Zu Omen or Tekton Lore


Best floorstanders under $999 for low power SET amp?

Thanks
mstark
The Lore-S at higher volumes I would describe as composed. They do not seem to change that much just louder. You feel the dynamics more but the details and tone were the same.
At moderate and lower volumes they are very pleasing.

OK, so given the music genres you listen to, how would you describe them at higher volumes?
Cardas binding posts on the Lore.

http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?p=301858#post301858
Thanks for chiming in, Wind. Good to see another person's thoughts on the Lore-S. Eric has developed a pretty interesting range of speakers here, and it's good to know how they might compare to each other. We're still missing some Lore and M-Lore comparisons, and then there's the Oriel as well. Maybe someone can fill us in eventually on those.
Greetings
Thank you to all who have contributed to this thread. I have the Lore-S speakers for 2 months now and am very satisfied. I came to a choice Zu vs Tekton Omen vs Lore. The debate lead me hear. Both similar but the Lore was a better value and surpassed the Omen. I could only go on what I read hear and other sites. I was unsure about speakers I could not listen to before buying. I called Tekton and Eric answers the phone. Actually called several times and he always answers the phone. Big plus. Nothing better than talking to the owner designer and builder of your speakers.I explained to Eric the best speaker I liked was the Vandersteen 2ce Sig2. I wanted a more lively sound and the ability to have them vanish as the source. Eric felt his yet to be released Lore with Seas drivers would be the best fit for me. I needed tone, imaging, depth and detail. The Lore-S delivers on all accounts. Thanks Genjamon for your comments on the Lore-S. You described them accurately. I listen to a wide variety of music rock, classical, country, blues, At moderate and lower volumes they are very pleasing. The highs are very smooth. I found a slight tilt back helpful. To be exact, lift the front up 5/8 inch. The sound stage became taller, wider and deeper. I built platforms similar to the ones from Mapleshade. 1 1/2 thick x 14 x 16 with 3 brass points. The two in front are 1 1/4 high and the rear one is 5/8 high. The speakers are 9.5 feet apart with only a slight toe in. The result is a very spacious musical event. Eric has a winner here. His veneer work is art. And if you want he can do just about any color. Give him a call.
Well, I also forgot to mention that I didn't find the Lore-S very sensitive to interconnects or speaker cable swapping, not as much as the Lore is. I have the copper version of Sweet Reveal cables from Tuan over on Audiocircle and some level two Morrow interconnects (silver coated copper) I swapped between, and I also have some litz braided single core copper speaker cables I swapped with some Clear Day shotgun solid core silver cables. Didn't sense a whole lot of difference on the Lore-S, while on the Lore I very much prefer the solid copper interconnects over the Morrow. Haven't yet made up my mind on the speaker cables though, as the litz ones just arrived at the end of the Lore-S audition.
Thanks Genjamon....to continue your discussion about placement to the Pendragons, I have found them to be very sensitive to small changes also and I have just spent much time moving them and yet I still that I need to keep working to get them just right. Their bass can easily overload a room and the soundstage and dynamics all change with each tweak.

I have not tried tipping them up or down as I do not know what size footers that I could use with them. I will have to give Eric a call tomorrow......
I forgot one last set of thoughts. I find the placement of the Lore pretty sensitive to very small changes and kind of hard to get the right balance of center fill and soundstage width/depth. When you get it right, it's really good, but it takes work.

I did not find the Lore-S to be nearly as placement sensitive. It sounded mostly the same whether flat or slightly tipped up, and not that different between a couple different positions I had used with the Lore. The differences were not nearly as large as with the Lore in those different spots. Probably relevant for those who don't have as much placement flexibility.
Wow, this thread has gone really quiet lately! Thought I'd try to bring it back to life a bit with some final thoughts about the Lore vs. Lore-S comparison.

I now have my original Lores back in the house after a couple weeks of giving the Lore-S a try. I really don't have much more to say on the dynamics vs. fullness issue. The Lore is definitely more dynamic than the Lore-S, and it fills a room better. I also think the Lore has a more tactile sound to it, probably part of the greater dynamics, both micro and macro.

The Lore-S has a warmer tone, and fuller sounding instruments on the whole. It seems to give greater dimension to the instruments, while also separating them better than the Lore does, and with greater sound field depth. The high frequencies were certainly there, and with greater nuance and detail, but they were more recessed than with the Lore.

Now that I have the Lore back at home, the sound field does not seem as deep. I hadn't expected this, as I guess it didn't strike me upfront about the Lore-S, but I guess I got used to it while they were here.

