[HiGHFLYiN9]

I recently decided to upgrade my work room's audio setup, as a table radio really wasn't doing it for me, and ended up with what I believe is a really excellent option for people looking for a speaker setup with a headphone budget.

Above is a pair of Tekton Audio Model 4.1s. These are full range speakers hand-made in Utah by Eric Alexander, and at the time of writing, these are going for a mere $250 (upgrades on binding posts and finishes are available for a little extra). Eric can paint these a variety of colors as well, I've seen a bright blue pair on Audiogon for example. I opted for a burgundy pair to match my table top. The Model 4.1s make use of full-range 4" Fostex FE103 drivers, so there aren't any tweeters or a complex cross-over.

These are very nice drivers and are a common staple in the full-range DIY speaker builder pages. Specs can be found on Madisounds site here:
Fostex FE103E 4" Full Range from Madisound

I decided to pair the speakers with a Chinese made TP30 Class T Amp, making use of the Tripath TA2024. This outputs around 10W max, which is enough to drive the 4.1s at normal listening levels with no distortion.


I also made a pair of 10 gauge SPC in teflon speaker wires to compliment the setup, to make sure none of those 10 watts go to waste

The sound is a delight. Warm with surprising range and nice bass response. I'm incredibly happy with the setup and would highly recommend Eric at Tekton if you're looking for a full-range set of speakers:Tekton Design Even ironing shirts is a pleasure when these are playing behind me

 

[Head Injury]

How do I know which model is the greatest bargain in all of hi-fi if they're all the greatest bargain in all of hi-fi?

Your setup looks nice. I want to try a cheap pair of audiophile speakers some day, and I'll keep my eye on these.

 

[Valens7]

Neat, thanks for posting this. I've been considering a speaker system, and the Tekton Audio speakers are right at the top of my list.

 

[Kawai_man]

Very nice, I have a similar set-up, I have tekton that I use with a trends t-amp. I also have some whiplash ions which use a 3" tangband full range speaker
 
Quote:

I also made a pair of 10 gauge SPC in teflon speaker wires to compliment the setup, to make sure none of those 10 watts go to waste

I noticed that my setup is quite sensitive to the speaker wire used, since the amp outputs so little power I think it needs some good quality wire to transfer all that effectiively .Right now Im using regular zip cord for speaker wire and next Im going to try some solid core 14 gauge speaker wire to see if that makes a difference. Those cables you made look great and I bet they sound awesome.

 

[HiGHFLYiN9]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Head Injury /img/forum/go_quote.gif How do I know which model is the greatest bargain in all of hi-fi if they're all the greatest bargain in all of hi-fi

Heh, I don't know about the "greatest bargain in all of hi-fi", but I can tell you that I don't think a large company could match the quality of the product I received at the given price.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kawaii Man I noticed that my setup is quite sensitive to the speaker wire used, since the amp outputs so little power I think it needs some good quality wire to transfer all that effectiively .Right now Im using regular zip cord for speaker wire and next Im going to try some solid core 14 gauge speaker wire to see if that makes a difference. Those cables you made look great and I bet they sound awesome.

It would certainly be worth trying. Magnet wire is quite affordable and you could try running it without terminations to see if you prefer the sound. It is quite stiff though, so you'll have to bend it into place. The ten gauge wire I'm using is low strand count (like 20 or so), so it's stiff as a hangar

 

[TigzStudio]

Once you go Magnet Wire you never go back, ever since I put it with my odyssey nightingales.. I haven't had a single thought about another speaker cable EVER. And I go with bare wire no terminations, be warned its like trying to attach coat hanger to your speakers tho lmao.

 

[Qonmus]

I'm really interested in trying these speakers out after reading what everyone has to say about them. How do you think they would sound compared to the audioengine p4's? The p4s have received some damn good reviews themselves, but I really like the look of the tektons. Would an NAD315 be overkill? 

 

[Kawai_man]

It depends, with the tektons you can run them of a little tube amp or a t-amp as well as regular amps, and you have great sound  at low and high volumes, regular speakers tend to need more power to sound good and they wont have the amazing clarity that tektons or any single driver speakers have, but with single driver speakers there is a trade off in that they usually dont extend to deep in the bass region,though the whiplash and tektons have plenty of bass for me and I use to have some paradigm atoms and the whiplash had just as much bass as those, and the tektons even more so because it uses ab igger driver.

 

[kmkamk]

Hi,
 
This is my first post on head-fi and I am sorry it is about speakers and not 'phones...
 
For a while now, I have been looking at getting the same setup as HiGHFLiN9's, ie Topping TP30 and Tekton 4.1.  The Tekton 4.1 is available only online (it does come with a 30-day trial but unfortunately this is not very practical from where I am) so I hope HiGHFLiN9 or anyone else reading in can help with the following questions:
 
- the shaping network that comes optional with the Tekton 4.1.  What does it do in this case and is it better to go with it or do without it?
 
- do the bass and treble extend to what the specifications say or it depends on how the speakers are positioned?
 
And, to HiGHFLiN9, what made you decide to go for the 4.1 instead of say the 3.1 or 4.5?
 
Many thanks. 

 

[kmkamk]

Hi,
 
Anyone?

 

[BadassBob]

I just ordered a pair of Tekton 8.1s this past weekend, looking forward to getting them.  The ones I ordered use an 8" Fostex FE207E in a 35L cabinet.  To the OP...how long did it take you to receive yours when you placed the order?  I know the wait time will be a little bit, as Eric usually builds to order.  These will be replacing my Klipsch Forte rig and run off of a 3W 6B4G SET amp.  There are a few "glowing" threads over on the Klipsch forums and Audiokarma about Tekton speakers, and every one of them has nothing but positive things to say. 

 

[Kawai_man]

Congrats  Bob let us know your impressions when you get them.
 
I have a set of the tekton ob4.5's , they use two identical 4.5" drivers instead of one but they don't use crossovers, they have much better bass response and the same amazing clarity as the single drivers and an even better soundstage, I got them with the grills which I recommend for owners of these speakers because the paper cones and banana pulp cones these speakers use are kinda fragile.

 

[darknessproz]

Are these speakers active or passive speakers?

 

[Cid]

Those look fantastic. I wonder how much better they would be than my Technics or JPW speakers, shame I can't listen to them.

 

[mrarroyo]

The Tekton are passive speakers.