Tekton Design's New the Perfect Set
Hey chrshanl37,
I would not call this Deja Vu, but my sonic horn of plenty. This is a great time to be a lover of SET amplifiers when you can have world class performance for less then 2k. Also, I'm not a fan single driver or horn designs, so these new designs offer a great alternative for me. When I write my review, the section on competition/comparison will surely compare the Perfect SET to the Model 50, they are both great, but different. For the details you will have to wait for the review.
Teajay.... have you tried the perfect set with more powerful amps yet?
@teajay...…………………………………..
Since every Tekton Speaker you review is an audio gift from Heaven, perhaps we all should just buy Tekton. We could all save a lot of money. Looks to me like he takes the same basic drivers and puts them in different sized enclosures. Do you use Tekton speakers in your personal system?
Yes, I tried using a high current SS 200 watt amplifier that sounded great on this speaker. However, the pairing with the 2A3 was really special for my tastes.
You haters just don't get it. Eric's breakthrough design offers world class performance at very reasonable prices. Yes, I have reviewed four models over the last three years, and none of them are "stinkeroo's".
Question: Mr. Stereo5, have you ever heard any of the Tekton speakers?
Also, in the last two years numerous reviewers have raved over the different Tekton models and many gave them their speaker of the year award. I guess all of us were hood-winked to come to this conclusion.
"Breakthrough design?" Oh, really ... Please describe in detail.
@rlb61flower power tweeter arrayits protected by 3 patents and you just know eric is quick to whip out his lawyers :)
Plus they all look like various sized coffins with drivers mounted.
@teajay...........yes, I bought Pendragons from Tekton. Sounded like crap and back they went. Cost me almost 400.00 in shipping costs. If memory serves me correct, there were 2 pro sound woofers and 3 tweeters in an array. Worst speakers I ever heard, so yes I am very skeptical.
I can see why Tekton sends you samples to review. After all, they know already you will rave about them. You neglected to answer my question, do you use Tektons in your own personal system?
Teajay shilling is a joke. The guy has reviewed more reasonable gear that all of us can enjoy than any other reviewer that I know. I can attest that Teajay might like Teckton but he has slain many of Audio's more expensive sacred cows. The fact that he relishes finding audio bargains like Auric audio and Linear Tube (and Teckton) has helped me and many other audiophiles increase the enjoyment in our systems for relatively little money. By the way, I don't own Tecktons.
@baranyi
Yes Terry has become the Jonathan Valin (Magico, Solution, MSB) savior for the "little guys" (Auric, LTA, Tekton. Backert ) but it has now gotten out of hand and appears to be a promotion. with benefits.
To jackd and stereo5 two of my most adoring fans,
1) The first Tekton speaker that I professionally reviewed was the Sigma open baffle design. I had stated here on Audiogon that I was not a fan of the Pendragon speaker, the poor man's Wilson speaker, because the way it was voiced was not my cup of tea. Hundreds were sold to very satisfied customers. So, stereo5 I get you did not like that specific Tekton speaker. However, the speakers that I have reviewed based on Eric's breakthrough technology sound qualitatively different then what you found lacking possibly years ago. Yes, in my reference system the Tekton Ulf's are my speaker of choice. They replaced a pair of $20,000.00 speakers for half the price.
2) Yep, as a professional reviewer I get the industrial accommodation of a reduced price if I choose to buy the demo piece in for review. However, why would I give an excellent review to a piece of gear that I would not want to personally own? To imply that I have taken a bribe or been bought out by any company I have written a review on their equipment is attack on my personal integrity. I get scores of Emails from Gon members who trust my ears' and honesty thanking me for reviewing inexpensive high performing gear that they intensely enjoy in their systems. I think your personal attack on me says more about your character then mine.
