Zu Omen or Tekton Lore

Zman,

Even though I already knew you produced cables very similar to Paul's, I didn't take it as shilling.

Now that you mention it, I have recently upgraded a few components up-stream. The only real constant (if you check out my system) has been my speakers and cabling. It's these items that have 300+ hours, everything else considerably less. Sorry to get off topic.

More to the point: A friend owns Eric's Katz Meow, and if it's any indication of the Lore (8inch driver vs 10inch driver), then I'm certain you wouldn't be disappointed with it.

Evan

Just for the record Eric reccomended Kimber 4tc to me , for the Lores .

Eric use to work for Kimber.

The Q cable I am using is similar to 4TC, in that it is a twisted configuration, but transcends it because it is a type 2 litz which means it is a "twist of a twist." Not only is it effective as shelf shielding, but it completely eliminates skin and proximity effect. It is evident by how nothing sounds rolled off. I testify to you that this is a world class cable. 4tc is not. This is a case where you really have to forget the reviews and magazine ads and try for yourself. If you research what works best with SET and low powered setups, it is frequently Litz or just look at what Tommy Horning puts in his amazing Horn Hybrid speakers – silk cut Litz.

Just a thought, if I was to go with solid core, I would be much more apt to go w/ Zman's design over Speltz. Reason: he go's the extra mile with the Cryo treating and twisting it. Speltz is just a solid core wire – nothing to it really.

I just picked up the Lore and met with Eric. What a great guy you absolutely get the feeling from the first minute you meet him that he is not here to sell you a pair of speakers but he is here to share his love and knowledge of building a world class speakers with you..I took the speakers of the boxes and they are damn heavy i know it is way way too early to talk about how good they are but i can tell you this from the first LP or cd i played i can feel the bass in my face and a fantastic midrange. again i know it is too early and Eric told me just to let them run for 15 hours or so at a moderate to bit higher volume and by tomorrow i will get at least 70% of what the Lore can deliver. I can't wait to hear the difference.. To all of you Audiogon members who are looking for new speaker,do yourself a favor and CALL ERIC.I will post a follow up later this week

Congrats Boniccie - don't forget to give us a nice write up!! They take a good 200 hours to fully break in so be patient. You wll notice them playing more effortless and having the ability to move more air as time goes on.

To all of Lore guys - please post your reviews at audioreview.com I was the first to review the Lore there and I am sure Eric would appreciate it. This is surely "the find" at such a great price, and I wouldn't want to see the price increase due to lack of a following, etc.

God bless all of you!!

All this talk of everyone getting their Lore's has me very anxious now. I ordered mine a little while back, but I did order them with a veneer option, so that obviously creates a delay. I ordered a pair of Fostex based Tektons from Eric about a year ago and have been super happy with them, but now I am very eagerly awaiting the Lore's! :)

Zman - review at audioreview pending... ? Would luv to hear you share. God bless!

All in due time.

Do the speakers have spikes on bottom?

They do have what I consider cones instead of spikes.
I put a platform under mine because the carpet and mat I am useing would not allow the cones (spikes) to go through to the floor.
That is one thing I think Eric should address on his design.

I have had my Lores since October. Eric was very accommodating. I needed them shipped so they would arrive on a certain day and he went the extra mile to make sure it would happen. They are very easy to drive. I'm using a restored 30 watt vintage Scott amp and I have more than enough power. For the money they are an absolute steal. They ran me a little over a $1000 shipped to Philadelphia. I think 30hz is a little optimistic on the bass. I think the mid 30's is more reasonable spec. The vast majority of music doesn't go below 40hz anyway. I'm in a medium size room and as far as I'm concerned the bass is fine. I think anyone with a low powered tube amp should definitely consider the Lores. As I said before they are an absolute steal for the money.

Does eric have a recommendation cable wise?

