Zu Omen or Tekton Lore

I am in San Francisco and now have the Pendragons if you want to come by sometime let me know. You can PM me on Audiocircle if you want......

Morgan,
I couldn't contact you through Audiocircles. When I click your name over there, it gives me a message that says "Many apologies, but you can't just view any profile." Are you on diyaudio? They allow private messages there.

To change the subject, what got me started in this new direction, that is, SET and a speaker to go with it is when
I heard the Atma-sphere M-60 OTL's at Deete's Audio showroom in Sacramento. They sounded amazing with the Audio Note speakers (and others too). Alas, out of my price range, and the heat and tube issues (16 tubes, plus the driver tubes) made them even less appealing here in Sacramento. Still, I had to go back to tubeville after several years in solid state land. I listened to a friends HES two ways, and they sounded excellent with a SET amp.
I didn't like the TC-90 inverted dome kevlar tweeter he used,though, so now I am checking out HES's. The Audio Notes sounded great tonally, and they had impact and bass set up in the corners for bass reinforcement, but the sound stage was...long and thin, and they seem overpriced.

This is fascinating. Thanks for all this info. I'm a bit perplexed myself, as I've just bought an Eastern Electric minimax integrated and I need some speakers. Small room but I don't want bookshelf speakers. Tekton and Zu keep popping up as the go-to for small wattage amps. They both seem to have flavors. I keep hearing about "too much bass" on the Tekton's, and "flat mid range" on the Zu's. Are there any other options out there, under $999? This is for a second system so I want to keep the investment low.

Not sure where you hear of "flat midrange" on the Zus. I have both the Zu Omen Defs and the Tekton Pendragons, and I much prefer the midrange on the Omen Defs. Granted I have not heard the Omens or Lores, but especially with the Zus, the Omens use the same drivers as the Omen Defs. Both are excellent companies, and Zu offers a 60 day home trial. Every one has different tastes, so take advantage of the home audition and try a pair for yourself. There is nothing like having the speakers in your own house, with your own system, hearing with your own ears!

Do yourself a favor and buy the M-Lores for only $649.00. Save some money. See the Stereomojo and Enjoy thecMusic reviews.