TEKTON DESIGN "LORE", are they seriously as good as the reviews ?

[dcgibby]

I don't think the Lores are particularly idiosyncratic. I think they're fairly forgiving. I've had a pair for about three months and they are without a doubt the best speakers I've ever owned. As said above, they are $2K speakers for $1K. The money is in the design, the drivers, and the construction quality, not the finish. The finish is adequate, but not spectacular. If you want to pony up a few more bucks you might want to consider the Pendragons which are reported to be a significant step above the Lores.

 

[Bob in WI]

Hi savagtage,

I think I'm going to have to agree with you regarding the Maggies. I've entertained the idea of buying Magneplaners howeverI'm thinking Maggies are not right for me (at this time).
Of late, I've been heading down that road called "SET" so, the Maggies are out. I must say, I am very much enjoying my Fisher 400 (25 Watts per channel) Tube Receiver and the Polk 10 Monitors however, I've got the Bug to try BRAND NEW (Speaker wise). I've been thinking that perhaps maybe I should purchase a pair of SUPER sensitive Horns (i.e. Klipsch Cornwalls, Chorus, etc.) for use with an SET Amp however, it would be some distant time in the future before I would even purchase a Stereo SET Amp for use with Horns. Heck, presently, I VERY VERY much enjoying listening to my Mono 2A3 SET 3 Watts Amp (with my new ONKYO 7030 CD Player connected directly to the Amp) and my (Charles Eames designed) Stephens Tru-Sonic Horn.

My main concern would be NOT being able to first hear the likes of Tekton or ZU Speakers......AND......would either of these Speakers be a true improvement

over my Polk 10 (Series ll) Monitors ?


SixCats!

If my experience with Polks & the Lore is anything to go by, the Lore is in a different league. But thats in my room, with my equipment & my ears. YMMV - not everyone likes the same thing.

 

[Sleepr0]

I have had Magnepan MG-1s, Double Advents and a slew of "other" speakers. Those made the biggest impact on me - the Maggies for their refinement and stagecraft and the Advents for their dynamism and bass. Man, those Advents could rock, but they were crude in comparison to the MGs. I've heard hundreds of other speakers over the 45-odd years in this hobby.

Well, I recently unpacked a pair of Lore References. I missed the Zu DW train by a few days. The Lores left me stumped at first. After using a pair of NHT SuperOnes paired with two SVS SB-1000s for awhile, I couldn't get a handle on the Lores. At the very, very start, the bass sounded "stuffy", but it only took a few ours for that to resolve itself. Still, I couldn't identify any particular characteristics in the Lores. Bad recordings sounded bad and great music was wonderful. The highs in particular varied widely from tune to tune. Then it hit me: they are remarkably neutral. They don't have any quality that would let me identify them in a dark room, where I could easily divine the presence of the Maggies, Advents or NHTs. What *might* help me identify them would be having my hand on the volume control. The Lores are just chameleons, but with great efficiency, dynamics and bass. Female voices are female without screech and male voices clean without any chestiness. Even listing to talk radio is a revelation: voices just sound real.They have better clarity in the highs than the old Maggies with a wee bit more sensitivity than the double Advents. The bass is not quite as deep as the Advents, but it is much better controlled and lacks the cabinet resonances that the old speakers had. The thing is that the Advents had "big bass" on everything I played through them where the Tektons only delve deep if the source material has it. I have mostly left the SVS subs out of the mix and noticed little real difference in my medium-ish apartment. The subs actually seem to overdo the bass, so I keep them off most of the time. I may sell them and get all of my Lore money back.

The Lores do everything I need them to do - orchestra, jazz or rock - with real style and no artifice. Having the ports in front allows great flexibility in positioning too. While they are very basic in appearance, once you hear the beauty in them, they will look a lot better to you. I would recommend a less colorful finish. The dark gray does it for me. While the grilles for mine are on the way, it won't matter to me whether I use them or not. The cones are sturdy and the tweeters flexible and so they are pretty much childproof. And they look better and better to me every day. The paint does smell weird though.

I did order a pair of the vaunted Klipsch RP-600Ms from Amazon for a comparison and the RPs sounded like they had a pillow case (muslin) thrown over them by comparison, yet the Lores are never strident, grainy or sibilant. Voices are dead clear and the bass is miles beyond.

TL;DR I will be keeping these. While I'm sure that the Zu DWs very good, if not better, I am done ordering, trying and shipping speakers back. These will do just fine, thanks. If I do upgrade, it will be to an Enzo XL or something in that vein. Eric says that they are all voiced similarly.

