311 - What amp are you using? |
I just received shipment of the Lore's last night and was super excited to finally try them out. Eric did a great job of packing them up and sent me easy instructions on how to unpack them correctly.
To avoid a big let-down during my first impression, I talked myself into having low expectations as to how they would sound fresh out of the box (before break-in) but was pleasantly surprised how fantastic they sounded! I started listening to the XX album first and WOW it sounded great. The first thing I noticed was the voice clarity. So smooth and effortless! The next thing that jumped out was the great detail on the highs. The little gold tweeter compliments the driver perfectly. The imaging was also good but I think it will improve a lot more over time. The Lore's easily produce enough bass to rattle the walls but do it without being boomy or overpowering. The only area lacking so far is the mid range, but not by much. I fully expect the mids to fill in as the speakers break in over time.
My initial experience is only based on the first 2-3 hours of runtime on the new Lore's. They have been running ever since so I will have a good 24 hours on them when I get home tonight. I can't wait to see how they progress over time!
Just my $0.02 |
Cwazz,
What is the damping factor of the amps you used? This can really affect the bass extension. As I mentioned above, I have found that low damping factor amps play very well with full range drivers in ported boxes, as long as they don't lead to the driver becoming underdamped, which would lead to loose and sloppy bass.
It may not be a case of tube vs. solid state, or something that a more powerful amp will fix. I've run my speakers happily with 5W-10W solid state amps (FirstWatt F1 and F2j) with low damping factor with great success. Very satisfying bass. And my Atma-sphere S-30 at 30W also delivers, but I think this again is more due to the low damping factor. Aleph 30, SS design providing 30W by the same designer of the F1 and F2J (Nelson Pass) did not work as well, due largely to the high damping factor which led to my speakers being overdamped. FWIW |
I am driving the Lores with a ss 100 watt amp and also tried a 35 watt intergrated tube amp .With both I find them lacking in bass , not saying there is none , just a bit weak . I use them only for music , no ht. They are definitly lacking for a claim of going into the lower 30's . |
No direct experience with the Lore, but in my experience with a full range driver design, I have found that the quality and frequency extension of the bass can be very dependent on the damping factor of your amp. I had an Aleph 30 that I loved with the exception of the bass. In my system (96dB sensitivity 12" Audio Nirvana drivers in a bass reflex design, so some similarities to the Lore design), the bass with the Aleph 30 was overdamped due to the high damping factor. With lower damping factor amps (FirstWatt F1, F2J and my current Atma-sphere S-30), the bass sounded much better, with nicer bass extension. But beware that if the damping factor is too low, you can get bass that is loose or sloppy. Hope this helps.
I sure hope to get a chance to hear some Lores with my Atma-sphere. Still fishing around to find a Lore owner in the Chicago area (hint, hint). Otherwise, I will have to just pull the trigger... |
the above post is right on point. i listen to all genres of music and i never found the bass to be lacking. i use the Lore only for music because i have a separate home theater setup. one caveat, the Lore are being driven by 255 watt SS amp with a high damping factor and the bass is never loose or sloppy. i have not bothered to swap in my lower powered tube amps yet because i'm fine with the current performance. |
I would say that they have a well balanced bass but not a kick in the chest bass. It's an audiophile type bass. Strong but not bloated. YMMV |
One last question before placing an order. What's the consensus on bass response. I like BIG bass as I listen mostly to Electronic, Jazz and R&B. In the past, I have owned Totem Forest, ACI Sapphire XL, and Ascend Sierra. The Sapphires were my favorite and I am still kicking myself for selling them. Anyway, What's the bass like? I saw one poster say he found them lacking. Anyone else? |
Well, I think there are enough variables with room acoustics and seating position alone to throw the whole question of bass weight up in the air. Then add personal taste on top of that and you really have very little solid foundation for useful comparisons in this kind of internet chat setting.
Basically, no speaker is perfect, but I'm having a grand time with the Lores given the many compromises of in-home sound systems. Maybe someday I'll get around to building a proper outdoor amphitheater so I don't have to deal with these acoustics issues anymore... ;) |
"04-11-11: Zmanastronomy
Genjamon, it sounds like you know what your doing.
It's all personal taste."
