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Tekton Double Impact & Comb Filtering

Like many of you, I have been pondering purchasing these speakers but am very curious about the unusual tweeter array. I asked the smartest speaker person that I know (he is a student of Sean Olive) about the design and below is what he had to say.   

"In theory it could work, but the driver spacing means that the crossover point would need to be very low.
He is using the SB acoustics tweeter which is 72mm in diameter, center to center on the outside opposing drivers is around 5.7 inches, which is about 2400Hz. This means that combing would stop between 1/4 to 1/2 of the wavelength (between 1200-600Hz) is where the outside tweeters should start playing nice with each other.
Since he is not using low enough crossover points he has created a comb filtering monster. Now while it's not the great point source that was promised, it's no worse than most line arrays and the combing will average itself out given enough listening distance.

The MTM spacing on the other hand is ridiculous. Hopefully he is cutting the top end off on one of those midrange drivers to avoid combing."

seanheis1
tektondesign
103 posts
 
Thanks Kenny!

And there's literally hundreds more just like you. Thousands more if you wrap the full Tekton lineup into the equation.

If people saw our rate of return for the DI's they'd be shocked! That topic alone speaks volumes of truth as to what this speaker is and does. Regarding rates of returns... I'm not saying.

We're not a mainstream company, we cater to audiophiles and music industry professionals, and with a demographic like this, we've got the most discerning and critical evaluators on earth. Fact is, they appreciate and like what we do.

I've discerned over the years, the biggest gripe the critical types have with me is my decision to not publish measurements and/or extremely detailed loudspeaker specs. This really sends the tweakers into orbit! I design and build 'audio engine's'. Roger Penski, an internal combustion racing engine master said: "If you say anything to anyone, it's like cutting your paycheck in half." I appreciate his sentiment and wisdom.

Eric Alexander - audio designer
seanheis1 OP
359 posts
 
I think that this thread has been very helpful. Tekton is a lot like ZU Audio. Very unique designs that are well reviewed and award winning. Having said that, there are flaws and warts in every design. Not every speaker is right for every application so I think it's okay for folks to have concerns before they buy a product without hearing it first. Otherwise, this becomes the Church of Tekton. ;-)
james_w514's avatar
james_w514
286 posts
 
Yesterday while evaluating DI’s my friend said "I can’t quantify it but they are the best speakers I have ever heard. They are musical instruments"

To me this rings true. When I switch to one of my other speakers I am back to the DI’s in less than an hour no matter how good the other speaker measures in room. At the very least my brain is being tricked by what I am hearing and I couldn’t be happier with the result. If I saw a thread revealing a "gotcha" moment exposing bad measurements it wouldn't change my feelings about the product. 
tektondesign
103 posts
 
I've said for decades loudspeakers are musical instruments. Why we clump them into a branch of electronics is a big mistake.

A bit of exploration and one will discover Tekton and ZU have about zero in common. We'll, I guess we're both in Utah but we certainly don't emulate each other. We have differing audio philosophy across the board. Sean Casey is my freind of upwards of 30 years now and we worked together daily for years - a great friend and professional. Truth be told, we taught each other a ton of stuff. 

Eric Alexander - audio designer 


tektondesign
103 posts
 
And James... your ears are not "being tricked". This is real my friend. This is real quantifiable science and forward thinking innovation.
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