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

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. 

Hey wolf, yes I have no doubt they are way better than the average bear with even lower power tubes amps, maybe the best choice out there at their price point even, but being the technical stickler I am, I’d like to see some measurements of impedance and such at various frequencies like they do in a standard Stereophile review before saying they are optimal for that. Same with Tekton or others. Otherwise they could go plenty loud but perhaps not have proper tonal balance, make the amp clip sooner, etc.

Daedalus for example is one line whose speakers have been measured and proven to be an easy load to drive for most any amp, though not as efficient as Heresy. Much pricier though!

Fritz speakers is another.  His latest Carerra monitors are not efficient at all, but have been shown to measure as an  easy load to drive, and I heard the splendid results myself off a flea power tube headphone amp at capital Audiofest last  year as proof.   Could not believe my ears!

The smaller the company and the more "new models" they crank out in short order, the more you've got to question how much of a "technological breakthrough" each one of them actually represents, however much of an audio genius the sole owner/designer/manufacturer happens to be.

many models might leverage teh same "breakthrough".  Not so hard to imagine.

First, thank you teajay for your post alerting us on the Perfect.

Second, I have owned three different Tekton speakers, a mini monitor single driver, the Lores, plus Mini Lores. All were very good speakers that punched way beyond their price points. I have owned excellent expensive speakers as well as moderate priced speakers; both monitors and floor standers. I currently have DeVore 0/96 as well as Harbeth 5 SHL.

My amps and preamps have also been numerous and variety of types: Cary 280, Threshold, Forte 4, Pass, RM10, Golden Tube SE 40, plus Golden Tube 300B mono blocks that Salvatore holds in high esteem, Prima Luna, and much, much, more going way back...my current amps include: Leben CS600, Cary's 300B (older version, Dennis Had era) Coincident Dynamo, vintage Eico.

Due to teajay posts here I bought a MicrZOTL 2. His review spot on; honest reporting. I say again teajay, thanks for the heads up on the Tekton Perfect which I am seriously considering purchasing. Perhaps “Perfect” for my SET proclivities.

And finally, Eric Alexander treated me in a timely professional manner. Best mikirob 

You dont have to be a technical stud to understand why these speakers should sound wrong. Approach these designs with a greater than normal degree of caution. 

@jetter 

I'd hardly call Tekton a model of success. Lots of companies doing what they do have gone a LOT further in the time Tekton has been in business. It doesn't seem they have achieved mass production. As for the patents, I only read the one, but if the others are that poorly constructed, they're basically worthless. 

I honestly couldn't care less if people are happy with how they sound. I looked over the DI thread and was surprised by what owners of the things said. One guy who had his pair for a year said they showed up with barely visible seams in the joint work which began to pull apart and become obvious as the speakers aged. That suggests they were built with improperly cured wood. You can't read that thread and ignore the problems people have with wait times on delivery, getting speaker grills, and poor build quality. 

I read reviews about Tekton speakers that sounded impressive before I ever came to this forum. I thought they looked hideous and was uninterested in dealing with the sales model. Personal preference. But then I came here and read post after post after post from people trying to get grills, getting grills with no way to mount them, waiting and waiting and waiting, and all kinds of other issues. The exuberance for these things seems completely out of proportion for what is basically a DIY product. I'm not asking anybody to believe me. Go do your own research and see the problems others have had. And don't go calling every one of those people liars.... That just makes you look like a fool. 

All it took was a designer and one rogue reviewer to tell the world that Tekton speakers were better than anything else at almost any price. What kind of response did they expect??? They were put under the microscope and closely scrutinized. The reality was they couldn't deliver. I am not a businessman, but I would think a bit more modest approach would have served them much better in the long run. IMO

If you put some Tektons in a blind shootout with some of the major brands in a higher price bracket I believe they would do very well. The things they do very well I find unmatched by most other speakers being dynamics, mid bass punch, and speed. 

Mr m
it wasn't one rogue reviewer. Tekton has stellar reviews from Positive Feedback, Stereo Times, Reichert of Stereophile, Steve Gutenberg, Steve Smith...and many other reviewers...mostly echo teajay, many of whom bought the speakers. Best, mikirob 

mr_m. . . I am not a businessman . . .

Obviously, not.

Drawing a weekly paycheck vs creating your own start-up is worlds apart.