I second that!! But one thing that did strike me is ... no room treatement. Genj - Have you ever thought of installing some bass traps? I have about 8, 69 x 24 1" panels in my room, some of which a double up to make a "trap" if you will. I find that this keeps the bass in the room where it belongs, though I haven't measured to the level that you do. I tune everything by ear. But it sounds like Genjamon has done a fine job in integrating a subwoofer, and that is not an easy task! Also sounds like he knows live music allot better than I do ;o) |
Genjamon, it sounds like you know what your doing.
It's all personal taste. If you like it, who are we to say it's not right.
Have fun.
John |
I'm using Anti-Cables speaker cables and Signal Cable silver interconnects. Pangea and Signal power cords. No power treatment.
I would say I DO want my system to be able to kick me in the chest at 30 hz if that's what the music or soundtrack calls for it. That's why I have a monster subwoofer capable of doing so. I don't expect my main speakers to be able to do it alone, especially in the price range I can afford. That said, I don't like boom and bloom in my bass, so mains with good bass resolution and tone is vital, as is careful integration of subwoofer. That's why I bought the Behringer, to allow me to do this in highly customizable ways with my room's specific acoustic needs.
I have no complaints with the Lores in the bass department. However, if I were to run them absent a subwoofer, in my room, I would find the bass instruments to sound recessed compared to midrange. For instance, I don't want the bass guitar to sound like it's playing second fiddle to electric or acoustic guitar, like the bassist is hanging out way in the background and the vocalist and guitarist are front and center. I like it to sound like bass, drums, guitar, and vocals are all playing at comparable volume levels. Another way I like to judge frequency balance is listening to the drums. From cymbals, to snare, to tom toms, to bass drums, all drums should sound like they are at relatively similar volume levels. If the kick drum sounds quite a bit louder than a solid tom tom or snare hit, the bass is too much.
So, what I do is take that Behringer and a microphone, play some pink noise, do my best to EQ bass to be flat consistent with integration with mid-bass and midrange. This will get the proper EQ for deep bass as well as dealing with the major inevitable wobbles in bass freq. response in most rooms. Then I shut off the pink noise and play a variety of music, musical styles, etc, listening for bass levels that balance as like I described my preferences above. If I need to add or cut gain from the subwoofer, that's what I do. I usually go back and forth adding and cutting a little here or there to get it right for my tastes. After a couple hours, I'm usually pretty satisfied, and when I play a song with a good walking bass from low to high, it sounds pretty balanced to me with good integration to where the subwoofer drops off into mid-bass.
YMMV!
I have the Lores about 18 inches from sidewalls and 35 inches from rear walls. Listening position is about 9-10 feet from each speaker.
Part of the issue for you guys might be that my listening position is in a part of the room with not a lot of bass acoustics reinforcement. i find this easier to get the right EQ across the spectrum. It's just off the center of the room, so I avoid a significant number of specific frequency nulls, but I'm also not getting much wall reinforcement in bass. Therefore, I need subwoofer and EQ for solid bass performance. |
RE: bright comment.
When I was breaking in my Lores, I was using entry level Nordost cable. The sound was very thick in the bottom end, and the presentation tilted to the side of warm. It was nice, but I felt like I may have been missing some resolution and fidelity. When I switched the Q Audio litz wire, I was no less then shocked by the result (for more info see my Q cable review at Audioreview.com). It was like someone turned on the lights in my system. It sounded a little bright at first, because I was hearing all of these high frequencies that were previously rolled off! It also sounded a little thinner than it was, but I soon realized that this was a more natural and accurate presentation then what I had been used to. When the recording is true to it, there is plenty of bass and all of that natural tone I desire. I am simply relying on the recordings to deliver that, and not the flavor of the system. For those of you after a certain type of flavor, a revealing loudspeaker such as this may not be the ticket.
Anyway, after it settled in, and I get used to it, I loved it! I simply wont use another cable with the Lores now. Granted, keep in mind I am using some serious amplifiers. The Quicksilver Mini Mites, though not expensive, are the best sanely priced amps I have heard and changes in cables can make dramatic differences (same is true with all good tube gear).
Now if I was to walk downstairs and hook this cable up in my HT system with a Denon receiver, Blu-ray player, and Kirksaeters, then it is not going to make such a dramatic difference.
