Never did understand the allure of tekton speakers. Always found them a unrefined sound. In your face. Not musical not to my ears
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I upgraded from 1Cs (not the 1Ci) to Ohm Walsh 2000s about 3 years ago. You can read about my experience on the Ohm Micro Walsh Tall thread and my review in the user review section. I have not heard the 1Ci, so, as JGH would have said, I don't have an opinion. Ditto the Lores. But I do own a pair of MWTs as surrounds, and one of John Strohbeen's big accomplishments is, IMO, maintaining the same voicing for every speaker in the Walsh line. The MWTs sound very similar to my 2000s, but they give up a bit of extension in the bass and some dynamic capabilities.
As for reaching John Strohbeen, my experience is that email replies are spotty, but he is easy to reach by phone, and will return voice mail messages. I've spoken to him a few times, and he is a prince in this biz.
Richard Vandersteen is a bit gruff, it's just his personality. However, I have communicated with him by email, telephone and in person on numerous occasions, and he has always been gracious to me, patiently answering my questions. But he is opinionated, and has little patience for silly questions or people who don't read manuals. He sells a lot of speakers because he is a very capable designer, and has a small network of very high quality dealers. I would have probably upgraded to the 2CeSigIIs if they were not too large for the space I have. Just cut him a little slack for his gruffness, and you will find him a very accessible and valuable resource. |
Mikirob,
Usually I find the high efficiency,higher ohm speakers are a good alternative route.They tend to have a simpler crossover design and allow lower power(but high quality) tube amplifiers to really shine and reach their considerable potential. Thanks for the kind comment.
Regards, |
P.S. great system Charles. |
Charles I Dad, yes, the Tekton is more "open, clean and transparent." The Lore has better Bass. Also better soundstage width, depth, height. More dynamic. The little 4.5 is more coherent. If my sonic memory is working PRAT is better as well. With my equipment, every parameter is superior. |
Mikerob,
Do you find the Tekton a more open,clear and transparent speaker than the Vandersteen? I`ve heard several of the Vandersteen models and thought they`re ok, not bad, but nothing special(somewhat veiled in character).Tekton owner word of mouth is very enthusiastic.I haven`t had the opprotunity to hear them.
Regards, |
Oh, I forgot, I also owned Ohm back in the day, not the Tall model though. |
As a past owner of Rectilinear 3A, early ESS, as well as Vandersteen 2CEs, I can vouch for the Tekton Lore, Tekton 4.5s which I own as well as the Lore M. Each of the Tektons are very good speakers. The Lore-M is owned by my brother connected to an Almarro 205 MK II (5 watts per channel). I like the Tektons much more so than the Vandersteens. Very efficient, excellent with SET and other low- powered tube amps; but they also play great with solid state. |
I am always immensely amused when you sit around and look for the 'right' amp for the speaker du jour.
I have been doing this higher end audio thing for 3 years now and I get that all of our aural tastes are so different.
I simply am sitting here shaking my head in disbelief. You have got to drop cash and truly learn what your tastes are.
That is, unless you all are simply more interested in 'jawing' than you are in music......LOL...now I get it:) |
If it is the Red Dragon Class D amp, 250 w/ch, that should be a very good match to bring out the best in the OHMs. I use 500 w/ch Class D amps with mine.
Should work well with Vandy as well I would think. OHM and Vandy are different designs, though I think OHM and Class D amps are a hard combo to beat. The choice would probably revolve largely around whether you want to give more omni speakers a try or not.
Not sure high power Class D amps would be the best choice to bring out best of Lores, but it should work fine. |
Hi, I am just chiming in. I haven't owned any of these speakers. But then, has anyone else that is posting? ---I have yet to read the posts. I can tell you that I have read a ton about Tekton Design speakers. Have you read Part Time Audiophile's report on the Tekton Lore-S? He loved them. I am sure I would too.
If you are looking for fun and authenticity, I would consider Tekton. I also hear that Mr. Eric Alexandar is a gentleman...which always helps me float my boat:) |
I truly enjoyed my Vandersteen 1C's for many years until I recently upgraded my system with the Revel F-12's. The Vandersteens are wonderful speakers, and the quality of the sound of music through the entire line is superb. As far as conversations with Richard .... I have had a few, and they have always been quite pleasant and informative. |
To Rootman: Thank you for the comment. I appreciate the advice. As I mentioned I could live with the Lore-M, but somewhat concerned about their bass quality which according to Lore's published specification rolls down to about 37 HZ. Lore M would save me some money, and their size seems ideal for my room. The Lore-M would only be my alternative to my main speakers which are Acoustic Zen Adagios.... I know sounds crazy; but that is my M.O. I am not familair with the Lore model OB4.5. I will check their website.
BTW, you have beat me in years in Hi-Fi/audio hobby obsession. I celebrated my 42 year ploughing away at audio Nirvana, and never enjoyed myself more. The audio scene has dramatically changed since 1971. Hindsight can mislead you and break your heart, however, I still believe the Rectinlinear 3A was one of most natural sounding speaker I have ever heard, only followed by the original ESS company's first line of speakers, especially the models Translinear, and the larger Transtatic.