Still, the dynamics and room-filling sound of the Lore gives music through it a greater presence in my room, and even though the instruments don't have as much weight or dimension, I love the articulation of the Lore. I guess it's what we all call that "live" sound that they have. The Lore-S had all the details, but they didn't seem to carry the same energy and emotion as with the Lore. The Lore isn't as revealing, probably, but still very revealing, enough for me, but with greater emotion and musical energy.

Keep in mind with all of the above that I'm not a big small band, singer-songwriter, jazz, or classical buff. I listen to a lot of modern alternative, rock, etc stuff. I do listen to some smaller group and acoustic music too. Some of this is actually really well recorded, others of it definitely not. I also listen in a 16X24 room, with some good sized openings to other parts of the house, fairly well treated.

Bands and songs I'm very familiar with and used in my lineup for comparison:

Ani Difranco - What How When Where Why Who
Paul Simon - You're the One, and Hurricane Eye
Ray Lamontagne - You Can Bring Me Flowers
Fiona Apple - Carrion
Bonnie Prince Billy - Wai
Fleet Foxes - Sim Sala Bim
King Creosote & Jon Hopkins - Bats in the Attic
Soul Coughing - City of Motors, and Down To This
Stevie Ray Vaughan greatest hits - Little Wing
Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms
Ween (live in Chicago) - Mutilated Lips
Micky Hart (Global Drum Project)
Florence & the Machine
Keller Williams
American Beauty soundtrack

I'm happy to be back with the Lore. I have a tube amp coming to take the place of my Dayens Ampino solid state amp. I wonder if that will help close the gap in dimensionality without sacrificing the presence and emotionality due to dynamics and micro-dynamic articulation I currently have. If not that, I'm interested in trying the new Red Wine Signature 15. I'm also quite interested in what Goramon has shared regarding crossover tweaks and what he and others have noted about dampening. That could also help close the gap while retaining the overall character I like better about the original Lore.

Onward ho!
The Lores are so well balanced I really can't see someone going very wrong.And size wize they don't over whelm.
I disagree on this with Eric spend the extra bucks and get the real deal! You won't be sorry you did. I would never give up the rich bass extension of the Lores for a very slightly smaller speaker.
Anyone bought Lore's and wished they bought M-Lore's, or vice versa?

Sounds like my 13x17' room is on the cusp and could go either way. Eric actually recommends the M-Lore's as a more appropriate form factor (so as not to visually overwhelm the room).

I, however, am loath to give up the extra bass extension, and if I don't like them in this room I think the larger Lore's would be the better fit in my larger upstairs listening room (however I'm already satisfied w/ Vandersteen 2ce's there).

So I bounce back in forth in my mind. Wondering if others in the same boat feel they've chosen rightly or wrongly.
Back from the un-snow mtn's of Tahoe. Seems to me the Lores will suffice but hate regretting. So morganc here i come ready or not! - i just emailed you and waiting for the reply
Pendragon-Even the name suggests too much POWER !
02-12-12: Yoseana
Hello,
Does anybody in the Dallas-Fort Worth area own the Tekton Lore or any other of the Tekton speakers being discussed in this thread?"

North of Austin, I have Lores and Katz Meow V1
Hello,
Does anybody in the Dallas-Fort Worth area own the Tekton Lore or any other of the Tekton speakers being discussed in this thread? I would love to listen to any of them before I make a purchase decision and certainly would appreciate the chance of an audition from a kind fellow audiophile.
TIA,
Jose 
Morganic I don't know how to find your email address on this forum mine is goraman@surewest.net
Hi Goraman....where are you located? I would love to hear the improvements that you made with your Lores. Wanna email me?
Hey Rischa, glad to hear you're giving them a go. I don't think you'll be disappointed. A word of advice to make sure and mess with placement a good bit. They sounded great to me out of the box and without toying with placement to a great degree, but I have found great additional refinement in finding the right placement for my room acoustics and seating position. Bass weight, soundstage depth, and to some extent high frequency balance can all be affected significantly by movement. Close to front wall and you'll get a lot of bass, farther out into the room, not nearly as much weight. Soundstage depth is remarkably improved by moving them out into the room. And most critically for me, the whole presentation just became a lot more natural, spacious, and refined when I tipped them up a bit with some wood under the front spikes. I went many months without that tweak and was shocked when I first heard it.

