I have had my Omen Def's for a year and half now and love them. Unfortunately, I have to downsize and I just put them in the classified section.
They have served me well and the clean sound at high outputs is just quite surreal. I've always upgraded speakers trying to find that perfect sound for me and I can't recall how many speakers I've went thru over the last 30 years. The Omen Def's were the first speaker that stopped my upgraditis.
Also, I want to thank the members here that led me in the right direction...
Dana |
Look under my virtual system review of Zu Speakers, Almarro 318B Tube Amp, and Linn Basik Turntable for system setup hints. |
Also, 16 watts is hardly anything. So, I would not only go with an efficient speaker, but something with some surface area, say 10" woofers (maybe two). I used to own a pair of Zu Essence speakers. They had 10" woofers. Granted, my room is 15' wide and 25' deep with an open kitchen behind it, but the Zus did not have any bass worth bragging about believe me. I drove them with a 30 watt tube amp and, believe it or not, a pair of 300 watt digital amps! Still, very anemic bass. So I would think the Pendragons with their dual 10" drivers would suit you better. |
Someone earlier recommended you give the Bogdan Art Deco a try. The Bogdan is 88 db. Since you plan on using an amplifier between 12-16 watts, I can assure you, that combination would be a disaster. If you use said amp, and depending on WHAT you listen to and how LOUD you listen to it, I wouldn't go with a speaker less than 96 db. |
I just took delivery of full size Tekton Pendragon's and they are the best speaker I have heard south of $25k speakers, and they may be even better then that level (to my ears) |
You can check Steve Guttenberg's short review of the Enzo. And for all the Steve Guttenberg naysayers out there, I am just pointing out a review to Nightfall. |
Yes the ENZO is new. I am reviewing a pair right now which will appear in an upcoming TNT-Audio.com article. My initial impressions are this speaker is a winner! small footprint and big sound. Stay tuned for more. |
The Enzo's do look very interesting. There is virtually nothing out there about them as far as a review, or even commentary. Perhaps they are too new? |
The Bogdan speakers at Axpona are coaxial, not single driver. I agree though, they sounded very good. |
Check out Tekton's new speaker the ENZO. It is smaller than the Pendragon with a footprint of apprx 12" x 10" x 40". |
05-21-13: Morganc
"How about the Lores on one end of the price spectrum or the new Druid mk V on the other hand? Both are phenomenal in the nearfield."
The Lores, while an exceptional value, won't get me where I want to go. Especially given that I am looking for a soundstage, overall depth and presentation roughly along the lines of what I heard when I auditioned the borrowed Harbeth 40.1's, and Gallo REF 3.5's in my room. And you do have great taste. I would absolutely love to go with the new Druid's, which Sean and I discussed, but the over $5k price simply is beyond my budget. I can manage $3500-4k, max. |
How about the Lores on one end of the price spectrum or the new Druid mk V on the other hand? Both are phenomenal in the nearfield. |
Here is a wild card you probably have not heard of...the Art Deco single driver from Bogdan Audio Creations in Ohio. 3 of us that went to Axpona Chicago were amazed at their performance for $2000. The 3 of us normally listen to Shahinian's, Quad electrostats, Green Mountain's and Kef's. I mention what we listen to so you can appreciate the quality of the Art Deco's. The quality of construction was impressive and they looked good as well. I normally haven't been impressed with single driver units but these were special. |
There is no way you should even consider the Pendragon for that room. And you won't get 100% out of any larger speaker you put in there. Just sayin.......
Shakey |
I have also owned 2 pairs of Zu Omen Defs and the Pendragon (non-SE version). I am pretty sure the Pendragons would overload that small room. If you want to stay with Tekton, you might consider the Lore (I hava a pair of M-Lores, and they are terrific).
Personally, I think Zu would be the best solution (I slightly preferred the Omen Def to the Pendragons I had). They have a number of models to choose from, and were very easy to drive with both SS and tube amps. Plus, you get a 60 trial period. No amount of recommendations is a substitute for being able to have the speakers in your actual listening room. |
A couple people have mentioned the possibility of the Pendragon SE's bass overloading the room. Everything else about them sounds very appealing, but perhaps I need to cross those off the list? I know they were designed for smaller rooms, but possibly not as small as mine.
The other concern raised was that unlike the original Pendragons, they are 4 ohms, which I didn't realize, and that can cause issues for SET amps. |
I'm in a similar position looking at the same speakers but for HT application. What SS amps pair nicely with the zu omen def vs with the tekton pendragon seas? |
It is all too bad that member Johnk discontinued (with disgust) participation in these forums.
That is a genuine loss here. |
I am using Reference 3A de Capos in a 12 x 17 room open on the sides with a 4 watt decware amp and pretty loud with good bass |
I owned the Pendragons (non-SE) and Zu Omen Defs. You can't go wrong with either one except for one concern: will the Pendragon SE overload your room with bass? That's the biggest question that you need to answer besides the amp question. |
