Building the Audio Note Kit 1 SET amp...

First, I completely agree once again with Charles1Dad.

Second, Rebbi, you confuse me. On the one hand you now have a system where you state that the low end is surprising you (yet the Manley had a little more grip), ok, understand that, then you state you'd like a little more efficient speaker, ok, understand that also, then, you say you were listening to something familiar this morning that gave you chills, musically captivating, ok, understand that. What I don't understand: I thought you had a constrained budget, hence I wasted a lot of time writing about a great bang for the buck speaker that is similar to the DeCapos, only more efficient (by a lot) with solid bass foundation that certainly, by all accounts, competes with $5,000 speakers. I know I would have recommended to you other speakers if I knew your budget was several thousand dollars plus. So, what is your budget? I feel a bit foolish, sounding like a Tekton salesman when I have no connection to them whatsoever. And, if the music is captivating, giving you chills on music that you mostly listen too, then are you going to actually throw that away for a type of music you don't often listen such as Techno Synth Bass?

Charles, I agree with you 100%. I am happy for everyone who enjoys what they are doing.

On the other hand, that alone does little to help someone work through their issues. That requires open discussion and not being afraid to make suggestions in good faith.

When the issues are all resolved, then there will be nothing much left to talk about here save good wishes.

I am very fickle with these things. On one hand the engineer in me wants to dissect every technical detail and apply those accordingly. On the other hand the other part of me says this ain't that hard just try some different things until you find what works. Its a dilemma. You often have to pul at things from both sides in order to cover all the bases properly. There is a term for this called the "strategy elastic" that companies apply in order to move in the right direction strategically despite there often being no single correct answer to issues in many cases.

Mapman,
"Strategy elastic' I like that concept.
Mikirob,
You didn't waste your time in my opinion. I get the feeling the Tekton Lore is a hidden gem at a very approachable price. Every now and then you can come across a low cost(relatively speaking)product that offers exceptional value and quality. The Lore has gotten rave reviews from a diverse group of reviewers.

Charles1dad, you should know better than most that Israel rarely ever sells his speakers/equipment at full list. Going factory direct and avoiding the 40-50% dealer markup, gives him room to offer discounts, therefore, "motivating" potential buyer to pull the trigger.

Still a great product, but just a different channel marketing approach.

One of the reasons the Triumph Extreme 2's are so sensitive is that they forego the power hungry lower octaves to obtain their "SET Friendly" status. Most Extreme owners use their speakers with a sub(s) crossed over in the 60hz range. On their own they can sound sterile and lifeless.

A buddy of mine switched from a 300B SET amp to an EL34 PP to drive his TEx2. The speaker responded really nice to the added power and came to life. IMHO, the TEx2 need a bit of power to get you toe tapping.

In any event, it's your system, your room, and your money, therefore, only your happiness matters.

My short answer would be to try living with the current setup for a while and see how it all comes together.

The amp will take some time to settle in- it really sounds to me like you have a really great start and to jump on any changes at the moment would be premature..