3) Please, jackd if you are going to compare me to any other reviewers that would be a personal role model for me that would be Sam Tellig, the audio cheapskate. Mr. Valin only reviews uber-expensive gear that I'm not a fan of at all. I get great pleasure finding small companies ( AricAudio, LTA, Beckert Labs, Jay Audio, Coda Technology, Sophia Labs, Woo Audio, NSMT Loudspeakers, Tekton Design) to name a few that create/build beautiful gear at very reasonable prices. I don't agree that this has "gotten out of hand" at all. I try to support these creative companies that can't afford advertising with detailed honest reviews and occasional posts like this when I find something truly superlative. Ain't it interesting that when I do share on a thread about other companies great new gear, I get get no personal attacks or mud slinging at all. However, there is a small hard core group of Tekton haters who go after every Tekton thread on AudioGon with the same false accusations time and time again.
4) Thanks to many GON members who trust my intentions are honorable and my taste in stereo equipment that matches what they are looking for at reasonable prices.
Yes, let the fleas bite, but the music caravan moves on.
@Teajay
No doubt that loudspeakers will NEVER be a one size fits all product.
And no doubt that Tekton's ad copy about obsoleting other loudspeakers is like raw meat to the lions.... but as those in the ad business will often say, "as long as they are talking about you, they aren't talking about the competition".
As for reviewers.. if I rely on your review... buy the product and dont like it... I'm pretty sure that it is because we like different things...no big deal.
Now, back to the thread... these are not light speakers... how were they packed and did they ship fedex or freight?
Hey snapsc,
Yes, these speakers are not petite. However, if you take your time it's a one man job to remove them from the boxes and set them up. The packing was quite good, they were easy to slide out and they were shipped Fedex.
invictus005
As we read almost every day, the theft of intellectual property from overseas has reached an alarming level as evidenced by how every year more and more of our own products are no longer made here. With this in mind, it makes absolute sense to write the widest, most generic, most encompassing and yet potentially defensible patent possible....and to give away the fewest details possible...even if it seems to some to be lame.
And, even though patents often don't provide the intended protection, its a start and anything that allows us to make more stuff here...and less stuff there...seems like a good idea.
As for the thread issue...Maybe I just see it differently...if you go over to one of the other forums and look up Goldenear...the thread is 177 pages long as of today...so,its difficult to find things.
I prefer separate threads for each product...but maybe that's just me.
Hyperbole and comparisons aside, SET owners should be happy whenever any vendor provides a new, more affordable, good quality, high efficiency, easy drive speaker option that is designed specifically to be used to best effect with a SET. The good options are limited and tend to be relatively large and pricey.
So we're 25-30 posts in and nobody has mentioned what this "breakthrough technology" is. I guess it's safe to assume that there is no "breakthrough technology".
In the face of Tekton's massive sonic superiority (their 100-strong R&D department cranks out new designs like hotcakes), all other speaker manufacturers should just surrender, pack up shop, and slink away. I can see no other alternative...
Wow! Low-mass drivers. Amazing how nobody ever thought of that before.
I read the entire link and snooze alert, it sounded like a lot of gobbledygook to me. This is coming from a guy with a degree in mechanical engineering.
Yeah that's what I thought at first too. But I kept wading on through. Buried in all the lawyerly boilerplate and tedious patent lingo is the real substance. In plain English, its an array.
In astronomy, an array of relatively small radiotelescopes performs better and at lower cost than one large radiotelescope. Same goes for conventional optical telescopes where an array of cells are aligned to perform as one much larger mirror. It costs a lot less to make the smaller mirrors, they can be made more accurately, and with less risk per mirror.
If this seems unrelated, well stop and think about it. The bigger mirror has the same problems of maintaining precisely the same shape as the cone of a driver. Mass needs to be kept low. Stiffness and stability high. You want both to perform as if they are big, when the laws of physics dictate smaller is better.
They'll be some details to work out. Like the radiotelescope array where they have to correct for what theoretically should be one big curve being on a flat surface, there will be some timing details to perfect. According to the OP they've already got it working pretty damn good. Which considering its such new technology is encouraging.
Based on the patent wording (According to additional implementations of the invention, a very low mass mid-range and high frequency type transducer is specifically dedicated to reproducing efficiently the overtone spectra contained in music) I'd say that what is being Protected/Covered by the patent is (polygon-oriented, triple-ring radiator high frequency array).
Reading through the various Tekton threads...its clear that some people like this new array and are buying Tekton products...others don't....no big deal and no surprise...not everyone loves Wilson or Goldenear or Manepan or KEF or (fill in the blank here....).
