“Invest” in Tekton?

kdude66,

thanks for the input and will be interested to hear your impressions. I imagine you have a list of components that are pretty spiffy?

Hi Walter,

Thanks for chiming in!  I'm an analogy kinda guy so it seems you are saying I am putting some monster truck tires on a regular pickup?  I hear you on that and am totally on board with the concept of system balance.  I was already wondering that myself (which is why I am asking the things I am asking)...  My first clue was seeing everyone's set up and they are all talking about amps I have never heard of and here I come along with my NAD... Not that there's anything inherently wrong with it (I do love it) but yeah, different leagues...  What Tektons were you thinking of?

I have already put together various packages with/without a sub. 
I talked to Eric and he initially recommended the DIs but also recommended the Electron and Enzo 2.7s for my purposes.  However, by the time you put together a 5.0 or 5.1 there is only about a 10% difference between the DI pkg and the Electron pkg. As for the Enzos, it's a little harder to calculate (can't determine if the pkg does/does not include a sub among other variances) but there does seem to be some savings there...

Chayro:  Thanks for the response.  Totally agree hearing them is the best option but short of driving to Orem Utah not much of an option as 15% restocking fee at $5,000 = $750...  Ironically, I saw they (Tekton) will be at a convention in LA in June and I will miss them by 1 day... 

As for sound quality, note I wasn't asking about that as I understand all of the concepts you presented (took great pains when writing the post to avoid doing just that!) just wanted to know if people really felt they were that good.

Hey Kenny,

I have some questions that I would like to ask you regarding some of your comments.  Would you mind if I sent you a pm?

seikosha,

you know, through all of my research there wasn't really any mention of the impacts (non double...)  I've seen them on the website but that's about it..  thanks for commenting

 Thanks for the input.. Regarding the pendragons, If I remember correctly from a thread somewhere (quite possibly here within audiogon) there was someone else not too impressed with the pendragons... As it stands, those are not on my list...

grannyring,

I'm sayin' !!!  I wish the reviews had a little more.. context I guess, for lack of a better word...  I don't like how a entry/mid/high level speaker can all receive the same 4.5-5 star ratings..  Off the top of my head something like the same ratings systems they are using but adding a bronze/silver/gold level to indicate the different levels of gear would be most helpful.  for instance (again, off the top of my head): PSB X2Ts received 4.5 stars within the silver category indicating yes, they are very good at the silver level but by no means are we saying they are as good as Superduper speaker ABC which received a 4.5 at the Gold level..  I'm sure a lot of people can read between lines just fine but with the praise being given to the mid level gear it blurs the line with the high level stuff...

re: your comment "I do think that for $3000 you really can’t go wrong and most likely would not do any better. Now are they $25,000 speaker killers? Well you see my skepticism."

that's the kind of information I am looking for, thanks

I guess to clarify, I am looking at:

Double Impact - kind of a pipe dream based on my circumstances but you never know..  obviously these are what I was alluding to in my original post and I have been known to make sacrifices to get what I want.. (anyone have a goat they need taken care of for a while??)

Electrons - definitely interesting but very similar pricewise to the DIs 

Enzos (both old version and new) - more realistic pricewise and am in the process of gathering what info. I can.. (I can only do so much research per day!!!)

thanks everyone so much for chiming in.  So, here's what we have learned (I think..):

1. People strongly recommend auditioning (an obvious consideration if I do say so...).  Anyone live in Colorado and have some Tekton Double Impacts, Electrons, or Enzo 2.7s lying around and willing to hang out for a lil bit???  I'll being adult beverages!!!

2.  People aren't necessarily a fan of their other models, Luckily, the ones that got "poo-pood" aren't on the list!!!

3. Those that have heard/own the DIs (and a vote for the Electrons) feel they are pretty amazing overall and seem to recommend them without hesitation at their pricepoint but seem to stop short of calling them $20,000 speakers..

4. Gear better than my current situation is strongly recommended, but not necessarily an absolute requirement.

5. Did I miss anything?

By all means, keep the comments/recommendations coming!  I'm definitely of the mindset that having a larger sample size yields more accurate data..

Thanks again!

