@freesole I use a Lyngdorf TDAI 3400 and a 10wpc SET 300b amplifier with reasonably good results with the Encores so I'm sure you will be very happy with 48wpc driving them due to the Encores fairly high sensitivity. You can order them with grills, though I will warn you that you may be waiting a longer lead time to actually get the grills as others have suggested regarding other models they've ordered with grills.
Considering the New Tekton Design Encores? AND Owners Group - Experiences/Questions
I am the very happy owner of the first pair of New Tekton Design Encores and I thought I would create this thread to answer any questions anyone might have regarding the Encore speakers, room considerations, and associated equipment. If you’ve order your pair already, please chime in. I really want to hear what other people’s experience are with these unbelievable speakers.
I drive my Encores with both an Art Audio Diavolo SET 300b Tube Amplifier with 8wpc and I switch in my 700w Nord One-Up SE Monoblocks for non-critical listening and some big pieces of music that benefit from the extra power.
I drive my Encores with both an Art Audio Diavolo SET 300b Tube Amplifier with 8wpc and I switch in my 700w Nord One-Up SE Monoblocks for non-critical listening and some big pieces of music that benefit from the extra power.
- Made under U.S. Patent 9247339 with multiple new patents pending
- Proprietary loudspeaker design
- Ultra-linear frequency response with ±.5dB deviation from 70Hz-20kHz
- One single crossover element placed within the tweeter path
- Ultra-linear, entirely time-invariant minimum-phase mid-range section
- Proprietary patent pending 15 dome radiating hybrid MTM high frequency array
- Two 6.5" mid-bass patented ’overtone & harmonic’ transducers
- Dual 11" low-frequency transducers
- 96dB 2.83V@1m sensitivity
- 4 Ohm design for optimum performance
- 20Hz-30kHz frequency response
- Dimensions Width 13.25" x Depth 15.25" x Height 62"
- 800 Watt power handling
- Weight 175 lbs
381 responses Add your response
After hearing some suggestions from @waltersalas about the Encore's I am interested to see how they would work with my system. I have the Line Magnetic 805ia which is a single ended amp pushing 48W per channel. It doesn't sound like that will be an issue for these speakers. Are there any grills that one can add to these speakers? I'm thinking about the WAF here as well since any speakers will have to go into the living room. Any others using these speakers with tube amps? Thoughts? |
Honestly the overriding criteria should be the ’end result sound quality. There are numerous ways to build a speaker /cabinets and obtain high quality sound. The knuckle wrap isn’t indicative of the final sound. Reading comprehension, sir. To wit, " They might be braced well, internally, but they fail the knuckle test big time...Now, whether or not that has anything to do with the sound that comes out of the Tekton speakers, well, that's a different story. A ton of people dig the sound. The knuckle wrap should only be an indicator to look inside and understand how the speaker is made. Again, a lot of people dig the sound. On the other hand, they might dig the sound better if something was done to keep vibration to a minimum...and no, sealed portions of the cabinet doesn't mean much. It's an echo chamber in there. But yeah, as long as it sounds good, who cares, right? This is true. Only could it sound better had real design gone into these? You bet. |
It sure is. Reminds me of the Soundstage review of the Joseph Audio Pulsar stand mounted speakers. To me, and to the reviewer, they look like normal, elegant little stand mounted speakers, with particularly classy woodwork. But apparently the reviewer's wife loathed the way they looked more than any other gear he'd reviewed, so he couldn't keep them. That reaction had me truly baffled. Though I had another slightly baffling experience as well. I had Thiel 3.7 speakers for a while in our living room/media room. They were a beautiful design but a bit big for the room. My wife isn't big on seeing large speakers so when I told her I was getting smaller ones she was happy. I got the slightly smaller Thiel 2.7s, in a truly gorgeous ebony wood that perfectly matched our decor. To my eyes, among the most beautiful, restrained, designs I've ever seen. Yet my wife preferred the looks of the big speakers. Wimmin....go figure.... |
Honestly the overriding criteria should be the ’end result sound quality. There are numerous ways to build a speaker /cabinets and obtain high quality sound. The knuckle wrap isn’t indicative of the final sound. What if a particular speaker produced an approved knuckle wrap response yet yields poor sound quality. Of what predictive value is the knuckle wrap? Given the very positive comments regarding the Tekton Encores if would suggest that the cabinet wrapping test is inconsequential. Charles |
