Stereophile review of the $30,000 tekton speakers

@ozzy62 

Not sure who you think you are sitting in your ivy tower and telling anyone else how to think or what is sad or not.

But you will notice I said disliked very much, not hate.  Big difference.  In this case dislike very much is when I think someone is a pompous a*s in an intellectual sense.  Quite frankly, hate is when I intend to do something about it.

@jetter 

It's very sad that you can let your hate for one man dictate your own personal preferences. And now that the one man you hated so is gone, you suddenly have an open mind? 

There has only been one person on A'gon that I disliked so much because....well take my word for it, I disliked him.  Since MC liked Tekton, I didn't.  Then when Eric Alexander started posting he was thinking of litigation against some here it pretty much cemented my negative feelings towards the brand, without ever hearing a pair.

Now that MC is long gone, and Eric is being even handed, if not cool, about his responses, I have absolutely no preconceived negativity about the brand, and I should not since I have not heard any of the speakers.

The looks of the larger speaker are not my cup of tea.  First, I like a medium size floorstander for my room.  And as Eric mentions, he builds for performance not looks.

I don't understand how some can offended by Tekton building $30,000 speakers.

A lot of companies make speakers that span a large price range. Take B&W for instance, they sell the $100,000 Nautilus right down to $800 600 series.

As for people expressing the love for Tekton, for them maybe the do sound better than some high dollar speakers. As ozzy62 said above, this is a subjective hobby.

I for one can't warm up to Harbeth speakers, but they do have a loyal following. Yet I don't take to forums and bash the company. 

There are few manufactures that will build you a custom speaker.he uses high end Danish speakers for mid/ tweeters.the be cuts out the dome breakup heard in auditable frequency solving that distortion problem under 20 k hz they push it past that to > 20 k that the human ear can't hear for cone breakup.he can use any high end cap you want.beryllium is light velocity is mass x momentum so they are quick to respond.many manufactures use them revel,focal ect in their high end but it is expensive and hard to work with manufacturing wise berylliosis come to mind causing lung problems with too much exposure of raw materials.i happen to love my tektons and sound is subjective.some like Porsche, Mercedes or the famous red car.you can tap into the wisdom tekton has because it's decades or experiience.just take a listen the decide.

Let's keep in mind that this IS a subjective hobby. What I think sounds good, you may think not.  So why get all bent out of shape if someone thinks Tekton sounds better than (insert your pompous high end transducers here).

I have no dog in the fight. The only Tektons I have heard were an early iteration of the Pendragons and I thought they were just ok. But I'm not going to beat somebody up in an internet forum if they think the Pendragons are the best thing they've ever heard. I really don't care. And neither should you.

@rbstehno 

"Plus there were many posts by the tekton group on agon that claimed their tektons were better than the $1M Wilson’s"

Please, make a list of all the "MANY" Tekton owners who have made this claim. You can start by reviewing all the 5,680 posts on the Tekton DI thread.  That thread, unlike this one, was full of helpful advice from civil members who had a measure of respect for each other.

You and your flies are bent on tearing others down and spreading hate.  But hey, it's America.  

Cerwin vega........please.  You have absolutely no credibility.  

rbstehno, Eighteen product of the year awards and we only cater to audiophiles. How did that happen?! Respectfully, you don't know our sound and we've never produced a product that sounds or resembles anything like a Cerwin Vega.        

I have heard other tekton’s in the past, their cheaper speaker than these $30,000 pair. I didn’t like the cheaper pair either. But the Tekton crew on agon was doing everything they could to promote the tektons as the best speaker out there for every situation, without ever hearing the tektons. Plus there were many posts by the tekton group on agon that claimed their tektons were better than the $1M Wilson’s without ever hearing the Wilson’s plus, Wilson’s don’t make a $1M speaker.

