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This will be a first for me. I have NEVER clicked on a sponsor, ever. Not in my 54 years on UA-cam. Butt. I like and trust you (So far, don't F it up ; ) and whilst shopping for a DAC, I need me some glasses to read the fine print. I guess I'll take a look, so to speak. Thanks for all the great reviews, 'preciate ya.
I started with Pendragons and really liked them. As with most with the audio sickness I thought of moving up to the Double Impacts. I found a pair for sale locally and bought them as fast as I could get to the guys house. I am not disappointed. The Double Impacts continually stop me short when listening to music I thought I was familiar with. I will say one though if you have Pendragons do not underestimate them. They are the best value in floorstanding speakers out there. Especially on the used market. Tekton takes such a beating from many "audiophiles" because of some of their designs and price. I say bravo to Tekton. I still have my Pendragons too btw.
I've had a pair of Lores for about a year. First impression was how live the sound was. After much listening over the year I'd call them full range, highly listenable and musically balanced. They have a big, composed sound. Beside them I have a pair of Polk Audio R600 towers. Also really fine speakers but not quite as together. The R600s have the bass punch that Randy was talking about the Lores lacking, but it's too much for me, so I've had to tweak the bass back. I'd strongly recommend the Lores. Yes, their efficiency is a far cry from 98 db, but it's better than all of my other speakers.
I have a small house and too many speakers. When I bought a pair of Impact Monitors, I decided they were better than the Lores and so gave up the latter. No complaints about the Lores although the light gray (almost white paint) wasn't quite right for my room. I still believe the Lores are fine speakers and, for the money, very hard to beat. @@tomcat1109
I too waited an eternity for my Lore's (which are playing in the background as I type) and then another eon waiting for the grills. So worth it. I've never had any qualms about lack of bass, in fact the subsonic rumble in some of my music I've never even knew existed still impresses me. And I can't tell me how many times I look around my room for random noises in songs that pop up behind me or sound like they came from outside my room.
Happy to see a Tekton review! I ordered Moabs June 1st and still waiting for them. Not encouraging that you ordered later February and only got them recently.. But I think they're going to be worth the wait for anyone who already has a system and isn't desperate to get something new setup.
Tekton Moab and Pendragon owner here. I use custom SET gear and the results are nothing short of other top tier offerings from some of the 'best' stuff out there. THE best value in speakers today.
Can I ask what SET / SE amps you’re using? I’ve had Pendragons for almost 5 yrs, and they sound excellent with a 300B amp, but always curious as to hear of other peoples experiences. Thanks, and enjoy those speakers. They really are fantastic 🔊😊🎶
@@NickP333 I now have Ulfberhts as well. I own my own audio company called Apollo Audio Systems so my amps are proprietary. We focus on SET amps, fine crossovers, general hi-fi consultation as well as some servicing of third party tube gear. Our line currently consists of a 5w 2a3 stereo amp, 10w 300b monos, 22w 811a/572b monos, 50w 810 monos and a pentode based preamp. Currently running a 2a3 amp on the Ulfs but I usually use a 22w 572b. The 50w models will actually be here in the room for the first time tomorrow since we just finished the prototypes. I sell a lot of amps to Tekton owners and also do a lot of mod work on them. They're great candidates for fine peripherals and filter upgrades. They resolve very well given their modest asking price.
Why would he take this down… this is his experience with the product. If other reviewers experiences will determine what he does in this channel might as well not have a channel at all. Samsung has sued hundred of thousands, its been proven that Samsung has paid for fake reviews, has paid to leave negative reviews on their competitors, lied to millions of costumers about some of their products to the point of having to pay fines. Yet Erin still has links for you to purchase your Samsung TV and he gets that little kick back from your purchase😉The hypocrisy of some of you is ridiculous. Bunch of Tekton haters that disliked the brand before Eric did this.
@@canillocanillo3371 Why take it down, because it’s called boycott time! Eric needs to feel the pinch of how capitalism works not how litigation works.
Eric threatening to sue reviewers again for honest reviews, why should people buy from or support a company that is threatening to sue reviewers because Eric is not being happy with others honest reviews?
Love my Lores in black. Run them with a 6WPC chi-fi EL34 amp, no problem. They play as loud as I need. This from a guy who's had many floorstanders, Martin-Logans, big Maggies and Innersound (Sanders). Heck of a deal.
Great and enjoyable review Randy! I absolutely love my Tekton Double Impacts... Now just try to imagine what Tekton can do with 11 drivers per speaker and 450 watts per channel driving them LOL. Beyond impressive!
"...kunk, kunk..." Nice. Wow, a paper woofer with a whizzer cone. I remember when Radio Shack sold these in their bargain bin back in the day. Brings back some memories. Don't get mad at me. These are compliments.
I've purchased two sets of Tekton speakers used and gotten them both at a great price. First was the Impact Monitor with BE tweeters. Then I decided that I'd prefer a tower speaker. I then purchased the Enzo 2.7 (used). I chose the Enzo 2.7 because I liked the design characteristics. I liked the look better than the IMs and I wanted a speaker that was front ported. I think of Tekton as having a very honest sound. Not much coloration. Transparent and detailed (due to the Tekton tweeter array) with good dynamics and impact. The great thing about Tekton is that they have a speaker for almost every application with plenty of variation in between. They have speakers big, medium, small. You can get them with BE tweeters if you need/prefer some high frequency boost. They have speakers designed for SET amplifiers. I rarely hear a bad review of Tekton and their prices are more than fair.
I love tektons approach to speaker design, its straight up different than everyone else which gives a much different sounding and looking speaker than everyone else, need more companies like this to help introduce new approaches
...yeah but I wonder...how hard would it be to get the speaker manufacturer to make them a custom color cones? I mean they are blue already so they must be dying them at some point...or at least use black. The blue doesnt match all the colors and it does end up with a DIY look on some of them. The blue lore with the blue speaker cone is awesome...why cant they do the same for the others? know what I mean?
I went from Lores to Lintons and haven’t looked back. Lores needed help down low for sure, you’re spot on about extension vs punch. But there is something special about full range / near full range single drivers like that 10” on the Lore. No doubt.
I went from Lintons to Tekton Enzo 2.7. I definitely miss the color of the Lintons but the high end clarity of the Tektons is what brought it home. Especially given the genres of music that I listen to (metalcore related mostly). I had a short window to compare them. Back to back, the roll of the Lintons was obvious when A/B'd with the Enzo. Both keeper speakers for sure.
Lintons by wharfdale are Over priced and have low quality components crossovers are lacking for their price tag Tekton offers crossover upgrades on a verity of their speakers from under $1000 and above in my opinion unless your savvy on diy upgrades stay away from overpriced junk like wharfedale, mission is a much better speaker manufacturer and made in the UK Unlike wharedale is cheap China
Great review Randy! Been waiting to hear about these. I have Zu Audio DWs and the Tekton's seem to be very similar. I think the Zu's have a little better refinement in the build than the Tekton's, but from your description, they have a similar sound. Zu's are also very efficient. Would love to see a comparison between the Tekton's and the Zu's.
Zus are built way better especially the cabinets not even on the same playing field. But sound wise are very close and both are very efficient. But Zu Audio raises their prices on the DW6 now so you have to weigh that as well.
ive owned lores for 8 years. no need for any other speaker. have had multiple amp/preamp source combinations over the years, but the most important aspect is dialing in placement for YOUR room. You want them out into the room for them to shine and toed in to a point that is a few feet BEHIND you. If you want to discover what they are truly capable in terms of soundstage presentation, take them outdoors in the wide open and put em about 15 feet apart, sit 12 feet from them and toe them in to a point about 3 feet behind you. You will be blown away. The sound will come from above, directly from the left or right of your body and will create the illusion that you are inside a giant pair of headphones. Wild stuff.