I will miss "the chase". I'd still love to have a pair of Maggie 1.7s or something similar, but these just sound beautiful.

 

[HiFiJeff]

I have had Magnepan MG-1s, Double Advents and a slew of "other" speakers. Those made the biggest impact on me - the Maggies for their refinement and stagecraft and the Advents for their dynamism and bass. Man, those Advents could rock, but they were crude in comparison to the MGs. I've heard hundreds of other speakers over the 45-odd years in this hobby.

Well, I recently unpacked a pair of Lore References. I missed the Zu DW train by a few days. The Lores left me stumped at first. After using a pair of NHT SuperOnes paired with two SVS SB-1000s for awhile, I couldn't get a handle on the Lores. At the very, very start, the bass sounded "stuffy", but it only took a few ours for that to resolve itself. Still, I couldn't identify any particular characteristics in the Lores. Bad recordings sounded bad and great music was wonderful. The highs in particular varied widely from tune to tune. Then it hit me: they are remarkably neutral. They don't have any quality that would let me identify them in a dark room, where I could easily divine the presence of the Maggies, Advents or NHTs. What *might* help me identify them would be having my hand on the volume control. The Lores are just chameleons, but with great efficiency, dynamics and bass. Female voices are female without screech and male voices clean without any chestiness. Even listing to talk radio is a revelation: voices just sound real.They have better clarity in the highs than the old Maggies with a wee bit more sensitivity than the double Advents. The bass is not quite as deep as the Advents, but it is much better controlled and lacks the cabinet resonances that the old speakers had. The thing is that the Advents had "big bass" on everything I played through them where the Tektons only delve deep if the source material has it. I have mostly left the SVS subs out of the mix and noticed little real difference in my medium-ish apartment. The subs actually seem to overdo the bass, so I keep them off most of the time. I may sell them and get all of my Lore money back.

The Lores do everything I need them to do - orchestra, jazz or rock - with real style and no artifice. Having the ports in front allows great flexibility in positioning too. While they are very basic in appearance, once you hear the beauty in them, they will look a lot better to you. I would recommend a less colorful finish. The dark gray does it for me. While the grilles for mine are on the way, it won't matter to me whether I use them or not. The cones are sturdy and the tweeters flexible and so they are pretty much childproof. And they look better and better to me every day. The paint does smell weird though.

I did order a pair of the vaunted Klipsch RP-600Ms from Amazon for a comparison and the RPs sounded like they had a pillow case (muslin) thrown over them by comparison, yet the Lores are never strident, grainy or sibilant. Voices are dead clear and the bass is miles beyond.

TL;DR I will be keeping these. While I'm sure that the Zu DWs very good, if not better, I am done ordering, trying and shipping speakers back. These will do just fine, thanks. If I do upgrade, it will be to an Enzo XL or something in that vein. Eric says that they are all voiced similarly.

I will miss "the chase". I'd still love to have a pair of Maggie 1.7s or something similar, but these just sound beautiful.

Did you ever upgrade?

 

[Pinkfloyd4ev]

For those wondering about the differences between the 3 Lore models, here's a video where Eric Alexander explains it himself:

I'm looking at new speakers and the Mini-Lores or Lore Reference are at the top of my list. Even after watching that video I still can't decide though, lol. The smaller footprint (and pricetag) of the Mini would fit best in my limited space (and budget), but the extra height (for optimal driver positioning when I'm sitting in the sweet spot) of the Reference would be nice. So would the extra bass and the additional detail of the Reference. I guess I'll call Eric and talk to him about it when I get closer to actually ordering.

 

[HiFiJeff]

For those wondering about the differences between the 3 Lore models, here's a video where Eric Alexander explains it himself:

I'm looking at new speakers and the Mini-Lores or Lore Reference are at the top of my list. Even after watching that video I still can't decide though, lol. The smaller footprint (and pricetag) of the Mini would fit best in my limited space (and budget), but the extra height (for optimal driver positioning when I'm sitting in the sweet spot) of the Reference would be nice. So would the extra bass and the additional detail of the Reference. I guess I'll call Eric and talk to him about it when I get closer to actually ordering.

I’ve ALWAYS wanted to try the Reference. Owned the M-Lore then jumped all the way up to the Pendragon. But that Reference has always eluded me. I might just go buy a pair as well. Need some for my living room system.

 

[Modeforjoe]

@SixCats!