Individualism, creativity and courage - to go where others fear to tread - were praised as American ideals. Now, online trolls carelessly try to destroy the reputation of a young business while getting its early footing. Every start-up needs to figure out how to grow & improve. Back in the 1800’s, even Remington and Colt had misfires until they got a handle on manufacturing bullets correctly. (Pun intended.) Nobody forced buyers to purchase these speakers. Nobody put a gun to their head. (Pun intended.) Why not cheer for a new business, instead of trying to destroy it?

Tekton haters are at least as passionate as Frank (Oregonpapa) is in shilling the graphene paste/lube he pushes.
These threads bring me no end of amusement.  Thanks for the laughs.
BTW I have a pair of DIs so flame on.

To my dear propagandists, Kosst_Amojan, d2 girls, and Rotarius along with your pet dog,

You use the same tactics over again to spin your self created delusional narrative about Tekton Design.

Keep repeating the same lies over and over again to convince readers that they are facts.  "Read post after post after post of Tekton customers who were upset over grills, etc."  I have never called anybody a liar who shared annoyance/frustration regarding issues with their speakers or timelines at receiving them.  No company, including Tekton Design, is flawless and surely screws up. However, you totally magnify out of proportion the number of individuals who rightly express a negative experience with Tekton Design and completely leave out the thousands of positive posters all over the internet regarding pleasure with both their speakers and customer service they received.  Do some fact checking, your surly won't propagandists never do, and you will find a  few rightly disgruntled customers. 

Ad hominem and hostile attacks on Eric and I.  I'm corrupt, stupid, and lie in my statements/reviews.  "Nobody would choose a $3,000.00 Tekton speaker over a $25,000.00 thousand dollar Wilson speaker.  I sold off my $19,000 Lawrence speakers for a Tekton and three other professional reviewers sold off their Wilson speakers ranging in price from $25,000 to $70,000.  We all most be deaf or stupid, or have been bought off by you know who.  Regarding Eric, he's charlatan, his patent is stupid, he is nothing but a DIY level manufacturer.  Hum, he's won numerous product of the year awards from at least three respected websites and a solid series of very positive reviews from both internet sites and written publications.  The patent was accepted by the US Bureau, who normally approves stupid/worthless applications, and his break through design has lead to affordable reference level performing speakers for middle class audiophiles.  He does sound like a sub average designer/builder doesn't he?

Keep posting the same distortions, misinformation, and personal put downs until you hijack the thread and hope you wear out the sane participants looking for respectful conversation/sharing of information and looking for posters experience about new products.  These forums are a fun place to talk to other people in this hobby.  You wonderful propagandists spin your absurd narrative hoping to to push your agenda, hopefully, the rest of us relatively sane people won't ruin our day over your false narrative.  By the way you three should see what positions might be open in the White House, they could use your talents for misinformation, false narratives, and distorting the facts.  You all would fit right on in.  Say hello to your dog for me.    

Spent about three hours listening to the Perfect SET speakers tonight.  They have about 50 hours on them and as they settled-in their main change was more effortlessness/liquidity. 

Like all Tekton speakers the PS are conduits that are totally transparent regarding timbres and micro-details.  I rolled three different 2A3 tubes tonight (NOS RCA spring top loaded 40's black plates- JJ 2A3-40-PsvaneWR2A3) and easily heard the difference between each one.  For my tastes the JJ 2A3-40 was the most enjoyable of the three. Think of the pop/dynamics/bass of a DI with the beauty of color and 3D imaging that a SET amplifier provides. 

ok teajay i never said anything about you. i've only ever stated facts
eric's had a history of targeting people with something negative to say about his products. wether the negative claims or experiences were factual or not doesn't matter, he DOES threaten legal action on a consistent basis and it seems to be his normal reaction to things
stop trying to say i am spreading disinformation.

also comparing someone's intelligence to a dog is an insult. i expect better from you since you are a professional reviewer.

rotarius

Cheer for a guy who screws people out of full refund on a return? What next? Elect a guy who is bankrolled by the Russian mafia to be president? Oh wait...

False Equivalence. Obviously, you’ve never started-up a business either.

rotarius
Chinese stuff is junk. Please throw away your commie Iphones.

And now he's trashing American-made, too. There goes the last of any remaining credibility.

rotarius

. . . starting up a business gives you the license to stiff people.

Re: returned speakers
Are you stating that what you read in an online discussion forum is fact. Can you prove it? Did you actually visually inspect the physical condition of the returned speakers in question? If so, do you have any documentation to substantiate that claim?

