[winders]

Well, there are guys out there powering Tekton Design Double Impact speakers with 1 watt amps saying they get the sound pressure they want. I would say they are pretty darn efficient!

I love my Double Impact speakers and I drive them with a 30WPC pure Class A amplifier. It's an awesome combination. I also used a Vidar amp at 200WPC at 4 ohms and that sounded great too.

@Music Alchemist , if you live in the Bay Area near San Jose, you could come by for a listen....

 

[Alcophone]

@Music Alchemist , if you live in the Bay Area near San Jose, you could come by for a listen....

And if you don't, I'm happy to attend for you

 

[biosailor]

This my favorite part of your post. If you actually buy this marketing baloney, I've got some magic pixie dust to sell you for the rest of your gear too.

Honestly, his claims are so over the top ridiculous, I refuse to buy just on this basis. I've heard many good things about these speakers too, so it unfortunate they have to resort to this kind of hyperbole.

I too, heard good things about Tekton, and at one point I was really interested in them. Last spring, I wrote them an e-mail acquiring about prices/delivery times and shipping cost. Never ever heard back from them. While I was waiting for a reply, I started auditioning bookshelf speakers at dealers in my area. Luckily, I must say! Once I auditioned the ATC speakers, I was hooked. I am happy as a camper with my ATC SCM11s, although they are never as efficient as the Tektons. The ATCs do require some power reserve, so matching with a good amp is mandatory. First, I‘ll upgrade my amp, and then I‘ll go for the SCM40 floorstanders. I listened to them a while ago and they were a revelation!

 

[rkw]

http://www.tektondesign.com/about.html

Oh, my. I've seen many positive reviews but this is hard to take seriously.

"I truly believe our granted US patent to be one of the most exciting and inspired electro-acoustical patents to be issued in the last 50 years."​

 

[Music Alchemist]

The only thing that has prevented me from trying a pair of Tektons is their physical size.

They have smaller models as well.

if you live in the Bay Area near San Jose, you could come by for a listen....

Unfortunately, I'm in Michigan.

Fun fact: Your signature is what initially prompted me to look into Tekton some months ago.

Last spring, I wrote them an e-mail acquiring about prices/delivery times and shipping cost. Never ever heard back from them.

Eric Alexander (the guy behind Tekton) told me that he prefers to talk on the phone. I believe shipping is free for all of them within the US.

 

[JCS17]

@Music Alchemist,

As to what Vidars would do for your speakers: I don’t think this is predictable. In general, most quality amps work well with most good speakers, however…

Some of my amp experiences:
—some years ago I bought an inexpensive SS amp from Radio Shack to use for breaking in new single full range drivers. (Whether or not you believe new SFRDs, as opposed to drivers in commercially built speakers, require break in, all I can tell you is that IME, SFRDs can take several hundred hours of run in before they settle down; note that T/S parameters change during this time, so there are physical measurements to show that something is going on.) That amp was totally unlistenable on the drivers I tried; sibilant and screechy like nothing else I have ever heard. Put that same amp on most any two way speaker and it sounded reasonable good (but not great). Why? IDK

—I built a pair of Metronome speakers using Fostex F120A drivers to see what all the fuss was about with alnico drivers. Using my Yamaha CR-1000 and Sansui 4000 SS receivers, the F120A sounded terribly rolled off in the highs and seriously mediocre otherwise. Martin King (of http://www.quarter-wave.com/ ) brought over a PP tube amp to try; that tube amp had performed poorly on all the speakers he paired it with; it produced no bass! Paired with the F120A drivers, you wouldn’t know it was the same driver you heard on the SS amps, nor the amp you heard on the other speakers. Sweet, sweet music! From top to bottom, the sound was exceptionally good. The F120A sounds great on all the tube amps I have paired it with. Why? IDK

—As previously mentioned, I have tried my ST-35 tube amp on the FF225wk driver speakers I built. The bass is loose & flabby. Why does the ST-35 work great with the F120A and less than wonderfully with the FF225wk? IDK

If anyone has a method for predicting how an amp will pair with a speaker, I really want to know about it!

Cheers, Jim

 

[JCS17]

As to transitioning from headphones to speakers: IME, these are two entirely different experiences and I can't say that one is superior to the other. They are just different and each should be enjoyed for what it is.

Cheers, Jim

 

[Music Alchemist]

On the subject of speaker amplifiers, all the attributes of a headphone amplifier still apply. No need to rehash those.

As to what Vidars would do for your speakers: I don’t think this is predictable.

Basically what I am asking is which technical aspects would be superior on higher-end power amps to the extent that it would result in better sound.