I cannot stress how important a front end and cables are when one gets to this level of equipment. I am not sure how much experience some of you have, but the output you get is to the result of the sum of the inputs. These speakers were born for a good tube front end, period. If you are using solid state, you may not be getting the entire picture (with these speakers, IMHO of course). |
Genjamon - I am also surprised to hear you find Lores are light in the bass. My Omens with the 10"er are anything but light, I even had to raise them a little (they port out the bottom) to get the bass right. I would assume the 10"er on the Lore would be similar in this regard.
Have you used that amp with other speakers?
Have you played with positioning?
Or maybe you're just a bass freak :) What's your point of reference? |
In regard to Cwazz comment about them being bright: understand that the Lore is not a rolled off sound. It took me a little while to get used to this aspect of them. I've had bright / hot sounding speakers before and the Lore is not that. Actually, it pains me to even hear someone say that, because I am EXTREMELY sensitive to bright sounding speakers and these would have been out the door quick if that were trhe case. I cant even listen to some Monitor Audio speaker for instance.
If you are experiencing some issues with brightness, I would strongly advise to check out the rest of your chain and look closely at your room. At 98db eff. and this full range driver, they are going to reveal EVERYTHING. If you are after a warmer sound, there are plenty of loudspeakers out there that roll things off. Also, no speaker will sound good a brittle room, although a warmer speaker might be easier on the ears.
Now, in regard to the light bass comment... understand that the Lore is not going to kick you in the chest at 30hz. It would unwise to believe that any $1,000 speaker could do that, unless it was seriously compromised in other (and likely all) other areas. |
Light in the bass? I never considered the Lore to be light in the bass. It's not earth shattering bass. It's very ballanced and not dominant. Bass is a personal preferance to most people. Some people just want big bass and everything else is secondary. I like a ballance with a little slam when slam is needed.
Room placement will definatly help out in the bass department.
I'd much rather have clean bass than more bloated bass.
Deeper bass would be nice, but for what it has, it's very clean and to my liking.
Just my opinion. |
Thanks for the crossover info. I have found that taking some of the load off my main drivers by using both a high and low pass filter really improved things. Not sure if this was due to taking the load off my main speaker amp or from taking the load off the speakers...
Worth experimenting with perhaps.
Thanks for the info and glad the mp3 problem isn't with the speaker |
I'd call the driver a slightly blueish gray. Not the perfect match with a wood veneer in my opinion, but I don't notice it as much as when they first arrived. Not really a big deal to me. I have much worse aesthetic issues in my living room than these minor issues on otherwise very fetching speakers. I did suggest to Eric he should consider grills an option, especially for wood veneers. He said he's been looking into it with an industrial engineer, and he hopes to offer a retrofit for those who already have Lores and would like grills. He didn't mention anything about timeline. Honestly, if faced with the prospect of shipping costs to and from Eric and also time without the speakers, I'd probably be fine not even going for grills. I'd sure miss the tunes while they're away. |
Switched back to Itunes to try out those mp3's this afternoon, and no ticking/crackling. I was using Decibel as my player. Looks like I need to have a chat with Steve Booth about what his software might be doing. He might be able to identify the issue and include a fix in his next Decibel update.
I wouldn't say the Lores are overly bright for my taste - I'd say they're just about right, but I'm using a good combination of absorption and diffusion acoustic treatments in my room, so that probably helps a good bit.
I'm not using any filtering on the Lores in the bass dept - they're running full-range. I'm not interested in doing filter unless absolutely necessary. I have some of Ed Schilling's magic cables going from my amp outputs to the line-level inputs on my Behringer EQ, the the EQ outputs to the subwoofer line level inputs. Crossover point is about 100 hz, but that's deceiving. I have a lot of cutting in the EQ curve throughout the bass freqs, but I'm battling a healthy null around 70 hz in my room, despite good bass trapping. |
Genjamon,
Where do you have the crossover set for your sub? And are you using a filter to take some of the low freq loas off of the Lore driver?
On the mp3 problem, I would check with Eric. Popping or ticking suggests a tweeter problem.
Please do keep us informed on all of this. |
Question, what color is that driver? In some pics it looks blue and in others it looks gray. Does it not come in black? |
Genjamon, I am having the same situation with my Lores. I have about 70 hrs. on them , but feel they are a bit bright and lack the lower bass . This week I will add my subwoofer to them , just for kicks . I do not use mp3s so I do not have any advice for that problem. |
As for wattage, the 25 watts/channel of my Dayens Ampino has been PLENTY for my 8 X 15 X 22 ft living room with significant sized opening to dining room.
