? Usually, whatever I was listening to at the time. Pressed for a decision on one, I have to give the nod to the Consonance Cyber 845, and my analog rig (VPI Scoutmaster, Shelter 501, and Aqvox Phono 2Ci, Gingko Cloud 9) which together gave me some of the most extraordinarily cohesive sound my room has ever been graced with. If you read Lou Hinkley's quote "coupling high efficiency with high power handling makes for effortless reproduction of music" it is obvious that he prefers a high-power amp for these speakers. I look at the Ulysses low-power affability as a big plus. This chameleon-like transducer is friendly to many different types of amps, and it truly lets you enjoy the characteristics of each and every amp. Rare indeed and a dream for audiophiles who enjoy the sound of more than one type of gain device.