I had a pair of Tekton Double Impacts that I sold when I moved to a smaller home. After a year of evaluating various smaller speakers I decided to go back to Tekton but with the more compact Electron SE. In my room these speakers work perfectly. The bass on these smaller speakers is unbelievably deep and tight. I miss none of the punch from the bigger Double Impacts. On mine's I used a single Beryllium tweeter on the middle of the array. The tops on these are very extended and crisp clear more so than the DBs. The imaging and sweet-spot is electrostatic-like with excellent ability to present the faintest details in a recording. In my appreciation other than the ability to convey a "bigger" bass the Electrons have a more refined sound and the bass in my room is more than sufficient with a tighter presntation than that of the DB's. Feel free to send questions if you have any.
I use a couple of high end speakers (TAD, Schweikert) in my dedicated stereo room. I try to explore more "affordable" speakers in another room for multichannel and stereo.
Stuff from 3 designers, Andrew Jones, Danny Ritchie (GR) and Eric (Tekton) seems to consistently hit waayy above their price point. I had Tekton speakers in the past and I would put them up against some high end speakers. I only settled on the Adante series from Andrew Jones because I wanted it to be a series that I could also use for both stereo and multichannel.
There is plenty of crap posing as high end in the high end market. Only a few things are actually worth the price, ime. No, you don't always get what you paid for I suspect that it is primarily dealers for high end lurking on forums like these that try to thread crap whenever GR, Tekton, etc are discussed. If your stuff is so pristine, why are so insecure, Mr. dealer? (tk tsk) ...Your sht should shine ever so brightly above the rest and you should have no insecurities in life...no insecurities at all about earning your daily bread (wink wink).
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?
Actually if you go back and look at posts from 2013-2015 there was a lot of criticism of Tekton for over promising and under delivering.
Then, a number of changes took place and things improved which allowed people to focus on the sound and not the complaints... and a lot of people liked the sound.
My point... people are fast to complain about things they don’t like... Tekton deserves praise for improving and making great sounding products at a reasonable price.
Full disclosure... I owned Tekton and enjoyed them... I now own Salks driven by a 2Cherry and really enjoy them also.
"
Ever notice how the relentless and over-the-top praise tends to be
highly skewed towards the tiny shops led by one person? Tekton, Raven,
Herron, Perfect Path Technologies (now defunct), etc... A pattern and
practice of behavior.....hmmmmm...
" It seems so silly when everyone knows the best speakers are made in China & sold by Best Buy. Right? :)
@musicbox78 Hiya: mine is the stereo cherry, aka the 'classic' cherry. Cherry amps have a cult following. I think when someone hears them, they buy one. My Zu are the Omen Def. More deets on my system page.
Been with Tommy since 2012 or so as a Cherry owner, had his Cherry Ultra then ... and now the Megaschino. I have played with the Maraschino also. Always great reviews, but far from Mainstream snobbish audio as they still seem to distain class D as a car trunk amp POS. or is it really Advertising $$$ after all ??
*** zufan I not the prose writer, simply much prefer to ultilize my two God giving hearing organs. I whole heartedly will support you thou when pertinent.
So zufan which model of ZU speakers you own, and what Cherry you running?? PS: Tommy has my MEGA on the bench as we speak or perhaps off in testing now ..... getting his new rails installed. Mine is with 1800Watt trans, Cardas Binding posts, doulble Caps etc. Loaded!!
*** People on this forum ask stupid/silly/inane questions about their audio systems but never mention their rooms size, wall treatments, any pertinent problems as somebody is a mind reader. ***
I had always wanted the Essence ...seems the only ZU that can be considered as economical today is what the Dirty Weekend ... ?? Their prices have soared ...
PS: Tommy also stands behind this products 100% as I can attest from years earlier.
I too own Electron SE in red, opted for the bi-wire option. Glad I went this way over the basic DIs.
I feel mine sound fantastic with a Krell 50S class A power amp, and sound great at even low power late night.
Of course they can rock-it also from my Digital Amp Co. Megaschino class D ..... so lets just forget about all the no account crybabies chirping about nothing. These whiners probably have not even heard a SE pair.
Hello Millercarbon, my Electrons took about 4 or 5 days to break in. Bass was deep but sloppy at the beginning but after about 4 days it tightened up to perfection.BTW I am one of those who had $30k speakers. I’ve also listened to many more speakers throughout the years because I was in the industry. Tekton is not the best speaker I’ve had. I can think of a few that would handily outperform them. But the Tekton Electron’s size just works the best in my room while it also offers a very respectable performance.