Even cheap amps can have a neutral frequency response (with deviations of a tenth of a decibel or less across the spectrum) and distortion that "should" be inaudible.

I'm guessing that the higher-end amps could have better impulse response / transient speed. My power amp is advertised as having "Accelerated Transient Response technology for ultimate punch and clarity". I haven't investigated the "speed" of amps in any objective sense, but that's one of the few areas I'd imagine could account for the better sound.

 

[Mr Rick]

I'm always happy to state a minority opinion.

As long as you get an amp that is within the power requirements / limitations recommended by the speaker manufacturer, you are good to go.

Sonic differences, between amps of like topology and using good engineering practices, are too small to worry about. IMHO

 

[Alcophone]

I'm always happy to state a minority opinion.

As long as you get an amp that is within the power requirements / limitations recommended by the speaker manufacturer, you are good to go.

Sonic differences, between amps of like topology and using good engineering practices, are too small to worry about. IMHO

That's what I thought, until I replaced my cheap Yamaha receiver with a Schiit Vidar, and the same cheap satellite speakers came to life and actually sounded fun for a change. I did not expect that, thought instead I needed better speakers, but... actually I needed both.

 

[Music Alchemist]

I'm always happy to state a minority opinion.

As long as you get an amp that is within the power requirements / limitations recommended by the speaker manufacturer, you are good to go.

Sonic differences, between amps of like topology and using good engineering practices, are too small to worry about. IMHO

It would be nice if you're right. I'll have to see (or rather, hear) after I get more experience.

On a related note, has anyone else noticed dramatic improvements by leaving your power amp (etc.) on at all times?

I always heard about how leaving electronics on permanently has supposedly massive benefits. This doesn't apply to everything, of course, and I thought it was a bunch of hype in many cases...but after trying it for myself, I was astonished by how much better everything sounded.

(I already knew about how certain components in Schiit's multibit DACs have to reach thermal equilibrium to operate to spec, and experienced it firsthand...but I wasn't expecting a similar phenomenon with the power amp.)

So to those who normally turn their amps off when not in use: try leaving them on for days on end and see what differences you hear! You may be surprised.

 

[JCS17]

@Music Alchemist,

I have only had one amp which seems to sound MUCH better if it is left on all the time. A cheap Dayton amp based on a 3116 chip; cost less than $30 on sale; PE may have discontinued it, as I don't see it listed any longer. When I first connected it & powered up, it sounded flat & dull like no amp I have ever heard. I left it on for several days until I got back to it again. Then it sounded pretty good. Went on vacation & turned it off for 2 weeks. When I returned & powered it up, it was just like new: flat & dull. A few days later it was fine again. Truly strange. I must also mention that this amp seems to flip left & right channels; not a big deal, as that is easily fixed by swapping the RCA inputs around.

Cheers, Jim

 

[Music Alchemist]

@Music Alchemist,

I have only had one amp which seems to sound MUCH better if it is left on all the time. A cheap Dayton amp based on a 3116 chip; cost less than $30 on sale; PE may have discontinued it, as I don't see it listed any longer. When I first connected it & powered up, it sounded flat & dull like no amp I have ever heard. I left it on for several days until I got back to it again. Then it sounded pretty good. Went on vacation & turned it off for 2 weeks. When I returned & powered it up, it was just like new: flat & dull. A few days later it was fine again. Truly strange. I must also mention that this amp seems to flip left & right channels; not a big deal, as that is easily fixed by swapping the RCA inputs around.

Cheers, Jim

Mine sounds great at first, better after a few hours, and amazing after a day or two.

It's large, heavy, and has a noisy fan system, but at least it stays cool. Aesthetically, it reminds me of the Cavalli Liquid Gold.

 

[Left Channel]

My room is about 25' x 15', and I have it all to myself for music listening (at least when we don't have guests sleeping over).

After a lot of moving around, the R300's are facing the length of the room, about 6' from the back wall and 7' apart, with a very slight toe-in (maybe 2 degrees). My wife thinks it's ugly as hell to place them 'in the middle of the room' as she would say, but this results in 1) better-controlled bass 2) a deeeep soundstage which I crave for orchestral music, 3) a stereo image that is very forgiving on the listening position (I like to have friends over to listen).

That was helpful, thanks. I'm looking forward to auditioning the whole lineup soon.

 

[biosailor]

They have smaller models as well.

Unfortunately, I'm in Michigan.

Fun fact: Your signature is what initially prompted me to look into Tekton some months ago.



Eric Alexander (the guy behind Tekton) told me that he prefers to talk on the phone. I believe shipping is free for all of them within the US.

Well, even for someone who prefers the talk to clients via phone, dropping a line like: ‚call me on the phone‘ would have been appropriate