My son has a complete Revel system, and I auditioned the Tektons. Different models though. He has the next class down F35 and F36's with the 110 V2 Subs. I sent my Double Impacts back as I didn't think much of them and I LOVE his Revels.
185 responses Add your response
If you think that "better engineered" means a better speaker you're wrong. However, there's a very good chance the Revel is NOT better engineered. Check out GR Acoustics youtube channel and you'll see how crappily some high-end speakers are engineered and cut corners. If you think the Moab is only for partying or rock, you're smoking crack. I trust little of what self-described "audiophiles" say on here. I just got a pair of Klipschorns that are absolutely 100% phenomenal and audiophiles turn their noses up to them. But as PWK would say, BS. All that said, and having owned Tekton (sold them) I cannot wait to own another pair. Saving up for the Moabs since my Double Impacts were SO good. |
I've never been overly impressed with Revel, they're nice, but in that price range there are so many better speakers - with much better resell fyi.. Look at products by KEF, used Thiel, etc. Best used deal I ever got (besides my Khorns) were the Thiel CS 2.3. I think the Thiel would slaughter the Revel. That was a properly engineered speaker, not a mass produced Harmon product. Also, if you want great engineering look at the KEF Reference line used. I almost traded my KEF Reference for B&W 802 d2 and boy am I glad I didn't. The KEF is in a different league while the B&W is very nice, but eh whatever. |
I do not think there is a shop anywhere that demoes Tekton. From what I understand, it is a mail-order company with money-back guarantee of some sort. Many audiophiles are happy to host other interested audiophiles (millercarbon certainly being a generous one) so you may try in your area. There are Tekton owners groups on the Internet, maybe someone on Audiogon will notice, etc. Ask and you will (probably) find. Of course, the question is do you want to do it right at this moment. |
Hello, Tektons do sound really nice. Like Maggie’s with bass. With 98db you can drive those with a headphone amp. One problem with your setup. You have a Ferrari engine-the krell. Very powerful. If you put that on the Tekton you will barely touch the volume. With SS amps you need to use that power to get the sound off the ground. If you are going to tube amps or maybe a 60wpc SS amp I say go with the Tekton. If not, go with the Revels. The curved cabinet design helps with the standing waves in the cabinet. Also some dealers have an upgrade deal. Maybe you work up to the Salon 2s. Also the tweeters used in Revel will go nice with the Krell amp. If you are near the Chicagoland area and want to do a demo at home or store demo try: https://holmaudio.com/revel-ultima2-salon2/. If not the crutchfield test approach is a good idea. |
A 60 watt per channel amp tube or solid state won't control the large woofers on the Tektons. It turns into a sloppy mess. Tube lovers don't care, they love the colored sound of tubes through the midrange. I put a VTL ST 150 on my Tekton Enzo XL's, it was a sloppy mess. Sorry, not my style. Put a Jeff Rowland Model 1, 60 wpc solid state. It ran out of gas. Nothing less than 200 watts per channel please. I don't care if the sensitivity is 105 db. I like to rock. |
Revel/Harmon is a totally different sound to the raw banger of the Tek... What music are you listening to? Either way you will get a more refined speaker with years of engineering and experience (via Hardon Research (Samsung)) to produce a quality product with guaranteed support, possible upgrades and plethoras of new tech products coming along. Bang bang tin cans, or a slightly up market, refined speakers, add subwoofers and there you have a great speaker system with the ability to upgrade elegantly. 🇦🇺 |
25mm domes according to the literature and I included the formula. gosta584 posts12-07-2020 5:04amWas that math correct. All those mid-tweeters equaling one 3,75"? |
Way back when I lived in southern CA I picked up a pair of used Cerwin Vegas and a mid level Sansui receiver for my enclosed patio. The sound of these two together were much greater than the parts. No matter who happened by there was the inevitable comment how great it sounded. Even to me. Those 12" woofer CVs were truly music makers in that little set up. The only CVs I have heard. |
Jeffvegas; I have never heard the Moab and have heard a lot of good about Tekton . How they get all the tweeters to work together is beyond me I have listened to both Revels,I had a peachtree class d amp when I had the F208 in my system pretty harsh, upper end I now, own Studio2’s and there Berrylium Tweeter is pretty delicate, nice sounding I love the Revels , BUT , you need good electronics and cables The electronics will cost you LOL jeff ps: Give a listen to Volti Rival for 5K Pretty nice for the money |
It is funny to see the same Tekton fan boys on here. I bought a pair just to see what they were about. They are decent loudspeakers. Wouldn't claim them to be a Magico or Wilson caliber. They sure have a bright, alive, arena rock sound. Good recordings with natural instruments like drums and piano sound very lifelike with Tektions. They are a small company sold factory direct so it intrigues me to see how they stack up against loudspeakers from huge companies with a lot of R&D money. |
Mission, it’s amazing how the same haters always trip over their own feet to post whenever tektons are mentioned. People try to give their honest opinions on products they have owned when the question was specifically asked. Vegas, are you saying you’re a fanboy? Lol. You did say some good things about them. |
Jeff, just saw your post about tube amps with the tektons. I have not heard that comment before, and I have never tried a tube power amp with them myself. I believe millercarbon uses tube amps ( I could be wrong), and he feels his sound fantastic, as do some other members on here who have visited and heard his setup. Not sure why you experienced that, but I don’t believe that’s a good generalization of tube amps and tektons. |