I've spent a good amount of time this weekend working on subwoofer integration with the Lores. With the Hornshoppe speakers, the last couple octaves of bass are just completely missing. My subwoofer was pretty much on its own with anything under 100 hz or so. My microphone on pink noise measures the Lores performing down to 30 hz before really trailing off. I find the Lore bass to be there, but to be a bit light for my tastes and in my room. Subwoofer supplementation is definitely desirable for me. It's definitely much trickier to have to integrate a third bass driver into the room, though. The EQ curves I have to work up in my Behringer are more difficult, and then there's always a difference between the measurement and what my ears are telling me.
I find the bass quite tuneful and articulate with the Lores, but in my opinion they do need some support for weight in the bass arena and also deepest extension.
At this point, the Lores have about 25 hours of solid performance on them. I wouldn't say that they have opened up substantially more since about the first 10 hours, but I have been listening to them almost continuously, so I'm probably not noticing changes if they are happening gradually.
One concern that has arisen involves some of the mp3's I've played. Most of my collection is lossless ripped from my CD collection. However, I do have some mp3's downloaded from the internet, at various bitrates. I have found with a significant number of these mp3's that volume peaks create a "popping" or "ticking" sound in the tweeter. It's significant enough for most of those songs to make them unlistenable. It's not my amp clipping, as the popping happens no matter the volume of playback. It's the way the Lores are working with the signal itself. Not sure why Lores would be different, but the Hornshoppe speakers never did this on these same files, nor did Omega Compact Hemps or Tyler Acoustics Linbrook Monitors I've had. I hope this situation resolves itself with further burn-in. |
I used a Decware se84cs and it was decent, but no where near the level of the Quicksilver Mini Mites! Try and go for 15+ watts if you are looking for full potentional. Eric has suggested 20+ watts. I would think the Peachtree would be really nice, although not at the level of Quicksilvers but i realize you get allot in the Peachtree package. Congrats by the way!! |
YAY! government shutdown averted, so I will call Eric and order a pair of Lores. Any Amp suggestions? I was thinking either Decware Zen Triode or the Peachtree iDecco. |
04-08-11: Sebrof "The Lore and Omen are so close in design I can't imagine that one would be head and shoulders over the other."
They are close in design, yes... but the Lore uses a completely different tweeter - that alone will change the sound, and on top of that the whizzer is in tact and the cabinet is braced and damped to a higher standard, as well as tuned differently. All of that will add up to a different sound - how much different none of us know, yet...
As for your situation, I agree and I never meant any disrespect by what I said, and at this point none of us know the margin anyway. It is good to have diversity... but I am definitely not over the top on what I say. The Lore purchase finally got me off the speaker go around.., and that for me is reason to rejoice!! |
04-08-11: Zmanastronomy
My Listsning room is small, so I can't put a $30,000 speaker in there to see if it's better or not. It would surely overpower my room."
The key for me was that I tried for years to get big speakers to sound good (Maggie 12s and 1.6, ML Ascent, KHorns, others) in my 12' x 13' room. The first full rangers I got were the Tekton Katz and I was amazed at how much better they played in the small room, and how they filled the room with only 4 watts. Same with the Omens. An eye opening experience to say the least.
I would guess that there are many out there that look at some of these full rangers, or read stuff in these forums, and think they won't work even if they are in a small room. I'm glad I took the chance. I really don't see myself changing around much any time soon. |
I'm so glad to see the maturity in this post. It could easily get out of hand and it hasn't.
Thanks guys, I love the input that's going on here.
For what it's worth. As I was looking into the Zu's or Tekton Design line, I talked with Eric (I know it's based on a bias) about the Lore and he said that it will compete with the Essence speaker. Eric has listened to all the Zu speakers and he didn't seem to be a over the top person.
He could have said they compare to the Superflies but he was confident that the Lore was better.
I haven't heard the Zu line up so I'm baseing what i say to what Eric conveyed to me.
I know Zu is making a speaker that is a very good speaker.
But the Lore is without a doubt the best speaker I've heard compared to anything I've ever been able to afford.
I wish I could audition a pair of Superfly's for confirmation.