What is a little weird (compared to other product threads) is that those who dislike Tekton are so vocal....and at the same time don't spend a lot of time promoting their preferred product.....again, no big deal...but maybe a little frustrating???
We all know that just because Teajay likes it doesn't guarantee that it will sound good in our rooms....but any time someone does comparisons with other products...WE all now have more points to triangulate to help make better decisions.
Why is that a good thing? Because if like me, you live 2000 miles away from a guy who is going to ship you big speakers you may not like...you may save yourself $400 in return freight after the 30 days are up.
I'm with Mapman thinking we should all be more open to reviews and comparisons that may help us keep costs down....and again...keep products made in America!!!
One more thing....you might have noticed that people who have reviewed multiple Goldenear, KEF, Magnepan, Tekton, etc. and like one of them like most of their other products....probably because of similar voicing and not because of something nefarious.
I've heard Tekton's once (double Impacts) at CAF 2017 and they sounded good enough to definitely rate as contenders in their price range. Their unique thing is physically a lot of tube-amp friendly speaker for not as many bucks as other "high end" contenders which is a nice value proposition for many tube amp loving audiophiles. Yes and made in the good old USA.
BTW Zu prices seem to have really skyrocketed in recent years. Am I off base there?
Just to be clear, there's a lot of difference between 96 dB and 100 dB.
Oz
Guess I'm not the only one tired of you promoting this speaker line.on Audiogon...Give it break,please!
I traded for a like new pair of Pendragons a couple of years ago (with all the upgrades it was around $4,000 retail). You can see my pair on Tektons facebook. Its the pair with dual 14" woofers, with the owner standing next to them. I got brand new boxes from Tekton. Tektons packaging is the absolute worst packaging I have ever seen on a product in this price range. I never knew cardboard can be so thin. They use a super thin cardboard box, about 1" of styrofoam around the whole speaker, and a plastic bag around the speaker. Thats it. Styrofoam even seemed cheap, as it was broken into pieces when Fedex delivered the speakers to me. Surprisingly speakers arrived in great shape. The finish was really nice Mercedes pearl black. Pretty much flawless. I used them for about a month, and sold them. Took awhile to sell them. With all the Tekton fans out there, I was surprised nobody wanted them. I basically gave them away to a local buyer. Two things I couldnt stand about them. One is they have no bass whatseover. I cant understand how a designer can build such a large speaker and have no bass. Two is the efficiency was nowhere near what was rated. If I remember right, they were around 95db efficient. I had another speaker that was 94db efficient in the same room and played much louder at the same volume level. The guy that bought them from me, didnt like them either and put them up for sale. He couldnt sell them, and eventually one of the tweeters blew, and I believe he was never able to sell them, at least that was the last I heard. For the money, Tekton speakers are ok. They are built nicely, and had a real nice paint job on them. They are made in the USA. They just sounded too thin for a speaker this large. Packaging doesnt mean much, other than to get the product to you safely, but it shows how much a company cares about its products when it is packed well. Efficiency was not what was stated. There are lots of speakers I would rather own. They definitely dont beat, or even come close to any speakers in the $20-$30k range like some people are saying. Theres actually speakers in the $4k range I would much rather own.
@teajay, so how does Zu compare to the Tekton ? Also how different will my 12wpc SEP sound Vs a true SET ? This is pretty vague question , but I'm asking with sincerity , Mike B.
@Cap
Serious question...why would Teajay...or anyone else for that matter, give up their $20,000 speakers just to get a $4000 discount (estimated) on speakers that weren't as good? Presumably, he could afford the $20,000 speaker (maybe they cost him $13,000) but even so, why would he or anyone switch to something that isn't as good.
As you will see if you look up my profile...I own Tekton Lores which I purchased several years ago....love them...sound much more like live music than the Quads I owned before them...but that's just a change in my preference over time.
I see you own Wilsons...great speakers that everyone acknowledges are great speakers....so what is it about Tekton that bugs you so much?
your all way to serious,
I have the Tekton Impact Monitors used in my secondary rig.
