Zu Omen or Tekton Lore

Hi everyone,

I've got a few questions with respect to the M-Lore. I am leaning towards buying this speaker sometime in 2012 as part of my first step into high efficiency speakers mated to a tube amp. Questions:

1. My room is about 13 x 11 - on the small side. Is the M-Lore too large? I worry because when I tried a pair of Monitor Audio RX2, with the 8" woofer and rear port, it overloaded the room. I'm sure the front ports on the Tekton will help with this but I'm still a little worried.

2. Think I read this info somewhere but I can't find it now. Please describe the crossover (or lack thereof). I believe it is just a cap in front of the tweeter with the woofer running full range. Is this right, and what frequencies does each driver handle?

3. I will consider tube amps (new or used) in the range of $1,500. Integrateds with four inputs and a volume control are preferred. SET or push-pull? I listen to mostly rock music. I'd like to buy American, European, or Japanese, but might consider some of the more respected Chinese brands. Any suggestions? Brands that have caught my eye so far are: Rogue, Almarro, Decware, Pure Sound, and Primaluna (latter two are made in China I believe). I assume the likes of ARC, Unison, and Mastersound are out of my price range. Thanks!

Analogue fan I will be looking forward to it

Fusion - I have Lores in a 12 x 13' room and they do not overload. I also have a pair of Tekton Katz Meow (8" main driver)and they play great in here, too. I don't think you'll have any problems with the M-Lores being too big. FWIW - I've had Maggies, Logans, and KHorns in here. They were all too big, although I didn't realize it until I started playing smaller speakers.

I don't know about the M-Lore, but the Lore has a crossover. I thought it was just a cap before the tweeter until yesterday when I looked inside. A couple of coils, a few resistors and a few caps looks like a crossover to me. I don't know the crossover points.

I've had a 2A3 SET amp that I built in my rig for the past couple of years or so and loved it. The other day I got a Manley Stingray for just under your budget and like it a lot with the Lores. It's got the detail of the SET but with balls. I like it a lot better (for now, anyway). The Stingray uses Parallel Push Pull EL84s. I can recommend the Manley, but there are many choices for $1500.

Fusion: Go for a Decware or a Manley. I had a mini Torii from Decware with the Lores and it was an amazing combination in my bedroom which is about the size of your room. Although for rock you may want want to check out one of the Decware amps with a few more watts.

If you have questions about the speakers, I would call the owner and ask him. Tell him your preferences and the size of your room and he can tell you what would be the best speaker for you.

Fusion, you can also look at Niteshade Audio for amps in your price range.