Lore S (Seas drivers) in a nearfield environment listening to classic jazz & some (non punk, no hip hop, no headbanger) pop music. I haven't heard the other models but I have no desire to change. The Lore S sound good at moderate volumes in a more intimate setting. I might make another choice if I had a 16 X 20 room.
Tekton Owners Thread
- Thread starter prighello
- Start date
Lore S (Seas drivers) in a nearfield environment listening to classic jazz & some (non punk, no hip hop, no headbanger) pop music. I haven't heard the other models but I have no desire to change. The Lore S sound good at moderate volumes in a more intimate setting. I might make another choice if I had a 16 X 20 room.
Rod Moghadam
New Member
Thanks Rocky,
That was exactly what I was hoping to hear. I also ended up calling Eric and he pretty much said an Anthem receiver would be great match for the DI. Now, it's only a matter of convincing my significant other!
Rod Moghadam
New Member
MAC,
Funny that you mentioned ZOTL 40. Right after reading the first responses here about the "beauty" of running DIs with a linear amp I was looking at ZOTL 40 and got very excited until I saw the price tag. Little outside of my league, but again nothing other than great reviews about the product.
mac48025
Active Member
Rod, yeah the ZOTL isn't exactly cheap, hence my needing to save up for it, but like Tektons it's a veritable bargain in this crazy audio world!
One of the many great things about Tektons is their ability to sound good with whatever components are put upstream of them. They aren't nearly as particular about amplification as many amps. From small tube amps to massive SS amps they will get the most out of what's fed to them. I would have been blissfully happy living in my ignorance of better amps for the DI's than my Decware as they sound great with it.....albeit unable to delivery the sound levels I occasionally desire. The next amp I get will be my last......at last for a very long time. The ZOTL 40 is very intriguing but going with the LTA tube preamp with a SS amp could be interesting. Choices, choices!
Woody, thanks for input on Odyssey with the Pendragons. A very fast amp with very fast speakers.......maybe too much of a good thing? Getting the Kismet Monoblocks with a tube amp was definitely an option I was considering.
One of the many great things about Tektons is their ability to sound good with whatever components are put upstream of them. They aren't nearly as particular about amplification as many amps. From small tube amps to massive SS amps they will get the most out of what's fed to them. I would have been blissfully happy living in my ignorance of better amps for the DI's than my Decware as they sound great with it.....albeit unable to delivery the sound levels I occasionally desire. The next amp I get will be my last......at last for a very long time. The ZOTL 40 is very intriguing but going with the LTA tube preamp with a SS amp could be interesting. Choices, choices!
Woody, thanks for input on Odyssey with the Pendragons. A very fast amp with very fast speakers.......maybe too much of a good thing? Getting the Kismet Monoblocks with a tube amp was definitely an option I was considering.
pdyebrasil
New Member
For what it's worth, I am currently running my Pendragons (LCR) off of an Integra receiver, and it sounds really good! However, my next upgrades will be a pre/pro and amp. I know that the limiting factor to my system right now is that receiver.
rickmusicman
Member
I finally decided on the amp for my DI's. Odyssey Khartago Amps with the extreme upgrade. I ordered them today and will take 8 - 9 weeks to get. Now I need to decide on a preamp, have no idea about this. I think I will use the preamp section on my Sansui AU 517 for awhile until I can decide and have a budget. I was looking at some tube preamps, but not knowing much about them, it seems none have a phono section to play vinyl?
ictwoody
I like vintage gear — my preamp is from 2007.
I think you'd be smart to get a tube pre. The Odysseys play nice with tube front ends. Based on my time with my Pens on my Kismet monos I would look for a preamp with a fat low end. Depending on budget my first choice would be a used Modwright LS100. It has nice bass and will probably balance out the system nicely.
When I had my LS100 it actually had a bit more bass than I wanted in my system with my Philharmonics, but I never tried it with the Pendragons. It might have been great.
Make sure you give Klaus your wall voltage and speaker specs so he can bias the amps for you. That will probably help. Mine are tailored for my Phils.
- Woody
dosley01
Active Member
The Rogue Audio 99 Magnum would be a great choice. The built in tube phono preamp is much better than it's price would suggest. I would not be scared to purchase used, Rogue has great support.
mac48025
Active Member
Congrats Rick, you should be very happy with your new system. I had my Kismets biased for my Enzo's when I bought them and thought they sounded great. I agree with woody that tube pre with a fat low end would work well. Maybe look at Decware for well made tube pre amps that are ballsy and reasonably priced also. That's all I'm familiar with but I'd definitely heed Woodys advice and check out the Modwright.
rickmusicman
Member
Is anyone familiar with the Vincent Audio SA 31 Hybrid Stereo Preamp?