So interesting! I have the original ELAC Unfi Slims and picked up a pair of used Tekton Mini Lore Monitor speakers (bookshelf). When I A/Bed them in my home office I came away and said...the Tektons sound great! They are more efficient, have less bass, sound just a bit thinner in the mid range than the ELACs, but their combination of paper woofer and soft dome tweeter was so sweet. I bet the tower versions would take care of the low end and since the ELACs require a big amp to sound correct, think the Lore line from Tekton is an excellent option.
Thanks for this long awaited review. Your patience was rewarded. I would hope that Zu reaches out to you for a demo of their Dirty Weekends. The prices are similar (the Zus are $1500). Keep up the great work! -DD
I was thinking the same thing. I'd love to hear a comparison. Also, is there some sort of rule of thumb on the value proposition of direct to consumer vs retail channel? It seems clear that you should get a better speaker buying from the manufacture - but what is the factor? Is a $1000 Tekton worth a $2000 retail channel speaker?
Glad you had Tekton for a review. I have the $600 Mini-Lore Monitors and they are impressive and very neutral for the price. After that, I bit the bullet and placed an order during the end of May 2022 for the new Dynamites, which now as Eric from Tekton told me on the telephone, are a smaller version of the well reviewed Impact Monitors. I have not received them yet, but I cannot wait to get them "en mi casa". I am considering becoming a Patreon of your channel, since your approach to the hobby of the reproduction of recorded music, the gear and the music (rock 4 ever!) is very much down my ally. 😁🤘
These might not be everyone's cup of tea for color but being able to choose from multiple colors is different than other speakers which if your lucky can choose white, black or wood color. The group of speakers you compared to is a great list of speakers. I'm interested in how these would go up against the Magnat but I'm just going have to wait and keep watching to see that one. Great review Randy on a speaker that's a little bit different than the norm.
The fact that you can pick ANY custom color AND the paint manufacturer for an extra 50 bucks is an insane bonus. You can literally walk into a Home Depot and grab a pint of touch-up paint if you scratch them, AND color coordinate other stuff in the room w/ the speaker color if you go bananas with a gallon. (Or hide them by painting the wall the same color, effectively camouflaging them, I suppose) Nifty!
I have a pair of the Tekton M-Lore's in my small 13x11 listening space and these are great speakers. When paired with my Peachtree Nova 500 (class D) these little sister/brother/cousin? to the Lore have some punch in the low end but they seemed a little sterile at the top so I swapped the Nova 500 with an Audiolab 6000a (class A/B) for a much warmer sound, though with somewhat less bass punch. All in all, I'm very pleased with my M-Lore's. I'm hoping for a larger listening space in the near future at which time I plan on upgrading to the Tekton Double Impacts or Moab's. For the money, it's hard to not like the performance that Tekton provides.
LOVE my Tekton Perfect Set speakers. I have had many different brands of speakers in my life, but Tekton is the only brand I will purchase anymore, they are all winners!
As a audiophile for nearly four decades Sith Audio are the only choice in eyewear for the serious listener. Remember the Maxell advertisement poster from the 80’s, that’s right Sith Audio sunglasses.
I have a pair of Tekton Enzo XL and they just keep slaying every set of highly reviewed speakers I buy to test them against. I Absolutely love these things and they just keep destroying any sense of FOMO I get when I see the next great thing on UA-cam. That just means I get to setup excellent music listening zones throughout my house, much to my wife's chagrin :)
I also have two Enzo XLs with the full tweeter rings 4ohm variants for a bit more than a year. I am in Europe, so it was quite a gamble with shipping and import costs (Euro was stronger then versus the Dollar, so that helped) - it payed off - I am happy with them.
@@alphaniner3770 Hi, I have been looking at the Enzo but the tweeter ring has been a question for me. Why did you choose the tweeter ring and do you find/think it was worth the extra cash?
@@threeberryswi I have not made the comparison between the two variants one on one because I have only experienced the ring - so no direct experience. But when I judge my speakers, and what the 6 tweeters do for the midrange frequencies I would certainly go for the upgrade, especially when you like to play rock/metal, where you would want to beef up the relatively thin U-shaped middle frequencies.
From what I understand the 10s are Eminence bass amp drivers with a whizzer cone added. I miss my Lores. Downsized to the Lore Mini and they are awesome, but you can definitely tell a difference. Also, check the grill staples when you get them. They rubbed paint off on both sets I've had. Eric will send a little brush bottle of touch up paint for like 4 or 5 bucks.
My friend just loaned me a pair. I am paring it with the NAD 375 BEE (150W) and SVS SB-3000 playing analog records. I feel immersed in the music like I am in the middle of a jazz club listening to Coltrane or Davis. Great speakers!
I wanted to drive over there and hear some, had my eyes on the Moab or DI. Some people hate the looks, I hate the owners personality. Done and done. Moving on, haha.
I tried reaching out to the company via email and got a response initially from the owner Eric saying how he wanted to help and I responded asking to schedule a call with him and got no reply for a week so I called their customer service number and asked for Eric and they said he just stepped out and would give me a call back. Long story short. I never got a call back and so I put their customer service as very low and that is something important to me especially since they are the people you would be dealing with if you have any issues with the speakers so yeah that was why I stopped caring / looking at these as potential replacements to my system.
I just got my upgraded Lore with the beryllium tweeters, and out of the box they sound great. Fresh paint smell...not so great lol. But I'm very happy and if they require a break in to sound their best, I'll be even happier!
I’ve got the lore reference, absolutely love em. I have some jbl horn speakers, magneplanar .07’s and Yamaha NS500m’ s all awesome speakers and very different. But the Tekton’s are simply the most special and by far the cheapest.
i have the Lore Reference as well. in my room, they sounded very good with minimal toe-in, but then i saw a video (boston audiophile) where he talked about using extreme toe-in where the drivers "cross" in front of the listening position. this has the effect of reducing/eliminating reflections from the side walls. the effect was dramatic and unmistakeable; the LRs were so much more detailed and dynamic than before. huge huge improvement in sound quality. give it a try and see how it sounds for you :)
Randy, thanks for reviewing these speakers. It would be great to see more reviews from smaller independent companies like Tekton. Zu Audio and RSL Speakers immediately come to mind.
"I ordered grills, but I didn't get grills." I've heard that more than once before from folks who ordered Tekton. One said that he heard they "don't like making them (grills)." LOL.
I have the Tekton Design Double Impacts and love them. I have them about 4 ft out from the front wall, and 2 ft in from the sides. The right side is open to the dining room, so there is practically no side wall reflections from that side. On the left there are vertical blinds that are canted such that they capture a lot of the reflections that extend about 2 ft front of the speaker. I site about 8 ft back from the speakers which are about 7ft apart. Due to the ceiling height I have a bass suck out at around 55Hz. With all that said, I love the soundstage and imaging. Very solid front to back and left to right. I also bought the center channel, but the stereo image is so good that you can't tell what's on or off without looking at the receiver. In fact, they sound exactly the same due to the timbre matching. Great low bass, excellent midrange clarity, but squalky recording will squalk, and clean highs. I think for $3K they give $5K-$10K performance, but that is subjective.
@ Burt Wicks. I have the double impacts in a room with a very similar setup situation. I also get great imaging and sound stage but sometimes I wonder if a more uniform room layout would improve that even more. Bass is very linear and well-controlled, I have tried a couple of SVS subs that I already had but they added absolutely nothing positive so I retired them from the system LOL. By comparison they sounded slow, bloated, and almost inaudible even at full gain on the subs LOL. Extremely happy with my double impacts alone!
Solid review, agree on sound stage and imaging. Have Lores paired with Marantz 2270, magic because of warmth, tone controls and the elusive Loudness switch. Can tune to my room and really feel the music. Thanks Randy.
Steve that’s great to read your using a Marantz 2270 driving your Lores , I have a newly refurbished 2270 I plan to drive my Lores with however I was a little concerned how they would mate . It’s a relief reading your account using your 2270 !
