Tekton Double Impacts

First off, as all of us audiophiles have experienced, the room has as much impact on the sound of music as any piece of equipment (maybe more actually). Our new (old) house that we purchased allowed for some remodeling, and I was able to build a 26' x 14' listening room (it also has vaulted ceilings). Compared to our previous house, where I had a loft that was 35' x 15' x 8', the difference in soundstage and 'openness' is staggering. Even my wife, who rarely listens to music, commented on how much better the Zus sounded. "The band is in the room."

I am powering the speakers with the Lyngdorf TDA-2170 (special thanks to Grannyring and others who kept lauding that piece so much that I had to give it a try). That unit replaced amp, preamp and DAC, netted me a decent chunk of change, and provided increased enjoyment and satisfaction. I setup both the Zus and the DIs with the 2170, and achieved a 99% room analysis with 13% room correction. I then had several audiophile friends over and we ran through music ranging from hard rock to classicial to country to jazz to Christian contemporary to blues. Some spectacular recordings, some not so good -- we wanted to see if there were some recordings that simply did not sound good on the speakers.

I have been an audiophile for about 35 years, and while not near the experience of many contributing to these forums, I have had my fair share of speakers over the years (Infinity RS3B, Snell A IIIi, Legacy Signature IIIs and Focus 20/20, Tyler Super Towers, PD30s and Decade D1s, Zu Omen Defs, and Tyler Lore, Lore 2.0, and Pendragon), and have heard many other systems. I currently still have the Tekton Lore's, and consider them the best bang for the buck speaker I have ever owned.

Let me start by saying both sets of speaker sound fantastic, and I could happily live with either (note the Zus retailed for $7500, and the DIs $3300). They are actually very similar in sound, with that dynamic, live, open sound. Both throw a huge soundstage, with the Zus offering slightly more width, and the DIs more depth. Both are full-range speakers, easily reaching the low 20's in my room. Top-notch recordings were spectacular on both, and even mediocre recordings were still enjoyable on both. Here is my quick summary of the differences, and my own, personal preferences (YMMV of course!).

System (pretty basic, nothing exotic): Lyngdorf TDA-2170, Auralic Aries streamer, IBIS speakers cables (for the Definitions), Grannyrings recommended Western Electric 10ga for the DIs (what a bargain!)

Soundstage - I would rate this a tie, with as I mentioned above, the Zus offering slightly more width and the DIs a little more depth. For being so large with so many drivers, I was surprised at how easily the DIs disappeared. Both speakers gave a realistic presentation.

Bass - Both plum the depths, but I give a slight edge to the Zus. They have a built-in subwoofer amp with a decent amount of customization, and as a result the bass was slightly cleaner, quicker. "Mekossa Beat" by Don Gruisin from GRPs 30th Anniversary digital master will easily reveal deficiencies in bass, and both speakers did a fabulous job on this song. Rick Braun's "Cadillac Slim" is also a good test of dynamic bass.

Midrange - This was actually a surprise to me. Looking at the DIs one would think integrating all of those tweeters and midranges would be a nightmare, but they sound very cohesive, leaning every so slightly to the warm side. Female vocals were really something, with detail and 'liquidity' that is really special. Male vocals were equally engaging. One song that I have heard hundreds of times, "Your Latest Trick" by Dire Straits really shows off the DIs midrange strength (in 1985, this was one of the best available recordings, and has become my 'go-to' song when evaluating systems). Knopler's voice and guitar float through the air, and the saxophone in the background has just enough grit to make you feel like the band is in the room with you.

Listening to the Zus, everything the DIs excelled in was there, but the Definitions had more energy and dynamics. This translated into slighty more body and heft, and seemed to bring me a little closer to the live event. Mind you it was subtle, but apparent. This did make the speakers sound slightly more forward, but I ultimate preferred the midrange of the Zus. Carrie Underwood's rendition of "How Great Thou Art" from the Country music awards highlighted the power and energy of the Zus midrange.

Highs - Up until a couple of years ago, this was the one area of the Zus could become slightly fatiguing. I upgraded the tweeter crossovers with Clarity MR caps, and after they had time to burn in, the slight harshness disappeared. The DIs were again stellar. They are not overly analytical (read hi-fi sounding), but I definitely never felt like I was missing detail in the music. In fact, several times those listening with me would comment that they heard things in recordings they had brough with them they had never heard before. The Zus are also not highly analytical, not the last word in detail, but never do I feel like I am missing something. I would call this area a tie.

Low-level listening - This is an area both speakers excel. While both will play at ear bleeding levels, listening at night at low volumes one still gets a full-bodied, well-rounded sound. The soundstage also retains most of its grandeur at low levels. I would rate this as a tie as well.

Enjoyment factor - One of those intangible areas is how much I enjoy listening to music. Both of these speakers filled this niche for me. I can always tell a good speaker if I find myself tapping along with the music. With both the DIs and the Defs, I would start listening to a song, critically analyzing details and tone, but would find myself a few minutes later simply listening and tapping along with the music. Neither speaker was fatiguing. Nothing disappoints me more than listening to a speaker that after an hour or so starts to 'grind' on me. Both the DIs and the Defs were listened to hours at a time, often at levels much higher than sane people would listen, and I never felt the desire to turn down the volume due to high-end grunge.

Appearance - Neither speaker is something to write home about as they are pretty much rectangular boxes. Surprisingly, my wife did not think the DIs were ugly, and while large, they didn't overpower or dominate the room.

Ease of setup - I would give this to the DIs. They sounded good in just about any location, and subtle improvements could be gained with slight adjustments. The Zus also sound very good just about anywhere, but they can achieve substantial gains with slight adjustments. They require a lot more fiddling than the DIs, but if you are patient, you will be rewarded.

Ultimately, after listening now to speakers for the better part of 2 months and getting them setup in the room, I would say I prefer the sound of the Zus. But that doesn't imply I did not like the DIs - far from it. They do so many things right, better than most speakers costing several times their modest price. All those listening with me were equally impressed. The midrange of the Zus is just special to me -- they give a realism that most speakers cannot equal (a business associate of mine has a pair of the Infinity IRS Vs, and they give that same 'you are there' realism - he also has about $75k in associated equipment - I could live with his system!). The DIs do a great job of this as well, but the Zus do it slightly better. I must add that the Lyngdorf and the Zus are a special combination (the 2170 works very well with the DIs as well, though I didn't get to try other amps with the DIs).

For those on the fence about the DIs, I would highly recommend giving them a try. For the price, I have not heard any speakers that do so many things well without any real shortcomings. And I would add, as someone who owned the Pendragons for several months, the DIs are an entirely different animal, in an entirely different league. I struggled to get the Pens to sound cohesive, and the midrange did not have the power and tonal balance that the DIs have.