[wisnon]

Check out the reviews at theparttimeaudiophile site. He did extensive listening

[Rischa]

The challenges with coupling high efficiency with high power:

1. Useful range of volume control
2. Any system self-noise is easily revealed
3. Hard/expensive to find really big tube amps that sound best at lower power ratings (where most would listen) yet solid state sound best closer to their maximum power rating.

Just keep in mind that power to dB is a logarithmic relationship, so 10 times the wattage only sounds twice as loud.  This combo should help cover any musical peaks, but like most things in life the last "nth" is the most expensive/hardest.

I run my Lores with an Odyssey Khartago Extreme, which I think is 110w per channel--not the highest powered amp out there, but no SET.

Regarding point #1, I can only turn the volume knob to about 11 o'clock before it becomes uncomfortably loud, but the trade off is that nothing is lost at lower volumes, which is great for listening after the kid goes to sleep.

Regarding #2, with no music playing, my system is dead silent, even with my ear right up to the driver. I have a Decware CSP2+ tube preamp on order, so we'll see if this holds true when I add tubes to the chain (fingers crossed).

The Lores and Khartago sound incredible together, by the way. I think the Positive Feedback review mentioned how well the Lores image, and I've definitely found this to be true. In fact, when my friend heard them for the first time, she kept asking where the center speaker was.

[wisnon]

System matching from the Part time audiophile:

System matching
So, here’s the bottom line.

The Red Wine Audio Signature 15 has no business being as good an amp as it is. It is, by far, the quietest amp I’ve ever had the pleasure to use or listen to. It’s creepy-quiet. If matched to the right speakers, you’re going to be blown away. Wait, that’s a crappy cliche. Say, rather, that you’re going to be so amazed that your next waking thought may well find you naked, grinning, and dashing through the streets of your neighborhood while hooting like an owl. $1,500, for this level of sound, is unbelievable. The fact that this is all Made In The USA? Inconceivable. There’s no way this can last.

The Tekton Lore S is a $1,400 wunderkind, cut from the same over-achieving-on-a-shoestring-budget cloth as the Red Wine amp. I can only begin to capture how good this match up is by saying that these two pieces of gear really ought to be sold as a kit. I mean, really. It’s like they were voiced together, and then sent off like a tragically shattered family only to be brought back together in front of a live TV audience, with you as Oprah (you wish!). The joy with which they seem to play together … priceless.

Don’t forget the cables. At $127 per 1m pair for interconnects and $217 per 1.5m pair for speaker cables, I can’t think of a better way to hook the Red Wine to the Tekton. These cables are a natural fit as they play off the strengths of both while introducing no weaknesses. And yes, the system sounded best with these cables, and different without them. Get ‘em.

Win, win, and win.

Sadly, I don’t have a source component at this price point that I’m nearly as nuts about, or I’d have a Grand Slam here. Have to stay tuned on that score, I guess.

So, that’s it. Is the Red Wine Audio Signature 15 amplifier for everyone, everywhere, all the time? Probably not. But if you’re careful with your synergy and speaker-matching, I dare you to do better — and if you can, buy that whatever-it-is, too!

[wisnon]

The Lore-S: http://parttimeaudiophile.com/2012/03/02/best-yet-the-tekton-lore-s/

Pendragon: 1)  http://parttimeaudiophile.com/2012/01/02/part-one-introducing-the-tekton-pendragon-option-ii/

2)  http://parttimeaudiophile.com/2012/01/25/part-ii-digging-in-to-the-tekton-pendragon/

[Russtafarian]

I wonder how much it would cost someone to build their own. Nothing too complicated about them, not even a crossover (low pass) on the woofer according to the review.

I agree.  It would not be hard to DIY, provided you know how to build and tune the box for the woofer.  The drivers are off the shelf and the XO is a tweeter cap in the range of 1 to 2uf.  There might be a pad resistor too but not likely since the tweeter sensitivity is pretty close to the woofer.

I'm a Zu owner, so consider the bias.  Probably the biggest difference between the Lore and the Zu designs is that the Lore uses an off the shelf Eminence driver.  Zu probably started with the same driver but has been refining and voicing it for this application for the last 10 years.  I never liked the earlier Zu's, but the latest generation of driver sounds much more refined in the upper midrange.  This makes all the difference in the world with this design approach.  If the presence region in a broadband driver is too buzzy, ratty and shouty, I can't listen to it.

I hope to have the Lores side by side with my Zu Souls for a few hours this weekend.  I'm curious to hear the difference between the stock Eminence driver and the Zu driver.