I trust that Sebrof has as much experiance as any of us and he states that the Omen is a great buy at $1000.
But also states that if he had it to do over he might choose the Lore.
We're over the top for the Lore simply because it's performance is right up there with the best there is on the market.
My Listsning room is small, so I can't put a $30,000 speaker in there to see if it's better or not. It would surely overpower my room.
But for every other speaker that will not over power my room, the lore has outperformed them all by leaps and bounds.
I can only speak from my own experience and a fellow audiophile that has spent time in my room listening.
He has had $30,000 speakers in his system and can't say enough about the performance that the Lore has acheived.
I had my doubts after I ordered the speakers.
I couldn't comprehend how a guitar speaker would be able to do what I was hopeing. I am more than pleased with the results.
Please take what I say as what it is. My oppinion on a product that I didn't have much hope for. I was wrong. |
C'mon Gp. Secret inside information??
The Lore and Omen are so close in design I can't imagine that one would be head and shoulders over the other.
If I were to buy now I would probably buy the Lore. Actually, If I didn't already own Tekton I probably would have bought Lores instead of Omens back in December.
The Omens have completely exceeded my expectations that I don't regret buying them (@ $1K). Would I be happier with Lores? Don't know, but I ain't gonna ask Eric Alexander because I know what his answer would be.
I just think you guys are over the top on the Lores. I laugh at the value ratio everytime I fire up my Omens because at $1K they have no business sounding that good. But talk to a Decware owner, Cain and Cain, Sonist, etc. for med/hi eff speaker owners. They'll say the same thing. That's why I check myself. Lots of choices, what's better for one guy isn't necessarily better for another guy, YMMV, etc etc.
Enjoy the tunes guys. |
I should also add that the Lore cabinet is tuned for proper bass weighting, etc. As Eric put it to me months ago, long before I heard them... "everything in this loudspeaker has been addressed."
Good to hear from you Zman!!! |
04-08-11: Sebrof "No, he did not say that. He said he heard a couple of songs on the Superflys in a hotel room.
Easy, tiger."
I realize you own Omens and Tekton speakers. Please do not take any of what I am about to say as negative. I am sure there are many happy Zu owners out there that will read what I am about to say, and perceive as negative or become discontent with their purchase. This is not my intent! At the end of day all that matters is sound quality / design execution, and all of us know personally whether we made the right choice or not. Not one of us has made the right move every time I have surely been on both sides.
With that said, I am hoping to hear the Zu line for myself at some point so I can make my own judgment once and for all, but I have some inside information that tells me the Lore transcends every speaker in the Zu line up, all the way up to the Essence. I cannot state this as conclusive, but research and plain common sense, along knowing how good the Lores are first hand compared to what else I have owned, I believe I have strong indication.
The fact is, Eric helped Zu design some of its offerings - he gets my nod for aptitude when it comes to engineering and speaker building. Does Zu have this level of talent in design and engineering of a loudspeaker? I am not sure.
It sounds like you may have fallen into pricing deceptions by believing the Lore should compare only to $1K-$1,500 loudspeakers. I wouldnt get hung up pricing not in this case. Eric does not advertise, and he has less overhead, therefore he can sell a loudspeaker for allot less if he chooses to. He has disclosed that he is hoping to really get his business off the ground with this new Lore model, which reasonably explains why he packed so much into a lower priced offering.
You have seen the list of speakers I have owned, have you not? It is no fluke this speaker is really that good.
Contrary to Omen, the Lore:
cabinet is tuned for phase accuracy and damped properly. It weighs more as a result.
has no strange modification of an already well designed Eminence driver the whizzer is not cut out with a utility knife and modified with a phase plug for an undisclosed reason it may enhance some areas but what else is it doing??? Is this why Zu speakers measure so poorly?
doesnt have an inverted tweeter housing with no function other than looks (it is not a horn, so what is it)???
tweeter is better I have seen the tweeter that Zu uses in the Omen and it is inferior to the Audax Super Tweeter |
Well its been over two months since I took possession of my Lores.
I initially bought them to step into and try a FRD type speaker at a low cost.
Ive been playing with placement and platforms and just recently got the speakers in the perfect spot to perform at their highest level in my room.
Though it started out as a test to see if the FRD type speaker was the way for me to go, I dont see replacing the Lore anywhere in the near future.