"03-22-11: Cwazz
Just for the record Eric reccomended Kimber 4tc to me , for the Lores ."
Cwazz (Threads | Answers | This Thread)

I have about 50 hrs. on my Lores and I am guessing that is still not enough . I am a bit disappointed on the bass , not the lack of it , just sounds a bit muddy to me so far.

Cwazz - what are you driving your Lores with, and what source? Also, Zman told me about this trick... tilt them back slightly and the bass will tighten and sound more natural. You may be used to a different type of speaker's bass???

Room, placement, and front end + cables can have everything to do with that. The Lore's bass is not muddy. Give it more time to loosen up also.

Hey Lore owners, any of you guys go with a finish other than the standard satin black? Do you have any pictures? After MONTHS of reading I have decided to make a purchase, but still not sure if I want to pay the finish up-charge. At the end of the day, the sound is what matters but I'd being lying if I said I didn't like a sexy speaker.

I have a pair of walnut Lore's in the queue (Don't have them yet). If you do a basic google image search of "Tekton Lore" a pretty nice maple finish comes up in the results. In addition, it looks like Eric posted a new video at the Tekton website of a pair being finished in veneer. It was on the front page, but if it is moved I am sure it is still at the blog section of the website. I got a pair of the satin black fostex based Tektons a year ago and I really love them, at the time I didn't know what to expect as I had never dealt with Tekton before and had never purchased speakers "unlistened" to, so I was hesitant to pay extra for a finish on something I didn't know if I would like. Now I am very confident in the fit and finish of his designs and would not hesitate to get a finish you desire.

Restless_times: just an FYI, Eric will do a satin finish at NO CHARGE on the following colors: black, white, grey, blue, and burgendy. So there you go! No real need to spend the extra money unless it is high importance to you.

I have the Bubinga veneer . The work on them is near perfect , and everything I thought they be cosmetic wise. It was definitely worth the extra money.

I have around 80 hours on the Lore and the bass is phenomenal, the midrange is so pure and real without any coloration as for the high well it is absolutely fantastic...I will write a detailed review as soon as the speakers hit the 200 hours mark..Dan

I found this interesting, maybe it's been seen here before.

VIDEO

Also, what is cost for a finish upgrade?

Interesting thread. I have been following this thread for sometime now.
Out of curiosity - how do the Lores compare to the Zu Essence? I have never experienced a single driver speaker before. But some of you guys have made some interesting remarks here. BTW, both the Zu and Tektons have a tweeter + "another driver". So why are they called "single driver" speakers? Maybe I am missing something. Can someone throw some light on this?

Speaking with Zu experience. The main driver runs full range without a crossover, covering 30hz-12khz. The supertweeter then has a capacitor and resistor inline from the main driver ensuring it fills in the highs from 12-20khz.

Not a traditional 2 way design but maybe 1.5way!

1 1/2 way is a correct description of the Zu and Tekton speakers. A near full range main driver with a tweeter for help on the top end.

The key is that the main driver (90%?? of the music) is connected directly to the amp. No crossover to muck things up.

Is this why Radio Shack sold alot of "super tweeters" in the 70's? For people who older single driver speakers?

Folks,
Thank you for the explanations. Makes sense now.

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

Looking forward to making a set for you.

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.

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.

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.

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 :-)

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!

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.

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

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

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..

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.

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.

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?

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....

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!

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.

Well it’s been over two months since I took possession of my Lore’s.
I initially bought them to step into and try a FRD type speaker at a low cost.

I’ve 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 don’t 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 I’ve 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 I’ve ever heard.
The front porting makes it difficult to get the bass wrong. Very clean.

I am so struck by these speakers, I’m 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 that’s conservative.

The dynamics and transient attack is unmatched by anything I’ve tried thus far.
To tell you the truth, I don’t think that my system could have ever reached the point of where it is now if I hadn’t 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 they’re system. I’d 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

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 Lore’s 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 wouldn’t 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?
• doesn’t 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

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!!!

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'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.