I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and it was ever thus. I brought in the Pure Audio Project Trio15 Horn1 speakers and thought they looked kind of cool, but my wife literally wept once we assembled them and she got a good look at them. Well. A few weeks later, when my Encores arrived in the Spanish tile soft gloss finish, we both agreed that they looked great in our living room. But what do we know, philistines that we are? They go great with our dogs-playing-poker black velvet oil paintings. |
They might be braced well, internally, but they fail the knuckle test big time. Tap on these Tekton speakers and you can hear the echo all the way back to Utah. Now, whether or not that has anything to do with the sound that comes out of the Tekton speakers, well, that's a different story. A ton of people dig the sound. However, I haven't seen anything from Tekton that speaks to internal vibration control. One would have to assume that the speakers are voiced the way they are, taking into account the natural vibration conducive to all transducers. But that's just as assumption. Having viewed Tekton speakers on the inside, they lead me to believe that Tekton is voiced a certain way, yes, but internal vibration is not addressed in what amounts to little more than a cave. You'll have the extra expenditure of stands, or whatever, for sure. |
OP Sorry if this has already been asked, I didn't see if it was. What color did you get your encores in? On my screen looks pretty close to one of my acoustic foam colors :) After getting a projector Im leaning towards picking up a pair of encores Tekton didn't have the encores available at the time that i ordered my di's. |
Glen, I don’t own Tekton speakers but I’ve heard the Double Impacts (D.I.) in a friend’s system using my Coincident Frankenstein 300b SET. Later he replaced these speakers with the D.I. SE model which I heard with the Auric Audio 300b SET. I believe that you’d be impressed with them. I was. Despite their 4 ohm impedance they were easily driven by both 8 watt SET amplifiers. Given what has been said about the Tekton Encores from those who previously owned the D.I. I strongly suspect that this is a very special speaker to consider if it fails within your budget. Jcarcopo is using it successfully with his Art Audio Diavolo 300b SET. The Encores are large speakers so room size is a factor to consider. Charles |
I have to say all this is making me want to listen to a pair of Tekton's. I have to say your's, pictured, are one of the nicer ones I've seen in that darker red finish. I don't care for large black box's, one of the reasons i have not looked at Tekton's ,to be honest, but those look very nice indeed. It's also very confusing going to the Tekton sight I mean how many different speakers can one guy design lol. I may have to look more closely as I start my search for a little more bass in a high sensitivity speaker. I respect Charles views here as well, from what I've read we share a 300b SET love and speaker similarity type. Thanks for your post jcarcopo, i'll be keeping an eye on your posts. Glen (one n so yea my last name is Newdick I like to be honest with who I am online it keeps me treating people like people). |
@olesno Eventually, we may all have exactly the same systems, LOL. It appears you and I are pretty close to being there already. I must say that I am enjoying my vinyl far more than I expected to through the conversion process of the HQ analog inputs. That was a big concern for me, but it is really very natural sounding to my ears. As for the Encores, I firmly believe they will be my last set of speakers. I can find nothing wanting about them at all. |
@waltersalas I also ordered the Matrix cables for my Lyngdorf 3400 and the Encores. Quite a little club here...LOL I also was very impressed with Clement's review of the Encores. I know Clement and it was he who called me over a year ago and told me about the Tektons. I had the KEF Blade 2 at the time and I wasn't looking for a change. But..., because I trust his judgement and his ears, I ordered the first pair of the DIs the next day. Sold my KEF shortly after and never looked back. Now enjoying my third pair of the Tektons. Just wonderful. |
There are Tektons in 3 rooms at RMAF, david's friend has a picture of Encores driven by Thrax gear at the link above, the Electron SEs and another pair of Encores were using Parasound gear. All three rooms were sounding way above their price points and Eric's room with a JC5 and OPPO player was top shelf. I'm bringing a friend Saturday primarily to hear the Encores. |
An audio friend is attending RMAF and he visited the Tekton Room showcasing the Encores. If you want to take a look, I uploaded the photo to my systems page. It is the first picture. Here's the link to my system page: https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/6658 |