I purchased the Lores with upgrades for my home office fabulous bang for the buck speakers , I have used a few different integrated amplifiers from Accuphase, Yamaha and Sugden AU 41 all around 90 watts per channel each the Sugden sounding the best . Then a totally unsuspected experience to place which lit up the Lores like I’ve never experienced , I had a 1970s vintage black face Pioneer SX-5590 the European cousin of the North American SX-1250 . Bass wallop and rumble out of the Lores is literally jaw dropping non of the other three amplifiers I tried even come close whether it’s the extra 60 watts per channel and or this vintage beauty is one spectacular match for the Lores though bass slam isn’t everything all around the Pioneer sounds fabulous I would never of suspected nor would I actively chosen a vintage receiver . The receiver was purchased along with a load of other related items from a widow wanting her late husband’s stuff out of the house .
I found the Lores very sensitive to toe in. I found almost straight ahead gave me the best balance and pushed the soundstage outside the boundaries of the speakers. Toe in too much and they were in your face. Was amazed how little i had to move them to get a difference. YMMV. Cheers from Australia.
When I saw this video come up I have to admit I was a bit worried. Just thinking back to the experience your buddy had. Thanks for going through with it!
I am glad they sound so good - that is why we're all doing this! Personally, I like the Tekton speakers in blue - *slightly* more subtle (less loud?) and a nice look with the black woofer. The orange is a high contrast, and a bit polarizing? My spouse detests orange, while I like it for some things.
Even though I'm divorced and don't have to please anyone but me at this point, I went conservative and went for the charcoal color on my Tektons. Figured I would be keeping them for a long time and may have to get a bit of someone else's buy-in in the future LOL.
I bought a pair of Perfect Set. They arrived last February (after a 5 month wait). I'm driving them with a 10 watt Luxman (tube) integrated. Initially, I didn't like them: the highs were too bright, and the bass was weak. After about 100 hours of break-in, the bass bloomed and the highs calmed down. I still use a REL sub to enhance the bass. (I listen at fairly low volume: under 75 dB peaks) -- I'd say they sound very "natural" - especially with acoustic piano, acoustic guitars, voice, saxophones/trumpet, etc, & drums. They don't sound so natural w/ violin and cello - still too bright for me. They sound very good w/ Rock & Electronic music. The bass has nice texture, the mids are pretty nice. The highs are "ok", with lots of detail. (I'd like to hear the BE tweeter)... - About the paint -- there was a strong paint smell when they arrived. I had to air them out in the garage (door open) for 2 months before I could bring them into the house! They still have a slight paint smell after 7 months, so I have to open the windows. - About break in - long break in is a must for these to sound decent.
Randy loved your review of these and really Tekton is a great company to deal with. I have many hours with the Double Impact speakers and those are really enjoyable. Might I suggest for bass testing that you just a bass sweep from like 5 or 10 up to to about 80. That would give some a better reference point on how low they go and sound. I am not a big Korn fan so that reference has no meaning to me. I also listened to that song and really it is not that dramatic in the range.
I too own the Orange Lores. How long were you able to break them in? Mine took probably 15-20 hours and once I got there, I noticed tighter bass with more thump. At the time I was running the Peachtree Nova 150, I've since sold that and own the Emotiva TA1 with the A2 power amp. I love this matchup and I love my Lore's. I will say that I'm very curious to hear the Emotiva T2 + floor speakers for about the same price. The orange is really cool IMHO. Anybody that comes over comments and thinks they look amazing. Unconventional to be sure, but oh what an amazing sound!
I've never heard them, but I've noted many reviewers say they take a good while to "break in" to open up. Glad you are liking them. They are on my short list. I guess I could order the grilles first, wait 6-months and then order the speakers... ;-)
Could I ask you please..... Did the manufacturer threaten you with legal action if you didn't like the speakers? He is known to do this. Please think about removing any Tekton content if you feel this behaviour is wrong. Thanks
love your channel because the goal of getting the best sound quality for a given [low] budget is a noble cause, could you make a video giving the big picture to achieve such a goal, for example: 0/ an efficient way to discover our personal sound signature preference not relying on listening in a shop before buying because most of location don't offer such shops 1/ is there a sweet spot in the curve of diminishing return 2/ for a given budget are there some price points where headphone, studio monitors or iem providing better sound than passive speakers+amp ? 3/ are there better side investments that give better overall sound enjoyment than upgrading speakers such as : adding a sub, upgrading the amp, speaker placement/orientation items, original simple room treatment ? keep up the good work in an entertaining way like you do
Great review. I have the m-lore towers which are a slightly smaller version of the Lores in a bedroom/office setting. I’m a tube nut and have found that the higher wattage push pull amps that I own sound much better than my 3 watt SE amp when it comes to this speaker. They may be efficient but seem to prefer some headroom.
I have the Double Impacts, and I've tried them with a variety of amps including a 30 watt per channel tube amp. Pretty much all sounded very good, but once I got a potent class AB amp (Denafrips Apollo - 450 watts per channel into 4 ohms) to pair with them it took the speakers to a whole other incredible level. They scale up incredibly well with more and better power.
@@maximas76able I currently have modified W4 Heathkit monoblocks powering them. 6l6 power tubes, 20WPC. It’s a combination that really works for me. I’m not sure what to recommend on the new market though. Seems that some folks prefer a lot of power, but I thought the Schiit Aigers sounded good with them.
I have the Mini Lore Monitor and standard Lore. Both like the Rega io much more than the NAD c372 and didn't sound that bad with a $50.00 tpa3116. I did try a few tube amps but they were cheap and sounded lifeless.
Hi this Tom from Austin, last year I bought a pair of Tekton Lore 2.0s off of CL a little over a year ago. I was super excited because I had read great things about them. If I didn't have any other speakers to compare them to, I would have probably loved them. But I actually enjoyed my PSB Image 6Ts and Klipsch KG4s more, so I sold them after about 4 or 5 months. I do not recall how many receivers and amplifiers I tried with them, but I tried several. I sold them to another guy with lots of equipment (more upscale then mine) and saw them back on CL a few months later. Glad I tried them and recovered my investment.
I can't speak about Lore, but I had some Tekton DI's with factory upgrade. They are great value full-range towers. To me, they sound like listening to speakers (missing the 'magic' disappearing act), maybe suited best for Home Theater. Randy, for the kind of music you like, these will likely be great - put you in the front row at a concert.
I sent back my LCR set. The 'genius' was displeased. I complied with their demands about getting a return done (no fingerprints allowed) and now own Ohms. Not for everybody, but it suits me.
The fact that you can pick ANY custom color AND the paint manufacturer for an extra 50 bucks is an insane bonus. You can literally walk into a Home Depot and grab a pint of touch-up paint if you scratch them, AND color coordinate other stuff in the room w/ the speaker color if you go bananas with a gallon. (Or hide them by painting the wall the same color, effectively camouflaging them, I suppose) Nifty!
Great review I ordered a pair of the Lore Ref just before Covid then I picked up a REL T5x later to help out the base even though was happy as is was on a roll on purchases. I did orange as well to have a bit of fun with others. Love the set up now.
I've had both. IMO, they present slightly differently. LR bass is punchier (but L has more extension) and there is more separation/definition across the entire sound spectrum. With LR, I found myself dissecting specific sounds when I listened. With L, I enjoy the music more in its totality. LR sounds like music is coming out of the speaker box. (I am not saying they sound boxy - they do not). L sounds like music is just appearing in the room. I like both very much, but kept the Lores. I also have mini L monitors in my office that I like very much.
bass punch occurs (not) in lower scale , Lores go LOW. If you drive them with a true high current amplifier that goes low , you will be gobsmacked with both . I drive my Lores with a vintage Luxman integrated and the sound is beyond words . All of the above including absolutely natural sounding . Like you are in the session .
Would you consider reviewing the Lore Reference. I’m interested in your opinions on how they might compare to CSS and other bookshelf units. Many thanks for a great review.
When someone says Paper Woofer they have my attention. But what I want to hear about is the Emotiva PT2...and is it as bright as the PT1 preamp? or the integrated?
