Good to see the Tekton haters are still thriving here but also nice to see the Tekton supporters aren't afraid to post like ther were a few years ago.
Jerry
NEW Tekton Design Speakers - The Bonnevilles
I have in for review the Tekton Bonnevilles, described by Eric Alexander as a “passion project,” and easily the most attention-grabbing speakers set I’ve had in-home. These speakers aren’t for everyone, but if you have the space and can tolerate the eccentricities of setup, the Bonnevilles offer strengths that many other speakers really can’t match.
They feature four 15" woofers for deep bass, six horn-loaded tweeters arranged in a Tekton Polycell array for midrange, and a seventh dedicated horn-loaded tweeter that handles the high frequencies. Paired with the right amplifier, they can fill a room beautiful and visceral music, like a few other speakers. With proper setup, the Bonnevilles sound vibrant, alive, with absolutely amazing bass.
The Klipsch Jubilees are the closest comparison in terms of bass pressurization that I’ve heard. The Jubilees arguably have a bit more punch in the mid-bass, but the Bonnevilles seem to extend lower. I would also say the midrange and treble on the Bonnevilles are better than what I’ve heard from the Jubilees. The midrange of the Bonnevilles have the characteristic speed and detail that Tekton speakers are known for, but also seem warmer and more relaxed than Tekton’s smaller speakers.
Logistically, these speakers can be a challenge – in more ways than one. They require a lot of real estate in the listening space, they need 2-3 people to move, and turning a corner can be a real problem. But once they’re set up, the Bonnevilles deliver an absolutely gorgeous sound.
As a final brief observation, the Bonnevilles seem to require careful amplifier pairing. While the sensitivity of the Bonnevilles is relatively high – just a couple of watts will create a lot of sound – there seems to be a strong correlation between an amplifier’s power supply and current output, and the overall quality of sound. In short, the Bonneville’s seem pair well with amplifiers that can drop a lot of current.
I currently have three well regarded amplifiers available to pair with the Bonnevilles. Of those three, my current favorite is the Coda No. 8, which has an unusually large power supply and can deliver over 150A of current when needed. The other two amplifiers, while brilliant with smaller speakers, did not drive the Bonnevilles as well as the Coda.
Again, the Bonnevilles will not be for everybody – but a really fun set of speakers to listen to if you ever have the opportunity.
I’ll be publishing a full review of the Bonnevilles in the coming weeks in Stereo Times.
*For a sense of scale – the "little speakers" (as my kids call them) are the REL 212/SX subwoofers.
Showing 2 responses by carlsbad2
@deep_333 I don’t think he has such razor thin margins when it gets to the bottom line. He makes the speakers to be 98% function over form. He builds them to sound good first, and keeps the form simple and paints them himself with relatively inexpensive paint. He has a strong following, spends very little on advertising and doesn’t do shows. People who hear them at friends homes go buy them. This keeps his bottom line healthy. Keeping prices down doesn’t appeal to the high end audiophile, who likes to brag about how much his system costs. Not putting $10K of hardwood into a $5K speaker doesn’t appeal to those who have to decorate their listening room to look like a mansion in a movie set. But for a lot of high end users, they fit nicely. And except for here on Audiogon, they are generally accepted. And oh yeah, is is a very sharp guy (technically) who designs a great sounding speaker. I’d say his biggest flaw is boredom. He keeps designing new models because that is what he enjoys. He has too many models. His small driver midrange is one of the best sounding out there. too bad to see it being stolen by others. I don’t know enough about patent law to really comment on that. Jerry |