Zu Omen or Tekton Lore


Best floorstanders under $999 for low power SET amp?

Thanks
mstark

Showing 7 responses by rischa

Can anyone offer some insight as to how the Oriels differ from the Lores, design and sound-wise?
Finally got my Lores today. They sound great. I mostly listen to jazz, and the Lores are perfect for reproducing the dynamism of a live jazz performance. I'll post further impressions when I've had more time with them, and they've had a chance to break in. But so far, couldn't be happier.
So, I know this is off the current topic, but the OP asks about the better speaker for SET's, yet I'm sure I read somewhere--either in this thread or one of the Lore reviews--that Eric recommends at least 20 watts for the Lores. Has anyone found that using low watt SET's with the Lore's provides poor results? There aren't many real-world affordable SET's that go above 8 watts or so.

Kinda bummed because I was looking forward to pairing the Lores with the new model Decware Zen Triode integrated that's supposed to come out this Spring.

Thanks for your thoughts.
This thread has had me drooling over the Lores for some time now. Well, I finally placed my order last week and Eric said they should ship soon(ish).

I also have a Decware CSP2+ tube preamp on order to pair with my Odyssey Khartago, but that'll be another few months yet until it's ready. I'm hoping the tube preamp, SS amp, and lore combination has good synergy.

I'll post some pics of the unboxing event when the Lores arrive, and share my pre-warm-up thoughts on how they sound with my current set-up.

Needless to say, the anticipation is slowly killing me :)
A testament to how well the Lores disappear...

I just had a friend over (someone who doesn't know an amplifier from a Walkman), and she was sitting in my sweetspot listening to jazz and asked, "where's the center speaker?" She wouldn't believe me that the music was coming from the Lores. And it's true--I'm listening to Jackie McLean and Kenny Dorham right now, and even though my listening position forms an equilateral triangle with the speakers, the music is coming from straight ahead of me. Someone earlier in this thread described the Lores' ability to image as erie, and now I see why.

Thanks for the advice everyone gave me on speaker positioning. It really came in handy when the Lores arrived this weekend. Happy listening...
Avs9,
I listen to about 50/50 Jazz/Classical, and was a bit worried myself how the Lores would handle Classical, mostly due to reports that they lack resolution compared to higher end speakers. Well, my reservations proved unfounded when the Lores came.

First of all, they are plenty resolving enough for Classical. I can't say I've heard the best of the best when it comes to speakers, but the highest-end I've heard are B&W 802 diamonds, which are known for being highly resolving. Sure, they're more resolving than the Lores, but not by much. And when you figure they cost 15x as much, you'd expect them to be more resolving. The trade off for that little bit of resolution, though, is incredible sonic immersion. For me, listening to the B&W's is like watching 40fps video on an ultra hi-def t.v. It's sharply detailed, but you're constantly aware that you're watching an image on a screen; listening to the B&W's, I 'm always aware that I'm listening to a recording. With the Lores, however, my system disappears. This isn't just because they image well, which they do, but also because they nail the tone and timing of the instruments. They present the music very cohesively, like a live performance. It's like being on stage with the musicians, especially with chamber music.

As for orchestral music, if your amp is powerful enough, the Lore's will wash a symphony over you like you're at the concert hall. You get the rumble of the low frequencies, the airiness of the highs, and the big round tones and resonating thwacks of kettle drums and tympani. And the most impressive part is how well the Lores separate the sections of the orchestra, while still maintaining the timing and cohesiveness of the performance. I've heard many a lesser speaker turn orchestral music into a muddy, distorted mess.

You might not have the same experience as me, but I'd give them a shot before spending more money.

Good luck,
Alex
Still rockin' my stock (no upgrades) Lores in the man-cave, and M-lores in the family system. No urge to upgrade here. As I write this, I'm listening to the Classic Records mono reissue of Jackie MacLean's "Swing Swang Swingin'" on the Lores. The music is dead center between the speakers, which are about 8' apart. Sounds sublime to me.

As for the Beck affiliation, I couldn't care less. I'm a Liberal myself, but I don't see what that has to do with speakers.

I told Eric that when I find a brand I like, I'm pretty loyal. I'm sure my next pair of speakers will be Tektons.