Russ

[wisnon]

I await your report. 

[wisnon]

.... back again. Dang! Now I'm really interested! Been looking over Tekton's website, they have a LOT of cool stuff to choose from, nice finish options, low prices (from 600- 5000 top model), and I like how the owner has a video gallery where he gets out in front and talks about his gear. I like the 30 day trial period... that rules...

 These are definitely at the top of the list of things to audition for my living room-hometheater-mains speakers.

Wait till you actually talk with Eric. Top notch guy! Very approachable and engaging. I really like that guy.

[Æ]

Nope, there is a lot of experience behind the design. Eric knows what he is doing.

True, he's done all the work, one would only need to copy it. They give you the dimensions of the enclosure and plenty of other relevant data too. It's not a terribly sophisticated loudspeaker.
KISS Keep It Simple. . .

[kbuzz3]

I agree.  It would not be hard to DIY, provided you know how to build and tune the box for the woofer.  The drivers are off the shelf and the XO is a tweeter cap in the range of 1 to 2uf.  There might be a pad resistor too but not likely since the tweeter sensitivity is pretty close to the woofer.

I'm a Zu owner, so consider the bias.  Probably the biggest difference between the Lore and the Zu designs is that the Lore uses an off the shelf Eminence driver.  Zu probably started with the same driver but has been refining and voicing it for this application for the last 10 years.  I never liked the earlier Zu's, but the latest generation of driver sounds much more refined in the upper midrange.  This makes all the difference in the world with this design approach.  If the presence region in a broadband driver is too buzzy, ratty and shouty, I can't listen to it.

I hope to have the Lores side by side with my Zu Souls for a few hours this weekend.  I'm curious to hear the difference between the stock Eminence driver and the Zu driver.

Russ

I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on the two

[Rclark]

If I'm not mistaken the driver isn't stock, it's custom made to his specs.

[wisnon]

True, he's done all the work, one would only need to copy it. They give you the dimensions of the enclosure and plenty of other relevant data too. It's not a terribly sophisticated loudspeaker.
KISS Keep It Simple. . .

IIRC, I think he told me that there are some non obvious tricks involved. The driver inversion for example is counter intuitive and only superior design overcomes the supposed disadvantage.

[Rclark]

What do you guys know about the other designs there, the Katzmeow, the OB65, the Uruz, etc

http://tektondesign.com/products.html

He's got a lotta stuff there...

 And again, pretty sure I've read those drivers in the Lore are not straight off the shelf.

[sebrof]

Probably the biggest difference between the Lore and the Zu designs is that the Lore uses an off the shelf Eminence driver.  Russ

I'd say the biggest difference between Lores and Omens (and most or all Zu) is that the Omens are bottom ported with the "ZuRG network" (I thinkI got that right). When I had my Omens, it was a bitch to get them set up right: Not only position but height from floor to bottom of the speaker which is the bottom port. Carpet? Boards? Spikes? Tilt? etc. etc.
The Lores are much easier to place.
That, and I thought the Omen cabinet was not as stiff as the Lore cabinet.
Both manufacturers claim magic in what they do to the off the shelf driver, but even after they change I don't think there is THAT much difference between the two.

[sebrof]

Double post??

[sebrof]

Can't blame it on the computer this time...

[Æ]

IIRC, I think he told me that there are some non obvious tricks involved. The driver inversion for example is counter intuitive and only superior design overcomes the supposed disadvantage.

No trickery involved, only utilization of well established laws of physics, acoustics.

[Æ]

If I'm not mistaken the driver isn't stock, it's custom made to his specs.

Which usually means that someone negotiated a quantity run from the manufacturer, their own personal batch. Custom doesn't always mean better, sometimes it actually means cheaper. A pinch here and a pinch there to save some money and maximize profits. Custom could be as simple as an ink stamp that says "Custom Made for. . . by. . . "

[Rclark]

Hey Sebrof how do you like that hi efficiency sound compared to the avg low efficiency types? Differences?

[wisnon]

No trickery involved, only utilization of well established laws of physics, acoustics.

I really meant what you said..ie "tricks". I should have put the quotes in. I meant intelligent, experienced/application.

[doug s.]

i would really like to hear the "s" wersion of the lore's, or even an "s" wersion of the pendragons.  my experience w/the eminence-based drivers (in zu speakers) is that they are pleasant enough, but simply do not offer me enough detail for a speaker i'd wanna use in my main system.

i have these:


doug s.