The way I’d describe Tektons is, live/here/present. The music is in the room with you and there is a sort of directness to it. No shouty per se but present and attention grabbing. The speakers are not laidback or in the background. You are in the front row. The MMGs have a similar presentation and both speakers throw a large soundstage. The Tektons seemed to image better.

One thing I liked about the MMGs was how they filled my home with sound. They sounded great even from another room but we had an open floor plan and thus their dipole nature really showed off; they sounded the same from behind as forwards. The Tektons filled the room as well but sounded better when sitting in front of the speakers. The MMGs also have a sparkly character to the highs the M Lore lacked. The Lore Reference has much better treble and is closer to the MMGs.

Where the Tektons win was in range and impact. They actually have bass while the MMGs were distinctly lacking in this department. For orchestral music and cinematic music the Tektons just crushed the MMGs in dynamics and emotion. They also don’t need to be pulled several feet away from the back wall due to front porting.

Both speakers are great and in the mid range and above will have similar sound so it really depends upon what type of music you like and your room. Also, for the MMGs don’t sweat WPC, just make sure you are 4ohm stable. I ran my MMGs off an Onkyo A-9050 for a good while before I got a monster power amp that did 600 WPC 4 ohms. They did not suffer from running off the Onkyo, but the thing ran pretty hot!

Just for reference, I’d had a bunch of speakers in the past 5 years: Polk RT400s & Monitor 50s, Seas Custom 2ways, Mark Audio Alpair 7s, Fostex FE103en, Sonus Faber Venere 1.5s, Tekton M Lores & Lore Reference, KEF LS50s, Magnepan MMGs, and a few others. The only speakers I went back to were the Tektons. The rest are sold or given away and the KEF LS50s are sitting in a closet.

I hope all this info helps.

This info helps a lot. May I ask your feelings about the lore reference vs the lore? Also what kind of music do you prefer these with?

 

[gizzyman47]

Glad I live in Utah! Some great speaker companies here! Wilson Audio in Provo 5 min away, Tekton in Orem where I live and ZuAudio in Ogden. Kimber cables in Ogden also. Probably more that I'm not aware of.

 

[Tom in RI]

To the OP, our own Baco99 has a pair of Tekton Oriels for sale at his shop in Lawrence, MA. Not sure far that is from you.

 

[DAA]

These never impressed me. My buddy ran his with a SET amp. I found them boring and never terribly inspiring. We swapped in a pair of Snell K MKI I restored on heavy 22” stands and out the Lores went (now sold). The improvement was dramatic. Again, his room and his system.

 

[prighello]

This info helps a lot. May I ask your feelings about the lore reference vs the lore? Also what kind of music do you prefer these with?

I’ve never heard the Lore so I cannot speak to it. Eric of Tekton would be the person to ask. If I recall, he came out with the Lore Reference as a more detailed version of the Lore. I’d bet the Lore plays deeper and is more dynamic as it uses a 10” driver vs the 8” in the Lore Reference. The cabinet is also larger. I chose the Lore Reference because of the room I had at the time.


For music, I listen to all sorts from classical to metal to jazz to folk, new age, rock, and edm. I listen to basically everything but rap.

 

[CollinTiegs]

Reviving this thread, sorry.

I recently picked up a pair of Lores and I’m having a really hard time understanding the appeal of these speakers.

I’ll say all this with the obvious caveats that all rooms, ears, brains and systems are different so maybe I’m just nuts or whatever. However, to me these speakers basically sound like PA speakers with better tweeters. I can’t get anything other than an aggressively in your face and fairly shouty sound out of them. Listening to them at levels necessary to produce decent dynamics is quickly fatiguing.

Best I can come up with is that my listening space is too small and they’re quickly overwhelming it. I’ve swapped amps around (SS and tube gear) tried different sources and placement. The only thing that helps a bit is to apply a pretty decent amount of eq boosting the lows and rolling off the highest frequencies.

For what it’s worth, I’ve moved in and out 4 other sets of speakers into this room in the past 2 weeks and all of them sounded superior, or at least listenable (Infinity Kappa 7s, Tannoy Gold 12” Monitors, a pair of DIY 3 way open baffles and a set of dynaco a35s).

What am I missing here? I’d love to love these things, honestly, if there’s a key to them that I’m not registering I want or know!

 

[Smileysmile]

Reviving this thread, sorry.

I recently picked up a pair of Lores and I’m having a really hard time understanding the appeal of these speakers.

I’ll say all this with the obvious caveats that all rooms, ears, brains and systems are different so maybe I’m just nuts or whatever. However, to me these speakers basically sound like PA speakers with better tweeters. I can’t get anything other than an aggressively in your face and fairly shouty sound out of them. Listening to them at levels necessary to produce decent dynamics is quickly fatiguing.