Paired with Pass XA25 and LTA Pre and modest sub
sound is really enjoyable. checks all the audiophile boxes for me,as
well as being Musical And Just plain Fun to listen to.
IMHO they are great Value at 2K.
Just ny 2cents Thx
Snapc
That post was removed ! HMMM ..
I guess its a fine line on how you word your truth on here !
I guess you need to as they say "Read between the lines"
Lets just say that under very controlled conditions . All 4 of us foolish audiophiles were not impressed with them, One did go listen to the same model at another place with high current amps and left less than impressed. Their claims of HIGH db is way off ! They use average drivers that are off the shelf. I know the SB guys well and have dealt with some of their best drivers which they do not use. Tekton DID have a page long Diatribe about BE being a inferior material as a tweeter and SUDDENLY , THEY CHANGED their tune .
I guess selling with no distributors , one needs a platform somewhere !
@cap
On the issue of using "average drivers" at the end of the day its about achieving the voicing that Tekton wants...and if they can do it with lower cost drivers....which keeps product cost down...and still have a lot of happy customers...no big deal as I see it. Probably those that spend $3k on a DI know they aren't getting a $20k Wilson...either because they can't afford it or because they can't justify the difference in sound.
As for the BE tweeter....I've been following Jim Salk's thread on another forum and here is what he has to say:
"When the first Be tweeters finally came on the market, we were very excited to get our hands on them for testing purposes. The first sample we got our hands on measured extremely well and we were anxious to use it in the next model speaker we developed. Unfortunately, that company lost the only employee who knew how to build these tweeters and discontinued them.
The Satori tweeter we eventually used was from a company (SB Acoustics) with some very good engineers and a reputation for producing great drivers at reasonable prices. So we jumped on the Satori Be tweeter as soon as it became available and never looked back.
It turns out that the speaker we happened to be working on at the time was the Song3 BeAT. That is why this model ended up with the Be tweeter rather than the RAAL we would have used in other circumstances.
Imagine the accuracy and sound of the RAAL with the off-axis response of a dome tweeter. That, in essence is what you have. Both are GREAT tweeters and we wouldn't hesitate using either one of them in a new design.
There are some applications that would benefit slightly from the Be tweeter and some that would benefit slightly from the RAAL tweeter. But I look at them as being more similar than different in terms of performance."
So...I think as a designer...Eric has a right to change his mind...especially if he hears something that he think will improve his products....and no doubt, he probably had some customers that wanted a Be tweeter...and so he found a way to give it to them.
As for the stated db...if you believe Stereophile...almost all loudspeakers have an overstated sensitivity....again...not that big of a deal.
From an overall perspective, it just seems that the value perspective for those that don't prefer any of the Tekton products would be to flip the narrative and spend a lot more energy on the positive aspects of the products they do prefer...just sayin...
Bottom line...I'm headed to the Florida Audio Expo this weekend....and I'm sure I'm going to hear a lot of really great products....no guarantee that they will sound good in my home....no guarantee with my equipment that they will sound better than what I already have....but in spite of what a reviewer says or what I read on various forums...I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, I have to be able to try it in my home (and return it if I don't like it) before I'll buy it...with one exception, Audiogon preowned...the risk then is all mine.
Good God how I love that the Tekton posts draw out the sensitive haters on this board. If Tekton's only disruption in the industry is another 5000+ post thread on this forum, then I wish them all the luck in the world.
Hmm....if I was researching which new component to audition would I be better off taking advice from internet trolls or teajay?Probably teajay and others who are knowledgeable and are able to articulate the pros and cons of various products without being hateful and snarky.
I'm looking forward to reading the review.I've had nothing but good experiences with Eric and Tekton.
When the big Tekron thread first appeared, I pointed out Tektons past practices and was slammed by the fanboys and I am sure my posts have been removed. He apparently had a family crisis at the time which seemed awful but a personal crisis does not give one a license to screw people over. He still owes my buddy some money!
+1 eag618
Haha. Had to screenshot that before its deleted!
Tekton Design's New the Perfect Set
Source: https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/tekton-design-s-new-the-perfect-set-equals-goosebumps-time
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