Considering the New Tekton Design Encores? AND Owners Group - Experiences/Questions

viber6,Unfortunately, my hearing loss is worse than just normal hearing loss due to aging.  Almost 10 years ago when I went to an audiologist to get my hearing checked), the tests revealed that I have accelerated high frequency hearing loss starting at about 6000 HZ and with an accelerating decline for higher frequencies.  I still am waiting for a good audiophile headphone solution which can boost selectively boost the high frequencies but leave other frequencies as-is!
As to your specific question, I'm afraid I reproduced as best as I could remember Eric's specific words and don't know much more than that.  He didn't describe/contrast the speakers by referencing frequencies.  He  drew a parallel between the Encores and the SEAS Pendragons which I already have and like very much.  I am guessing he was saying the Moabs were like the live sound of the non-SEAS Pendragons, but since I haven't heard the Encores, non-SEAS Pendragons, or the Moabs, any such comparisons would basically be meaningless to me.  I can say that the SEAS Pendragons have a more full-bodied sound than the Monitor Audio speakers that I was coming from--when I had better hearing, I recall that those speakers had a more delicate high frequency sound than the SEAS Pendragons, but with my hearing loss, they sound more lifeless than the SEAS Pendragons, which have a better mid-rage, bass, and have a more coherent sound.  Since I was leaning towards the Encores anyway due to their smaller size, that was enough for me to take the plunge.

My wife thinks I am crazy to spend $7,000 on the Encores without ever hearing them in person, but I wanted to experience a flagship speaker before my deteriorating hearing was at a point where I could no longer tell the difference.

I hope it works out and your wife comes around after you receive The Encores.Maybe even smile,nod her head let you know what a Mad Genius you are for ordering them

@jsoku I'm very sorry about your hearing loss buddy. This is something I worry about as I get older. I am very happy though you are getting the Encores. You are not crazy.  The very best stuff is in the midrange my friend. There's few if any speakers with a better midrange in my opinion. I can't wait until you get them bud! :-)

If any you guys haven't already found the Tekton Design Speakers Worldwide Owners Group on Facebook we have over 1000 members and it's a very friendly group, at least we try to keep it that way. Feel free to join us there for chat, questions, or just to post system picts if you want. I posted a link below. Hopefully it works.  Make sure to answer the question, especially the Rules. This filters out fake accounts. 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/135142323767796/672203223395034/?comment_id=672254006723289&notif_id=1597954035454151&notif_t=group_comment&ref=notif

Thanks!  I did join the group a few weeks ago.  Useful--someone just posted answering a question in my mind that I had not asked (whether the Schiit Aegirs in monoblock mode would have any problems with the Encores--his experience so far was that they work with no problems--still trying to decide whether to go with Aegir or buy up to XA25--I know where you come out on that question :) ). 

I agree with you on the midrange--I think that's why I like the SEAS Pendragon's so much--very nice integrated midrange and bass, I lose some of the detail in the highs relative to my prior speakers, but since I can't fully hear the highs anyway, not surprising that the SEAS Pendragons come on top for me.  I find speakers and headphones that have a highly detailed top end (e.g, my Monitor Audios and Focal Utopia headphones) to be thin and fatiguing now--probably related to my hearing loss.

I thought the poster also stated that a new change on all Encores going forward is that they won't be ported anymore.  That's interesting--I wonder how that changes the sounds--tighter bass perhaps?

@jsoku I’m not sure if it’s sonically advantageous to front port the midbass drivers or not. I guess there’s pros and cons to both approaches and Eric determined it’s better sonically without the front ports now. Maybe he’s altered the crossover too.

@jcarcopo I saw your Allnic listed. What’s your primary amp for the Encores, once the Allnic sells? I'm assuming the Pass XA25. Differences between the two? Thanks.

@david_ten Of course being solid-state, there's a foundational weight and heft to the Pass Lab's XA25 in the bass region due to its 500 damping factor that accompanies its very beautiful midrange. It also only consumes 240w and emits much less heat into my new dedicated/treated sound room upstairs. The additional heat from 8x 300bxls in the Allnics forced me to put a thermostat sensor in the 20'x14'x8' room which forced the hvac to kick on constantly and made it too cold in my home. Also the AC makes a lot more vent noise upstairs as the system is in my attic which annoyed me because it obscures fine detail. Finally, the price of EML 300BXLS have increased significantly from $750 to $935 a pair with no end in sight. The practicality of retubing the amps with 4 pairs of them moving forward will be way too painful financially for me for how often I listen. I constantly had anxiety about wasting the tubes useful life when the phone rings or I'd get sidetracked and I'd forget to turn them off for hours.  I didn't sell them for sonic reasons, it was mostly just for reasons of practicality and that I actually find the XA25 to be very SET-like in sound signature. I agree with Terry London's review of them, it's pretty spot on. I was going to use the XA25 as a background music amp to spare my tubes wear and tear, I didn't expect the XA25 to replace them. 