Randy, two things 1. warby parker is awesome. I am wearing them now. 2. I have Amp Camp Amp and offer still stand to send it to you for review. 3. great review John H Ipad #9
Been on my shortlist for a while. But shipping to Europe? Hmm difficult and expensive. What I am looking for though. Dynamics, soundstage, and I would say some good off axis response would be nice. Dunno, plenty of similar stuff in Europe. Cabasse, Triangle...
Thanks Randy for all your hard work that must go into putting a show, like yours, together. The Tekton's and Vanatoo speakers were of great interest and I thank you for taking the time and money to cover them. I have been looking at the Lore and the next speaker up, the Uruz with it's Ribbon Tweeter. Do you have any thoughts on how a ribbon tweeter would change the sound of this speaker? And what type of Music Listener would benefit from from this type of tweeter change?
It was a love hate relationship with my lores at first. Something just wasn't right with them. It took a long, long time for them to break in. Granted, the sound signature isn't for everyone. Now they are a different story. Hooked these up to a rogue audio tube amp and that's when they floored me. I've found that they're not good playback speakers at low volume and the bass is linear. But there is bass. Oh there's bass
Great review! Interesting findings… With that high of a sensitivity how did they do with your Macintosh amp?? I personally would prefer more punch and the extension can come from subwoofers.
Enjoyed your video on "Upgrade THIS First". Love that you went against the grain and suggested it is the source first then the speakers! So here's a question: say I have my gear, source to speakers but now I want to try a different speaker brand. What then? Obviously I would take the speakers home to hear how they synergize with my gear that I have married to my outgoing speakers, and if they don't do well, what then? Forget them and stick with what I have? Continue shopping? Or start all over (nah!)? What about this curveball: Say my dream speaker is the Klipsch Forte IV, and say I own a speaker no where near it's efficiency rating, so my amp is beefy, etc. then perhaps this particular amp will be a way overkill for the Forte's, then there's the noise floor of the preamp, etc. Or reverse it: Say I have gear designed for high efficiency speakers, the amp is low noise, the preamp is low noise, etc. everything is great and there is no hiss or anything coming out from the Klipsch, but now I want to get, I don't know...an Elac! Man I guess that is going totally against the grain of my current gear, what then?
I wouldn't worry about having too much power for a highly efficient speaker. I'm running my Tekton double impacts with a monstrous 450 watt per channel class AB amp (Denafrips Apollo). Sounds fantastic both at low volume and at higher volume. Allows for a ton of headroom so even at extremely high volumes very very little distortion.
@@toddt5562 I understand about headroom. Agree. But 450 W? I would never use 450W! My electric bill is high enough, I don't need my amp to be running more than a small fridge. LOL. Most people I know/seen using high efficiency speakers run them with modest tube amps like Prima Luna etc. Eh. Everyone is different. To each their own. But I see where you are coming from. Me personally, I don't want the extra expense tubes demand from me both economically and psychologically; in other words, I don't want to always have to buy another tube, nor do I want to split my brain to make a decision what "tube sound character" I want this week. Plug it in and play. 1, 2, 3, that's enough for me. Peace
@@markd4292 LOL, yeah it burns a little electricity... 250 Watts at idle and 1180 Watts when in operation. But electricity is relatively cheap here so, maybe 12 cents per hour to run it. Yeah I agree with you on tubes... Not really a fan of tubes since I listen to a lot of electronic music and very little acoustic music. Bass control is very much lacking with many tube amps. Best wishes with trying to get your system sorted out... Can take a bit of trial and error unfortunately.
@@toddt5562 Dang Todd, 250 W at idle?! Crazy. And 1180 in full op?! Wow. Yeah, I just couldn't do it. I always look at how much the power consumption is on amps in particular. I was looking at the Arcam PA250, a 2 ch. amp: full power is 1500W. But lots of juice with class G topology. I think 50W in class A, of which I would probably never go beyond. Trial and Error. Yeah, it's something I'm not looking forward to doing but I'm sure it'll happen...How deep does this rabbit hole go? LOL. I keep trying to crab the walls of the hole to stop my fall but I can't reach them. So many devices, so much gear, I feel possessed and my head is turning around full circle. At least I narrowed my speakers down to the Klipsch Forte IV and the Sonus Faber Lumina V, which were actually nothing like their other lines (warm and romantic), no the Lumina's actually remind me of Klipsch, minus the horns. They are more like a live concert sound. And not to mention made in Italy and not China. But I do Love horns (even) despite their sonic flaws. I keep thinking the horns would be so cool paired up with some vintage gear including, yes a 32 band EQ. I have looked at Tekton before but I just can't pull the trigger on buying blind without an audition, I know I am probably missing out on some great gear, but I've tried to get over this feeling but I just can't. Eh. Maybe when I get a little more experience under my belt I'll do it. Thanks. And sorry for the hell of a long reply. Peace, Mark
Hi Randy, long time watcher of your videos and first time commenting. Wanted to know you what your thoughts were on the DCM TF 600 speakers. I recently got a pair and think they sound pretty good, just wanted to know your thoughts on them and if there are any newer speakers with a similiar sound signature.
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excellent sponsor. My sons love their Warby glasses!
This will be a first for me. I have NEVER clicked on a sponsor, ever. Not in my 54 years on UA-cam. Butt. I like and trust you (So far, don't F it up ; ) and whilst shopping for a DAC, I need me some glasses to read the fine print. I guess I'll take a look, so to speak. Thanks for all the great reviews, 'preciate ya.
I love my Warby glasses--great customer service too!
I'll never even think about buying tekton
I started with Pendragons and really liked them. As with most with the audio sickness I thought of moving up to the Double Impacts. I found a pair for sale locally and bought them as fast as I could get to the guys house. I am not disappointed. The Double Impacts continually stop me short when listening to music I thought I was familiar with. I will say one though if you have Pendragons do not underestimate them. They are the best value in floorstanding speakers out there. Especially on the used market. Tekton takes such a beating from many "audiophiles" because of some of their designs and price. I say bravo to Tekton. I still have my Pendragons too btw.
I've had a pair of Lores for about a year. First impression was how live the sound was. After much listening over the year I'd call them full range, highly listenable and musically balanced. They have a big, composed sound. Beside them I have a pair of Polk Audio R600 towers. Also really fine speakers but not quite as together. The R600s have the bass punch that Randy was talking about the Lores lacking, but it's too much for me, so I've had to tweak the bass back. I'd strongly recommend the Lores. Yes, their efficiency is a far cry from 98 db, but it's better than all of my other speakers.
You said you had them for a year. What made you get rid of them?
I have a small house and too many speakers. When I bought a pair of Impact Monitors, I decided they were better than the Lores and so gave up the latter. No complaints about the Lores although the light gray (almost white paint) wasn't quite right for my room. I still believe the Lores are fine speakers and, for the money, very hard to beat. @@tomcat1109
@@tomcat1109I don't think he said he got rid of them
I too waited an eternity for my Lore's (which are playing in the background as I type) and then another eon waiting for the grills.
So worth it. I've never had any qualms about lack of bass, in fact the subsonic rumble in some of my music I've never even knew existed still impresses me. And I can't tell me how many times I look around my room for random noises in songs that pop up behind me or sound like they came from outside my room.
Happy to see a Tekton review! I ordered Moabs June 1st and still waiting for them. Not encouraging that you ordered later February and only got them recently.. But I think they're going to be worth the wait for anyone who already has a system and isn't desperate to get something new setup.
Tekton Moab and Pendragon owner here. I use custom SET gear and the results are nothing short of other top tier offerings from some of the 'best' stuff out there. THE best value in speakers today.
Can I ask what SET / SE amps you’re using? I’ve had Pendragons for almost 5 yrs, and they sound excellent with a 300B amp, but always curious as to hear of other peoples experiences. Thanks, and enjoy those speakers. They really are fantastic 🔊😊🎶
@@NickP333 I now have Ulfberhts as well. I own my own audio company called Apollo Audio Systems so my amps are proprietary. We focus on SET amps, fine crossovers, general hi-fi consultation as well as some servicing of third party tube gear. Our line currently consists of a 5w 2a3 stereo amp, 10w 300b monos, 22w 811a/572b monos, 50w 810 monos and a pentode based preamp. Currently running a 2a3 amp on the Ulfs but I usually use a 22w 572b. The 50w models will actually be here in the room for the first time tomorrow since we just finished the prototypes. I sell a lot of amps to Tekton owners and also do a lot of mod work on them. They're great candidates for fine peripherals and filter upgrades. They resolve very well given their modest asking price.