JT-3
Super Member
Using a restored Marantz 2220b receiver which is like 20w/channel with Lore Reference and they sound bananas. For whatever reason, my wife and I both prefer it over a restored heavy hitter Yamaha CR1020. Yamaha sounds a little relaxed, more laid back. Next up is the McIntosh gear, room is being redone and I'll post pics soon.
Anthem makes great gear, I think you'll be just fine.
Pardon me for chiming in. Long time lurker, passive searcher for my One Shot Kills - was a long search. If it were me, my experience and funds being limited, I'd grab the DI's, a Crown XLI for power, plug in a decent source...
And let 'em rip.
Lots of watts, low-cost jump in...buys you as much time as you would like to upgrade. And you're not wondering what watts will or will not do with those beasts.
PS. Fwiw, Andrew Robinson used Crown XLS's, their D class units, in his review of the Pens to great results. He eventually moved on, but they were good enough to give him great performance of the Pens.
And let 'em rip.
Lots of watts, low-cost jump in...buys you as much time as you would like to upgrade. And you're not wondering what watts will or will not do with those beasts.
PS. Fwiw, Andrew Robinson used Crown XLS's, their D class units, in his review of the Pens to great results. He eventually moved on, but they were good enough to give him great performance of the Pens.
Last edited:
mac48025
Active Member
I have to tell you, I tried the crown xli 's based on Andrew Robinsons review and thought they sounded horrible. When I called Music Direct to return them the customer rep said they had several others return them trying the same thing and that they would never recommend them for home use. The idea was too tempting not to try but it was too good to be true. Not to say some might not like the sound, but for me it was very thin, bright, harsh and lifeless.......but it sure was loud!
Lol - well I sure appreciate the good word. I ain't gonna' doubt it. Specially since your review is what locked the DI's in for me as my target speaker.
(Not like I doubted them - the Lores, Enzos, and Pens being such hits.) I wonder...did you try the XLI? Or was it the XLS. Andrew had the XLS - their Class D. I'm not a fan of class D, but am no golden ear, either. But I suggest the XLI as it's their A/B series. I'd expect it to maybe sound better.
cubdog
banging through drywall
Great decision on your amp and speaker combination. At one time Odyssey/Seas Pendragon was my dream system. Maybe it still is, close anyway. I also think a tube pre is the way to go although I'd also give thought to a passive pre. Lots of solutions to a nice problem. I'm sure you'll be happy whichever direction you go. Lastly, I hope you try your Sansui with the DI's just to see what it can do. My guess is it will sound pretty nice.
mac48025
Active Member
Not sure crammit. I think I got the xli as it was class AB? I don't remember but I did get and bridged them to make two Monoblocks. It was a bummer as I thought I was onto something good that was very affordable. It's worth trying out since they have a money back guarantee......at least Music Direct did.
I want to thank Mac for the audition earlier today of the his DI's. Now I know first hand what all the fuss is about! These things simply DISAPPEAR in a room. Mac tricked me with the first exposure of a track with someone putting ice in a glass, and I was sure the sound emanated from behind me. Most of the material he played SOUNDED as though it was between the speakers, as though the performers were on a stage in the middle of the listening position. It has this sense of presence with absolutely no harshness or edge: voices (both male and female) were fantastic (important to me because I plan to use these in phantom home theater configuration.) I expected these to handle bass well (and they did), but theyhave what I would describe, as a delicately dynamic quality. They somehow managed to be nuanced and detailed and as dynamic as you could want all at the same time. For me, they check all the right boxes. One question: I'm reading references here to the forthcoming DI SE: would someone explain what the differences will be between these and the existing DI's?
mac48025
Active Member
My pleasure vidiot. I enjoy sharing the DI's with others. Not only do they sound amazing but are one of the best bargains in audio, if not the best. With your SS amplification in your theater system you'll experience dynamic slam I wasn't able to demonstrate today. Get ready to start listening to more music as the DI's beg to play music.
Oh yes, these sound so sweet, they really will demonstrate their considerable strengths with well-recorded music. I'm hoping I won't lose too much of the sweetness I heard in your tube system using solid state, and that the corresponding increase in dynamics and bass bass response proves to be an acceptable trade-off. Now, I need to work on acquiring these: is there any good reason to wait for the aforementioned SE's?