Apologies if you're already very familiar with positioning tweaks and how to get the best sound. Just thought it was worth repeating in case, and also for the benefit of others.
02-10-12: Rischa
"I'm hoping the tube preamp, SS amp, and lore combination has good synergy."

I have a few tube amps (2A3 SET, PP EL84, SE EL34...) and the Lores sound good on all of them. I even have a vintage SS Yamaha receiver (R-2000) and the Lores sound good with that as well. I believe it's because the Lores are such an easy load that the amps loaf along and play their best.
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 :)
If you guy's head a little further north shoot me an email and stop in for an audition and a beer.
@Morganac,

thanks for the invite i will cordially accept. Other than this weekend as i am heading to Tahoe to look for the now elusive snow! I was looking at the Lore S as well. I do believe that the Pendragons might be tad to big and bassy for me, but i can switch them out with main set in the living room. I love full range speakers and every speaker that i threw out seems to be more HI Fi in nature. The last to go was the triton 2 very bass heavy and was impossible to control, also the neighbors were not happy with them at all.
THe past year i went through 2 speakers which i coulden't live with the Tritons and the Mag 1.7. I did go to another audiogoner place to try the VR 33 not hi fi sounding to me. but i left uncertain as it seemed to want more power than the Ayons can give. So the high DB of the tektons and price to performance ratio are very enticing. I was going to order a new set of interconnects and spk cables as well, and together they are more expensive than the Lore!
choices i decided - and be free to comment or advise are
morrow audio MA4 balanced-tried their cheapest and it killed the Kimber PBJ and Audioquest in all areas.
Black cat- as Socrates seems to like em.
Virtue Audio- cheapest of the bunch , but stereomojo loves em and i like mojo because they advertise what i like most-heh heh heh if u get the drift
And last but not least skyline 1200 as a few reported its like amazing in all areas.- but expensive
ive given up on all BRANDED way insane prices of the staple stuff.
PS its the first time im actually spending money on cables as i never had any left after spending on the back and front end of a system.-so exciting!!!
Morganic and Sionlim you live 2 hours from me in Roseville just out from Sac.
I would have thought most of you where on the East coast.
Hi all ! Rsfphil.....My room is just a touch smaller than yours and have been tempted by the Pendragons . I kinda figured out my Lore's have great bass in my room and not to mess with the Pendragons . your comments above reconfirm for me to stay with the Lores . There has got to be something wrong with these things tho....I am driving a pair of $1000 speakers with $14,000 worth of equipment....kind of blows that rule of spending 1/3 or whatever of your budget on speakers . They just cant be this good...lol
I can see where the Lores may not be enough for your room. I'm in a 22x14 room with the speakers on the long wall. I sit around 8.5' from the speakers and my sofa is right up against the rear wall. I went from the Lores (which I loved) to the P-Dragons (which I didn't) and back to the Lores. The Dragons just completely overwhelmed my room. No matter what I did I just couldn't get them to sound right. I suspect that part of the problem may have been the 4 ohm impedance. I'm using a fully restored Scott LK72-b amp. At the time of purchase I didn't know the Dragons were a four ohm speaker. Had I known I wouldn't have bought them. A more modern tube amp may have helped a little, but I still had the room to deal with. I'm committed to the Scott so the Dragons had to go. I learned a very expensive lesson.
HI Sionlim.....I am in San Francisco also.....shoot me an email m1organ at gmail. I would be happy to have you over sometime for a listen.....

As far as the bass comments, I was not trying to say the Lores have insufficient bass, but merely saying they have much much less than the Pendragons. Also I was saying this in regards to Sionlims comments about not needing a lot of bass. I have owned both the Lores and the Pendragons btw. In my bedroom, which is maybe 12x15, the Lores were ideal. In my living room of 20x40, the Lores were too small and the bass lacking except in the nearfield where they were superb!

The bass in the P-Dragons is actually almost too much as I live in a Victorian....thank goodness one neighbor is 90 and deaf and the other travels alot!
A little bit off-topic but I'd like to take a minute to congratulate Socrates7 for being tapped by Tone Audio to cover the New York Audio Show in April.

In case you haven't read it yet, Socrates7 has written up a very nice review on his blog of the Pendragons, some of which he has reproduced earlier in this thread. You can find his musings here:

Part One: Introducing the Tekton Pendragon “Option II and
Part II: Digging in to the Tekton Pendragon
Sionlim - "I do however rock out and blow my windows out.
The Lore is very tempting, but refinement is actually what i really want."

