Has anyone compared the Tekton DE SE to GoldenEar Reference? Getting rid of Kef Blade 2 for these is a major statement.
Which 30K Speakers Would You Give Up For Tekton Double Impacts?
Since I keep reading and hearing that audiophiles have replaced their 30K speakers with the Tekton Double Impacts, I started this thread to see what speakers and why they were replaced. I really want to know who did this and why. Personally, I do not believe anyone would give up 30K speakers for 3K speakers, but what do I know anyways?
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Thanks for the kind word "waltersalas". I am enjoying the sound of Tekton SE and hope they’ll get even better within the next couple of weeks. I am not sure why there are so many negative posts here but I can only suspect that those that had the Tektons and didn’t like them probably didn’t have the right synergy with the rest of their gear. I like what I’m getting out of my system and that’s all I need. Audio has been my hobby for more than 40 years and I’ve had many different speakers in my house. Tekton brings me very, very close to real music. |
I don't know either, olesno, though I suspect it may be a combination of factors. There are quite a few detractors who have never heard them, but miss no opportunity to dump on them in the threads. There may be some expectation bias working in reverse--how could speakers this "cheap" sound this good? The speakers may not be fully broken in--my Double Impacts sounded good out of the box, but did not sound great until they had a couple hundred hours on them. I considered sending them back a couple of times during my audition--thank goodness I didn't! Perhaps some people are giving up on them too soon. Or it could be system synergy, as the Double Impacts are good enough to reveal whatever is going on upstream. Finally, no speaker will satisfy every listener, as taste is so subjective. All I know is that mine draw me into the music and sing with all types of music better than any I've owned. I hope you'll keep us posted on your SEs. I hope you enjoy them for many years to come! |
Two factors are at play here for sure. These speakers do take all of 400 - 500 hours to burn in and sound their best. Many don’t believe in the notion of burn-in and some that do think the improvement will only be slight. The fact is these speakers do require break-in and the end result is a more refined and natural sounding speaker. The difference is real and noticable. Sometimes we audiophiles need to be patient, yes including myself! Second, one cannot just plop these down and hook up your gear and expect sonic nirvana. Some may not agree with with me, but I do think the DI is a tad fussy with what is ahead of it. Great system synergy, using the gear and room one already has, is not automatic nor universal. Some will need to tune their systems/rooms to get the most out of this speaker. Both of these factors do account count for some of the less than positive comments. Lastly, well what sounds good to a person is very subjective. No speaker will please everyone. |
There's no one speaker to rule them all? My SE's are still precious to me :) olesno, the SE's take quite a while to fully break in so you're in for even better listening sessions in the future. Enjoy. I agree with waltersalas and grannyring......synergy with the SE's ( and most other speakers ) is so important. While I've found the SE's to be the most real sounding speakers I've ever owned, I respect the opinions of those that have tried them and didn't like them. I pay no attention to those that denounce them without having heard them. |
My plan is to buy your $30k speakers when they have been rendered obsolete by Tekton. I figure a 95% markdown from the retail price is a fair bargain for obsolete junk. Before you throw away your obsolete speakers, please contact me. However, I will charge a $150 fee for disposal + $50 penalty for recycling. Thank you. P.S. Unlike Tekton buyers, I will require grills when you sell me your obsolete speakers. No exceptions. |
400-500 hour break-in period. I wonder how manufacturers can tell when their design (or new design) sounds good unless they wait of two week continuous use prior to knowing what the speaker will sound like. Anyone know how the manufacturer knows how a change in any parameter/part will sound prior to break-in? |
Well they do sound pretty good out of the box in a well matched system and room. The additional hours do nothing but help. For some of us it’s that improved tonality and openness etc....that makes all the difference. I suppose to others these burn-in gains are not as dramatic or important. Again, even this is quite subjective. |
