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Tekton speakers with Ribbon / AMT ??

Anyone out there have any Tekton speakers with either ribbon or AMT tweeter?? Uruz owners perhaps?

I have finally decided to order a pair of Encore loudspeakers. Upgrading from the Double Impacts. 

I've been back and forth as to which speaker to order. Encore vs. Moab. vs Ulfberht......Well, I had a chance to talk to Eric at Tekton the other day. I asked about Beryllium tweeter on the Encore and he certainly can make that happen. At that time, he brought up the idea of using a ribbon tweeter.  I have seen zero examples of his larger speakers with that tweeter installed. He seemed very confident in the ability to integrate it into the design. I enjoyed the enthusiasm, so much so that it prompted me to go for it. Experimental blood in my veins I guess. 

That being said, I am curious if there are other individuals out there with Tekton speakers with ribbon tweeters?  and what their take might be. Impressions? Downsides? Yes, I realize the standard design is fantastic. But I'm a tinkerer at heart. Willing to try things unseen, unheard assuming the risk isnt too much. 

Eric said he could use two different brand drivers. Fountek, and Mundorf. Both very linear responses. Both something he felt very east to integrate into the current design. Mundorf being the bees knees, but at an additional cost. 


So, bottom line,  I gave him the green light to go to crazy and use the Mundorf driver and see what kinda unique loudspeaker he could create.  

Also, side note.....I guess a true ribbon tweeter is not exactly AMT?? Casually interchangeable terms? Not exactly sure the specifics as to why thy aren't the same.  

But I'm so damm curious how he can integrate this into his current Encore design that I'm willing to try it out. 

audiophile adventure proceeds
128x128whacky

Showing 7 responses by whacky

whacky's avatar
whacky OP
53 posts
 
@dancole - refreshing to actually hear from someone who has done exactly what I am consideirng. Very cool. 

Those individuals who have preferred the soft dome tweeters have also acknowledged that others with well acclimated ears have preferred the Be tweeters after listening to both. To me, it seems like its going to boil down to a personal preference at that point.

The ribbon however seemed to be the greater unknown. Glad to see there are others out there who have had it done. Not sure how things are setup on the DIs. Did Eric swap out the center tweeter in the DI for the ribbon?


I'm definitely curious to A/B the DI and these upcoming Encores based on all this conversation. 


whacky's avatar
whacky OP
53 posts
 
so I’ve just seen the photos of what the double impacts look like with the ribbon/AMT tweeter installed. 
I was not aware that the entire tweeter array was replaced with a single large vertical rectangular ribbon.  
I can’t imagine he planned on replacing the entire full 15 array of tweeters on the Encore when he proposed that as an option. But after seeing the photos of the DI, I honestly have no idea what his intentions were. I thought he was just talking about replacing central high frequency driver much like the Be upgrade. 
Will have to touch base with him about this. 
whacky's avatar
whacky OP
53 posts
 
I had that same conversation a week or so back. Great talk. Hard to disagree with the logic in his argument. Combined with his experience, that makes for one healthy recommendation.

That being said, plenty of anecdotal experience from many individuals with the Be tweeter who seem very, very happy with their decision. That has plenty of merit in my book as well. 

I didn't even know the ribbon/amt was an option going into the phone conversation. It was Eric who suggested it. Is he a passionate man about his craft? Absolutely. Is he trying to sell me a product? Sure. But I also don't think he would blindly offer up something that he didnt feel would be amazing in the end. And I trust his ability to create something great. Thats good enough for me.


Now admittedly, I am not an audiophile/speaker reviewer with years of experience. Nor am I someone who would be characterized as a pathologically discerning listener or critic. Just someone who enjoys the process, and loves trying new things. For better or worse. 



If this doesn't work out, or I end up hating the design/sound/experience, I will gladly be the first to own up to it (said no audiophile ever), and I'll move onto something else. 


Also.... the full Be tweeter array...woah. Even my desire to try something new has some limits with the pocketbook. 

whacky's avatar
whacky OP
53 posts
 
I don’t plan on selling my double impacts until the new encores are settled. I absolutely plan on doing side by side comparisons when the time comes. Will gladly post my impressions. 

my gear is in flux right now. But when the new speaker show up; I’ll list everything I’ve tried. 
Currently I’m rocking a Directstream DAC via is2 connection to a PrimaLuna dialogue HP with EL34s. However currently auditioning the PS audio M700 Amps as we speak. They are settling in nicely and I’m enjoying them a lot. 
Newly acquired high fidelity CT2 interconnnect and cerious technologies graphene extreme speaker cables with some transparent audio speaker cables inbound

Lot of moving pieces presently. But I’m quite excited to be the guinea pig for the Mudorf ( I assume it’s a proper AMT) tweeter in the Encore design.  

whacky's avatar
whacky OP
53 posts
 
His motivation for proposing them was in response to me asking about the Be tweeter option.

I told him I was interested in that option because I like the idea of having that little extra touch of air and clarity in the top end, as long as it’s not fatiguing or brash. 
He then said they could even do a ribbon if I wanted it.  We talked about the sonic characteristics of them. How they are fast and clear.  I think he also mentioned that the ribbons mass works with his array design. Definitely seemed very excited and enthusiastic about it and assured me he wouldn’t let anything leave his shop that wouldn’t blow my mind. I was sold. 

@millercarbon
definitely gonna be at least a 2 month wait for sure. I’m guessing longer. He said they got slammed with orders recently. 
 
whacky's avatar
whacky OP
53 posts
 
@millercarbon yup. I have a feeling the situation you described with your Moabs has a high likelihood of happening with this custom build. Worst case, If things don’t seem to be working out when the time comes to actually build the speakers, I will gladly change directions and take either the stock Encore or the Be tweeter. I’m fairly certain I won’t be disappointed either way and im expecting added time and / or hassle with it. It’s that early adopter mindset. Gotta be comfortable knowing things may not go as planned. I’m cool with that.  
I did think to myself when he was mentioning the option that it’ll likely take more work to get it right with the internals just based on the fact that it’s not the standard design. Ie crossover design, etc. But who knows. It very well may be easier for him just the same. 
@squeek I did not ask too many specifics concerning the placement, size, positioning. However, there was also nothing said about how it would drastically chance his array positioning. I doubt he is going to go to great lengths to change the cabinet design. Not unless it’s a quick and easy modification. My assumption at the end of the call was it would likely be a direct swap or very close to it. 
The Fountek be mentioned appeared to be a circular shape roughly the same size as what’s currently used. I have not scrutinized it in detail, not have I looked to see what Mundorff offers that could directly swap in. So I’m not sure which tweeter he was specifically referencing. 

I will always go for every possible upgrades when it comes to internals as well. Wiring. Capacitors. Etc. those represent upgrades I would never want to do myself, so I’d rather have those in place from the get-go. 
 
whacky's avatar
whacky OP
53 posts
 
No doubt that array is magic. I’m very excited to experience it compared to the double impacts, which I already think are excellent. 
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