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Speakers to go with my amp...

U

undersin

Active Member
Hey guys,

As some of you know I had the other thread about the amps my dad's friend built. They are very nice low wattage tube amps and I am trying to find some really good, efficient speakers for them. Somewhere between the 600-900 range. I was planning on buying the totem arros but you guys told me they would not be the best match. In my search I found Tekton speakers. They have these on audiogon http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrfull&1298153060&/Tekton-Design-Fostex-Kats-Meow which look very nice. They also have the new Model Lore speakers. What do you guys think of these? Any other suggestions? I would like speakers that have great detail and a great sound stage. Something that really immerses you in the music. I am open to all suggestions, but would really like something modern. I do listen to jazz and blues, but I listen to a lot of guitar driven music (steve vai, Satriani, etc.) as well as newer rock/alternative.

thanks guys
 
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I have been looking into Tekton speakers myself. If you get some, please provide a review.
 
I wouldn't overlook vintage speakers though?
I had a pair of HUGE mid-50's University tri-axiel's (UCX-12) that were drop-dead awesome, run by a low-powered Magnavox 8802 amplifier.

Steve
 
I have had those exact Katz Meow speakers for a few months and really like them. I drive them with a 4-watt SET amp and they do just fine in a 12' x 13' room. Not sure what exactly you mean by low power tube amps, but unless you have a pretty big room and / or listen very loud, those Katz only need a few watts.
For comparison sake, I also own Klipschorns (they'll run you $2K or so) and they do great next to the TV the kids play XBox on, i.e.: They ain't in my main rig no more (although the room is kinda small for them).
I also just got a pair of Zu Omens, and with only about 50 hrs. and having not finished with placement and etc., I prefer the Katz at the moment (but I have high hopes for the Omens).
btw: Eric Alexander (Mr. Tekton) seems to be a great guy to deal with. He gave me a 60-day return offer, and those Katz have been on the 'gon for a couple of weeks so he may offer you that same deal.

Hope this helps.
 
Yeah that's pretty much the type of amp I'll be using! Just wondering if i should go with these Katz meow or the lore. How's the detail and imaging? Are they worth $900? Do you have any pictures of them I could see?
 
undersin said:
Yeah that's pretty much the type of amp I'll be using! Just wondering if i should go with these Katz meow or the lore. How's the detail and imaging? Are they worth $900? Do you have any pictures of them I could see?
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Katz vs. Lore - That's a great question.
If you look on the 'gon you can see my system there, with a couple of pics of the Katz and my other stuff.

The detail is good, not quite as good as the Omens I don't believe, but I haven't listened to the Katz in my main rig since I got the Omens a few weeks ago, haven't directly compared. The imaging is fantastic with the Katz. I have had a lot of trouble getting a good soundstage in my small room, Maggies, Martin Logans, KHorns made great music but the Katz produce a nice holographic presentation. Very smooth and well balanced.
The only reason I didn't get a pair of Lore when I got the Omens was because I was curious about Zu. At $1000 I'd say Lore / Omen?? Coin toss. (The Omens are now selling for $1500). But the Katz are certainly worth $900 to me, no question. I thought about picking up the pair you are looking at but that would be lame, to have 2 pair of the same...maybe it's just me.
I had KHorns and saw the Katz for sale. I PM'd a couple of guys who had Tekton speakers and they said "Go for it!". I spoke to Eric and told him they were going against KHorns, and I would not be bashful about returning them. He said "Go fior it!" so I did, not really expecting they would better the KHorns. They did.

Having said all that - I would really try to get a trial/return if you haven't heard single driver full rangers with a SET.
 
sebrof said:
Katz vs. Lore - That's a great question.
If you look on the 'gon you can see my system there, with a couple of pics of the Katz and my other stuff.