I too have traded up to the DI SE now breaking in and the sound is so sweet. @kdude66 , you should have kept those Janszens. As much as I enjoyed the DIs, they never were quite on the same level as the Janszen zA2.1 hybrid electrostats. They are remarkable. Let’s see if the DI SE in my second system will get closer or surpass them. |
Lance, I may get another set but David now can put 2 8 inch woofers in them and he offered a demo pair for me to try.I would have to cover shipping both ways and pay him a small rental fee. I really like my double bass speakers and also silverline bolero supremes,so I don’t know if I will try them. I wished he made a hybrid ESL that was bigger overall but not as big as the klh 9’s And wasn’t a dipole either. My goal is to have 3 sets of nice speakers,and I have 2,and rotate them through my main system occasionally for a different flavor. So I will be on the hunt for the 3rd pair and it definitely will not be a pair of Tekton anything. Enjoy, Kenny. |
aniwolfe, These are over your asking budget but look quite interesting, and after talking to the manufacturer about them and getting more questions answered,I do think they would be a very good option for either me or you. https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis8gj7c-bache-audio-triangle-001-bache-audio-tribeca-001-full-ran... Best of luck to you, Kenny. |
@david_ten wondering if you can elaborate on the difference between the DI and DISE. Are there any types of music or anything you think the DIs do as well or better. Rock and metal are a descent portion of my listening. If that was compromised with a more “grown up” speaker that would be disappointing. Thanks |
Replaced my AZ Crescendo MKIIs and REL R-528SE subwoofer with the Tekton DI SEs (with cables to the subwoofer, this is over $30K). The need eliminating the subwoofer was immediately apparent. The DI SEs keep sounding better with play time. They are a very revealing speaker with beautiful holographic imaging, a deep and wide soundstage, and extremely tight bass. Female vocals are to die for. Music is presented with a lifelike presentation (jazz is my preference). They get the transient details right. Tekton DI SEs are going to be a hard speaker to beat for the money. |
soundsgood05, I’m sorry to read that you are disappointed with your DI’s.You May never reach the musical bliss that you are looking for but always remember you have many other better choices and I’m not referring to the SE version that some like better. I’ve never heard the SE version myself,I wasted enough time with the standard version and moved way beyond them. I don’t know how old yours are,they do need some serious break in time to settle in,300 to 500 hrs is some average times to loosen up drivers and let the caps fully form. Another problem is the constant changes in parts quality and values in the overall crossover implementation,in about one yrs time,confirmed from several folks that I have talked to during this period and the folks that are just plug and play types have no idea what they have.Yes offcourse they judge the sound and with any gear that’s the bottom line. Good luck to you, Kenny. |
I’ve had Ushers, Paradigm Sigs, Merlin’s, KEF Reference, Vapor Audio, Dynaudio, Klipsch, Golden Ear, and more I’m not thinking of. Yeah not top of the heap but not Best Buy Stuff either. The Sigs and KEFs were very detailed. The Ushers were great for vocals and not bad on everything else. The Dynaudios were smooth and had good tone with surprising amount of bass as long as you have a high current amp. The Vapors have a wonderful tweeter and do everything else pretty well. The Golden Ears were well balanced and had pretty slammin bass. In my room my non SE DIs have the detail of the Sigs and KEFs, the tone of the Ushers, the immediacy of the Klipsch, the bass approaching the Golden Ears “with better articulation”and the smoothness of the Dynaudios. So for me nothing in the 3k range will come close. Get up to 30k well then I really dunno. I’m guessing they can compete in certain areas. For 3k I truly believe you are not gonna touch them. My opinion, no fights, 213 I’m ready for ya buddy. |
cb5300. I mentioned $55,000 to $60,000 speakers I'm interested in. I have been using Focuses for the past 18 years and Signature IIIs for 16 years in another room. Those Legacy speakers have a wide seating/listening area instead of the very directional/one center seat is best to listen to the Tekton's as described in a full review on Enjoy the Music by Steve Lefkowitz who owns and revels in the Tekton's other great features. |
