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Former Tekton owners: What have you moved on to?

I owned the Tekton Lore Reference for about a year and a half and they were great for the price. I ran them with a 50w tube integrated and it was a nice combo. For $750 I had no complaints except perhaps that the paint was cracking on one of the rounded corners. I ended up buying a pair of Gallo CL-2 for an office system on closeout direct from Gallo for $390/pair. After they were broken in I found myself listening to them more than the Tektons after awhile. I was getting addicted to the CDT tweeter.

Based on that experience I ordered the CL-3 refurbished for $650/pair shipped (crazy steal) and they were on a different level than both of the above. Sonically, one defining moment for me was listening to Joni Mitchell, Both Sides Now. (I think the Track was You’re My Thrill. )
During the intro there is a brief flute soli. With the Tektons it sounded like a really nice flute section that was very homogenous sounding and blended. With the Gallos I could hear each individual flute player and their unique tones and vibrato. The bass was also deeper and tighter on the gallos and the imaging was just amazingly holographic and wide and deep.

I know the timing of this is interesting as the Tekton hype train seems to be at full tilt right now with some of his higher models and I am curious to hear them. The 2 things that would give me serious pause and keep me from moving up the Tekton line are 1) the size and aesthetics 2) The very much "in your face" house sound that can get tiring to me.  Just wondering what others have moved on to from Tekton and what they heard that moved them in that direction.
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clarinetmonster2 OP
201 posts
 
I called Deadalus - they all seemed priced out of reach for me - starting around 8k now I believe since he discontinued the Pan. I think the only pair anywhere near me is one of the top end models
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clarinetmonster2 OP
201 posts
 
Hmm. Also spoke to Wally about the upcoming new LSA lineup. Things are getting interesting now. I found some coverage on them from Part time Audiophile at Axpona that sounds very promising.the larger Floorstanders will have a copper/beryllium tweeter and a new patented woofer. I think the -3db point will be about 24Hz and the intro pricing will put them right in my range. Ah choices.
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clarinetmonster2 OP
201 posts
 
Ok, I found a Tekton DI (with upgrades) owner in Atlanta that will let me have a listen when I am up there in a couple weeks so right after I hear the Salks. I'm really curious to at least hear the DI's and I certainly didn't want to have to order them just to hear them, so thanks Facebook.
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clarinetmonster2 OP
201 posts
 
Update: the more I audition, the more I realize just how really great these Gallos are, especially for the price. Up next, Salk Song 3A.
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hfaddict
97 posts
 

Well...sorry for the delay, this has been a long time coming. I mentioned earlier in this thread that I had purchased a set of ANK Kit 03 speakers (Audionote AN E LX HE specifications) to replace my Tekton DI's. Long story short, I ran into some equipment issues, some self-inflicted, some not.  

But the main system is up and running and I've been living with the ANE kit speakers for only about 50 hours so far and they are everything I felt that the DI's lacked in my system. They are blowing me away at every listen and are absolutely addictive in their sound.

My equipment is as follows and was the same as I was using on the DI's:

Macbook Pro to Tidal/Audirvana to Chord 2Qute DAC to Linear Tube Audio MZ2 pre amp to a Line Magnetic 508. (Upgraded speaker cables and interconnects)

I never talked negatively about the DI's and I still won't. I just have to believe the low frequencies weren't working out for me with my equipment and listening room as others constantly rave about the low frequency response. I also won't get into positioning, room treatments, cables etc as I have had numerous speakers through the same room and with the same equipment that have all sounded fantastic after proper positioning. I really enjoyed everything they did except the low frequency response and the size/appearance of them.


The AN E's will appeal to a totally different crowd I'm sure. The DI's lean more to the neutral side of things whereas the AN E's lean more on the warmed up side. In saying this, they are not dull or veiled in any sense but quite the opposite. They are very dynamic and musical but have loads of detail and transparency. The Seas tweeters do not lack any sparkle or sheen but are entirely non fatiguing. Not sure how they pulled this off as it would seem contradictory in some speakers. It’s a sound that needs to be experienced.

 

The bass depth and texture are staggering. These are not one note wonders and never over done or to the point of smearing the rest of the frequency ranges. But wow does it ever add excitement to any music. And my biggest complaint on the DI’s was on classic rock or compressed music. The low frequencies suffered. Not an issue with these. They work their magic on any genre or recording quality. They also seem to better maintain their sound stage at low volume levels than the DI’s. The bass foundation and soundstage cues are always there. I found myself constantly turning up the DI’s to get sufficient bass impact during quiet listening. Of course, YMMV and I am running tubes vs solid state.

 

It’s been said that anyone demo’ing these for just a song or two won’t be impressed. I can wholeheartedly agree with that. I’m not sure what changes in that first few hours with these speakers but I went from “huh these are a little dull” to “these are the most incredible things I’ve ever heard”. I feel like an a$$ even saying that but it’s true.    

 

I know I’m only 50 or so hours in on the AN E’s but these will be staying. (Although I have spent time with factory built AN E’s) And all reports say the break in time is quite long on them. I’m now in the midst of running dedicated AC to my system as well as trying out my new power cords, receptacles and fuses. Can’t wait to hear what these speakers reveal.

 

I tried not to make this a “review” of these speakers but I think I failed. Although I did leave some things out. Sorry guys!


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