Tekton Preview / Audition in Minneapolis

Yes. It’ll be next Saturday, the 25th at 11am. You are welcome to jo8n us!   I’m making hot appetizer type food, and others are bringing snacks or beverages.   I think I still have your number. I’ll text you. 

@maplegrovemusic text sent. 

So curious to get everyone's thoughts on how this went?! Can't wait to hear all the opinions. 

It went well! Four guys and my GF were there. We hung out for a few hours, listened to some great music, and talked about the Tektons, and a myriad of other stuff. And, @rja brought some awesome Kentucky bourbon!

As for the Tektons, we listed to vinyl as well as some CDs. At the end of the day, I need to reconsider my choice of phono preamp, as it doesn’t quite have the "pop" that CDs do, and I prefer the vinyl. That said, we all agreed that Tekton isn’t just hype.

The consensus was: The bass impact is awesome. We wondered why some would say the bass is a bit shy... not so with the Primaluna and the KT150s! The midrange is a little shy in some music... I’ll let @icanskate comment on that. But, it’s not noticeable on all music, and more noticeable on vinyl than CDs. And, there is a slight boxy sound sometimes in the upper bass range. We attribute both to the speakers may need a bit more break-in time. They have about 80 hours on them now.

Further, the dynamics are great! The treble and midrange is very clear, open and natural. They sound great at low volumes, and they perform well at higher volumes. An interesting observation was that most preferred the sound from further away, like about 12 to 15 feet from the speakers. Could be due to the volume we were using, or a bit of the room size and shape. In my room, however, this is a good thing. We often play pool while listening to music, so these DIs fill the room with awesome sound.

We also connected the B&W 803 Nautilus for a short while. Everyone agreed that the Tektons sound more open, and have better soundstage. They are a bit more lively and definitely have better, more impactful bass. On the other hand, the B&Ws have a bit more "texture" to the vocals. This is where we all thought that the SE version of the DIs would be a big improvement... although not worth double the price. If the DI SEs were $5k... but that’s another story.

So, where it ended was everyone agreeing that they are very impressive speakers. The hype is reality. I have listened to the Wilsons ($16K) in the showroom, and I don’t think they are ’better’. These speakers are definitely worth their cost, and perform well above what I have heard. Are they "$60k giant killers"? I don’t think so. In the SE version, they could be. In the Upgraded version I have, they are really great $3k speakers, and can definitely play in the $5k to $10k ballpark. There are definitely some things they do much better than my B&Ws ($6k new in 2000). Most things, in fact. And, my GF prefers the sound of the Tektons, even though she isn’t an audiophile like the rest of us. She’d be happier if they weren’t so big.

Are they staying? I haven’t decided yet, for a few reasons. Primary reason is that I’m interested in another color than black... but others seemed to think the black is just fine, and easier to resell at some time in the future. And, they are big. In my room, they are big enough that I’ll have to move some other stuff around to make them look right. But, I think the answer is that it’s pretty likely I’ll have Tekton speakers for the foreseeable future. Either DI, or perhaps the Electron.

As for color, can anyone tell me the name of the color that looks like saltillo tile? Can you share a link to a picture in that color? I’ve seen it, but can’t find it now.

@soundermn

Is it this? https://scontent.fmia1-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/15338880_10208069651727928_7459850903055327644_n.jpg...

If link doesnt work. Its on Tekton Designs Facebook page. Posted Dec 11th 2016.