Tekton Electron SE

Happy Moab owner here who wishes he went for the automotive finish, but settled for a regular custom color which came out beautifully.  I love these things, and before I properly placed them in the room the potential of these speakers were clear.  MC and others have already gushed about the speakers, so I'm not going into that.  They deliver and are certainly worth the money.  Take the time to dial in the placement of the speakers and your listening position and you will be rewarded. Even with the cost of automotive paint you're still getting a bargain.

I find it funny that certain individuals carry on about Tekton owners being shills and such, but I noticed an interesting trend during  my initial searches for reviews and comments on these speakers.  That being, the constant sprinkling of Salk on the thread.  But I don't see the hate towards Salk owners and uhm "promoters". 

I think there's some disbelief that a "box" speaker can sound as good as people say.  Having lived with planar speakers for over a decade, I can say that the Moabs have that sound and then some.  I know what a resonant cabinet sounds like, that's not heard with with the Moab.

I care about my decor, but I also care about the sound and if that means a 67" pair of 135lb towers almost 1/3 into the room then that's what I need to setup.  I can totally understand the desire for a smaller speaker.  You just can't ignore the Moabs in the room.  However, if there is anything that I don't believe is that anyone is hearing really balanced sound/getting the most out of their speakers with them close to the wall in a small room with bare walls, and very little furniture, nearfield listening not withstanding.  

Anyway, enjoy the music, Tekton, Salk, Zu, Klipsch 500M (shudders), whatever.  

Oh, and if you're running a DAC or whatever with swappable OP amps, look into some SparkOS replacements if the device's power supply is up to the task.  Get that Class B junk out of the signal chain and get the most out of your device.

Happy Holidays!

RE: ...$30K...

You'll find this with just about everything.  Dude with expensive, sometimes hideously expensive item questions the validity/effectiveness/worthiness of the cheaper but well made purpose built item.  It can't possibly be in the same league, somehow isn't suitable for it's purpose because it isn't "engineered" to the same standards as the more expensive item. Sometimes that last bit has more to do with over engineering and attention paid to things not conducive to the actual performance of the item. 

I'm not against very expensive items. If I could swing it, as in not worry about $30K expenditures, I'd probably be looking in that range for my audio gear fix, but I'd also be very quick to get the cheaper item if it performed better for the money.  All things being equal or slightly in favor of the more expensive item, I'd be looking at other attributes not related to sonics for my consideration.  That's just me, and I won't say that all who spend a lot on speakers hate on the more budget gear and I'm also not of the opinion that the Moab is somehow better than the majority of $30K speakers, nor do I think that because a speaker costs $30K it must be good, but I do think it had better be :).

Given the broad range of products and possible combinations, and ears, don't forget the ears, it's hard to say what's really better amongst items at a particular performance level.  I will say that after a lifetime of being exposed to live music, playing music, being in a choir, listening to various rigs at friends, family, stores, and at home over the past forty something years I think the Moab gets everything right to my ears and more than one should reasonably expect for $4500.  To my ears, it becomes a question of how much more of it do I want, who makes it, and how much does it cost?  So I think the Moab simply hangs in the playground of speakers that at the very least don't do much if anything wrong.

I enjoy engineering, I like seeing the different ways one approaches and solves a given technical problem.  But if looks aren't the issue then it boils down to which design delivers the best result for the money.  Sometimes you just don't have to spend too much to get there.

I think "hater" is targeted at some very specific types of comments.  I haven't seen where someone went off the rails because someone said they didn't like Tektons.  I think it's the more to do with the uninformed comments that border on ignorance which trigger the responses, but I also haven't gone through every thread, so maybe I missed something.  I've seen this same thing in Magnepan threads, especially in the Audio Asylum forums over a decade ago, I stopped visiting that place, got way too toxic for me to spend time wading through the noise.  

And "butt hurt" can be fairly accurate for those people who can afford the more expensive things because if they weren't they wouldn't bother beating their chests about it and just enjoy their purchases while others enjoyed theirs.  Again, this isn't a general statement as I've been part of plenty of discussions/arguments with both types, those that need to try and prove some point with the main argument being they paid more, and the other that is fortunate and desired the more expensive item but admires or understands the validity of the cheaper item. 

There are plenty of broke mfrs who act snobbish when they come into possession of expensive products.  So there's that.

Snapsc,

Since you have experience with both, what was the Tekton model and what is the Salk model that you use(d), and how did they differ in terms of sonic characteristics?