Will you retract your recommendation now that you know that even a mildly negative review is treated with threats of litigation?
Yeah, that guy Eric was a real dick threatening litigation on ErinsAudioCorner and Brand New Day - I'll never buy a Tekton product.
CAM ended up giving them away or selling them, lol. Must not be that great. Surprised that he wasn't sued because of his bass punch comment.
He should absolutely take this video down. Every person in the audio world needs to boycott Tekton.
Why would he take this down… this is his experience with the product. If other reviewers experiences will determine what he does in this channel might as well not have a channel at all. Samsung has sued hundred of thousands, its been proven that Samsung has paid for fake reviews, has paid to leave negative reviews on their competitors, lied to millions of costumers about some of their products to the point of having to pay fines. Yet Erin still has links for you to purchase your Samsung TV and he gets that little kick back from your purchase😉The hypocrisy of some of you is ridiculous. Bunch of Tekton haters that disliked the brand before Eric did this.
@@canillocanillo3371
Why take it down, because it’s called boycott time!
Eric needs to feel the pinch of how capitalism works not how litigation works.
Thanks Randy I really enjoyed this review. When you find a speaker that brings out things you haven't heard before, I know it has something special.
Randy, I'm so impressed with your reviews and now your self scripted sponsor ads. Genius - pure genius!
Thanks for everything.
Eric threatening to sue reviewers again for honest reviews, why should people buy from or support a company that is threatening to sue reviewers because Eric is not being happy with others honest reviews?
One could ask: Why would anyone watch a channel that deletes comments simply based on an opposing opinion?
Did you hear any sonic booms as Eric from Tekton said you would without the legs screwed on?
I def. heard a 'boom', not sure if that was Eric himself. 😂
Boycott that company
Can't wait for more Tekton reviews! Let's see how it goes.
Waiting for the EA special which accentuates the freq curve every 250 Hz.
Love my Lores in black. Run them with a 6WPC chi-fi EL34 amp, no problem. They play as loud as I need. This from a guy who's had many floorstanders, Martin-Logans, big Maggies and Innersound (Sanders). Heck of a deal.
Great Review Randy!!! These are my "End Game" speakers. I just need to make some room... Thanks for what you do! 👍👍👍
Great and enjoyable review Randy! I absolutely love my Tekton Double Impacts... Now just try to imagine what Tekton can do with 11 drivers per speaker and 450 watts per channel driving them LOL. Beyond impressive!
You and me both!
"...kunk, kunk..." Nice.
Wow, a paper woofer with a whizzer cone. I remember when Radio Shack sold these in their bargain bin back in the day. Brings back some memories.
Don't get mad at me. These are compliments.
I've purchased two sets of Tekton speakers used and gotten them both at a great price. First was the Impact Monitor with BE tweeters. Then I decided that I'd prefer a tower speaker. I then purchased the Enzo 2.7 (used). I chose the Enzo 2.7 because I liked the design characteristics. I liked the look better than the IMs and I wanted a speaker that was front ported. I think of Tekton as having a very honest sound. Not much coloration. Transparent and detailed (due to the Tekton tweeter array) with good dynamics and impact. The great thing about Tekton is that they have a speaker for almost every application with plenty of variation in between. They have speakers big, medium, small. You can get them with BE tweeters if you need/prefer some high frequency boost. They have speakers designed for SET amplifiers. I rarely hear a bad review of Tekton and their prices are more than fair.
I love tektons approach to speaker design, its straight up different than everyone else which gives a much different sounding and looking speaker than everyone else, need more companies like this to help introduce new approaches
...yeah but I wonder...how hard would it be to get the speaker manufacturer to make them a custom color cones? I mean they are blue already so they must be dying them at some point...or at least use black. The blue doesnt match all the colors and it does end up with a DIY look on some of them. The blue lore with the blue speaker cone is awesome...why cant they do the same for the others? know what I mean?
@@pepeltoro444 standards make it cheaper, having multiple colors too everything is crazy expencive
I went from Lores to Lintons and haven’t looked back. Lores needed help down low for sure, you’re spot on about extension vs punch. But there is something special about full range / near full range single drivers like that 10” on the Lore. No doubt.
I went from Lintons to Tekton Enzo 2.7. I definitely miss the color of the Lintons but the high end clarity of the Tektons is what brought it home. Especially given the genres of music that I listen to (metalcore related mostly). I had a short window to compare them. Back to back, the roll of the Lintons was obvious when A/B'd with the Enzo. Both keeper speakers for sure.
What amplification where you using? Had a set of Omen speakers of similar design and never liked the sound. To forward and lacking bass.
Lintons by wharfdale are Over priced and have low quality components crossovers are lacking for their price tag Tekton offers crossover upgrades on a verity of their speakers from under $1000 and above in my opinion unless your savvy on diy upgrades stay away from overpriced junk like wharfedale, mission is a much better speaker manufacturer and made in the UK Unlike wharedale is cheap China
Nope. Id be afriad to buy these. If you don't like them, will the manufacturer threaten litigation?
Resale would have to suffer. Tough enough selling 2nd hand as it is. Unless someone like's having the bad boy of speakers notoriety.
Great review Randy! Been waiting to hear about these. I have Zu Audio DWs and the Tekton's seem to be very similar. I think the Zu's have a little better refinement in the build than the Tekton's, but from your description, they have a similar sound. Zu's are also very efficient. Would love to see a comparison between the Tekton's and the Zu's.
Zus are built way better especially the cabinets not even on the same playing field. But sound wise are very close and both are very efficient. But Zu Audio raises their prices on the DW6 now so you have to weigh that as well.
ive owned lores for 8 years. no need for any other speaker. have had multiple amp/preamp source combinations over the years, but the most important aspect is dialing in placement for YOUR room. You want them out into the room for them to shine and toed in to a point that is a few feet BEHIND you. If you want to discover what they are truly capable in terms of soundstage presentation, take them outdoors in the wide open and put em about 15 feet apart, sit 12 feet from them and toe them in to a point about 3 feet behind you. You will be blown away. The sound will come from above, directly from the left or right of your body and will create the illusion that you are inside a giant pair of headphones. Wild stuff.
So interesting! I have the original ELAC Unfi Slims and picked up a pair of used Tekton Mini Lore Monitor speakers (bookshelf). When I A/Bed them in my home office I came away and said...the Tektons sound great! They are more efficient, have less bass, sound just a bit thinner in the mid range than the ELACs, but their combination of paper woofer and soft dome tweeter was so sweet. I bet the tower versions would take care of the low end and since the ELACs require a big amp to sound correct, think the Lore line from Tekton is an excellent option.
Thanks for this long awaited review. Your patience was rewarded. I would hope that Zu reaches out to you for a demo of their Dirty Weekends. The prices are similar (the Zus are $1500). Keep up the great work! -DD
that would be cool. I may need a local in the area to convince them
I was thinking the same thing. I'd love to hear a comparison. Also, is there some sort of rule of thumb on the value proposition of direct to consumer vs retail channel? It seems clear that you should get a better speaker buying from the manufacture - but what is the factor? Is a $1000 Tekton worth a $2000 retail channel speaker?
Would love to see this comparison as well as I'm shopping now for new/used $1500 small floor standers
Glad you had Tekton for a review. I have the $600 Mini-Lore Monitors and they are impressive and very neutral for the price. After that, I bit the bullet and placed an order during the end of May 2022 for the new Dynamites, which now as Eric from Tekton told me on the telephone, are a smaller version of the well reviewed Impact Monitors. I have not received them yet, but I cannot wait to get them "en mi casa". I am considering becoming a Patreon of your channel, since your approach to the hobby of the reproduction of recorded music, the gear and the music (rock 4 ever!) is very much down my ally. 😁🤘
Did you ever get your Dynamites? How do they compare to the mini lore monitors?