Thanks for all your responses. I, honestly, did not expect them.
I believe that many, if not most, of the posters around here have at some point had a few systems. Be it a $100 000 one with a Bluetooth speaker as a secondary one, or any other combination. As Tekton has largely favorable reviews, it is not hard to imagine an audiophile with enough disposable cash to select Tekton for a decent, but pricewise less so, system in some adjacent room. That person could find out that Tekton is not exactly ten times worse than primary speakers, but is not up to the level of more expensive pair. I doubt a person would feel butt hurt at that time. More like "I got what I paid for and a little more than I expected". Now, if she/he voiced that opinion, I am afraid that on Audiogon she/he would be called some unpleasant and undeserved names.
Having said that, are there $30 000 speakers that are significantly, or even insignificantly, worse than $4500 Tektons? I am only aware of $1 000 000 Wilsons that millercarbon referenced elsewhere. It would be nice, and maybe useful to someone looking for new speakers, if such duds were identified.
In response to glupson hypothetical. If there was a difference there other differences as in is he using the same equipment also the room could be very different so i don't think there is enough there to say one way or the other. The problem is people on this thread will make their own conclusions anyway.
It’s easy...astute people can comprehend genuine feedback about products from those so inclined to report such findings. It’s so easy to decipher, identify and interpret behavioral traits in online conversations, you don’t need a PhD to understand...just common sense. To identify an elitist, one must understand what an elitist is: Elitist definition, (of a person or class of persons) considered superior by others or by themselves, as in intellect, talent, power, wealth, or position in society: elitist country clubbers who have theirs and don't care about anybody else. If the shoe fits, wear it.
What happens if a person who has, let's say, $30 000 speakers buys Tekton for his beach house and then realizes they are not anywhere close to the expensive pair? He reports it here and what then? Is he an elitist, Tekton-hater, deaf, not paid attention to synergy? Or he is the person with more experience and "right" to compare than most in this thread?
What the hell....an innocuous post inquiring about a specific speaker model turns into a vitriol diatribe filled with useless information. Talk about polarization.
It would have been nice if someone with experiences about that particular speaker posted useful information about the speaker being inquired about to inform you about their experiences. Which, BTW, forums were meant to be sources of helpful information for people like you. To share ideas and experiences with one another is a marvel thing.
Forget the inquiry...and don’t give a r@@@@7777$$$$$$ @$$$$$ about what others think when subjects like this go down the rabbit hole. It’s all on you, ask for a dealer or home trial. Go to specific manufacture forums and enjoy the presence of like minded individuals. Also, you may just want to direct message folks for further communication to eliminate the chatter. I think Dan Akroyd said it nicely, “Just the facts mamm” in the Blues Brothers. I am being cynical today, but it’s unfortunate that we will probably lose enthusiasm for forums like this until all that remain are some crusty old farts and supposed highly intellectual and educated people who have PHD’s in character attacks. I am old and crusty too, higher level education, disabled war veteran, but WTFO!
Hope you get the information you are looking for. For what it’s worth, Tekton speakers seem like a good brand and their top speaker was once was on my radar but I opted for something custom made from Classic Audio Loudspeakers. Good luck and I truly mean that coming from a real person, not an elitist.
Sorry if you said this already and I missed it misty. But its been a while and wondering what if any changes you've noticed. Mine (Moabs) were great right out of the box and did improve but seemed to follow Eric's guidance of only about 50 hours break-in. So curious what you heard with yours.
I'm jumping in to support @wisty on this thread. It's this guy's 1st post & just to say he digs his speakers and it devolves into weirdness. Apparently mostly from the 3 dog nite guy, who got his posts removed, thankfully. Guys like 3 dog have issues that go beyond trolling forums.
So: Wisty, keep posting. Report the sad trolls who haven't been housebroken.
I'm a Zu guy (& Tannoy) and hope to own a set of Tektons also one day. Because, you know: Utah. I dig the big chewy texture speakers. Peace out.
Three Easy Payment you are really in need of help. FYI I am happily retired and do not sell anything for anyone. If you want to believe otherwise just take your posts somewhere else please. You are welcome to show your arrogant ignorance elsewhere. Same goes for all other conspiracy theorists out 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.