Once placement was established, the Lore does it all. The bass is the most tuneful bass Ive experienced in any speaker.
The mids are perfect. The highs are very well extended and seamless with the driver. The soundstage is very wide and very deep.
The imaging is the best of any speaker thus far Ive ever heard.
The front porting makes it difficult to get the bass wrong. Very clean.
I am so struck by these speakers, Im going to highlight them on my website to point out the price to performance ratio that nothing else that I have ever tried even comes close.
I feel that you cannot find a better speaker at 3x the cost. And thats conservative.
The dynamics and transient attack is unmatched by anything Ive tried thus far.
To tell you the truth, I dont think that my system could have ever reached the point of where it is now if I hadnt tried the lore speaker.
They are an incredible find, not just because of their price point.
I would recommend these speakers to anyone looking for an upgrade to theyre system. Id put my name and reputation on them.
Hope this helps someone that might be considering a speaker change to take a listen to them.
John |
I agree with Sebrof - hearing a few songs in a foreign room with foreign equipment isn't enough for a full comparison. Furthermore, this was way back in October. That said, I do remember comparing the Soul Superfly system to other systems at RMAF. It was not in my top 5 systems, and I recall coming home to my system and feeling it was definitely in the top 5. The only affordable system that was in the top 5 other than my system at home was the Odyssey complete system - $5500 for everything except source. It rocked, had finesse, soundstage depth/width/height, etc. I'm committed to high efficiency, otherwise I probably would have bought that system and sold off my current one. What I was hearing last night was very much in line with what I liked about those Odyssey Lorelei's driven by the Odyssey electronics. Dynamics, space, tone, etc.
Not that the Lorelei's and Lores can be said to be exactly the same or should even be directly compared - I'm just saying the main attributes that wowed me about the Odyssey system have been introduced to my home system through the Lores.
Comparison to Hornshoppe Horns? Well, last night's listening showed the Horns to be lean and less spatially resolving in comparison. They're great for what they are, but the Lores are a whole other animal. Lores could play louder with greater ease and scale - the dynamics were more substantial. They Horns image well, but the soundstage is greatly expanded with the Lores, in width, height, and depth. There is also greater tone and micro-resolution, most notably with guitar. Then again, I WAS listening to a live Ween concert, so you better believe guitar was where a lot of the action was. In terms of dynamics, percussion was also much more resolved as a result of better dynamic ability. As a former drummer, this was a great result for me.
Ok, guys. Don't take what I'm saying here too far too fast. I just listened to one DVD for a couple hours very early into the burn-in period. I really like what I'm hearing, but I'm no fan-boy, and I'm willing to offer criticism as much as note what I like. I haven't heard Omens, and I'm not trying to make that comparison here. All I can say about my LIMITED experience with the Soul Superfly is that they were "interesting", but did not wow me at RMAF. Lorelei's did then, and Lores are right now, in my room, in my system. Who knows how the Superfly's would do in my room/system, but I'm not that interested to find out given what I was hearing last night. Let's see how the Lores fare with a load of my other music. |
Jedinite24-
Glad to give you my reviews next week. I asked Eric about my receiver and the Lores and he said it will sound fantastic. He said a lot of his testing has been with a 30W amp so my 50W Outlaw should "rock out" (in Eric's words)..
We shall see! |
And is there anyone in the Chicagoland area with some Lores? I'd love to get a listen. Would even schlep over some amps to see how they sound with different amplification....
|
Genjamon,
Good to see another Ween fan here.
I'm also a Horn Shoppe owner and would be very interested in your impressions compared to those speakers.
Also, how difficult was it to integrate the Lore's with your sub? What crossover point did you use? |
04-08-11: Gpowered
So is it safe to say that these deliver just as much, if not more than the Soul SuperFly's at less than half of their price!??"
No, he did not say that. He said he heard a couple of songs on the Superflys in a hotel room.
Easy, tiger.
The Lore to Omen is the comparison to be made if you are comparing Tekton to Zu. Now that the Omens are $1500 I'd say nod to Lore, but I'm still waiting for someone to post who has heard both.
FYI - I have Tekton Katz Meow and Zu Omen and could write pretty much word for word what you guys are saying about the Lore for both of these guys. Fantastic speakers both, and I'm sure the Lore are as well. |
GPowered and Genjamon Thanks so much for your reviews and thoughts.