Ok, I’ve been reading all the latest comments and have fallen behind replying so thanks to everyone who has chimed in! At least to some degree I have initially considered a lot of thinking points that have been presented and fortunately have been presented with some new angles to consider, which is exactly why I turned to y’all in the first place so truly, thank you for your comments…

I have spent a lot of time since my original post contemplating the known variables. I’ve also spent some time working with my wife regarding what is/isn’t acceptable in terms of aesthetics... Of all things, a video cabinet that I (with my father-in-law’s expertise and guidance) created with my own two hands was the line in the sand, it has to stay where it is... Oh the irony! I crafted the cabinet to fit perfectly with my PSBs leaving no room for anything wider.. oops… At any rate, she was pretty insistent the video cabinet stays so there were some conversations about that…  So that coupled with the growing list of logistical issues (e.g. the growing realization the components need to be at a comparable quality level, all the work that would need to be done to accommodate the speakers…) and the writing was on the wall… But don’t fret!!!

So one point that has been made a few times in one form or another is “are you sure this is something you need?” and after some extensive internal monologues I can emphatically say it is. I have always loved music, period. Even as a kid playing with my legos well into the night I had to have music playing as I built. Along those lines, I was a typical 80s kid with MTV always on and to this day, if it was a video on MTV I can pretty reliably tell you the artist within seconds of hearing it. Moving forward, I was in band from 4th -10th grade and would have kept playing but I had to make a choice between football and band (to be honest, the option was given to continue with both but I wasn’t the type that was going to be on campus from 5am to 6:30 pm every day…) and football won.. I will say this, football and band were really the only two things I committed myself to in high school, I was pretty bummed I had to give one up for the sake of the other… At any rate, no matter where I have been, music has always been with me.. There are so many songs/albums that can trigger an instant memory that would otherwise be lost… Even today, hearing the right song at the right time can literally give me goose bumps.. Latest example is Nine Inch Nails “Right Where It Belongs.” I pretty much ignored anything NIN after “Downward Spiral” but stumbled into this song a few months ago… The first 3 minutes of the song is recorded “lo-fi” but the message/lyrics brought me in and then suddenly, at 3:02, the stage opens and the song crescendos into “hi-fi” and it just gave me chills.. Those are the things that stir my soul (I am a sucker for a good crescendo!!!)… I could go on and on but I think the point has been made

Moving along… I had to omit some background in my original post as it wasn’t relevant but now has a place… For years, I have had this dream of creating a sound room in my basement… Creating a space that was all mine that I could go to and listen to anything I wanted, as loud as I wanted, whenever I wanted… It seemed we were finally at a place financially to put this dream into action so I started looking into it and figured I knew just the right people (father-in-law: very handy; buddy 1: architect, buddy 2: home theater installer.. perfect!!!) So I figured a couple grand and some help from my friends and voila!!!! Yeah…. I don’t want to throw anyone under the bus but suffice it to say, buddy 1 and 2 were less than enthusiastic about helping with the project so yeah, thanks guys... Then, I started looking into the cost of running electricity and soundproofing and the project was circling the drain before it even got off the ground.. Needless to say, I was pretty frustrated and bummed as the budget was annihilated before I bought a single item… At this point I changed course and decided “All right, I’ll just get my fix with the main system” and that’s about where y’all came in (auditioning the mid-level stuff to put in my room to replace the PSBs but decided to stand pat as there wasn’t a discernable difference so why blow the cash for no improvement…)

Well, as David_10 stated, “BUT THEN THERE WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN THE JOURNEY” So within this whole crazy story, I’m back at stage 1, building the “sound lab” in the basement.. This time with full spousal approval!!!!!! It basically came down to this revelation (this is all internal monologue):

“Wait a minute, I’m ready to drop 5-6K on a speaker system that 1) has questionable spousal approval and 2) creates a myriad of logistical problems (room set up, the damn cabinet, the right “upstream components” to do the job effectively) but won’t spend it on the sound room which has nothing but upside???? Not to mention that means only 2.0-2.1 speakers which cuts out the need for the center and rears and also cuts out the need for a 5 channel amp.. Theoretically, those savings can be applied to higher quality equipment.. WHY AM I NOT DOING IT THIS WAY??????”  