I am a completely disinterested, or maybe better described as a impartial party to Tekton products. I think that Tekton maybe receives just a little more criticism than other speaker brands. One guess why is perhaps this started a while ago when Eric was angered by some critical of the technology behind his product and rightly or wrongly threatened to sue the antagonizers on Audiogon.
Another guess is that there is a small number of Tekton owners who call anyone who has anything critical to say about their speakers as "haters". This points to a level of immaturity that for some of us creates an impression where we consider any of their other opinions, anywhere, with a grain of salt.
For many of us, for various reasons, any huge speaker of any brand will need to be used in a dedicated audio room or basement set up. Having monoliths in our family room just does not work, if you need to ask why don’t bother you would not understand.
I do not have expensive speakers. But if I purchased anything for $30k, and saw equal performance for $4K, that would not bother me at all if I liked the look of my purchase better and it gave me pride of ownership. As was mentioned before, if you are purchasing luxury goods your not sweating the small stuff. Some people find making large amounts of money easy and fun and spending it is the same. Anyone thinking that the purchaser of the luxury goods is "butt hurt" and jealous of the "working stiff" is clearly not able to see that these terms would better describe their own feelings.
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.
"Oh, I’m sure there’s ones spent ten times 20 or 30k who are even more butt hurt."
I suspect that people who buy $30 000 speakers do not look in the rearview mirror that often. Who would buy $3000 speakers, if she/he could afford a $30 000 pair? Are $30 000 speakers usually crappy?
It may hurt to know that someone buys a $30 000 pair and does not feel butt hurt regardless of how cheap others have it. One only has to decide. A dinner at a really nice restaurant for a few friends, good wine included, or a pair of speakers?
Why insult people with more successful careers than one's own?
People wonder why the hatred for tekton speakers. I have moabs. In my opinion people who say they have heard them and don't like them have either not really heard them or let their bias get in the way. Some of them i think are angry that they wasted 20 or 30k on speakers that don't sound any better than 4k tekton's. Just my opinion.
Oh, I'm sure there's ones spent ten times 20 or 30k who are even more butt hurt. Making it so normal working stiff guys can afford better sound than your average well-heeled hedge fund manager , its just not fair. Where's the white glove setup? Where's the Faberge Egg? Oh, the humanity!
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.
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.
Regarding internet marketing these days, it is very interesting and makes one wonder. I bought my wife a massage gun on Amazon. Lots of good reviews. It is a very nice product and works as advertised so far. Thing is the seller includes a card asking for an “honest” review on Amazon for a $40 Amazon gift card. That’s for a product that only cost about $100 to start with. Nice incentive in exchange for an honest review. Is that kosher? Or just good marketing? It’s a hard call. No doubt that product gets a lot more good reviews published as a result. Just saying. I understand all the skepticism. People should really not let it bother them. Just state the facts. You have no control over what others think about it. It is an open forum so be assured the responses can vary widely.
This was my first post in any forum and the last. I don't get why anyone just wanting to have a friendly exchange of information would come in here to become a target for a bunch of hateful idiots. I truly don't get it. But before I leave for those that have nothing better than to post dumb unsolicited statements my advise is to go get help....although a doctor can't cure dumb. You are totally pathetic.Bye.
Sorry for the late response. I am using a Mastersound Compact 845, but just bought a pair of Airtight ATM 211. Both these amps are SETs with wattage in he 20s.
People wonder why the hatred for tekton speakers. I have moabs. In my opinion people who say they have heard them and don't like them have either not really heard them or let their bias get in the way. Some of them i think are angry that they wasted 20 or 30k on speakers that don't sound any better than 4k tekton's. Just my opinion.
I never respond to these forums. But I will now. I have had a set of Lores for almost ten years. I upgraded the X-overs, binding posts and wiring. They work great with my tubes and new Odyssey set up. And I don't care whether anybody else likes them. Seems to me if you don't like something, don't buy it. They is a way to say something nicely without being mean and still state facts. God Bless!