Well, the Lore will rock out, for sure, and the Lore-S have much warmer and rounder tone to instruments, kind of a fuller sound. But they still have good dynamics, just not quite the full live feel of the original Lore. Lore-S could be the right balance for you.

However, I'm quite curious what the changes Goraman has done to his Lores do to add extra refinement without expense of dynamics. If I could have these Lore-S with that extra bit of dynamics of the Lore, I'd be in heaven. I also think the frequency balance of the Lore-S is ever so slightly tipped down, while the Lore is ever slightly tipped up. Or at least, the Lore-S is tipped lower than the Lore. Depending on associated electronics and cables, that could make a difference.

I'd really love to hear from someone who has tried the Lore-M as well as Lore about any differences there.
I'm in northern NJ. Anyone in the tri-state area who has a variant of the Lore's or Meow's willing to offer a listening?
Sionlim - the Focal Chorus speakers and the Paradigm Sigs are going to be a "hi fi" sound. The Paradigm have lots of detail but neither of these are my cup of tea - they do not sound like music to me. They are certainly designed first for the home theater crowd. That is not to say they are bad music speakers, as some really like that, but they will come no where near a Tekton if you are guy that wants to try and recreate the live band... (speaking of Lores and Pens only)

Front port vs. rear port: My first pair of Pendragons were front ported, and they had a little more punch (pant flappin effect for sure) and dynamics. Eric told me they wee up +3db somewhere but the rear ported version may extend a little lower, and to my ear and in MY room (medium size), they tend to be a little cleaner or more polite in the bass, or perhaps they don't seemn to overload the room in the lower end as much as the front ports did. They do, however, need to be off the back wall a little more with rear porting, although I preferred the front ported version in practically the same position anyway. Hope this helps...

Great reports guys.... wow, this thread is really rockin! Peace to all!
Sebrof - looks like the V3 Katz Meow have the same drivers as the Lore-S, and they're virtually the same price, too. Not surprising they have pretty similar sound. Yeah, if pressed to choose one or the other - which I am - it's quite a hard choice. I've had my list of go-to music for comparing cable swaps and other equipment swaps with the Lores for a while, but with the Lore-S I'm going to need to listen throughout my catalog to make this decision. There is music the Lore-S is doing a lot better than the Lore did, but then music the Lore-S can't compete on - and that's all with the same amp. If you start talking about messing around with amps, cables, etc, this could be a whole different animal. Too bad I can't afford them both, like you, Sebrof...
02-08-12: Goraman
If you don't need alot of bass?
The Lores do bass pretty well in my condo.
Just ask the neighbors!!!"

I have almost too much bass in my 12' x 13' room with Lores.
@ Morganc,
I will ask Eric tommorrow as i head down unfamiliar territory once again. Front ports sound awesome to me. And nowadays listen to less Psychedelic Trance and more Yundi LI and yo yo ma.-Its SF, i listen to some hippie weirdo stuff !
I do however rock out and blow my windows out.
The Lore is very tempting, but refinement is actually what i really want.
Again my top runners before i stumbled upon the Tektons were:
Cremona M - second hand
Paradigm S8v 3 - second hand
Focal 836 w- new never heard
Legacy audio classic HD - heard it was good match with my amp.
@Sebrof,
The M lores price correction 650! I think the Lores will suffice as the Pendragons are a wee bit overkill, but at that price of 2500 its hard to pass up a full range speaker. And if the posts are right, this is like a major audio deal.
If you don't need alot of bass?
The Lores do bass pretty well in my condo.
Just ask the neighbors!!!
Sionlim: Where do you live and what kind of music do you listen to? If you list that sometimes you can easily get an audition. I found the Pendragons from someone coming to my house to buy an amp!

The Pendragons perform exactly as Goramon suggested: Layers of extended bass that are very tight and defined. Absolutely no whooliness! They can be ported in the front if that is better for your room btw.

If you don't need a lot of bass, and your room is small, and you want to save $$$, the Lores are a no brainer. Having said that the Pendragons will easily work in your sized room no problem.
Genjamon - I have the Lores and also a pair of the Katz Meow (Version 1) with the 8" Fostex main driver. I understand exactly what you are saying when you compare the Lore vs. Lore-S.
With my 2A3 SET amp I sometimes like the Lore, sometimes like the Katz. But with a PushPull EL84 amp I like the Lores better than the Katz. I believe it's because the SET allows the Katz to present that holographic image, which the Katz do better than the Lores. But the PP amp has more balls, which the Lores do better so it's a better match.
I would enjoy any of the combos though. Both great speakers (and great amps, IMO).
I now have the Lore-S in house as of last night. They only had about 10 hours on them before showing up at my place, and I put about 5 on them last night. I'll be playing them while I'm at work all week and also in the evenings, so I should have about 100 total hours on them by the end of weekend.