Will I trade a 30k Speakers for DI tekton, I will if the DI sounds better or maybe it will sound 80% of the 30k Speakers, properly set up 3k DI speakers will sound better than most 30k speakers that are not properly set up....I was at Axpona 2018 two weeks ago, the most musical set up I heard is the Elac b6 2.0 , I be surprise if that system cost 2k, my friend Markr told me it’s 1k set up....With Respect to those who does not Like the looks and the sound of Tektons, please don’t force yourself to like them, you won’t be happy if you try to audition them, too many speakers out there....buy the one that excite you most... |
Yes it’s a great “BIG” speaker world out there for sure,More wonderful choices than I’ve ever seen in my 40 yrs in this hobby and it’s become such a buyers market for used Speakers,I would be very hard pressed to even think about buying new. I can’t believe some of the prices that I see on very expensive speakers everyday,is High end Audio going away at a accelerated pace or what. Anyway It’s all about the sound for me and price is immaterial and all this gear we talk about is just a means to a end of enjoying music in my home. Enjoy, Kenny. |
Hey Everybody, The review on the Ulfberht's by Ron Cook just went up on the website Stereo Times. He replaced his 90K Wilson Audio Maxx 2's with the Tekton speaker. By the way, I replaced my Lawrence Audio Cello's, retail 18K, after reviewing the Ulf's and coming to the same conclusions regarding their superlative performance. |
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Thanks teajay, pretty impressive comparison to speakers costing many times more in the review. I've never heard Wilsons but the Tektons seem to get compared to them often. Like many others here I upgraded from the DI's to the SE's and couldn't be happier. When I purchased the DI's I owned the Legacy Focus SE's. The Legacys are excellent speakers and I figured they'd be a mainstay in my two channel system with the DI's going into a theater system. After listening to both speakers off and on for two weeks it quickly became apparent that I much preferred to DI's. I never expected that! The SE's take things to yet another level. As david_ten stated, the SE's are more refined but there is a certain liveliness the DI's possess that that the SE's don't quite match......an exuberant youthful vigor the more mature and refined SE's look down their nose at. |
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If anyone is interested I have had a pair of Tekton Sigma OB's for a year and a half. I had sold my Apogee Duetta Signatures I had had for many years and was looking to find a dipole/open baffle design as a replacement. I came across Tekton, read about Eric Alexander and his company (both pro and con) and - with no risk involved - decided to give his Sigmas a try. Glad I did! They have been wonderful and the more I fiddle with my system the better I like them. I am looking forward to hearing his DI's asap. |
Sorry to jump into this conversation late. I recently auditioned a pair of of the DIs, and wanted to do some research before purchasing. This is an interesting discussion. I do take issue with some of the points made, however. I'll plead guilty to enjoying the part of the hobby that continually swaps gear in search of the Holy Grail of music reproduction. What I don't get, is the hyperbole surrounding new equipment. Where does it start, and how does it end? How many ads do I need to read about cables that "out-perform cables costing 10 time as much". Etc., etc., etc.... If the purpose of gear is to enjoy the music, didn't the KEF (or other) speakers do that? What would move a person with tens-of-thousands of dollars wrapped up in electronics and cables to become dissatisfied with their >$20K speakers and seek out new speakers costing a fraction of that? If the AZ, KEF, or otherwise weren't satisfying, who's to say that it was the speakers? And if that pair of $10K monoblocks that were driving those >$20K speakers weren't providing a satisfying listening experience, might one have to change out the rest of their gear also in seeking out system synergy? Are the folks at Wilson and Revel and Acoustic Zen (and KEF, etc.) shitting in their pants that their >$20K speakers are going to be made obsolete? And what if Tekton comes out with an even better speaker? Will it out-perform speakers costing over $50K? I mean, where does the maddness stop? Well, I'm glad that you guyz who bought the tektons love 'em. I just wonder how long you'll hang on to them... :-) I guess what I've learned after years (and years) in the business and in the hobby are a few things: Start cheap and work your way up the audiophile ladder, never buy new gear, as it becomes obsolete or out-performed fairly quickly, and know that new (to you) gear will never sound the same to you in your home as it did to a reviewer or in someone else's system. |