These might not be everyone's cup of tea for color but being able to choose from multiple colors is different than other speakers which if your lucky can choose white, black or wood color. The group of speakers you compared to is a great list of speakers. I'm interested in how these would go up against the Magnat but I'm just going have to wait and keep watching to see that one. Great review Randy on a speaker that's a little bit different than the norm.
The fact that you can pick ANY custom color AND the paint manufacturer for an extra 50 bucks is an insane bonus. You can literally walk into a Home Depot and grab a pint of touch-up paint if you scratch them, AND color coordinate other stuff in the room w/ the speaker color if you go bananas with a gallon. (Or hide them by painting the wall the same color, effectively camouflaging them, I suppose) Nifty!
98 "rated" sensitivity, why didnt you verify that? Imo it's likely fake advertising from bully Eric "litigation" Alexander.
This guy is simply a salesman
Sure, come here and tell the reviewers how to do their job, and run their channel, seems to me you are a bully just like Eric.
I have a pair of the Tekton M-Lore's in my small 13x11 listening space and these are great speakers. When paired with my Peachtree Nova 500 (class D) these little sister/brother/cousin? to the Lore have some punch in the low end but they seemed a little sterile at the top so I swapped the Nova 500 with an Audiolab 6000a (class A/B) for a much warmer sound, though with somewhat less bass punch. All in all, I'm very pleased with my M-Lore's.
I'm hoping for a larger listening space in the near future at which time I plan on upgrading to the Tekton Double Impacts or Moab's. For the money, it's hard to not like the performance that Tekton provides.
LOVE my Tekton Perfect Set speakers. I have had many different brands of speakers in my life, but Tekton is the only brand I will purchase anymore, they are all winners!
I've been waiting for this day for too long.
As a audiophile for nearly four decades Sith Audio are the only choice in eyewear for the serious listener. Remember the Maxell advertisement poster from the 80’s, that’s right Sith Audio sunglasses.
Well this aged well
I have a pair of Tekton Enzo XL and they just keep slaying every set of highly reviewed speakers I buy to test them against. I Absolutely love these things and they just keep destroying any sense of FOMO I get when I see the next great thing on UA-cam. That just means I get to setup excellent music listening zones throughout my house, much to my wife's chagrin :)
I own the Enzo 2.7. Love them
I also have two Enzo XLs with the full tweeter rings 4ohm variants for a bit more than a year. I am in Europe, so it was quite a gamble with shipping and import costs (Euro was stronger then versus the Dollar, so that helped) - it payed off - I am happy with them.
@@alphaniner3770 Hi, I have been looking at the Enzo but the tweeter ring has been a question for me. Why did you choose the tweeter ring and do you find/think it was worth the extra cash?
@@threeberryswi I have not made the comparison between the two variants one on one because I have only experienced the ring - so no direct experience. But when I judge my speakers, and what the 6 tweeters do for the midrange frequencies I would certainly go for the upgrade, especially when you like to play rock/metal, where you would want to beef up the relatively thin U-shaped middle frequencies.
From what I understand the 10s are Eminence bass amp drivers with a whizzer cone added. I miss my Lores. Downsized to the Lore Mini and they are awesome, but you can definitely tell a difference. Also, check the grill staples when you get them. They rubbed paint off on both sets I've had. Eric will send a little brush bottle of touch up paint for like 4 or 5 bucks.
My friend just loaned me a pair. I am paring it with the NAD 375 BEE (150W) and SVS SB-3000 playing analog records. I feel immersed in the music like I am in the middle of a jazz club listening to Coltrane or Davis. Great speakers!
I wanted to drive over there and hear some, had my eyes on the Moab or DI. Some people hate the looks, I hate the owners personality. Done and done. Moving on, haha.
I tried reaching out to the company via email and got a response initially from the owner Eric saying how he wanted to help and I responded asking to schedule a call with him and got no reply for a week so I called their customer service number and asked for Eric and they said he just stepped out and would give me a call back. Long story short. I never got a call back and so I put their customer service as very low and that is something important to me especially since they are the people you would be dealing with if you have any issues with the speakers so yeah that was why I stopped caring / looking at these as potential replacements to my system.
I just got my upgraded Lore with the beryllium tweeters, and out of the box they sound great. Fresh paint smell...not so great lol. But I'm very happy and if they require a break in to sound their best, I'll be even happier!
I’ve got the lore reference, absolutely love em. I have some jbl horn speakers, magneplanar .07’s and Yamaha NS500m’ s all awesome speakers and very different. But the Tekton’s are simply the most special and by far the cheapest.
i have the Lore Reference as well. in my room, they sounded very good with minimal toe-in, but then i saw a video (boston audiophile) where he talked about using extreme toe-in where the drivers "cross" in front of the listening position. this has the effect of reducing/eliminating reflections from the side walls. the effect was dramatic and unmistakeable; the LRs were so much more detailed and dynamic than before. huge huge improvement in sound quality. give it a try and see how it sounds for you :)
Randy, thanks for reviewing these speakers. It would be great to see more reviews from smaller independent companies like Tekton. Zu Audio and RSL Speakers immediately come to mind.
"I ordered grills, but I didn't get grills." I've heard that more than once before from folks who ordered Tekton. One said that he heard they "don't like making them (grills)." LOL.
They should order the grilles now, then 6 months later order the speakers, then get them all in about a year I guess.
2 years and 4 months… still waiting…
@@dennisyi5930 Wow, that's horrible. Maybe they'll time it so the grills show up to protect your speakers right as the warranty runs out.
I have the Tekton Design Double Impacts and love them. I have them about 4 ft out from the front wall, and 2 ft in from the sides. The right side is open to the dining room, so there is practically no side wall reflections from that side. On the left there are vertical blinds that are canted such that they capture a lot of the reflections that extend about 2 ft front of the speaker. I site about 8 ft back from the speakers which are about 7ft apart. Due to the ceiling height I have a bass suck out at around 55Hz. With all that said, I love the soundstage and imaging. Very solid front to back and left to right. I also bought the center channel, but the stereo image is so good that you can't tell what's on or off without looking at the receiver. In fact, they sound exactly the same due to the timbre matching. Great low bass, excellent midrange clarity, but squalky recording will squalk, and clean highs. I think for $3K they give $5K-$10K performance, but that is subjective.
Awesome that you like them. Warms my heart when someone loves their gear
@ Burt Wicks. I have the double impacts in a room with a very similar setup situation. I also get great imaging and sound stage but sometimes I wonder if a more uniform room layout would improve that even more. Bass is very linear and well-controlled, I have tried a couple of SVS subs that I already had but they added absolutely nothing positive so I retired them from the system LOL. By comparison they sounded slow, bloated, and almost inaudible even at full gain on the subs LOL. Extremely happy with my double impacts alone!
Solid review, agree on sound stage and imaging. Have Lores paired with Marantz 2270, magic because of warmth, tone controls and the elusive Loudness switch. Can tune to my room and really feel the music. Thanks Randy.
Steve that’s great to read your using a Marantz 2270 driving your Lores , I have a newly refurbished 2270 I plan to drive my Lores with however I was a little concerned how they would mate . It’s a relief reading your account using your 2270 !
@@marks.2909 I think you’ll like it, the tone controls really help dial in great sound.
I just took delivery on a set of five Impact monitors in order to upgrade my HT room. Absolutely thrilled with the sound.
I loved my impact monitors. Compared to my Enzo, the IMs are true to their name. IMPACT. They'll make a phenomenal HT speaker for you.
@@P194-s3i I was really doubting that theyd live up to all the hype, but I definitely agree with you. They impressed me right out of the box
I purchased the Lores with upgrades for my home office fabulous bang for the buck speakers , I have used a few different integrated amplifiers from Accuphase, Yamaha and Sugden AU 41 all around 90 watts per channel each the Sugden sounding the best .