If you are wrong, would your statements in this thread be slander or libel?

slander

1. the action or crime of making a false spoken statement damaging to a person’s reputation.
   

libel
     1.  a published false statement that is damaging to a person’s reputation; a written defamation.

I’ve been looking forward to this review, and even more so this reviewers candid opinion.. But you guys ,with no interest “At All” in Tekton can’t stand it.. Is too good to be true (and you 3 know better), then get the Heck out.. You “know better” & you’ve told us, now please get out of the conversation.. As for me I’m interested in Teajay’s opinion.. I respect that he has tons of personal experience (compared to me) with a considerable amount of well regarded audio equipment, not to mention opinions from his contacts & friends throughout the industry..

Teajay,
Please continue with your opinions , I appreciate and enjoy reading them..!!

 I’m sure it’s really not worth it when people just want to argue for no apparent reason..!!

Someone a few threads back suggested flying out to Salt Lake to check Tekton speakers out. Certainly cheaper than returning them. However, I will point out that I attempted to do that last August.  Eric told me that unfortunately, he doesn't have the space to manufacture and demonstrate his products in the same building.  I was told, at the time I wanted to visit his factory, the only speaker I could listen to would be the DI. (that wasn't the one I was considering).  Disappointed, but no hard feelings.

@johnmarzy  Wow , a company that has no factory to show off let alone demo their proud work, No dealers to demo?  A leap of faith for $400 to try !

 There have been many You get a Rolex for a Timex companies come and go in this game. To be To be valid and Real a company must provide a tangible product . fed by dealer demos and customer service.


You should have booked your flight  anyways to Utah and went to a WORLD class speaker company that would have been glad to allow a factory demo as well as explain how a real speaker is manufactured and made with top quality parts and service. Oh yeah ! They even give you grills with your speakers you purchase. What a concept !

I have only once heard a single model of their speaker, the Double Impact, at the Capital Audiofest in 2017.  I thought it was a very good sounding speaker.  For my particular taste, it seemed to be a good bargain, but, there are certainly other speakers that compete at their price point (e.g., Rethm Bhaava).

Do the Double Impacts beat some speaker costing many multiples of its price?  For my taste, yes, of course it does.  There are many speakers that sound better to me than stuff that is much more expensive.  That is the case because taste/priorities vary.  That does NOT mean that the pricier stuff is a rip off or that the cheaper stuff is a spectacular bargain--the value still depends largely on personal preferences.  The only time a review that says--that one particular item sounds better than another at three times the price-- has some meaning would be if the two items being compared sound identical (to the reviewer anyway).  Most of these types of claims involve wildly different sounding gear so the comparison has no meaning.  

I don't know personally about the business practices of Tekton.  But, I don't see anything wrong with the practice of permitting in-home audition with a $400 return fee if the item is not purchased.  In-home audition involves considerable cost and risk--inspection and testing of the returned product, re-packaging, losses due to damage, etc., and the fee constitutes one form or risk sharing.  Buying at a store involves a different bargain--one hears the speaker, but not in one's own home, and the cost is about twice as much.  
 

Cap you are talking about Wilson’s right? If you have the money why not? With all the negative comments that tekton get from Agon, they continue to have more orders.

It’s a choice to audition, $400 is the risk you have to take, it’s up to you to figure out the headache, the cost, or any possible disagreement , if things does not work out, dealing online is way different than you neighbor dealer... if it’s worth the risk go for it...

Thank you Kosst_Amojan,

Your black bile towards me personally and professionally validates that I'm living up to my credo on informing/sharing information on less well known small companies that create inexpensive gear that people can afford and enjoy.

If some one with your entrenched closed minded, hostile narrative actually was a fan of my reviewing, I would be very concerned that I had lost my integrity and my vision.  So, thanks for giving me the feedback that I'm still on the right course!

Teajay please continue to post and review, Your post are vital to those who are willing to learn from them, if I were you , I will just move on...

Suggest monitors quash the several posters here slinging “black bile” at teajay and Eric Alexander presenting no facts or evidence; merely wanton heresay. What these d2girl, rotaries, kosst amojan, mission coonery are doing is slander and libel by legal definition as I believe was pointed out by steakster. Audiogon, you are ruining your own site by allowing folks to cast unwarranted bile against a respected reviewer and manufacturers. Best, mikirob 

This thread is what happens when people shill and peddle this stuff non stop on this forum. At one time, there were 10 threads going just on the first page, with new ones created daily. Members are tired of this crap. 