Responding to a post above indicating the $30k tektons are cheap compared to their competition, not even close. This poster asked for a short list, I can build a long list of speakers that have  much better sound quality than these $30k tektons. Stereophile listed a dozen speakers in this category that compared to the sound quality of the tektons and all of these were 1/5 to 1/2 the price of the tektons. Since I haven’t heard these $30k tektons, my list of speakers will blow away every speaker in the stereophile class b section: baby Magico, golden ear, all totem floorstanding speakers and their mani II, the revel BE series for 1/3 to 1/2 the price and the top level revels; the salon 2/studio 2 are light years ahead, magnapan 20.1/20.7, usher be10/be20 and their new td series, any Wilson duette and up, just to name a few.

I also hear a lot of people claim tektons sound good for the money. So were the Cerwin Vega speakers in the past. These speakers sounded terrible but a lot of people liked them because they could fill up the room with noise for parties. 

Kennymacc.....It should,some speakers are easy to resell and others you have to give away.Personally as  I try lots of gear,stay away from stuff thats looks bad,sounds bad or just doesnt have good resell value.

Doesn't make any difference to me who the manufacturer is.  Great reference caliber SQ is great reference caliber SQ.  If Tekton was able to pull it off, then Kudos to Tekton!!!    

Almost all audio threads are about gear branded names contest and cables...

What i learned was in none of these threads so interesting they could be if we look for a piece of gear...

By the way we must welcome even the more agressive or proud  designer here even if he threathened legal pursuit , at least he can inform us about his product specific ...😊

Then sincere welcome M. Alexander ...

Audio Concepts in Dallas?

They must have been a trade in as they would never sell these speakers.

They do have those hideous Macintosh speakers. 

@passthedutchie 

The audio store near Preston Drive in Dallas, TX.

I’ve got the card somewhere.

@davetheoilguy 

You were snagged!

@davetheoilguy

I’ve only ever heard these in a showroom.

Have you? Where? Tekton sells direct-to-consumer only and I've never seen the brand at hifi shows.

Hmmm... wondering what showroom you auditioned them in as we don't have a single dealer on planet earth.

IMO, "overcomplicating" a design is using a classic midrange to reproduce the 440Hz note of a violin; it's the equivlivant to an F1 car with 1000lbs of sand in it; damped and diminished overtones in acoustical physics terms is how the patent exposed it.    

I've only ever heard these in a showroom.  They were fine, but I don't have any particular strong emotion.

Plus, I have B&W800D3s, so I'm not one to pick on the looks of speakers.  I know a lot of people hate their look.  And they do look suspiciously like a pair of Daleks from Dr. Who.  But I like the sound.

That said, I am an engineer by training, if no longer advocation, and am deeply skeptical when people overcomplicate designs.  Reminds me of a Jaguar engine from the 1970s.  It was like they never got rid of a part when they went on to a new design.  Tells me they don't really know how to overcome whatever problem with which they are dealing.

That's my impression with these speakers.  They may be fantastic, but there are easier and cheaper ways to get to the same place.

Thank you! The facts are the Sterophile Be Moab model is a bona fide $30K offering and taking this thread off-topic as quickly as possible is a designed goal to a few folks posting on here.   

Fleschler well said. Agree.

@tektondesign 

I don't think that you bashed anyone, and I think you had every right to express your opinion, and you did it in a balanced way, especially considering some of the comments that were made. 

Yes, we can all have our opinions. I'm not "bashing other brands" and it's fair to compare.   

@tektondesign your bashing other brands and getting personal was not a good look by any standards but we can all have our opinions. 

@audition__audio +10

grislybutter, Respectfully, I don't see it like this. Furthermore, it's all about the sound!  

@tektondesign I read your comments and I am sad to say: you have caused a lot of damage to the Tekton brand. And I have no stake in being pro or against Tekton, I know some people who love it so they must be decent speakers. 

I don't have a problem with a product manufacturer defending his products, but he likely knows nothing good will come from it. 

