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My Experience With Tekton

I know this is a polarizing discussion point and was thus hesitant to share unless I could keep it objective, helpful, and concise

I have no intention to be inflammatory, sway anyone’s current opinion or beliefs

I merely want to share information in two specific areas, my results of product performance and my experience with the manufacturer

 

Background and reference point

I replaced a pair of Revel F36. The F36 is the upper end of Revel’s lowest tier floorstanding speakers and retails for $2,000 MSRP per pair

Took approx. 45 mins to unbox, level and connect

Like for like drop-in replacement, same location on the floor as the F36s, the listening position did not change, identical electronics and cables

We’ve all got our preferences, biases, different levels of experience, etc; but share the common limitation that we just don’t know what we don’t know

I’ve not heard a pair of 30K speakers but expect to someday and envy those that own them

In my VERY limited understanding, it’s near impossible to pinpoint how any specific system change will behave and perform across the board, contingent on the variances in electronics, set up and room. These three items alone (electronics, setup and room) make me think that while similar in nature, but at a critical listening level, each combination is unique and a different snowflake or fingerprint

 

Listening results

Product delivers as advertised

Meets or exceeds every performance expectation I had hoped for

After approx. 5 hours of listening over 3 days I tried to characterize the sound. The first thought was neutral, but that was understating what I was hearing. I eventually landed on natural or real. The voices and the instruments sound VERY real to me. This is as close as I have come with my electronics, setup and room to sensing that someone is singing to me or that someone or an entire band is playing for me

To date, each song that I’ve played, is the best version of that song that I have heard in a playback, and I’ve listened to all of them 100s and 100s of times

Some of the improvement was by a small margin, but most songs, 65% conservatively speaking, by a vast margin – night and day, game changing stuff

Chet Baker didn’t sound like a presentation from 1958, it sounded as fresh and real as a new recording with the benefits of 60 years of technology advancements. Exile on Main Street didn’t sound like a home recording from 1972 it sounded like 2022 with many layers of percussion, keyboards, horns and background vocals

Is the sound of this $5,000 pair of speakers comparable to the sound of a $30,000 pair of speakers? I don’t know, as mentioned I’ve not heard a pair of $30,000 speakers.

What I do know is the $5,000 pair of speakers, simply put is the best my system has sounded by a wide margin

Again in summary, it sounds real, like someone is singing to me

 

Experience with the manufacturer

I had hemmed and hawed for 2 or 3 months before placing my order. One day the website mentioned a future price increase but until mmdd you could still order at the current price

I called and spoke with Tammy and told her I wanted to lock in on the current price point but wasn’t sure what product or configuration I wanted

She built an open-ended order with current pricing and told me to contact her when I knew what I wanted

With work travel and other commitments it took me 4 months to finalize which speaker, Moab, which upgrades, beryllium tweeters and Cardas connectors, and what color, white

I was never pressured to make up my mind or that my window for the lower costs was going to expire

Since I was the one dragging my feet, I offered multiple times to pay for the product

Not once did they hint or take me up on my offer to pay in advance

They did not bill me until the product shipped

Once I had made all the config decisions, the build and delivery were again, as advertised

Tammy mentioned a 4–6-week supply chain delay with beryllium, that arrived within her estimated timeframe

Once the beryllium arrived, she said she was waiting on cabinets, eta 5-7 days, followed by build and paint, and shipping approx. 10 days after she received the cabinets

Within 2 weeks Tammy emailed my owner’s manual, unpacking instructions and told me to expect a call from the freight company within the next week

Freight company contacted me on that Fri and scheduled delivery for the very next Mon, Aug 30

The boxes arrived scuffed and with multiple impact points that dented the packing material

There are no blemishes or damage to either speaker cabinet, the packing and packaging worked as designed

Upon unpacking, I didn’t experience a heavy smell of paint or wood, if I put my nose to the cabinet, I could smell fresh paint

The cabinet finish or construction does not appear inferior to anything else in my inventory, KEF, Revel, Klipsch, Paradigm, Polk, and Elac – permission in advance to laugh

Enjoy the journey and happy listening

Respectfully


stevewharton

Showing 7 responses by ghasley

ghasley
2,507 posts
 

@sbank you are too kind. Most of us here are far too honest and forthright to think of entering politics.

ghasley
2,507 posts
 
I guess thats one way to design a speaker: buy some drivers and connect them and see how it works. Some might call it experimentation. Others might start with a clean sheet of paper, do the math and then spec the parts. Construct it, listen, maybe measure and see how close to the mathmatical model it comes. Determine if the model is right and where it might have gone awry. Who knows which is right, I guess it depends on who is doing it and what their goals might be. As long as you are achieving your goals mozart, it doesnt really matter.