Best I can come up with is that my listening space is too small and they’re quickly overwhelming it. I’ve swapped amps around (SS and tube gear) tried different sources and placement. The only thing that helps a bit is to apply a pretty decent amount of eq boosting the lows and rolling off the highest frequencies.

For what it’s worth, I’ve moved in and out 4 other sets of speakers into this room in the past 2 weeks and all of them sounded superior, or at least listenable (Infinity Kappa 7s, Tannoy Gold 12” Monitors, a pair of DIY 3 way open baffles and a set of dynaco a35s).

What am I missing here? I’d love to love these things, honestly, if there’s a key to them that I’m not registering I want or know!

Interesting testimony. I have a few questions for you. How long did you own the Lore speakers and do you still have them? What was the size of your room and with which amp set-up did you try them? I am just about to buy the Tekton Lore and I am surprised how much opinions vary about these speakers. I own a pair of Magnepan speakers since 1988 and I understand that going from Maggies to Tektons just might be to much of a departure in sound quality (and in efficiency for that matter). Thanks for any input about the Lore and Lore Reference.

 

[trinhsman]

I have Tekton Double Impacts. They are great but do have limitations. My room is far from perfect, so I know I don’t get all that the speakers are capable of.
Bass can be amazing, if it is on the material. Bass can be weak, if it is weak on the material.
Placement can make quite a difference.
My fully modified Snell E II’s with Audio Note drivers and @GordonW rebuilt crossovers give them a real run. However they are in a better room. I have not and most likely will not move the Tektons downstairs to the basement system room. Over 100 lbs eacn, so I don’t like the chance of making a mistake in the move and doing damage to them.
I do think in that room, however, the Tektons would truly shine.
Don’t get me wrong, the Tektons sound incredible where they are. I just know what would happen in a really good room.
Just my 2 cents.

 

[Gnesen]

However, to me these speakers basically sound like PA speakers with better tweeters. I can’t get anything other than an aggressively in your face and fairly shouty sound out of them. Listening to them at levels necessary to produce decent dynamics is quickly fatiguing.

I hate to say it, but this was my experience with a pair of M-Lores beautifully finished in bubinga. The source and type of amplification didn't matter -- I tried a variety of tube and solid state preamps and amps, but I just couldn't get them to sound quite right in my room.

 

[Smileysmile]

I hate to say it, but this was my experience with a pair of M-Lores beautifully finished in bubinga. The source and type of amplification didn't matter -- I tried a variety of tube and solid state preamps and amps, but I just couldn't get them to sound quite right in my room.

Well, those last two comments just put a stop to my desire to buy the Tekton Lore to replace my old Magnepans.
In the end, I guess you get what you pay for.

 

[W9TR]

You should try to find a pair to audition locally. I’ve heard them multiple times at shows, which I know is not the best place to listen. One time they sounded good, another terrible. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, I think they are idiosyncratic - not everyone will like them but those that do love them.
Tom

 

[kevintomb]

Does anyone have Links to any reviews that do actual measurements??

That would go a long way to seeing what response they actually have, as compared to subjective impressions, that depend on what type of music, the listeners preferences, the room they are used in etc....

 

[prighello]

You should try to find a pair to audition locally. I’ve heard them multiple times at shows, which I know is not the best place to listen. One time they sounded good, another terrible. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, I think they are idiosyncratic - not everyone will like them but those that do love them.
Tom

Totally agree with this suggestion. Too many variables.

Generally, I like Tekton speakers but even my own experience is mixed. I had a pair of M Lores and liked them a lot; as much as a pair of Kef LS50s I had in the same room but for different reasons. I sold them when we moved and kept the Kefs due to size. Years later I bought a pair of Lore References and liked them too but found them to be more picky of gear, the room, and recordings. I think I'd actually prefer to have the M Lores now. Then I got some Focals and now I hardly ever listen to the References and usually just bring them out to club events when we need something to play music on.

I spent a day with the DIs and didn't like them at all. However, many folks love them. I found them to be too in your face but it was a tough room and very large. Twice I have listened to the Moabs, in different systems, and both times they sounded wonderful.

I will say I had Magnepan MMGs around the same time as the M Lores and sent them home. They had no bass compared the M Lores but were more detailed. I'd compare the MMGs more to the References in that regard but without the forwardness the References can exhibit. I do think the References can be shouty now that I'd had them in four different places. In our current place, they do not work in the living room at all, but in the TV room that has been treated they do pretty well. However, they have been displaced by the Kef LS50s and a sub.