@jcarcopo  Thanks so much. Your reasoning and choice are so very clear now. Super helpful for my understanding. As an aside, I did not realize that the XA 25 had the 'highish' damping factor that it does. 

@david_ten Yes, actually all of it's specifications are superior to the more expensive XA30 and higher amplifiers.  I assume it's because he uses only 4 large power transistors per side in a slightly different way in the XA25's. 

Yes, I can report that the monoblock Aegirs have powered the Encores without any problem, until today. I was playing a the Taiko group Kodo's album Ibuki and had the volume up to about 85-90 DB. This is a really bass-frequency-heavy album, and the biggest impedance needs happen in the bass region. After a while the Aegirs started briefly going into protection shut down. The album was fine at lower levels, and everything else I've played the Aegirs have been fine with, even at equal volume levels. I will still try out other pre-amp and amp combos down the road, but so far so good. 

@sid-hoff-frenchman Another good one is Yim Hok-man "Poems of Thunder". That 10 minute track will put my Pass Labs XA25 into protection if I turn my DAC's volume up to -3db which, to be fair, is nearly wide open. So big Kodo Drums 🥁 really strain my amp at high volume as well. I consider this quite acceptable and normal considering it's a 50wpc Class A amplifier. Other than that one track I've not really had an issue except like twice on very high gain and dynamic recordings that I was playing way too loudly in the first place. 

@jcarcopo That's good to know. I guess then the Aegirs are performing on par with similarly powered amps. I wonder if the protection is being triggered by impedance dips, or wattage needs?

@sid-hoff-frenchman The Pass Lab engineer told me it was normal considering that deep bass uses 80% of the power of your amp. Sudden transients demand a lot of momentary current. My amp caps out at 10 amps current delivery. That isn't to say the impedance doesn't dip lower as this may very well be the case, but the engineer I talked to said I shouldn't be concerned and said the amp was operating normally considering the source and average load. I don't think it's impedance related because I did try an autoformer on the Encores set to 2x to raise the average impedance of the speaker to 8ohm, but this didn't prevent clipping and I lost like 3db of max volume before the protection circuit kicked in as expected due to the fact that at 8ohms my amp was only delivering half the wattage. 

sid-hoff-frenchman
Thanks for updating us that the Encores work well with the Aegirs in monoblock mode.  That's good to know.  Are you satisfied with the sound or do you have any pangs of amp-upgrade-itis yet?
Can I ask when you received your Encores?  I think you said that you placed your order about 2 weeks after I did, so hopefully that means mine will soon be on their way to me.

@jsoku I ordered them on 7/21 and received them on 8/21. I got lucky with the speed. I hadn't expected them for at least another month, if not two or three. Maybe they got a cancellation for charcoal Encores and I was next on the list with those specs. Who knows...I'm not complaining though! What color did you choose?

The Freya + & Aegirs give a great sound for sure. I am going to give the Don Sachs pre-amp/amp combo a try, just to compare. I've only ever had Schiit gear and am curious to hear how the highly recommended Sachs gear compares.

Is charcoal black or dark grey?  I ordered just basic black on 6/27.  Oh well.
Did yours come ported or not ported?

Charcoal is dark gray. Mine are the newly redesigned front port-less Encores. Eric said he made the change recently for all Encores going forward. They still have the standard rear ports though. Since you ordered before me then I would guess that someone ordered dark gray Encores which got built and then they backed out.

Yup.  I also asked him to make me a center channel SEAS Pendragon which may be taking him extra time since he doesn't make that model any more.

i have only heard the double impacts, but reading about the amps used and going into shutdown, someone might want to audition electrocompaniet amps.  i have an older pair of ec aw75 dual mono amps; they're rated at 75wpc into 8 ohms, 140/4 ohms; 220/2 ohms, stable into loads <1 ohm.  but the thing about them - and about all ec amps - is the current - these amps are rated >60 amps current.  and all ec amps are like that.  and, they're considered by many as solid state gear for those who like tubes

lowest powered ec amps presently in production are the aw180 monoblocks, at 250w into 8 ohms and >100 amps current.  but you can find great deals on the used aw25/50/60/65/75/100/120/250 stereo amps.  

doug s.

@jcarcopo XA25 + Encore seems like a great combo! How do you like it ??