Tekton may or may not float someones boat. Awesome if it does, no biggie of it doesnt. Im pretty sure those who detest Tekton the most do so because of the personalities behind the company or its ardent fans. Hey, there is absolutely zero chance I would own Tekton due to the owners quick fuse, commentary over the years, and the design ethos. On the other hand I may be missing something. It doesnt really matter though right? There are alot of speakers out there and I have no doubt the rabid fans enjoy their speakers…we all do. What possible motive would someone have to commit to the long term ownership of a speaker they dont like or enjoy?


ghasley
2,507 posts
 
Jasonbourne52 has it figured out. I do hope he will share with the rest of us the speaker that is the perfect balance with price/performance.
ghasley
2,507 posts
 
Did I miss that there was a contest being held to post meaningless, off topic speaker design thoughts? Is it too late to try to catch Mozart or is his victory a forgone conclusion?
ghasley
2,507 posts
 

@seamaster300m 

 

I have no opinion to share or offer on Tekton. They fill a need and many who have them are happy. That's terrific. Your comments about Tone Imports, however, are unfortunate.

 

They have brought to our shores a great many products which have moved the hifi hobby forward. They don't just "carry" a product, they set up a proper presence, with a factory warranty service center, they spend resources to stand by the product for the long haul and not just for a quick opportunity to move a few boxes and then move on to the next box manufacturer. You mention Line Magnetic and you also mention that "they won't sell to you directly". The Line Magnetic gear that reaches the USA has gone through a double vetting process for quality control. That's the reason Shindo, Leben, Line Magnetic etc have such an exemplary reputation in the US, because Tone Imports backs and nurtures the product and the ownership experience.

 

IF you had been able to purchase a Line Magnetic device direct from the manufacturer and IF you experienced a problem...you seem like just the kind of guy who would reach out to Tone Imports to seek service or a resolution to your problem. Even though I would let you figure it out on your own if I were Tone Imports, they would still likely try to assist you...even though you didn't pay for the privilege.

 

I have no affiliations in the industry other than being a happy customer of some of the many products imported by Tone Imports.

ghasley
2,507 posts
 

@seamaster300m 

The Line Magnetic that Tone imports, in most cases, are specc’d with different transformers. Your Melody/Tannoy dealer friend, unless he was dealing with Tone (which he admittedly isn’t) wouldn’t have any idea what Tone requires of Line Magnetic for the pieces they import. It is irresponsible of you to disparage the value added by responsible importers bring to the table. You also ignore the true cost of importing, shipping container prices, proper tariff payments, living wages paid, appropriate taxes, etc.

 

Your PSVane/Grant Fidelity example is unrelated to Tone and has no bearing on Line Magnetic. Those who have purchased properly imported Line Magnetic gear report high reliability and in the rare occasion where there is a problem, they report exceptional service from Tone Imports. The PSVane/Grant split was triggered around the same time that a number of PSVane’s key team left to form a new entity (Linlai IIRC). QC fell off considerably. Additionally the principal of Grant I believe faced considerable health issues leading to his unfortunate passing. PSVane tubes are nothing special, they have proven unreliable and yes, they appear to be overpriced as well. What was your point? The qc reject rates experienced by reputable dealers is astronomical.

 

Its cool if you don’t want to buy a product to which a responsible importer has added value and invested considerable sums to support. It is clear, however, that the buying public believes there is something to the business model because the resale value of LM Audio gear imported by Tone is consistently higher than rest of the world. You are not speaking from a position of knowledge, you are speculating and guessing, overlaying your opinion and presenting it as fact which is unfair and disingenuous.

 

 

ghasley
2,507 posts
 

@seamaster300m 

Really? China is a world factory, LM never though about voltage differences when they design amps and source parts......

Right. Some manufacturers sepc their gear to be good enough, some responsible professional audio importers know from experience that upsizing transformers and other parts enhancements increases performance while enhancing reliability. 

 

Were you ever in trading business and know the cost break down when you deal with this type high value goods?

I am well aware that the cost of a container increased by ten fold to ~$25,000 each and more over the past 2.5 years. Its easing somewhat but it remains historically high.

 

Look at small brand like deHavilland, Kara just run the shop by herself. She priced the UV3 with remote for $2495 in 2004 when Enjoy the Music reviewed it with a Blue Note Award, and I bought mine from her for $2500 in 2014, a whopping $5 price hack in 10 years!!!

That’s terrific but I don’t consider a one person operation a sustainable business model, especially if they don’t have pricing power. I don’t know anything about the brand you mention nor the specific product but this example actually proves my point. Sometimes a product is so simple that anyone can follow a schematic and repair/recap it or DIY. Me? I prefer to purchase from a going concern.

 

Are you speaking from a position of an insider or just assume and believe what they tell you with a good heart?

I’m not an insider, I just understand business, commerce and value added representation.

 

I am a working class in the USA, it is very hard for me to throw my money around just because......

If you don’t see the value in a product don’t buy it. When you say “working class”, if that means working for a living then most on Audiogon meet that criteria. Broadly speaking, what type of work do you do? The reason I ask is many, whether they realize it or not, are engaged in a value added profession. There are tariffs on imported goods to varying degrees unless the buyer/seller are willing to circumvent those. I won’t do business with those who do business with that as part of their “pricing advantage”.

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