@INVICTUS005
BINGO !

10” woofer cannot recreate subterranean or any infrasonic noises. Hyperbole at its finest.

@invictus005 --  "People" are not "shilling and peddling this stuff non stop on this forum." 

This forum is for members to share their experiences related to high end audio. Sometimes members publish reviews. Sometimes they post questions. Sometimes they share feedback, or concerns. It has been this way for years. If Eric Alexander regularly published lengthy promotional posts for his speakers in the forum, your claim might have some validity, but he does not, so your claims are flatly false. No one else gains a thing from posting their enthusiasm for the speakers. Why you and the other Tekton detractors continue to fail to grasp this very simple and obvious point is baffling. If you have some actual evidence to the contrary, then let's hear it.

On the other hand, there are perhaps half a dozen--maybe a couple more--of you who have very little, if any, first-hand experience with the speakers, and yet appear on a regular basis to disparage both the speakers and the company by repeating and often exaggerating some of the complaints some of have made over and over, ad infinitum.

As the owner of three different pairs of Tekton speakers--the Double Impacts, the Double Impact SEs, and currently the Encores--I find the speakers to be excellent, and true contenders at every price point. If there is a better pair of speakers than the Encores in the $8K price range, I would love to hear them. For my taste and listening preferences, they are amazing. In all three cases, my speakers were flawlessly finished and shipped in a timely fashion. 

As for the number of threads dedicated to Tekton, this can be attributed to the popularity of the speakers, as well as the different models that may appeal to different members, depending on their budget, their amplification, their particular tastes, etc. If you don't want to read them, the scroll feature functions perfectly. But you are out of line to suggest that members should not post threads if they seek information or input on particular models they are interested in, and you have no basis for your speculation of what "members are tired of." Do not presume to speak for me, or other members.

mikirob

Suggest monitors quash the several posters here slinging “black bile” at teajay and Eric Alexander presenting no facts or evidence ...

That's exactly what the moderators have done, as evidenced by the deleted content.  Just use the "report this" tool to flag the abusive posts.

@ waltersalas................
”if there is a better pair of speakers than the Encores in the $8000 price range, I would love to hear them”

Think Golden Ear Triton Reference. Plus it’s much better looking with its hand rubbed piano black finish, and........wait for it, they come with grills. Wow, what a concept.

cap

You should have booked your flight anyways to Utah and went to a WORLD class speaker company . . . They even give you grills with your speakers you purchase. What a concept !

If you’re referring to Wilson Audio, here’s my experience. Last summer, I was going to replace my speakers. A used pair of Wilson’s showed up, near where I live. The fabric on a grill was torn. I emailed WA asking if they could replace the fabric and what the cost would be. Also, would it be possible to learn when those speakers were manufactured via their serial numbers. No reply. Not even after I sent a 2nd email. This certainly did not inspire any confidence that this manufacturer would support their product - other than through their dealer network.

During the same period of time, I sent an email to Tekton asking about their speakers. Eric responded within 2 hours.

A WORLD class speaker company would be Acoustic Zen. They replaced tweeters that were no longer in production for 10 yr old speakers. They special ordered them just for one customer. That is phenomenal customer service. Robert Lee is amazing.

If you don’t wish to read a discussion forum thread, then don’t read it. It’s very simple.

@stereo5

I will try to find a pair of Golden Ear Triton Reference to hear. Thanks for the advice. The Encores took me right off the market, but I am always open to the possibility of something better out there.

As for appearance I think the Encores look just fine. I actually like them quite a lot finished in Spanish Tile, as does my wife, who has endured no fewer than six different pairs of speakers in our living room over the past fifteen years. I’ve had a pair of Daedalus Ulysses and a pair of Piega P10s in the piano finish. Both were very nice to look at, and yet I prefer the Encores to either in terms of sound, which is my top priority. I think I remember that you may have heard or owned a pair of Tekton speakers? Have you heard the Encores?

As for the grilles, I don’t use them and couldn’t care less whether they come with them or not.

oldtech0 " Tekton haters are at least as passionate as Frank (Oregonpapa) is in shilling the graphene paste/lube he pushes.
These threads bring me no end of amusement.  Thanks for the laughs."
Roger That
It can't be"I don't care for Tekton Or Eric" and leave it at that.
I saw a few recent pics of Eric and it appears as if he hasn't lost any sleep over the Haters.

@invictus005 --- Do I think you're all dumb? No, not all...