@smodtactical I've been using SET tube amplifiers for 20 years and this is the first solid-state amp to have a beautiful enough midrange to sway me away from tubes while the added weight and heft in the bass region from the XA25's high damping factor provides a solid foundation to any music.  It's an excellent combo and I highly recommend it. Vocals are velvety smooth, string, and wind instruments sound amazingly dynamic, natural, and very real. I highly recommend this particular model over other XA amps in the line up for its unique minimalist use of 4 high output transistors per side, exceptional specifications when compared to all the other XA series, and its specific distortion makeup which, to my ears, comes closest to a SET tube amplifier. 

@charles1dad I will certainly post my impressions and comparisons. The Don Sachs preamp will be arriving far before the amp (still in the queue, no ship date yet), so I will have time for it to settle before adding his KT-88 amp to the mix. Honestly at this point I can't even give a definitive review of the Aegirs with the Encores, or the Encores themselves really, because the Encores are still going through the break-in process. Their sound has continued to change over the last 9 days - for the better I will add. The sound has filled out, especially as the woofers and mid-bass drivers loosen. I assume those require longer breaking in time than the tweeters. Perhaps break-in also influences the overall cohesiveness. At the very least I can say that the Encores don't overload the monoblock Aegirs, unless you are blasting Taiko drum music. And they sound really good.

Once the Sachs preamp ships I will switch to a single Aegir, as his preamp doesn't have balanced XLR outs. I will then eventually compare Sachs/Aegir to Freya+/Aegir and Freya+/Aegirs.

sid-hoff-frenchman,
You have some fun (As well as insightful) times ahead of you given the numerous component matching/switching comparisons available to you. I believe that each separate combo is going to sound good yet notably different.

Good thing is that you really enjoy what you currently have in your system. Very curious to see what degree of change you’ll hear between the Freya and Don Sachs preamplifier when swapped. No doubt that the KT 88 amplifier when inserted is going to make its presence felt.

The Encores IMO are capable of easily revealing any differences amongst all of the component swapping that lies ahead. I think this will prove to be an exciting and fruitful endeavor for you.
Charles

I had an order of Moabs is going for over three months, I came into some extra money and I decided to upgrade to a pair of encores. Wow, when you build a great product and great price the waiting list grows considerably. I’m hoping they will be my forever speakers, that is unless I move into a retirement home which the apartments are small.  I am upgrading from a pair of Thiel 2.3’s after 23 years  

@protoss71 Congrats on getting Encores. You will love them! I waited about 6 months for mine, but I knew that going in it was going to take a long time since it was a new model. Let us know when you get them how you like them. 

Thanks jcarcopo! Just a week after I upgraded, Tammy called to tell me the order is ready! They will be shipped today! I can’t wait! I had the money for a pair of Ulfberhts, but no way would my small room need a pair of those. The Encores are probably too big for my 17x12 room. I saw in a previous post by you, that you are concerned about the lifespan of your 300bxls’s. I have read that some are getting 40,000 hours out of their EML 300bxls’s! If my math is correct, 40,000 hours at 5 hours per day = 21 years!  Making the $900 possibly worth it. I had a pair of Sophia 300b carbons seemingly not last very long at all. I use my Woo Audio WA5 only for headphone duty (that is until I get my Encores).

Congrats! You will love them. Can't wait for your review. 

@protoss71 Great that they are shipping soon!  I've heard the EML 300BXLS can last 40k hours, but I assumed that was in a 300b circuit which makes the tube loaf at 8w.  My Allnics are Quad Parallel 300bxls SET Monoblocks require 4 pairs of 300bxls at they drive each tube at 15wpc so I figure they might not last as long since they are driven much harder.  I sold my Allnics recently and now just enjoy my Pass XA25 Amp.  It's a great match with the Encores, very SET like for a solid-state amp.  Update us when you get your Encores set up. 

Looking at Tekton website and your original post, I noticed some differences. Now it seems as though they are 7 inch mid bass drivers instead of 6.5, and the woofer is dropped from 11 inches to 10 inches. I hope it’s not a bait and switch, put the product out initially with high-quality drivers, get good reviews, then downgrade the drivers. And the weight has dropped from 175 pounds to 145 pounds. Hopefully it is just a refinement of the product. 

@protoss71 Yeah I copied what used to be on site a couple of years ago. Not sure how mine compare to the newest ones produced.  I do know he got rid of the midbass ports recently too. He also lowered the price from what I paid originally. 

Protoss71,
On the surface I can understand your concern/skepticism. The 30 pound weight reduction (roughly 17%) per speaker isn’t insignificant. Could it be due to smaller magnet assemblies/inductors/ cabinet/bracing? I do not believe that Tekton would intentionally lessen the quality of the Encore.