Just read the review and Mr. Perry thinks these are a better speaker than the DI or DI SE. This does not surprise me based on the design and drivers used. He even states they are not a simple upgrade, but rather a wholesale change in presentation according to his ears, system and room. This sure seems like a gem and I just have to hear them. Having owned the DIs and to now read this review gets me most excited! The DI is a wonderful speaker. The Encores must be a speaker of astounding ability and value. Most intriguing for sure. |
Here is Clement Perry's (Stereotimes) review of the Tekton Design Encores! Congratulations to Eric Alexander. http://v2.stereotimes.com/post/tekton-design-encore-loudspeaker/ |
Thanks for the heads-up, teajay. I am not surprised at all by the enthusiasm of this review. In fact, I would say it is an echo of the reaction we have all had since receiving them. They are a much bigger step up from the SEs than the SEs are over the Double Impacts, in my opinion. Apparently, Mr. Perry feels the same way. |
@olesno Yeah, they are pricey, and so is the Audioquest Hurricane AC cable. What I tell myself--my rationalization--is that because I am eliminating the need for some cables in my system with the 3400, I can "reinvest" in a better power cord and better speaker cables to get the very most of the 3400. On the other hand, if Bill's cords are as good or better, than I will be all too happy to spend the savings on buying more music! I can't recall whether Cerious offers an audition period like Tekton does, but it is worth a look. I have been waiting for some used Matrix speaker cables or power cords to pop up the classifieds, but I have yet to see it. Which may speak well for how good they sound! |
Thank you gentlemen for the reply posts. All three are very interesting. First, I have no experience with Analysis Plus but I know they've been around for years and generally are very well regarded. Jonathan, if you could PM me with some pricing on 9' or 10' speaker cables that would be great. I'd appreciate that. Bill, I got some interconnects from you and I like them in my setup. I might try the speaker cables too. We spoke about the USB cable once and I'm intrigued by that one too. Right now I am using Curious cable. Walter, I like the Cerious GEs a lot but the Matrix might be too pricey for me right now. Than again, I don't know what I'm missing if I don't try it. |
I also use the Cerious Graphene Extreme speaker cables on my Encores and find that they sound terrific. However, I have not tried anything else. I am also using a Cerious Graphene Extreme power cord (blue) on the Lyngdorf, though I may experiment with a few others to find the best match. Thinking of trying an Audioquest Hurricane, or maybe the Cerious Matrix series. I will vouch for grannyring's Acoustic BBQ USB cable. I've been listening most of the weekend and it sounds very, very musical--detailed but also full-bodied. In a few days, I will put back in the TotalDac cable I had been using for a direct comparison, but at less than half the price, the Acoustic BBQ is holding its own and then some! |
@olesno I've had very good experiences running Analysis Plus interconnects, speaker cables, and power cables. My bias towards these cable center around their absolute neutrality, truthfulness, and electrically superior properties and not as a tone control. I don't like cables that have a flavor or act as a bandaid to an unbalanced system. The Analysis Plus cables are very well made, rugged, and use a novel hollow oval geometry to lower resistance and inductance over conventional cables. They are engineered by engineers, not amateur hobbyists selling snake oil. I use a 10' biwire pair of big silver ovals 10awg to my encores. I separate runs of their black mesh 10awg to my luxman amp switcher and to both the Lyngdorf and the Diavolo. I use their new triple hollow geometry, double shielded, silver apex for interconnects to my Diavolo. I use their power oval2 Mkll power cables on all my gear. If you want a great cable with excellent bass and detail retrieval that's well made, you be hard pressed to find a better cable company to deal with. If you're interested I can get you anything you want. I know the owner, Mark, pretty well. I used to resell his cables when I was in highend audio back in 2001-2010 back in California so he gets me whatever I want at a discount. |
I've been using Cerious Technologies Graphene Extreme speaker cables for the last couple of years and I like them a lot. After I got my Encores and the Lyngdorf 3400 I started rearranging my audio set up and my 8'-0" speaker cables might be a little bit too short. I will probably have to replace my current cables with the same but longer set or possibly something else. Is there anything out there that I should look into that has a special synergy with Tekton - Lyngdorf combination? Or, just works well with Tekton in general? Just looking for opinions... |