My generation was enticed into hifi by Cerwyn Vega's with 15" woofers and a bunch of big boxes that dept stores had lined up to listen to that weren't too expensive and could go loud. I think Tekton is an obvious step up for the driver counters looking for the appearance of value. I've never heard them myself, but there's clearly a market for them.

The tekton guy needs to stay out of these discussions. Have no interest in any of his speakers but now I wouldnt buy a pair just due to his demeanor. And yes I have heard them. Sound just like you would think given the design and the parts. Put them in the same category as Schiit products. Decent values but certainly not giant killers. 

@jayctoy  Regardless of looks and cost, there are numerous other used choices for floorstanders that provide great bass, ample dynamics and adequate resolution to satisfy most listeners.  I used Legacy Focus and Signature IIIs (still use Sig IIIs in my living room 2nd system) and they are available used and are superior.  How about another boutique speaker manufacturer, Marten Bird 2s or their Django speakers (the XL is available at $6K and I've heard them.  Superior to any Tekton speaker).  Marten Django XL Speakers - Piano Black Fi... For Sale | Audiogon  The Legacy speakers are 1/3 to 1/2 that price between $1500 (or even lower) for the Classic or Signature IIIs and usually $2k to $2.5k for the Focus.  The Classic and Sig IIIs are VERY easy to drive.  So many other choices of quality speakers (that also look better).  

Ah, now the flies are really feasting on what they love the best.

Many likes Tekton for the price, but they are not like Magico , utopias, Wilson’s, Eggelesron,Borensen, that’s the reality of it.If looks is very important to you , They will not make your living room looks nicer.

Jpwarren indeed it will disrupt your marriage those are 30k? Not every wife will let you bring 30k in your house? I checked your system and space ? It looks like monitor speakers are the only one will fit.

They would be disruptive to my marriage. 

And it didn't help that "disruptive" was the middle name of a Tekton fan boy. Or did it?

One more thing....marketing disruptivity...an Amazon or Dollar General principle?

Tektondesign seems to have a fixation on Focal Utopias. Speaking as an owner of Stella Utopias, i wouldnt stand on a pair of tektons to clean my Stellas.

While it’s good that he builds speakers for the visually impaired, his sales patter would be enough to drive me away even if i were unable to see the godawful designs he produces. They’re cheap for a reason.

I never considered a Tekton speaker as I already have a Legacy Signature III which out performs the Moab, especially in dispersion.  The B&W 801 D4 is a serious speaker for the price made in huge quantities by a very careful major manufacturer.  I prefer the boutique Von Schweikert as do my friends.  Tekton-not for us.   They are mostly budget friendly though for lower resolving, full bodied sounding floorstanders.  They also do not compete with other major companies like Revel, Wilson, Magico, etc.  

Trying to compare Rockport  is Insanity, their cabinet design and damping is

light years above .

The drivers are not even close to What Denmark has to offer in quality vs say a Scan speak Revalator , or Seas , China specials. or and the look 👀 ,how many spouses would want this mass of 🎯 🎯  Bulls 👁️ Frigidaire look in their living Room , maybe offer a door for beer 🍺 might help !!

@bjesien 

Truer words have never been spoken!!!😂😂😂

My favorite speakers are inside :

I could not resist and i apologize ... 😊

My friends and I have through decades, chosen mostly used pre-amps, amps and speakers to attain a "system" sound. I have have the advantage now of upgrading to higher resolution/still highly musical sounding speakers and eventually pre-amps and amps. I spent $150,000 in 2019 building my custom listening room which permitted the setup of my 14 knob adjustable Von Schweikert VR9 SE Mk2 speakers in record time (1.5 hours) by the installer who quoted 5 hours minimum to 8 hours for set-up. Since this is my final home, I blew the budget when I moved in on a great acoustical listening room only. It has activated carbon pellet bass traps built into the walls (see my profile). Yes, the Legacy Signature IIIs are great speakers but the VS VR9s are better and even more enjoyable (they are able to open the subtleties of performances where they exist, especially in classical music). Don’t discount buying great speakers even if used and older. Just mate them to the best power amps, new or used.