Hello... new to this forum. was very curious to read this review of the Tekton Electron SE, but to read so many nasty responses caught me by surprise! Now I have no idea if I should trust Wisty on his initial commentary. Did he respond to any of the commentaries? It seems we're caught on this vicious madness of conspiracy theories, fake news, false compliments.... even with speakers! I still would love to give a listen to the Tektons Electron SE. Hope to do it one day. What I can say, though, is that I did order a pair of Tekton Lore Reference (after the glowing reviews I found on the internet) but ended returning them before their 2 month trial period expired. I found them extremely boring. Very recessed mids (no meat what so ever), dull highs and lack of coherent integration between drivers; soundstage was very mediocre as well. I think their bass sound was pretty good for the speaker's size. Fast and articulate, but definitely not enough to make me want to keep them! I compared the Tektons to my Q Acoustics concept 40 (that I still own) and the Q acoustics were absolutely better on every department, except reaching the lower octave of a piano or a double bass. The soundstage of the Q acoustics is superb and the drivers integration is very nice as well. Would love to upgrade, but I guess I'm in no hurry...
@wisty Congrats. to your Electron SE speakers I think there a great choice. I have been enjoying my Double Impact SE for about 9 months they sound terrific powerful, dynamic with detail they replaced a set of Paradigms which I thought were good. I have been pretty happy with my purchase.
Shame on all of you for raining on OPs parade, I bought the Tekton DIs a year ago and i still love them. I wish I'd know about the beryllium option as i would probably have tried it. Yes, there are more expensive and esoteric brands but I think Tektons are a welcome respite and a bargain that doesn't sound like a bargain, just ask my neighbors!
"Hard for haters to do anything but hate. Don't help none they can't read neither. Look at the one above, got not one thing right, couldn't comprehend a thing to save his life. Pages and pages, went on for weeks, still after all this time does not understand a single word. Not. One. Word. Pathetic."
Does anyone understand what was written here? Couldn't understand a thing to save my life (or anyone's for that matter).
"Don't help none they can't read neither."
Shakespeare would have lifted this one, only if he had known...
I am glad you found the Electrons SE 's. I own serial # 1 and 2 of these speakers. They took awhile to break in, but boy once they're broke in they sound fantastic! I have also listened to the Double Impacts and feel these speakers (the Electron SE) are better sounding, in my opinion. With a good source these speakers deliver. They have very tight and substantial base, the tweeter array brings the highs across in an uncanny, deceptive way (something good going on here) mid range blends perfectly between these two dynamics.
These were a purchase I took a gamble on, they were $4,000 when I bought them. They took about 500 hours of break in time. Once broken in they deliver, I do not regret the purchase, further more I would urge anyone on the fence, perhaps wondering about the lead time for delivery, to take the plunge. Also, the finish I have is a BMW paint (metal flake gray) and it looks fantastic on these cabinets. These are first rate speakers, in my opinion.
I am driving these speakers with a McIntosh 8900 Integrated Amplifier and a Aurender music server
I don’t think any two product lines could be much more different. One look will tell you that. No mistaking one for the other.
I’ve heard various Zu mostly pricey Essence in both larger and smaller rooms. I’ve heard only Tekton Double Impact in similar size small room.
I like Zu aesthetics and always want to like them but have yet to have them draw me in. I think the amps used every time at a show has been underpowered though. At both Zu and Tekton demos at shows they seem to want to highlight the ability to run off flea powered tube amps which are probably underpowered for best results with either.
Zu demos I have heard all seem to lack dynamics. Nice for some music but bland for others like classic rock.
The Double Impact actually performed admirably at that one demo. It was sound I might be able to live with. But not the giant boxes in that small room.
Now if the Tekton sound came out of the Zus, then I would really take notice.
Glad to hear the Perfect Set 2-10 with the Outlaw RR2160 is working for you! I remember your thread and it had a lot of positive feedback!
I am taken aback however that every time a Tekton thread is started it seems the same few chime in with something negative? I just don’t get it? As in ’get’ a life. If every time they get a notification of an Agon thread they have to chime in? What a miserable life you have of being a Tekton troll? You think?
@dlongj75, after much research I’m going to get the recently upgraded Outlaw RR2160 MKII Stereo Receiver that actually masquerades as an (underrated and underpriced) integrated amplifier with multiple tuners and connections for a x-mass present to myself. I’ll report back after about 30 days of break/burn in.
And I too am damn interested in the Tekton Electron SE later on in the upgrade process.
Has anyone owned both ZU and Tekton? I have had my Omen refs for going on 8 years and I simply love them. Just curious if both brands share similar sound characteristics
I don't have anything against Tekton whatsoever or any of the other brands that get ridiculously hyped on this forum to the point where people are shamed for owning something else- being accused of not hearing well or overspending and being butthurt because of their horrificly pathetic audio purchasing decisions (so childish).
It's not the products that lack virtue, it's the Agon reviewers.
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