Interesting. I’ve been sort of eyeing monitors from Tekton. Kind of ugly but the more I read here the more I want to hear them. im redoing my entire system and currently using Focal 807v which I like but I know there’s much better. I’m very wary though as I listen to classic punk, classic reggae and 80’s/90’s alt vs jazz or the like. |
Hi jcarcopo, I am really happy to read that things have worked out so well for you with the acquisition of the Lyngdorf. It sure seems as though the "room perfect "feature is excellent in its capacity. I can see where the 400 watts of the Lyngdorf are welcome for certain genres of music. I can also understand whers the 300b Diavolo may be unsurpassed for specific listening situations. Bottom line is you have got it covered across the board with this current set up. Congratulations. Charles |
My Art Audio Diavolo SET 300b Tube Amplifier sounds phenomenally good through the Lyngdorf with the Room Perfect properly setup under a 2nd Speaker Setup while using the Preamp output on the Lyngdorf and my Luxman AS-55 amplifier switcher to switch from Class D to the tube amp. It really makes a very noticeable difference in the Bass and Midrange. I'm very happy with my system sound now and love both the Class D and the SET tube sound. I prefer the Diavolo on some music and the Class D on bigger pieces that can use the extra power. It's great having choices! |
I haven't had much time to respond here but I promise I'll catch up. I need few more days and I will share my opinion. I am very happy with my Encores and Lyngdorf combination. Mostly..., thanks to jcarcopo and grannyring. Obviously Eric Alexander and Peter Lyngdorf had a lot to do with my audio nirvana too. I love my hobby of 50 years or so. |
@olesno Thanks for your review on the Encores and Lyngdorf TDAI 3400 combination! I wondered if it was you on the Tektons Worldwide Owners Facebook group I was chatting with! Now I know who you are in both places so I can keep things straight in my head! Things will only improve as time goes by for your Encores as things loosen up for the speakers and as well for your Lyngdorf as it breaks in. Chris is supposed to have his Encores today and he too ordered the Lyngdorf TDAI-3400 over this weekend and he will likley have it hopefully by Friday. It's funny how we have 3 Encore owners each with the same Lyngdorf electronics! I was looking at the Lyngdorf for months, but I had a bad experience with a dealer and was offered another deal through the owner of Core Power Technology which turned into attempted fraud after 6 weeks of waiting and PayPal Credit having to refund me because his refund bounced his checking account. So I shelved the idea for a month or so. I'm so glad I revisited the Lyngdorf and found Neal at Sound Science who took care of me and was exemplary. |
This is a copy of what I posted on Facebook... So I got my Encores set up over the weekend and started using them with my Lyngdorf 3400, mainly streaming music from Tidal/Roon Nucleus+ and also playing some CDs on my Oppo 205. I know it will take a while before the Encores and the Lyngdorf are properly broken in but I can already tell that this is an incredible combination. I agree with JC's description of the sound. I've never had music sound so good in my room. The instruments and the vocals are real. I played it all at a pretty high volume and heard no distortion what so ever. Everything sounded effortless and easy. One thing I noticed however that started to worry me a little. After few hours of enjoying the music I noticed that the Lyngdorf got pretty hot to touch. The Encores are 96db efficient which means they should be pretty easy to drive. Lyngdorf is a digital amp and all digital amps I tried in the past never got more than just a little warm. This one got hot, just like a class A analog amp. Wonder if this is normal. I contacted Lyngdorf but didn't get any response yet. |
@charles1dad Yes I listen to jazz a lot. I’m a big Ella Fitzgerald and Satchmo, et al fan. I did play some Wynton Marsalis when I first turned the Lyngdorf on initially and it sounded very good even without Room Perfect setup. I really haven’t played anything else in the Jazz 🎺 genre yet, but I will and report back. |
Hi Jcarcopo, Good to read your initial listening impressions are so pleasing and will surely improve with subsequent burn-in hours. Do you listen to much jazz? I'm interested to know if it conveys the emotional connection of a Miles, Chet Baker, Coltrane, Milt Jackson etc. As convincingly as I assume the Diavolo does. If so then you've found your ideal 1 box audio solution. This genre of music is where in my experience quality SET seperates itself from other topologies. If the Lyngdorf equals or exceeds in this area then that is a significant achievement. For certain you're off to a very good start. Charles |