P.S. I could have purchased virtually new B&W 801 D4s for a song/$16K but I don't like the speaker sound and they are power hungry.  So I paid 3.5 times more for the VS VR9s with warranty, upgrades, etc.  

I want speakers resembling that 😊:

@dayglow

Speakers are the most flawed of all components. When building a system the electronics will mostly determine the potential of the speaker. An example is a Polk L600 at $3k with Burmester electronics will likely out perform a Magico A3 $15k with a budget integrated amp. My point is to many Audiophiles spend to much on speakers and skimp on electronics.

If the loudspeakers have no serious flaws and are optimally set up in the room I not only agree with this but have been saying this for years on this Board. Why can a Voxativ speaker design with a 5" driver like the AF-1n (granted each driver costs $2,500 and they go up to $70,000 per driver for the field coil 7.5" driver) move someone to tears with texture, touch, tone, and midrange truthfulness? Because virtually always those who go this route have the knowledge and sophistication to choose top-flight electronics and the design of the speaker makes it easy to place in any given room.
The reason that AN UK time and time again allows show-goers to relax and feel a sense of calm and happiness is that Audio Note loudspeakers are simple, room-friendly, and always supported by top-flight electronics and sources.

Time and time again the majority on this Board espouse devoting the majority of financial resources to the loudspeaker and they are simply wrong. The annoying thing to me is that they conflate the component that has the most effect on the character of the sound with the components that have the most effect on the quality of the sound.

We could make this really simple. Imagine a pair of $6,000 Susvara headphones plugged into a big-box store home theater receiver compared to a humble pair of $200 Massdrop Sennheiser phones plugged into a Manley Neo Classic 300b preamp (it doubles as a headphone amp) with an Aurender W20SE as the source. Which is going to sound better to any critical listener?

What does any of this have to do with $30,000 Tektons? Well, it is relevant as to sticking with what you do best (inexpensive simple designs) and hoping that the consumer then spend the available funds where they are most warranted-on source and electronics. And then there is the tired but utterly true cliche’, garbage in, garbage out.

I have found if you have a larger room the Tekton DIs can highlight improvements in source and amplification components to a striking degree and envelope you in a sound that my more hifi standmount Dynaudio C1s could not do in my other smaller listening space. The other system is perfect for my smaller space and between the 2 systems I have a wide range of musical venues. Tekton gives you a club feeling with a good band sound system. Again, the fact that significant electronic upgrades are clear as day shows the honesty of these speakers. Cannot speak for other Tektons or Stereophile these days.

If you value drivers they are a bargain. A Rockport with 60 drivers would cost $6,000,000.

I am sorry but you are not even wrong here...😊

I think most people spend too much money period and skip acoustics/psychoacoustics  experiments and understanding in the optimization of any piece of gear in a room ...Acoustics concepts are not panels on a wall ...

Ask mike lavigne which matter the most his dedicated room or an amplifier or a dac or a turntable or even a speakers upgrade ...

Speakers are the most flawed of all components. When building a system the electronics will mostly determine the potential of the speaker. An example is a Polk L600 at $3k with Burmester electronics will likely out perform a Magico A3 $15k with a budget integrated amp. My point is to many Audiophiles spend to much on speakers and skimp on electronics.

@kairosman    Congrats on the B&W 804 D4. The build quality and fit and finish is exceptional for $14k, only the YG Talus might be its equal. FWIW at Axpona last year the Seawave Acoustic AM 23(large monitor) at $20k had stunning sound with exceptional build/parts quality.

@arnold_h       Speakers are the most flawed of all components. When building a system the electronics will mostly determine the potential of the speaker. An example is a Polk L600 at $3k with Burmester electronics will likely out perform a Magico A3 $15k with a budget integrated amp. My point is to many Audiophiles spend to much on speakers and skimp on electronics.