YMMV, if you can find a way to demo you might love them or you might not. I think they are worth giving it a shot if you have the chance.

 

[kbfromuk]

Reviving this thread, sorry.

I recently picked up a pair of Lores and I’m having a really hard time understanding the appeal of these speakers.

I’ll say all this with the obvious caveats that all rooms, ears, brains and systems are different so maybe I’m just nuts or whatever. However, to me these speakers basically sound like PA speakers with better tweeters. I can’t get anything other than an aggressively in your face and fairly shouty sound out of them. Listening to them at levels necessary to produce decent dynamics is quickly fatiguing.

Best I can come up with is that my listening space is too small and they’re quickly overwhelming it. I’ve swapped amps around (SS and tube gear) tried different sources and placement. The only thing that helps a bit is to apply a pretty decent amount of eq boosting the lows and rolling off the highest frequencies.

For what it’s worth, I’ve moved in and out 4 other sets of speakers into this room in the past 2 weeks and all of them sounded superior, or at least listenable (Infinity Kappa 7s, Tannoy Gold 12” Monitors, a pair of DIY 3 way open baffles and a set of dynaco a35s).

What am I missing here? I’d love to love these things, honestly, if there’s a key to them that I’m not registering I want or know!

CollinTeigs, I can relate to your comments. I've owned and wanted to love the Lores for over two years. I have read and re-read the rave reviews, and was mightily impressed by one in particular which gave a favorable comparison to a set of Harbeths (I think). Surely they must be sitting at the top of their price range and beyond. Alas, I have finally realized I've had a severe case of 'the emperor's new clothes'. How do I know this? Read on.

I first concede that for speakers to sound their best they depend on a quality (though not necessarily expensive) source and amplification. Then there is the matter of room acoustics and speaker placement, not to mention differences in how we perceive sound. My point is that I make no claims that I have heard the Lores at their best.

I am not a newbie to hifi. I worked for a short time as a home audio salesman which gave me ample exposure to a variety of equipment. Furthermore, I have owned several amps, turntables, and CD players, and at least two and possibly three dozen speaker models (including KEF, Mission, Wharfedale, Celestion, B&W, Epos, Heybrook, DCM). I've built my own speakers and subwoofers, some of which sounded quite nice, and others not so much. I still own around eight pairs of speakers, give or take. However, when the Lores arrived I put them away without so much as a quick A/B test. The reviews were that convincing - to me at least. After I hooked up the Lores I allowed plenty of time for break-in, and this improved their sound. Consistent with the reviews the sound is lively. However, the bass is not tight, and in my estimation doesn't do much below around 40Hz. To compensate, I've used three different subwoofers to fill in the bottom octave, though none have helped much in a qualitative sense. Still, considering the rave reviews, I began to think my Arcam FMJ CD player and AVR300 must be limiting the sound. I added a Hypex 502 power amp using the pre-outs on the Arcam and that tightened the bass a little bit, but still the sound seemed to get in the way of the music.

Recently, I bought a pair of inexpensive wired headphones and have been enjoying them so much attached to my cheap mobile phone that I decided it might be a good idea to A/B test the Lores against some of my other speakers. I brought in two stand mounts and an old tower. The test was purely subjective, but I was astonished at the results! Without going into detail, my subjective rating of each speaker was as follows: Lore, 6/10; old tower, 7/10; stand mount #1, 7/10; stand mount #2, 9/10.The comparison with the second pair of stand mount speakers vindicated the rest of the system. They provided the timbre and clarity I have been missing, along with tight and powerful bass, which was, ironically, enhanced by the same subwoofer that has done little to help the Lores. Oddly, though the Lores are given a 98db sensitivity rating, I didn't have to adjust the volume by more than about 5db with the least efficient speakers in the test (rated at 87db sensitivity) to achieve the same SPL. So the Lores appear to have a true sensitivity of around 92db or 93db @ 1w/1m. Furthermore, I found I could turn the volume down on the best-sounding speakers, and experience far greater musical enjoyment than with the Lores at any volume.

Please take what you will from these comments. The Lores are not bad by any means, and their sound may appeal to many. It just doesn't appeal to me. Also, I make no assumptions about any of the other Tekton Design offerings. They may well live up to their respective stellar reviews. For now, though, I will go back to enjoying the music without feeling the need to blow a wad on a new source and amplifier for my speakers to sound good.