311mph
I'd really like to read your findings about the Lores as well. My gear is very similar to yours. I always wonder if speakers like the Lores require expensive high-end SS and Tube gear to get the best sound out of them. |
Just received notification from Eric that my Lore's shipped yesterday so I should have them mid next week!!
I will let you all know my impressions although I am an audiophile newbie, for what it's worth.
I'm currently running B&W 602S3's over Signalcables Ultra speaker cables with my Outlaw Audio 1070 receiver. I use a PS3 as my CD player while most audio listening comes from my macbook pro which connects to an airport express (airtunes) with an optical output to my Outlaw.
I've heard the Druids and Superfly's recently and liked the Druids slightly more (easier on my ears) so I'm really looking to see the difference between these and the Lores.
Stay tuned.. |
Genjamon - Thanks for the review!! Don't forget to write a review for audioreview.com when they get some miles on them.
So is it safe to say that these deliver just as much, if not more than the Soul SuperFly's at less than half of their price!?? That is quite a statement! Also, and as you know... you are no where near potential. They will take much more time to fully loosen up, and believe me when I tell you that a Kaizen will occur! Also, changes in front end would surely add/subtract tone from the presentation, but I can see what you are saying... and I TOTALLY agree, the Lore is by far the most convincingly "live" sounding speaker I have owned. So much that live recordings have been the point of focus for me these days!
In Christ, JL |
Based largely on this thread and also having heard the Zu Soul Superfly at RMAF in October, I decided to give Eric and the Lore a chance. Put in my order in early March, and they finally were shipped late last week after some delays (it's clear that Eric is kind of at the limit of his capacity right now), finally made it home from picking them up from Fedex last evening. I also got the walnut veneer finish.
Quickly swapped them out for my Hornshoppe Horns in my system, and immediately turned them on a medium-high volume to begin break-in - then left the house for bowling league. The finish is very high quality. I'm a little less than totally satisfied with the look of the gray drivers compared with the beautiful wood finish - they could use some black grills to cover the drivers in this case, although the gold tweeter could easily stay visible and make me happy.
Immediate impressions before leaving the house were that there was more tone and fullness than the Fostex-based Hornshoppe speakers, certainly more bass as expected. There were also enhanced spatial cues.
Returned three hours later after bowling along with some of my buddies. We put in the Ween Live in Chicago DVD, cranked the volume, and had an awesome time. If things continue to improve from here, I'll be a very happy person.
A note of comparison to Zu. I didn't listen extensively to the Soul Superfly, but I did listen to a couple songs. Keep in mind it was at a show, and not in my home with my setup. I also don't have the same supporting electronics, so YMMV. However, I can say, even given all those caveats, my initial comparative impression of the Lores vs. Soul Superfly are that the SS had more meaty tone but that the Lores have more spatial development and cues while retaining a lot of that tone. The dynamics are certainly there in spades. My buddies said that these speakers really sound like you're there at the event. We were listening at near concert levels - yes our ears were ringing a bit by the end of the DVD, just like at a concert. It sounded like voices in the crowd and claps and cheering were right there in the room with us. And the music was really damned sweet.
Anyway, I'll keep this thread updated as I continue with burn-in and as I have a chance to listen to more of my music, especially the well recorded stuff.
System Equipment:
Mac-Mini - SSD, headless
dB Audio Tranquility SE DAC - with signature USB cable
Hornshoppe's The Truth pre-buffer
Dayens Ampino
Lores/Hornshoppe Horns
AV123 MFW-15 subwoofer fed by stock Behringer DEQ2496, using RTA and pink noise to set up parametric EQ for proper integration of subwoofer with main speakers - flat bass response to 20hz in my room/listening position, and also good integration with mains
~Ben |
Just a quick note to mention: after 250+ hours of run in with ALL equipment, I have noticed a great amount of focus and precision in the soundstage. It is as deep and 3 dimensional as any system I have had, and beyond. It is really quite remarkable for a $1K pair of speakers. People I am telling you - the sound from the Lores is so amazingly realistic, I pity the individual that decides to spend 5x this to get the same result. Live music recordings are BREATHTAKING!! Granted, I have made good choices in system matching and the synergy is all there, but if you are on the fence or stuck looking at competing offerings, do yourself a favor and choose the Lores - they are nothing short of amazing!