I have a bit of a head-cold, and my left ear was kind of plugged up last night, so take my impressions with a grain of salt.

So far, I would say the Lore-S has a lot more clarity, detail, resolution than the stock Lores I have had. It also seems smoother and more laid back, definitely more refined. About the same amount of soundstage depth, but not as expansive a soundstage yet - we'll see what happens with break-in.

What I miss is the level of energy, presence, and liveliness of the Lores. Eric described it as "punch" over the phone. It's that kind of energy that really makes them great for live music recordings. I think the Lore-S are not as efficient/sensitive as the Lores, down around 95-94dB or so. They also have an 8" main driver, rather than the 10". It's going to be a hard choice most likely between the extra refinement of the Lore-S and the dynamics/energy/presence of the Lores. Again, we'll see what break-in does.
02-07-12: Sionlim
I was looking into the Pendragons as a speaker for my home office/ den."
"After reading all these glorious post of a $700 speaker, i am really intrigued at this particular brand."

Sion - Not sure I follow. The Pendragons are $2,500, the Lores $1,000. What $700 speaker are you referring to?
I'd like to hear the P'dagons.
I gave some serious thought to how they might be balanced tonally speaking.
My guess is the line array of tweeters are of a slightly lower efficiency than the drivers the sum total of there output combined makes for the 98db. output over a larger radiating area much like my sound labs that offered 300 inches of tweeter per panel. Ring radiators in my experience Vifa's to be exact seem to be beammy but 2 X 3 would change the field of sonic radiation offering a far wider dispersion = Brilliant! a mid bass driver both over and under places the tweeter array in the center much like a extra large Tannoy dual concentric driver.I can only imagine with so much cabinet volume in a rear port they must offer layers of very extended bass.
A careful selection of resisters and capacitors in the crossover and it would like being in the 1970's Memorex ad.
I would love to hear a pair...
I'd like to hear the P'dagons.
I gave some serious thought to how they might be balanced tonally speaking.
My guess is the line array of tweeters are of a slightly lower efficiency than the drivers the sum total of there output combined makes for the 98db. output over a larger radiating area much like my sound labs that offered 300 inches of tweeter per panel. Ring radiators in my experience Vifa's to be exact seem to be beammy but 2 X 3 would change the field of sonic radiation offering a far wider dispersion = Brilliant! a mid bass driver both over and under places the tweeter array in the center much like a extra large Tannoy dual concentric driver.I can only imagine with so much cabinet volume in a rear port they must offer layers of very extended bass.
A careful selection of resisters and capacitors in the crossover and it would be like being in the 1970's Memorex ad.
I would love to hear a pair...
Thanks, 4 your observations my mind is racing,but I am still breaking in the Lores and possibly getting them hand pinstriped for a 50's look.

If I get P Dragons it will not be for awhile.
I am really thinking hard though as a year passes fast.
I was looking into the Pendragons as a speaker for my home office/ den. It is starting to have room treatments and bass traps for a better sound. 25 x 15 small room
Speakers I was actually looking into the Sonus Faber Cremona M, as i already have a liuto and love the sound it produces.
VR 33, as it can be on the back wall-cant beat that! and also not so hi fi sounding-more of a club venue/live performance.
Paradigm S8v3.-going to hear them later. Proac 18 - tube lover for smaller rooms. outside contenders are legacy classic HD, Focal 836w and lawrece audio violins- never heard em but have high sensitivity as well.
I always try to follow the rule of thumb in audio.
Main source is CD/computer/ipod=Ayon CD 07.=2-3k, Amp is Ayon Spirit 3=4-5k, speakers Where the brunt usually is 4-10k. I have tried in the past year to use lower priced High Value speakers, but they always come up short. I am just afraid of pulling the trigger again on a speaker that is hyped up from advertisement money. Albeit tekton is as often spoken as a Kia.-not a big name
I am not a bass freak , tight and controlled is fine , lower registers probably not use to it.Ive tried 1.7 and it sounded really tweaky and missing anything in the lower registers unless driven. Golden Ear - NOPE not for me-moved my neighbors to hate me with its woolyness. Martin Logan source- not well implemented from the lows to highs. These speakers has to be on the top of anybody's list and made stereophiles recommended list in the 2-2.5k arena.