Everybody has their own opinion on what is good sound. A friend of mine brought 2 different tube amps over to go against my Krell. The Krell slaughtered them both. a BAT VK55se and a VTL ST150 were thoroughly spanked so bad by my Krell on the Tektons that there was starting to be excuses why they didn't sound as good such as wrong cables, bad room etc. Look, tubes offer grain free mids and Hi's at the expense of coloring the sound. Then you have bass. The bass with tube amps is sloppy, uncontrolled and bloated especially when trying to control large diameter pro audio drivers that are in tektons. Erick Alexander himself doesn't use tube amps on his Tektons for the above reasons. Nelson Pass was once told his amps were tube like, he was offended by the remark and said he hoped his amps sounded nothing like them. lol. But to each his own in this hobby. |
Stick to a direct coupled solid state amp on Tektons. The only Tube amps I have ever heard that I could live with, I can't afford. Audio research REF 150, VTL MB 185, 450's, Manley Snappers, and some huge McIntosh tube monos that cost 22 grand . Go FET's on the solid state if you can. You can put a tube preamp on the solid state amp if you want to sweeten the sound. Word on the street is PASS LABS is the best amp to put on Tektons. |
I’ve owned my Moab speakers for over a year. I couldn’t be happier. I continue to be moved by their realism, accuracy.....musically enjoyable. So many qualities from top to bottom. The rest of my system is considerably more costly and the Moab allows the system synergy to blossom to its full potential. Point being, I believe as the system evolves, the Moab continues to improve/ evolve as well. If you decide on the Moab, talk to Eric about the tweeter and/or crossover upgrade options. Best of luck. |
I want coherency will the Moab. Not interested in adding a beryllium tweeter to them as that in my opinion would break up their amazing coherence just like an electrostatic design has. Also the Beryllium tweeters I have heard from FOCAL did not impress me. I've owned Vandersteen 4a and Dunlavy scIVa with cloth dome tweeters and I prefer their tonal balance. I am ordering a pair with just the upgrade package which gives you better crossover parts and better binding posts. |
I opted for the cloth dome tweeter as well. If I’m not mistaken, Eric offers the Encore tweeter as an upgrade to the Moab. The dynamics and tonality of the Moab is fantastic, so I probably wouldn’t choose the BE upgrade. I wish I would have known about the additional crossover option at time of purchase. I would have certainly pulled the trigger on that. I have the stock model, and they are sublime as is! Congratulations on your order and hopefully they arrive by Christmas.....you will thoroughly enjoy them. I have friend that swears by his Pass Labs XA.30 with a pair of Tekton double impacts. I have the Bricasti M15. Absolute heaven with the Moab. Similar to Pass Labs. Tube amps can also offer incredible synergy with the Moab. Have fun and enjoy the music. |
Since you mentioned crossover upgrades, I'll throw in my 2 cents. I have owned 2 pair of F208's, the first pair were new, but were returned after auditioning. They did some things well, but I didn't feel they had the right price/performance ratio. They were definitely not "tube friendly". I measured the same two impedance dips (3 ohm) that Stereophile did. I later bought a second, "previously owned" pair (much cheaper) to explore them further. Despite what Revel might claim, they use "off the shelf" SB Acoustics drivers. I think I came up with about $315 retail if you bought them yourself. Markup is expected, and they are nice drivers in other implementations. What really hurts their performance, is the crossover. While well designed, the drivers integrate well, with decent imaging. The actual crossovers don't have more than $5 worth of parts in them. This, to my ear, left a gray, washed out, lifeless sound. I heard this before taking them apart, so I wasn't "pre-prejudiced" by what might be inside. I have heard (and used) those same drivers elsewhere, so I know they can sound much better. When I resold the second set, the buyer asked to hear the speakers I was keeping (Tyler H3's with modified crossovers).....I almost thought I was going to lose the sale. There was a huge, audible difference, throughout the range. And that was before I replaced the H3's crossovers completely, with a better design. Anyway, as they say, ymmv. But it still irks me that Revel lists the 208's as "8 ohms nominal", when the impedance rarely rises above 6 ohms 20-20k. The the midrange and tweeter are both 4 ohm units, with 2, 8 ohm woofers in parallel. As stated earlier, just my 2 cents, but there are quite a few superior cost/performance/sound speakers for the price. Not trying to dissuade, just share what I learned. The 208's do look nice, and don't sound bad, they could sound so much better with just a few $ in parts. |
So much nonsense. All in ignorance. Stunning, off the charts ignorance. Come by and hear. Heck just read the comments on my system page. From those who actually heard Moabs, driven by 50 tube watts. Integrated. Slaughtered. Good one. Takes me back to what, the 70's? Crack me up. Just one thing if you do ever come, don't forget the drool cup. |
@millercarbon -- about two years ago, a local craigslist ad popped up for ferrari red Tekton DI's. I went for an audition, and actually was quite impressed. At the time I didn't have a dedicated listening room, and my wife just let out a big "hello no!" after seeing the pictures. But I agree that there was something about the speakers that still make me think about them. Unfortunately, I spent very little time with them and can't remember what amplification was used to drive them. I did find them a bit bright sounding though. It seems that you are using them with tubes and I bet the tubes have mitigated the somewhat forward presentation. Now that I have a separate listening room, I would love to bring them in for an in house demo, but the thought of packing them up and sending them back is kinda scary. Also I've heard that Tekton are anal about the returns, even finger prints can cost you a penalty. |