Regards to all, Jim |
ZD542, No need to clarify or explain. I may not have followed the instructions to the "T", and the improvements were minimal when I studied the pamphlet.
Personally, I think the guy is a jerk who should be more careful what he says to potential customers over the phone. I once talked to Roy Johnson at Green Mountain speakers for two hours when I owned a pair of his Europa speakers. He was a gentleman and did not act I was wasting his time. It speaks volumes about a company when you get that level of customer service. In addition, I really don't think Vandersteens are that good sounding speakers and I have heard most of them.
I am sure the improvements to the ICi's speakers are legitimate and raise its performance level. BTW, I submitted my questions to just the customer service division of Vandersteen assuming my questions were too mundane for the exalted owner and designer. I have yet to hear back and don't expect to. |
SunnyJim,
I have never owned the exact models you ask about, but have owned 2CE's and many other speakers. Tekton Design speakers are definitely not the flavor of the month...I had Eric Alexander build me a custom set of his OB4.5's in Bubinga wood for me a few years ago as a speaker for our bedroom to go 180 degrees from our Maggie 3.6 based primary system. I can vouch for the quality of his product and tell you they are crazy good for the $550 I paid for them. His workmanship alone on the cabinets will amaze you. He is also a very nice person and fair businessman. I have no dog in that fight, just relaying my own experience.
I have also heard the M-Lores and some other of Eric's product and can tell you the M-Lores are way above their $649 price. I would like to hear his Pendragons when I get a chance.
Understand I'm not saying Ohm & Vandersteen's products are bad, just that Eric's speakers from my own personal experience are quality audio products worth a look. I'm not bragging, but I've invested much time and $$$ in this addiction we have over my 57 years on audio and personally enjoy music more than equipment.
Good luck with your chase and happy listening. I just thought I should speak up after Jedi's comments. |
Sunnyjim,
I think I gave you the wrong idea in my first post. When I said that Vandersteen yells at everyone, I didn't mean that he was a bad guy, or anything like that. Most of the time, I think he's just kidding around. At some point, he usually starts laughing. I'm not trying to make any excuses. I just don't want you to not consider a really good pair of speakers just because of anything I said.
As far as the setup instructions goes, he's right. Its very important you follow them for best results. If you didn't go through it, theres a formula you use to set properly set the back tilt. You take some measurements on where the speakers are in relation to your listening chair and put the results into the formula. Thats how you find out how much back tilt you need. |
Hi SunnyJim
You still have those Red Dragon M500 monoblocks right? If so my vote is for the Ohm Walsh MicroTalls. I have Ohm Walsh 2 speakers and a lower wattage Class D Audio 120 watt/channel into 4 Ohms amp and it is a great match for the Ohm Walsh 2s. I find the Class D amp pairing with Ohm Walsh speakers is a good match. I tried a class A type solid state amp and a Jolida tube amp with the Ohm Walshs and the Class D amp was the best pairing.
Also this is just my feeling but I would got with a brand that is more established and has more longevity. I just think Tekton is the speaker company of the moment. Ohm Acoustics and Vandersteen have been around for ages. I'm shocked John Strohbeen from Ohm hasn't gotten back to your inquiries. Everytime I've called him he has been great to deal with. Even over e-mail he has been responsive.
Best of luck with the search. |
The one significant advantage of the Lore is its efficiency and easy to drive nature. This offers flexibility with lower power but high quality amplifiers (SET and tube push pull of simple circuit design). Most owners of the Lores seem very happy with them.
Good Luck, |
TO Zd542: Thank you for your comment. Yes, I was reemed by Mr V. for not reading the manual about setting up the rake angle. (what a joke!!) that is, a folded 2 page blue sheet.is a manual!!!.
A real Prince Charming. One wonders he sells anything. I owned the IC about 7 years ago, and liked them, but not enough to keep them. Supposedly, Vandersteen has upgraded the tweeter, and cross-over. There is a seller on AG who claims they are now competitive with the 2CE.I like to know how the ICi upgrades translates into better sound. I often think that audiophiles let these guys off the hook when they claim upgrades, yet too often, the results are nominal or nothing.
I am looking for a small floor standard as an alternative to my main speaker. I like experimenting with different speakers. I mentioned the Lore's because I have seen many testimonials from members about them I could easily live with the Lore M (Mini) which is $649, and not as big as the regular Lore. |
I've heard good things about both the Lore and Ohm, but don't have enough experience with either to comment on them. I've owned the 1's myself. You can't go wrong with them. They easily beat anything I've heard any where near their price. (Understand that I haven't heard every speaker and that's just my opinion.) I would call Vandersteen with any questions. He's very good about taking calls from customers. If he starts yelling at you, pay no attention to it. He yells at everyone. (I know first hand) |
