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Teton monitors from Wavetouch Audio - A Must Hear

In the market for a pair of monitors recently, to gain more living spaces that being taken over by the growing LPs collection and the Wilson Sophia that I have put up for sale, I start doing some audition, googleing and look around. I know it's going to be a tough task finding any speakers that could produce the sound I have used to for many years from the Sophia.

To make sure I don't make a mistake and miss out on the big names, the likes of Harbert, Tannoy, B&W, psb, sonus....I start hitting the showrooms of LA. All of them are good, decent speakers but they don't strike me as possible replacements for the giant Wilson, three times their sizes. Then I found an unknown brand advertised, kevlar, horn tweeter and exotic rosewood in all. The rosewood always got me, I contacted the owner for a listen. A copy cat of B&W it turn-out and the speakers were bought in lots for testing and experiments by Alex Yoon of Wavetouch Audio in LA. Alex then let me take a peak listen to something he was 'putting together' as he said, and fine-tuning for review at StereoTimes. I hastily agreed. We headed for the studio where he does his work, the size of a four-car garage.

There I was introduced to a pair of tiny monitors, the 'Grand Teton', I later learned, in rich, exotic Russian birchwood that one can tell of top-notch quality, carefully and meticulously put together. We spent the next two hours listen to tracks after tracks of acoustic, instrumentals and vocals music. The monitors fill the huge studio with music as if a pair of 5-foot tall floor standing were in used. Soundstage were ceiling high and 6-foot deep. Vocals were in-your-face with each instrument precisely positioned as if we had attented a jazz rehearsal in a garage. I immidiately inquired about a pair for home audition. This could be the Wilson replacement, I said to myself with reservation. May be Alex had the room treated or using special equipments. But his gear is very mediocre.

Two week past and Alex deliver the monitors for audition. The same pair but has now been finely tuned. Personally position the monitors in my living room, Alex going over some adjustments tips, give me a week to test the monitors and head back to LA. Two day of comparison between the Grand Teton and the Sophia side-by-side, guitar, piano, vocals and everything in between. I contacted Alex and convinced him to leave the sample, don't come back for it and it was purchased with proceed from the Sophia sale. The Grand Teton is now in my living room replacing the giant Wilson for 1/10 the cost, 1/10 the size and not a note missing.

Quite a task for its size. Highly recommended and a must to audiition if you can arrange for one. It will be time well spent just to listen to it.

Music Fanatic,
Irvine, CA
connect400
after_hrs
127 posts
 
W_garcia,

Aside from your obvious IGNORANCE referring to HIGH grade BALTIC BIRCH Laminate cabinets constructed by a premiere AMERICAN wood craftsmen as "plywood", (Any true audiophile knows the TREMENDOUS skill needed to accomplish this as well as the acoustic value of such.) you also show equal GLARING ignorance referring to proven scientific acoustic waveform behavior and guidance as glued dixie cups. A well designed and engineered, molded, hard composite material is used as the waveguide. Even in pictures its clear that it is WELL DESIGNED. Also, Making fun of someone who probably has an IQ 40 points or more in excess of yours is eclipsed only by your shameless harassment of him as you know he is still learning to articulate himself. The more people that read this the more you will be deservedly ostracized.

If you really want to give him constructive criticism (which you obviously don't) you would fore go ALL of the harassing, belittling, disrespectful language.
wolf_garcia
4,650 posts
 
I refuse to respond to such harassing, belittling, and disrespectful language. Or maybe I don't, in any case...what's wrong with dixie cups? Don't you realize the TREMENDOUS skill involved in making dixie cups? Are plywood assemblers really "premier craftsmen?" Wouldn't "premier wood gluers" be a more skill specific description? I think After_hrs is simply not getting enough sleep or the much needed anger management therapy, hence the apt moniker...also the weird threats of my becoming ostracized by "the people who read this"...I think this is an entertaining thread, but then I WOULD think that since I'm handicapped by having such a low IQ. It's simply unfair to pick on the disabled...*sniff*...
darkmoebius
899 posts
 
I still claim that a sensible website with less magical nonsense, rational promotion through the normal channels (shows, reviews form respected pros) would help the case here, but the persistent shilling by people claiming no connection with the hapless designer still seems suspicious and really doesn't help the brand.

A couple of things, Wolf:
1) Audio shows are extremely expensive and not always a good value proposition for small manufacturers.
2) Lots of new manufacturers come to the attention of pro audio reviewers via the praise of consumers on audio forums
rebbi
1,319 posts
 
Um... may I please ask a substantive question? ;-)

Wavetouch has a YouTube channel on which I found this show report.

In the close up of one of the speakers, it seems that the woofer phase plug isn't fixed place, but it somehow suspended and movable. Is that right? Can someone with these speakers verify this construction detail? It looks like an unusual design.

Thanks!
tubegroover
2,279 posts
 
Actually plywood IS laminated wood sheets. There are just different quality levels (grades) and thicknesses of the sheets used. Certainly plywood used for roof sheathing or siding for a building structure is not of the same quality as cabinet grade nor is cabinet grade, I expect, most likely not as high a quality nor as thick maybe as the sheets used in speakers. Bottom line is that some type of adhesive is used to adhere the sheets together and thus all could be generally categorized as plywood or laminated sheets of wood if you like. In any case they would add cost over MDF for sure aside from any acoustical advantage they may or may not offer. Not to confuse the manufacture of the "plywood" with the construction of the cabinets, two different processes.
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