Does not make sense to me (Shooting themselves in the foot). My suspicion is that these changes you cite are probably efforts to improve and refine an already highly praised product. Youll be able to listen and judge for yourself  soon. My hunch is that youll be very happy with the Encores.
Charles

They are here!  Still in the boxes. Will unpack them this weekend. @jcarcopo, did your Art Audio Diavolo SET 300b Tube Amplifier have only an 8 ohm output? And were your Encores 4 ohm? I will be driving my 4 ohm encores with an 8 ohm tap from my Woo Audio WA5 occasionally. 

@protoss71 I had both 4/8ohm taps on my Art Audio and my Allnic A6000 Monoblocks. The Encore is a 4ohm speaker.  Congrats on getting yours in.  Update us when you come.  I'm really enjoying my Friday with my new Holo Audio May KTE r2r dac that should up several weeks ahead of schedule. It is sublime to listen to. 

Holy smokes, these babies are huge. Totally dwarf my Theil 2.3's. I looked at the sizes online, but it did not prepare me for how they look in person. Totally dominate my small listening room. Effin' gorgeous! Flawless dark grey finish. Undamaged in transit. Whoever said the poly cell array looks unsightly is insane. I love the smell of new audio equipment! 

Needs break in, hopefully. One hour on them so far.  I did not take care of unpacking instructions. Styrofoam everywhere. No damage to the drivers. High frequencies need refinement. 100 hours of anxious waiting.  

Congrats dude, have fun! 

Enjoy! In my experience they definitely went through significant changes over the first 200 hrs. I think they still are continuing to evolve slightly at this point. Throughout the break-in period at different times different frequencies would either seem muted or dominant. But they eventually smooth out and become balanced.

Would be great if more speaker manufacturers would break in a few hours like zu audio does. My Woo Audio headphone amp needed 500(!) hours to properly break in. Darn Blackgate capacitors! Putting the Encores through rapid break in. I live in a single family home, no neighbors to complain. Able to crank them up and shut the door. Using electronica to loosen up those woofers. 

Liking the encores so far. I did read that the newer encores no longer have the front mid bass ports in earlier posts. Mine came with the ports, but with foam plugs in each of them. I found that strange. Why have the ports if you are going to plug them? Maybe a pair that never got delivered, then Eric found ports do not work as was planned, then just plugged the ports rather than scrap the speaker? 

What’s is the deal with no owners manual? I don’t know how to use the jacks to add resistors to alter the sound. No paper manual is no prob, but why not email
me a digital manual? 

Welcome to Tekton @protoss71. I was simply told to disregard these things.   I will say, they sound awesome though. 

@protoss71 My understanding is that they had a few of the front ported Encore frames already built and I imagine they wanted to use them, but still offer the new non front-ported sound, hence the foam plugs. If they are removable that gives you some options to at least play with porting and unporting them to see which you prefer. 
Regarding the upper quad resistor posts, I asked Eric about them. He said if you use some resistors you basically can turn down the tweeter. He said with such expensive speakers if people wanted a tweak, installing those resistors allowed him to offer some tweaks from a distance. If you feel it is too bright and want to turn down the tweeter, you would need to reach out to them to send you some resistors. I haven’t heard of anyone yet using them. But you never know, you might have a super bright amp or room or something.

Out of general curiosity though, I wonder why the Encores have four resistor posts each, while it looks like the Ulfberhts only have two. 

The front vents were removed a few months back and Encores with front vents come with plugs. 

The Encore has two resistor pots. One for midrange array and one for the tweeter. It makes it a bit more versatile. I'm not aware of anyone actually using the resistor pots.

  

Nice to know the resistor pots are there if I need them. I will call Tekton for details if I feel the need to use them. Burning in going ok. Initially edgy treble and recessed bass, now boomy, one note bass and recessed highs, mids are clearing gradually. No “live” feel yet. Although, that seems to be a trait of the Moab’s more then the encores from what I have read. No Thiel “edge” so far, the reason i purchased a different brand from my 2.3’s.  

@protoss71 How is your warming up going? Judging by the time, major changes should have already occurred.

Do any of you listen to classical ie, full large-scale orchestra music? I wonder if Encores or Moabs are better for this. Any thoughts?

I haven't heard Moabs, but large-scale classical music sounds fantastic on my Encores.

sid-hoff-frenchman You seem to have had DI before. How does Encores compare to DI? Some say DI is a faster and more energetic speaker. What is your opinion?

@vsedakov I had upgraded DIs for a year and a half. They were really enjoyable speakers. I definitely prefer the Encores. Compared to the DIs, the Encores are fuller, wider and taller. Bass is significantly deeper as well. The Encores are mellower sounding than the DIs. They are definitely not sleepy or lazy speakers though - just more refined. DIs are a bit more forward in their presentation. I often found myself wishing the DIs had more "body" to the sound. The Encores deliver that fuller sound I had been wanting.