Again, I have owned:
Dynaudio Focus 220 II
Dynaudio Confidence C1
Dynaudio Audience 70 and 42
Paradigm Studio 60v4
PSB Synchrony One
PSB Stratus Gold I
Von Schweikert VR-4 Jr
Rega RS7
Quad ESL 989
Carver Amazing Speakers
Martin Logan Ascent
Dali Ikon 2
Silverline SR12
Kirksaeter Prisma 50 (home theater)
All of these had their strengths and weaknesses, and most of them cost much more than the Lore. The Lore is a completely different animal it plays extremely loud but at the same time is as delicate and focused as the best of them. No frequency sounds detached - that is perhaps the most profound truth to these. Its highs are crystal clear and beautiful, while the mid-range is second to only the Quads I owned - that is really saying something! The lows are tight and very articulate, but again do not expect a $1K single driver speaker to shake the earth the laws of physics will not allow it. But as other have said here the lows are of good qaulity.
The bigger speakers above (e.g. Carvers) had more bottom end then the Lore, but I enjoy the total package of the Lore much more than ALL of these
and I am sure that some of that has to do with all of the money I was able to save.
Again, to Christ be the glory and I am grateful that there are honest guys like Eric delivering the goods affordably. |
Hey guys! 2 months + in now... fully broken in... and COMPLETELY satisfied with my Lore / Quicksilver Mini Mite / Cary cdp-1 / Q cable setup. They just keep sounding better and better. I honestly believe after all of the systems I've had, this one is really special in terms of real high end value. I am off the A'gon train. Guess I'll set up a little home theater now, lol. God bless! |
Serbof/Jedinite24,
So looks like the Tektons are easy to fall in love. It is not that I do not spend time with my system. But because of the new baby, my listening time has cut down drastically. I setup my system again last week. Before that I used to simply surf the forums between the baby's naps. That was when, by some sheer chance that I came upon this thread.
I liked the Tektons because they look like simple design like my beloved Quads. Honestly I can easily upgrade my speakers at this point to a speaker in between $4K to $6K range. But my Quads are so awesome that I do not have an itch to upgrade. But knowledge is always important and I want to make sure that I do not miss on some good stuff.
The best thing that has happened to me is - my newborn is easily soothed when I rock him to sleep in the music room, with the music running in the background. I hope he too likes music as he grows - just like his older brother :-) |
Maybe all the recent Tekton Lore buyers are too busy enjoying the music from their speakers to participate in the forum now.
I'm curious about their OB speaker designs. I keep missing out on the classified listings for them. Seems like as soon as they are listed members jump on them.
Also I think members here are keeping Tekton real busy. I sent them an e-mail some time ago inquiring about some older Tekton models and still haven't heard back.
The Tekton site has a pretty nice video on the front page now of a Lore speaker cabinet being made. Kind of reminds me of the Zu Audio video some time ago. Nice cinematic quality. |
FRSDs with that big honkin' Parasound?!? (Just joking)
We're all too busy sitting around listening to music to post. Try to find a pair to listen to and you may find they work for you, too.
I have the Zu Omen and Tekton Katz Meow driven by a 2A3 SET. My review is that if you are in a small room the simplicity of single drivers makes it easy to get great sound in there. Certainly worth a try. |
Come on guys, don't slow down. You guys got me started on single driver speakers. I started researching on single driver speakers and found the likes of AudioKinesis, GedLees, etc. The Tekton Uruz, AudioKinesis Jazz Modules and Zu Essence are of interest to me. Not that I have an itch to upgrade - but keeping these firms/models on my radar. The efficiency and accuracy, based on the comments interests me. I did not find many reviews on these 3 models. But it is a new area and I will keep searching - especially I have a passive preamp (TVC) in my system. |
Looking forward to making a set for you. |
I am driving my Lore with onix sp3 and my sources are Clearaudio concept TT and the amazing 16bit consonance cd 120 linear..I am looking for your recommendations for a new amp that can top the onix and match the Lore very well..I few speaker cables(ZU WAX,DH LABS Q10 & T14,Kimber 4tc & 8tc)for some reason the anti cable sound the best with the Tekton. I know Zmanastronomy make a similar cable and i will place an order to try them pretty soon
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Folks,
Thank you for the explanations. Makes sense now. |