The ”sound lab” will have it’s own logistical issues as I’ve never built a room before, never worked construction, never designed a room before, and definitely never sound proofed a room before. But that’s why we have forums and youtube right???? What could possibly go wrong???!!!! But seriously, I know this is a huge undertaking (an actual electrician will be involved..) but as I said, this is something I have always wanted and am willing to put forth the effort necessary to make it happen and summer is around the corner and that just happens to be when I have spare time…

Ok, so how bout we get this back on topic???!!! So new room = new questions/logistics… I think I’m gonna eschew paragraphs and get straight to the bullet points.

The situation:

1.     New room: will be approximately 9x11 with sound treatment techniques utilized to prevent polluting the rest of the house and my neighbors tranquility (details omitted at this point, not a secret, just trying to save room)

2.     Regarding Tekton: based on owner reviews; Terry London’s review (reading the full DI  thread revealed he will call out speakers he doesn’t like… his stock went up tremendously in my book seeing that); and some other random research I have done I feel pretty comfortable with buying their speakers

3.     My musical tastes:  I have a pretty narrow window of music I like but it varies within that window.. Mainly 90s hard rock (Tool, Rammstein, maybe 80s Metallica if you don’t know the others, etc) but also alternative (Nine Inch Nails, Janes Addiction, etc. ) with a smattering of other stuff. I’ll be the first to admit a lot of it is “Noisy” but when you find the sweet stuff that just gets you.. yeah, that’s the stuff, particularly most Tool songs if you are familiar..

4.     My preferences in a speaker: Accurate reproduction as it was intended that can fill up a room (I do like it loud), if there’s a chime in the background or hushed backup vocals I want to hear it!!! Having said that, there are 2 variances. 1). Too much tweeter makes my ears hurt.. How Klipsch is still in business is beyond me… Wouldn’t set ‘em up if you gave me a pair (at least from all that I have ever heard..) 2). I have to admit, maybe I like when the bass goes boom… Altogether, when a system sounds crystal clear across the spectrum and can bring that bass appropriately, I love it!

a.     Whilst talking to Eric, he compared one of the speakers to B&W 803/804. I have traditionally liked B&W sound so that did get me yet a little bit more intrigued.. Can’t remember if it was the DIs or the Electrons though

5.     My upstream components: HA!!! Ain’t got none!!!! Just makin’ sure you’re still paying attention at this point.. I know I would’ve started to glaze over at this point if I wasn’t the one writing the post….

The new questions!!!:

 Ok, hopefully everyone realizes I realize the whole “individual preference/only you can tell what’s good” bit so with any luck we can just skip right past that…

1.     Thoughts on Tekton speakers based on room size?

a.     Double Impacts – HUGE!!!

b.     Electrons – Less huge but at their pricepoint, why wouldn’t one just get the DIs?

c.     Enzo 2.7 - more realistic size (and price!) but at what cost sonically???

 Initially, my heart wants to start with the DIs and see if I need to add sub sound afterwards but my brain is telling me Enzo 2.7 with sub(s) (which would pretty much equal the price of DIs without the sub… so yeah…)

2.     Preamps/amps – What do YOU like/what would YOU recommend? The reason I ask is I am only familiar with mid high stuff (PSB/NAD, KEF, Emotiva, etc.) so I need a starting point of stuff to start looking into. If it wasn’t obvious from before, I’m a value oriented kinda guy that looks for the bang for the buck.. I know I will need to spend some money on this stuff but want to be realistic…

3.     Constructing the sound lab: I will be doing my own research but if anyone has any suggestions regarding valuable resources I am all ears…..

 Ok, that’s it for now, if you’re still with me thanks for reading and, as always, I look forward to any replies that are productive towards the conversation…

thanks for the suggestion. I might just try to get ahold of him.