Then a totally unsuspected experience to place which lit up the Lores like I’ve never experienced , I had a 1970s vintage black face Pioneer SX-5590 the European cousin of the North American SX-1250 .
Bass wallop and rumble out of the Lores is literally jaw dropping non of the other three amplifiers I tried even come close whether it’s the extra 60 watts per channel and or this vintage beauty is one spectacular match for the Lores though bass slam isn’t everything all around the Pioneer sounds fabulous I would never of suspected nor would I actively chosen a vintage receiver .
The receiver was purchased along with a load of other related items from a widow wanting her late husband’s stuff out of the house .
I found the Lores very sensitive to toe in. I found almost straight ahead gave me the best balance and pushed the soundstage outside the boundaries of the speakers. Toe in too much and they were in your face. Was amazed how little i had to move them to get a difference. YMMV. Cheers from Australia.
When I saw this video come up I have to admit I was a bit worried. Just thinking back to the experience your buddy had. Thanks for going through with it!
I am glad they sound so good - that is why we're all doing this! Personally, I like the Tekton speakers in blue - *slightly* more subtle (less loud?) and a nice look with the black woofer. The orange is a high contrast, and a bit polarizing? My spouse detests orange, while I like it for some things.
Neil, what do you use for linear power supply on your J2?
Even though I'm divorced and don't have to please anyone but me at this point, I went conservative and went for the charcoal color on my Tektons. Figured I would be keeping them for a long time and may have to get a bit of someone else's buy-in in the future LOL.
Man on Fire, good to see you slaying it in this review !
I bought a pair of Perfect Set. They arrived last February (after a 5 month wait).
I'm driving them with a 10 watt Luxman (tube) integrated.
Initially, I didn't like them: the highs were too bright, and the bass was weak. After about 100 hours of break-in, the bass bloomed and the highs calmed down. I still use a REL sub to enhance the bass. (I listen at fairly low volume: under 75 dB peaks)
-- I'd say they sound very "natural" - especially with acoustic piano, acoustic guitars, voice, saxophones/trumpet, etc, & drums. They don't sound so natural w/ violin and cello - still too bright for me. They sound very good w/ Rock & Electronic music.
The bass has nice texture, the mids are pretty nice. The highs are "ok", with lots of detail. (I'd like to hear the BE tweeter)...
- About the paint -- there was a strong paint smell when they arrived. I had to air them out in the garage (door open) for 2 months before I could bring them into the house! They still have a slight paint smell after 7 months, so I have to open the windows.
- About break in - long break in is a must for these to sound decent.
Randy loved your review of these and really Tekton is a great company to deal with. I have many hours with the Double Impact speakers and those are really enjoyable. Might I suggest for bass testing that you just a bass sweep from like 5 or 10 up to to about 80. That would give some a better reference point on how low they go and sound. I am not a big Korn fan so that reference has no meaning to me. I also listened to that song and really it is not that dramatic in the range.
The Tekton shop is just on the other side of Provo to Wilson Audio. Kinda crazy how close they are.
Let’s not forget Zhu Audio in Ogden, UT. All three within an hour of each other.
I too own the Orange Lores. How long were you able to break them in? Mine took probably 15-20 hours and once I got there, I noticed tighter bass with more thump. At the time I was running the Peachtree Nova 150, I've since sold that and own the Emotiva TA1 with the A2 power amp. I love this matchup and I love my Lore's. I will say that I'm very curious to hear the Emotiva T2 + floor speakers for about the same price. The orange is really cool IMHO. Anybody that comes over comments and thinks they look amazing. Unconventional to be sure, but oh what an amazing sound!
I've never heard them, but I've noted many reviewers say they take a good while to "break in" to open up. Glad you are liking them. They are on my short list. I guess I could order the grilles first, wait 6-months and then order the speakers... ;-)
My "Perfect Sets" took about 100 hours to break in. Bass bloomed and the highs mellowed out.
Could I ask you please..... Did the manufacturer threaten you with legal action if you didn't like the speakers?
He is known to do this.
Please think about removing any Tekton content if you feel this behaviour is wrong. Thanks
love your channel because the goal of getting the best sound quality for a given [low] budget is a noble cause, could you make a video giving the big picture to achieve such a goal, for example:
0/ an efficient way to discover our personal sound signature preference not relying on listening in a shop before buying because most of location don't offer such shops
1/ is there a sweet spot in the curve of diminishing return
2/ for a given budget are there some price points where headphone, studio monitors or iem providing better sound than passive speakers+amp ?
3/ are there better side investments that give better overall sound enjoyment than upgrading speakers such as : adding a sub, upgrading the amp, speaker placement/orientation items, original simple room treatment ?
keep up the good work in an entertaining way like you do
Nice speaker, great color, crazy they compare to the KLH because those are way great, this just tells me move up to pendragons and be great.
Great review. I have the m-lore towers which are a slightly smaller version of the Lores in a bedroom/office setting. I’m a tube nut and have found that the higher wattage push pull amps that I own sound much better than my 3 watt SE amp when it comes to this speaker. They may be efficient but seem to prefer some headroom.
what amp is best you find I have mlores coming would like any info you can give.
Thanks!
I have the Double Impacts, and I've tried them with a variety of amps including a 30 watt per channel tube amp. Pretty much all sounded very good, but once I got a potent class AB amp (Denafrips Apollo - 450 watts per channel into 4 ohms) to pair with them it took the speakers to a whole other incredible level. They scale up incredibly well with more and better power.
@@maximas76able I currently have modified W4 Heathkit monoblocks powering them. 6l6 power tubes, 20WPC. It’s a combination that really works for me. I’m not sure what to recommend on the new market though. Seems that some folks prefer a lot of power, but I thought the Schiit Aigers sounded good with them.
I have the Mini Lore Monitor and standard Lore. Both like the Rega io much more than the NAD c372 and didn't sound that bad with a $50.00 tpa3116. I did try a few tube amps but they were cheap and sounded lifeless.
You Rock Dude. Listening to Real Music.. I been seriously looking into Tekton Lore's..
New Paul Simon song in the making...
250 ways to Hz your speakers.
I still like my Polk 10 with passive radiator. Two 6 inch so called woofers and the 1" soft dome Peerless tweeter.
Hi this Tom from Austin, last year I bought a pair of Tekton Lore 2.0s off of CL a little over a year ago. I was super excited because I had read great things about them. If I didn't have any other speakers to compare them to, I would have probably loved them. But I actually enjoyed my PSB Image 6Ts and Klipsch KG4s more, so I sold them after about 4 or 5 months. I do not recall how many receivers and amplifiers I tried with them, but I tried several. I sold them to another guy with lots of equipment (more upscale then mine) and saw them back on CL a few months later. Glad I tried them and recovered my investment.
been waiting for this!
Came for the thumbnail, stayed for the review 👍😎
Right on!
I can't speak about Lore, but I had some Tekton DI's with factory upgrade. They are great value full-range towers. To me, they sound like listening to speakers (missing the 'magic' disappearing act), maybe suited best for Home Theater. Randy, for the kind of music you like, these will likely be great - put you in the front row at a concert.
My bass test song is also by Korn: Freak on a Leash. It's got awesome deep low bass, especially in the beginning and at a certain point in the middle.
I sent back my LCR set. The 'genius' was displeased. I complied with their demands about getting a return done (no fingerprints allowed) and now own Ohms.
Not for everybody, but it suits me.
Love mine. Definitely gonna buy another pair. Bigger model though.
Great review. I've been thinking about these to buy.
dude! I had an Aspen. In fact, both the sedan (w a 318) and the station wagon too! The sedan was yellow and the wagon was green. Rock on!
The fact that you can pick ANY custom color AND the paint manufacturer for an extra 50 bucks is an insane bonus. You can literally walk into a Home Depot and grab a pint of touch-up paint if you scratch them, AND color coordinate other stuff in the room w/ the speaker color if you go bananas with a gallon. (Or hide them by painting the wall the same color, effectively camouflaging them, I suppose) Nifty!
