Well, maybe I'm a little late to the conversation, but... I quite recently had the chance to purchase a used set of DIs with the upgrades, and between all the reviews and hub bub, and the killer price, and my sickness that has me swapping perfectly awesome gear to try new stuff, I jumped at it. And I must say; no regrets! I think that all good speakers have their ideal sweet spot -- paired with the right electronics, in the right room, with the right music. For me and my music, the Tektons blew me away.
My system is in a really large space -- a great room with vaulted (23') ceilings. So I need some juice and speakers that will throw sound, have a large sweet spot, but still allow for critical listening in the "perfect seat". I originally paired them with Red Dragon Leviathan monoblocks, and they performed admirably -- great detail and extension, and very nicely balanced, high-to-low. Then I paired them with a set of 845 monoblocks that push 50+ w/ch, and WOW, did they ever sing.
I've owned some pretty nice speakers in my day, including a couple "world beaters" like Vandersteen 3a Sigs, open baffle designs, Audio Physics Virgos, Thiel CS5i, Zu Audio -- to name a few.
The speakers that they were going to replace were a pair of PureAudioProject Trio15Voxativs -- fantastic speakers indeed. Here's how I'd sum it up. The open baffle architecture of the PAPs fills my large room with luscious sound, giving me the sensation of being mid-concert hall. The Tektons put me in the 5th row. More slam, easier to place instruments on the stage, better extension on both ends, and more detail (microdynamics?) without being etchy. Where the Tektons really shone (shined?) was on small ensemble jazz, and acoustic rock.
Now, I realize that a lot of my perception might well be attributed to The "shiney new toy" syndrome, so I dragged a few friends -- listening buddies -- over for a glass or two and a listen. It was unanimous; the Tektons were regarded by all as the best speakers we'd ever heard in my system. Chet Baker/Bill Evans, Joni Mitchell, Jason Mraz, Dave Brubeck, Stephen Stills, Jason Isbel, Father John Misty; all just brought my room to life through the Tektons like we'd never heard before. And for that matter, Zeppelin II sounded better than I ever remember hearing it also.
So, now I'm in a quandry. Looks like I'll be selling off some excess gear b/c I've found my listening Shangri La -- until the next urge hits me. But for now, I can whole-heartedly recommend the Tekton DIs. If they can sound this good in my shitty/non-ideal environment, then I'm dead-certain that they'll make a lot of people happy. My only hedge would be to recomment that you treat them like higher-end speakers, and pair them with the gear that one might intend for much more expensive speakers.
Happy listening!
j