@helomech

re: life story.. yeah , got on a roll and by the time I was done didn’t feel like reviewing.. good point though (oddly I hate writing but I seem to get on a roll within forums.. you know, the place you are supposed to be brief…)

re: floor standers vs. stand mount. I’m really into floor standing speakers over the stand mount.. I like the concept of individual drivers taking care of more specific tasks. Particularly if they are anywhere near similar pricepoints. I will look into your recommendations though

re: tekton business model. Yeah, the website itself and the variety of speakers could both use some clarity.. However, if the speakers are up to par I’m willing to give a flyer on the others as I have some of the same tendencies (focus on a good product but realize my strength is not the business/marketing aspect…)

@david_ten (2nd time)

re: ceiling height.  correct, it will be in the basement so only so much height as well..
re: headphones. I have a set of headphones that I love (Audio Technica ATH-M50x) sound great and everything!!! I’ve actually been doing exactly what you recommended the past couple of years but it’s just missing something that speakers give…

@hddg

I think I am getting the gist that these aren’t necessarily 20k speakeers but at their pricepoint most comments indicate the DIs seem to perform very well. I will look into those XTZs

@mofojo

pure speculation at this point.  I did the math and aside from my time, the trip to Utah would cost about the same as shipping so if it gets to that point, I would head out there,, audition, and bring home if they fit the bill…

@nitewulf

the new set up will be stereo.. maybe 2.1 depending on what ends up happening.

@david_ten: I tried a variety of headphones in the $200-$500 range (and was willing to pay as much) when I bought my ATs but honestly, these sounded the best to me and ironically were by far the cheapest.. I run them with a funky little tube amp I got off Amazon, can’t remember the brand or name of it.. Honestly, I have absolutely 0 complaints about the sound coming out of it.. none... but admittedly, sitting there with headphones on lacks a certain "Je ne sais quoi " (yeah, I looked up the spelling...) Can’t really put my finger on it but it’s there and apparently it lacks enough that I find it viable to explore the options I am looking at... Now, as far as a 10k headphone set up goes, no I’ve never heard something like that, not even close, but for the aforementioned reasons...

I do appreciate the suggestions though.  If anything, something suggested but not utilized helps to ensure all angles are being explored and decisions are not being made hastily...

Hey guys, thanks for keeping the conversation rolling!!! As I mentioned, I really appreciate your input as I am getting exposed to a lot of information and you guys are forcing me to really think through and define my objectives… 

+2 toddverrone regarding the headphones...I appreciate the suggestion David_ten but headphones are not the route I want to go

Now, regarding monitors....

1. I hear you guys on the size of the room and monitors being a logical fit.. I have looked into a couple and by the time you get the speakers and do something about stands we are right back into the same monetary ball park as towers…
2. I know there are some amazing monitors out there but my preference is to have at least 3 different drivers to allow each one to focus more specifically on a particular frequency range, thus, I prefer towers (other reasons as well but I’m trying to work on that succinct thing…)
3. Having said all that, I will go out and audition some monitors just to make sure I am not missing something (I asked for suggestions so who am I to thumb my nose when they come???

So, knowing I want to stick with towers, Let’s get it on the table I am not married to the DIs by any means... I have had suggestions for XTZ and Zu Audio come my way and am in the process of looking into them.. 

So I guess these are my parameters:

1. Towers with at least 3 drivers
2. Big tower sound quality in a little room (11x9 give or take…) I feel safe saying this is a key component of what I am looking for…
3. 2.0, 2.1, 2.2 is an option

Here’s my thought process on Tekton:

(DIs, $3k, Electrons $2750, Enzo 2.7 $2k, not really interested in other models)

DIs vs Electrons: Why give up the higher performing specs to save $250 and maybe/maybe not need a sub?

DIs vs Enzo 2.7: Enzo is only rated to 40hz so most likely need sub.. add on $800 and we’re right back up to nearly $3k… that’s assuming a sub is necessary.. If not, we have a logical option here…

So as far as Tekton is concerned, it’s pretty much the DIs or bust (with the Enzo 2.7 no sub option noted).. I even looked up the monitors and at $2k + sub that gets right back into the same mess…

I did like the sound of the SVS Ultras ($2k) but as I mentioned somewhere, I couldn’t determine if a sub would/wouldn’t be helpful as the room I auditioned them in was pretty crummy for low frequencies… the SVS subs were pretty much invisible…