After reading all these glorious post of a $700 speaker, i am really intrigued at this particular brand. I would like to further know more about them from owners and not paid writers , which i now want to unsubscribe from stereophile. As i am learning that unless u have 50k to spend audio heaven is in your next life.
Do tell your discovery's. Can you give specifics:

Much more realistic dynamics and bass weight; extension far superior. For instance, a bass guitar and bass drum sounds crystal clear and defined, with great harmonic texture. You hear a low end in recordings that was non existant prior. The soundstage is also wider and more expansive. The highs? Both are excellent, but the Pendragon extends taller and wider with the triple tweeter array. The Lore is fantastic, but thre P'dragon sounds so close the the real thing it is quite scary. The Lore may produce equal or greater depth though, since it is single driver and the P'dragon needs more room (esp off the back wall) to create the same depth effect. The Pendragon is the last speaker I buy unless I run out of room for them. ;o) seriously they ran me out of gas.... it simply ended the seemingly endless quest of speaker turnover... TG
Floosh, In my opinion the drivers and basic design of the Lores are very capable of the highest resolution as well as getting loud and sounding live.I often listen to mine late after my wife and son are sleeping.If your handy with a soldering iron the Lores have far more to offer if not send Eric the parts you want installed after placing your order.
You will not find a speaker that responds to even the most subtle changes more so than the Lore.

The Lores can be detailed and dynamic yet smooth as silk, and even stock as there price you will most likely be pretty happy.
The lores however will respond very noticeably to even small upgrades so future money spent is never a waste.
At this moment I am looking at Cardas binding posts. http://www.soniccraft.com/products/connections/bindingpost/cardas_ccgg.htm

I believe the Lores will like the 24k gold over solid copper
The posts on the Lores are very nice and are far better than I would ever expected for speakers at a grand.
But once more every upgrade I have made, The Lores have responded to it.
A good friend of mine came over to hear the Lores yesterday.
He is into stuff in the latest reviews of stereophile magazine for example his most current system is Audion golden dream monos,a Conductor Audio Valve pre and Zingalli speakers. He also has the biggest upgraded Walcotts and Sound Lab panels to mention just two of his setups.

When he came over and listened he was so impressed by the Lores it was the constant topic for more than a couple of hours as song after song was requested.We finally got to go for Mexican food as I was starving and when we got back the requests soon resumed.This was for me the ultimate review as he has been into the high end since the 60's and has never been far out of the loop.
One thing that was brought up is when the recording is forward presented the Lores are forward and when the recording is 10 rows back so are the Lores.I had not noticed this for my self.he listened at low volume, moderately high volume on axis off axis ect..
I was surprised at his interest in them to be honest because his stuff is so much more up the ladder economicly speaking.
His final comment was the only thing missing on these speakers is a flashy gold bage with a $20,000+ brand name!
When you say how much you where missing,Do tell your discovery's.
Can you give specifics related to songs,for example when I upgraded the Lores symbols when being struck gave a deeper pitch with more shimmer and an extended ring in Bjork's Debut album."Come to me" is the best example but it was very noticeable through out the whole album.
This song led me to put the stock caps back in one speaker foe a couple of days for a head to head comparison.
So my findings are verified not on some distant memory but in real time.That is just one example of the out come of the total upgrade there are a few.
Sorry I've read a good bit of this thread but not all.

I get that the Lore's do loud and live really well and give up detail for "presence" but how are they for quiet and intimate - like late at night when the rest of the house is asleep?
Goramen - that space is going to be tight but possible if your room is treated, especially in the corners. You have to be sure that you can spread them nicely. Mine are about 7.5ft apart, and I sit the same distance away. But one thing is for sure: the Dragons are a completely different animal. I still get floored by how much I was missing prior. Other full range speakers I owned can't contend either.
Goraman: I have my Dragons in a larger space but I first heard them at a fellow Audiogoners condo where his room was about your size and they sounded great. They sound phenomenal in the near field just as the Lores do. I have to say that I am a bit biased though as I would love to hear/see your tweaks for the Dragons.

BTW: The the new 8 ohm Dragons in Black are pretty nice looking. The drivers are a blue grey and the look is much better than I thought it would be.
How do you think Pendragons would do in a 16X12 room?
I am having a hard time contemplating my self looking into 6 ring radiator tweeters.
The idea of it seems made for a larger space.