The detail is good, not quite as good as the Omens I don't believe, but I haven't listened to the Katz in my main rig since I got the Omens a few weeks ago, haven't directly compared. The imaging is fantastic with the Katz. I have had a lot of trouble getting a good soundstage in my small room, Maggies, Martin Logans, KHorns made great music but the Katz produce a nice holographic presentation. Very smooth and well balanced.
The only reason I didn't get a pair of Lore when I got the Omens was because I was curious about Zu. At $1000 I'd say Lore / Omen?? Coin toss. (The Omens are now selling for $1500). But the Katz are certainly worth $900 to me, no question. I thought about picking up the pair you are looking at but that would be lame, to have 2 pair of the same...maybe it's just me.
I had KHorns and saw the Katz for sale. I PM'd a couple of guys who had Tekton speakers and they said "Go for it!". I spoke to Eric and told him they were going against KHorns, and I would not be bashful about returning them. He said "Go fior it!" so I did, not really expecting they would better the KHorns. They did.

Having said all that - I would really try to get a trial/return if you haven't heard single driver full rangers with a SET.
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Well according to tekton which speaker is supposed to be "better" the katz or lore? Katz cost more new doesn't it? Do you have any idea the difference between these and the newer katz?

Now I have never spent $900 on speakers before so when you say the detail is "good" I am sure you are comparing it to a lot of speakers around the same or higher cost. I KNow it is hard to describe sound in words but does it have better detail then probably most $300-400 speakers? I have the maudio bx5a's right now should it have more detail than those?
 
undersin said:
Well according to tekton which speaker is supposed to be "better" the katz or lore? Katz cost more new doesn't it? Do you have any idea the difference between these and the newer katz?

Now I have never spent $900 on speakers before so when you say the detail is "good" I am sure you are comparing it to a lot of speakers around the same or higher cost. I KNow it is hard to describe sound in words but does it have better detail then probably most $300-400 speakers? I have the maudio bx5a's right now should it have more detail than those?
Click to expand...

The new Katz have different 8" drivers and different tweeters, slightly different cabinet. The old Katz have the Fostex FF225 8" I believe. The new Katz retail for $2K, the old Katz retailed for $1,400.
Call or eMail Eric and ask Katz vs. Lore.
I am comparing the detail of the Katz with Maggie 1.6, ML Ascent i, KHorns and Zu Omen. The Katz' detail is in the same ballpark for sure, I think I heard more detail on some recordings with the Omens, but sometimes I think I hear something new when I make a change, then change back and say "No, it's there I just didn't notice it before." I can't speak about the maudio bx5a's having never heard them, but I would expect the Katz to have much better detail and simply perform better overall than any $300 - $400 speaker.
It sounds as if you are where I was before I bought my Tektons. I was thinking Tekton? Who ever heard of Tekton, can they be good quality, for real speakers? Or some sort of gimmick? That's when I PM'd a couple of guys who had some model of Tekton and had thousands of posts on multiple forums on many topics (IOW, they had some experience with a lot of stuff).

I don't want to get too RahRah about these, because everyone has different tastes. Look at the threads about Zu on this forum, and see some of the posters who love them and some who can't stand them. Curiosity got the better of me and I ordered a pair and like them. So you never know. There are a lot of knowledgeable folks on AK, and you are sure to get other good recommendations. I suspect some people will read my posts and say Tekton Katz over KHorns? That guy is nuts. Suffice to say that for $900 I can heartily recommend the Katz to anyone who has a similar room, amp, tastes in loudness and music as I do. I'm sure there are other speakers out there as well, but it would be tough to do better for the price, new, a quality builder who supports his products, and made in the US.
 
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Hey there,
I would suggest listening to as many speakers as possible before taking the plunge. Take your time, its worth it.
I took almost a year of bringing speakers home and listening before I finally settled on Totem Sttafs.
They image excellently, have very good bass and detail.
I'm using a Scott 299c with them. It probably has more power than the amps you will be using, but you never know until you pair them up how it will perform!
Good Luck and have fun with it!
 
For $600-900 you could do worse than a set of Klipsch. Perhaps Chorus IIs or Forte IIs or Heresy IIs with a subwoofer. Efficiency (97dB or greater) and detail out the ears and they actually throw a decent soundstage. You can do a lot of tweaking with them (capacitors, diaphragms, chokes/autoformers etc.) so you can start with the basic speakers and modify as your budget and whim allow. Give them a listen first to see if you enjoy the Klipsch sound. Definitely different from Totem.

-D
 
Zu Omens are still available from Music Direct for $999. I just ordered a pair and it ran ~$90 shipping to Oregon. Still waiting ....
 
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