Tekton Design's new THE PERFECT SET equals "goosebumps time"


Just got in house for review for hometheaterreview.com Tekton Design’s new, The Perfect SET, which is close to 100dB efficient and never dips below 8 ohms, which Eric built to be used with SET "flea watt" amplifiers. It is a front ported design using a 12 inch woofer and his patented array of small transducers that function as a midrange driver with a single tweeter in the middle. I set them up in a system with a great 2A3 SET amplifier and found them so superlative I did not stop listening for over five hours! Taking about "goosebump time" the music was so beautiful that
I lost track of time.

These speakers have all the virtues of the other Tekton speakers, speed, utter transparency/micro-details, great soundstaging, and that special "aliveness" that I experience when I listen to my Ulf’s. What really amazed me was what the Perfect SET was delivering on the bottom end frequencies, subterrainian/taut powerful bass, that was shaking the room, all coming from at most 2.5 to 3 watts.

If you love SET amplifiers this speaker is a match made in heaven, and remember this pair just arrived and is not totally burnt in yet.

teajay

Showing 4 responses by wolf_garcia

Klipsch Heresy IIIs. I had considered Tektons before buying the Heresys, but they just look weird to me and I had no way to hear them...the Heresys look great for my tastes ("ebony" Capitol version, which seem sort of dark purple, black grills), and I attach the grills when not seriously listening. Heresys are a bargain in my book, and sound beautiful.
Mapman...the "nominal" impedance of Klipsch Heresy IIIs is 8 ohms and reports of "flea watt" amp owners having good results with these are plentiful. In fact, that's nearly always mentioned in reviews, including a relatively thorough Absolute Sound review from 2012 from which I quote: "In any case, rest assured that the Heresy III had no trouble at all partnering with a 2.5Wpc SET amplifier, making it the most sensitive speaker in my house." I get that higher impedance sensitive speakers can be more optimal, but somehow my 12wpc amp (perhaps not a flea watt by definition) plays beautifully with these things. 

The newest Coincident Dynamo seems like a cool amp, at least based on the recent review I read somewhere, and it’s gorgeous...I considered a used one when shopping for a single ended amp (it was the older version), but my "bought used 3 months after its birthday" Dennis Had Firebottle HO (yes, it’s a HO...says so right there) won out and I’m happy with it....a few more watts. Defy the manufacturer and stick a pair of Gold Lion KT77s in that Dynamo! Do it, do it now!

I’m slightly curious about the "impedance curve" of my Heresy IIIs, but only slightly, and mainly due to Mapman’s comments...damn him! (kidding...don’t report me to the moderators)...the Fritz Carrera is 87db efficient and the only thing I’ve dug up about its "benign" impedance curve matches what I’ve read about the Heresy III, but I didn’t dig that hard...8ohms nominal, 6ohms minimum...and the Fritz is exactly 3 times the cost of my Heresy IIIs and 11db less efficient (!), which makes for strange if not unlikely bedfellows. Those things would likely suck the mojo out of my Firebottle during a crescendo or pretentious jazzbo outburst! One of the things I like about the Heresy IIIs, other than the sound, is they’re somewhat unique for a modern speaker...I was kind of bored with the "woofers and a tweeter in a box" design of 99% of what’s out there, needed efficiency with my Had amp, have been very happy with the sound of the anachronistic fat little things, and get uncontrollably emotionally defensive when their worth is questioned...*sniff*..."leave Brittany, uh...I mean MY HERESY IIIs alone!"
Thanks...I feel much better now. I have noted here and there that the lower powered amp binds me to efficient speakers thus ruining any fantasies regarding all the cool small speakers out there, but the Heresy IIIs sound so good I'm OK (although clearly fragile). I also like little stand mounted speakers as sort of replicated by my recently sold Silverline Preludes with 3.75" woofers in a thin tower speaker...like a mini monitor with gusto. I strongly suggest a sub or two with the Heresy IIIs as that raises their game and sweetens the mids (who knew?). I already had a couple of RELs so I was prepared, and man...