Great review I ordered a pair of the Lore Ref just before Covid then I picked up a REL T5x later to help out the base even though was happy as is was on a roll on purchases. I did orange as well to have a bit of fun with others. Love the set up now.
Randy, any inclination to compare these side-by-side with the lore reference? I’m really keen on the smaller size of the references for my small room.
I've had both. IMO, they present slightly differently. LR bass is punchier (but L has more extension) and there is more separation/definition across the entire sound spectrum. With LR, I found myself dissecting specific sounds when I listened. With L, I enjoy the music more in its totality.
LR sounds like music is coming out of the speaker box. (I am not saying they sound boxy - they do not). L sounds like music is just appearing in the room.
I like both very much, but kept the Lores. I also have mini L monitors in my office that I like very much.
Thanks for the review, your time and effort.
My pleasure!
bass punch occurs (not) in lower scale , Lores go LOW. If you drive them with a true high current amplifier that goes low , you will be gobsmacked with both . I drive my Lores with a vintage Luxman integrated and the sound is beyond words . All of the above including absolutely natural sounding . Like you are in the session .
Would you consider reviewing the Lore Reference. I’m interested in your opinions on how they might compare to CSS and other bookshelf units. Many thanks for a great review.
I love my Tekton lore.
I do too!
Take down the review! Support your UA-cam brothers!
NO...more comments!
a bass guitar driver and a tweeter- cool!
Warby Parker good, Starbucks Coffee bad!
I'm curious about the one with the ribbon tweeter, the Uruze I believe ..?
These could be the game changer we all have been waiting for!
LOL - Tekton has been making these Lore’s for over 20 years. It was one of Eric OG speakers.
When someone says Paper Woofer they have my attention. But what I want to hear about is the Emotiva PT2...and is it as bright as the PT1 preamp? or the integrated?
Randy, two things 1. warby parker is awesome. I am wearing them now. 2. I have Amp Camp Amp and offer still stand to send it to you for review. 3. great review
John H Ipad #9
Thx for a great review Randy!
“You still wake up sometimes, don’t you? You wake up in the dark and hear the screaming of the lambs.” - Hannibal Lecter
Tekton makes the SET (single-ended triode) speakers just for flea powered tube amps.
Been on my shortlist for a while. But shipping to Europe? Hmm difficult and expensive.
What I am looking for though. Dynamics, soundstage, and I would say some good off axis response would be nice.
Dunno, plenty of similar stuff in Europe. Cabasse, Triangle...
Would love to pickup some double impacts.. Tekton + tubes = money
I have a pair of Double Impacts for sale, if you’re in the Houston. TX area.
Hearing soooo many good things about Tekton. When their products become available in the UK I would be extremely interested!!
And I think "bigger is better" when it comes to speakers!! And I'll argue that point with audiophiles who've forgotten more than I know!!
Thanks Randy for all your hard work that must go into putting a show, like yours, together. The Tekton's and Vanatoo speakers were of great interest and I thank you for taking the time and money to cover them. I have been looking at the Lore and the next speaker up, the Uruz with it's Ribbon Tweeter. Do you have any thoughts on how a ribbon tweeter would change the sound of this speaker? And what type of Music Listener would benefit from from this type of tweeter change?
About Damn Time.
It was a love hate relationship with my lores at first. Something just wasn't right with them. It took a long, long time for them to break in. Granted, the sound signature isn't for everyone. Now they are a different story. Hooked these up to a rogue audio tube amp and that's when they floored me. I've found that they're not good playback speakers at low volume and the bass is linear. But there is bass. Oh there's bass
Great review! Interesting findings… With that high of a sensitivity how did they do with your Macintosh amp?? I personally would prefer more punch and the extension can come from subwoofers.
Enjoyed your video on "Upgrade THIS First". Love that you went against the grain and suggested it is the source first then the speakers! So here's a question: say I have my gear, source to speakers but now I want to try a different speaker brand. What then? Obviously I would take the speakers home to hear how they synergize with my gear that I have married to my outgoing speakers, and if they don't do well, what then? Forget them and stick with what I have? Continue shopping? Or start all over (nah!)? What about this curveball:
Say my dream speaker is the Klipsch Forte IV, and say I own a speaker no where near it's efficiency rating, so my amp is beefy, etc. then perhaps this particular amp will be a way overkill for the Forte's, then there's the noise floor of the preamp, etc.
Or reverse it: Say I have gear designed for high efficiency speakers, the amp is low noise, the preamp is low noise, etc. everything is great and there is no hiss or anything coming out from the Klipsch, but now I want to get, I don't know...an Elac! Man I guess that is going totally against the grain of my current gear, what then?
I wouldn't worry about having too much power for a highly efficient speaker. I'm running my Tekton double impacts with a monstrous 450 watt per channel class AB amp (Denafrips Apollo). Sounds fantastic both at low volume and at higher volume. Allows for a ton of headroom so even at extremely high volumes very very little distortion.
@@toddt5562 I understand about headroom. Agree. But 450 W? I would never use 450W! My electric bill is high enough, I don't need my amp to be running more than a small fridge. LOL.
Most people I know/seen using high efficiency speakers run them with modest tube amps like Prima Luna etc.
Eh. Everyone is different. To each their own.
But I see where you are coming from.
Me personally, I don't want the extra expense tubes demand from me both economically and psychologically; in other words, I don't want to always have to buy another tube, nor do I want to split my brain to make a decision what "tube sound character" I want this week.
Plug it in and play. 1, 2, 3, that's enough for me.
Peace
@@markd4292 LOL, yeah it burns a little electricity... 250 Watts at idle and 1180 Watts when in operation. But electricity is relatively cheap here so, maybe 12 cents per hour to run it.
Yeah I agree with you on tubes... Not really a fan of tubes since I listen to a lot of electronic music and very little acoustic music. Bass control is very much lacking with many tube amps.
Best wishes with trying to get your system sorted out... Can take a bit of trial and error unfortunately.
@@toddt5562 Dang Todd, 250 W at idle?! Crazy. And 1180 in full op?! Wow.
Yeah, I just couldn't do it. I always look at how much the power consumption is on amps in particular.
I was looking at the Arcam PA250, a 2 ch. amp: full power is 1500W. But lots of juice with class G topology. I think 50W in class A, of which I would probably never go beyond.
Trial and Error. Yeah, it's something I'm not looking forward to doing but I'm sure it'll happen...How deep does this rabbit hole go? LOL. I keep trying to crab the walls of the hole to stop my fall but I can't reach them.
So many devices, so much gear, I feel possessed and my head is turning around full circle. At least I narrowed my speakers down to the Klipsch Forte IV and the Sonus Faber Lumina V, which were actually nothing like their other lines (warm and romantic), no the Lumina's actually remind me of Klipsch, minus the horns. They are more like a live concert sound. And not to mention made in Italy and not China. But I do Love horns (even) despite their sonic flaws. I keep thinking the horns would be so cool paired up with some vintage gear including, yes a 32 band EQ.
I have looked at Tekton before but I just can't pull the trigger on buying blind without an audition, I know I am probably missing out on some great gear, but I've tried to get over this feeling but I just can't. Eh. Maybe when I get a little more experience under my belt I'll do it.
Thanks. And sorry for the hell of a long reply.
Peace, Mark
Hi Randy, long time watcher of your videos and first time commenting. Wanted to know you what your thoughts were on the DCM TF 600 speakers. I recently got a pair and think they sound pretty good, just wanted to know your thoughts on them and if there are any newer speakers with a similiar sound signature.
You changed out watches...LOL!
Great to see you actually demo the product from your sponsor. Let's hope you never get sponsored by Charmin
What a speaker! Between the subtle details, you can almost make out cries of an insecure manufacturer and threats of litigation.
Did you (or will you) try the Lores with your Akitika amp? Just curious about how that might work. Thanks.
holy s**t. you really do have coffee in that damn cup.