Efficient speaker: Zu, Tekton, Volti, Klipsch, Fleetwood?

price ranges are all over the place: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I paid less than $1G. I have zero complainst on performance. My speakers are not in your high priced list. Spend more = get less ~~~is my mantra Another one of my mantras is ~~~ how least can I spend to achieve the best sound possible. Experiements are costly, but pay off is the jack pot Lotto winnings.

ladok OP

76 posts

12-29-2021 7:46pm

missioncoonery I went back through this thread. Three of the negative Tekton comments had to do with their efficiency not being as high as advertised, with Stereophile test confirming. As far as I can tell, only two of the negative posters actually listened to a Tekton, but to what extent and under what conditions is unknown. Two other posters actually own a Tekton and love them.

@ladok as you can tell from looking at his posts, that’s all he does. I’m all for calling out the over the top owners who make wild and outrageous statements about how great Tekton speakers are at the same time calling out the trolls like @missioncoonery who is out of control in their hatred of the brand.

I own DI’s from Tekton, I wrote a fairly long review of them some months back. I think I’m pretty fair in how I look at the speakers and in fact a bit on the more reserved side in showing how I feel about them and the company. Ignore the nonsense here, I’m all for listening to as many speakers as you can and there is something to be said for what you get for your money for Tekton. In fact, I can’t think of many other speakers that deliver as much for the money.

One thing to keep in mind though, I don't think Tekton speakers are as efficient as they state but that can go for many other speakers too.  

blkwrzwgn thanks for the information. It seems both Tekton and Zu attract some very extreme viewpoints. There have also been comments about the Tekton customer service in other forums, which concerns me. As far as some other posts on this thread, I do have a low tolerance for those who feel the need to be condescending know-it-alls on these forums, but it seems that’s the way things are trending these days. Several posters mentioned sensitivity ratings. You are right, and anyone who follows John Atkinson’s speaker measurements knows that Tekton is not the only speaker that tests lower in sensitivity than they are rated. When this happens, he is quick to point out that 91 db (as opposed to the claimed 97 db) is still very efficient. But even more importantly, he explains that some of these speakers have a high impedance and a benign impedance curve (Tekton, Zu, Devore), which will make them more efficient in use than the 91 db he is measuring. So impedance is just as important as the sensitivity rating. There are some 92 db speakers out there with unfriendly 2-4 db impedance curves. You’d be better off with 88 db and a smooth 8 ohms. So speaker-amplifier matching is just as important as the sensitivity tests, in my observations over the years with many speakers.

@ladok How true, impedance curve so important! Many speaker manufacturers don't provide this, I'd say this is more important than sensitivity rating. Extremely important in choosing amp tube type, output transformer and speaker tap.

I went back through this thread. Three of the negative Tekton comments had to do with their efficiency not being as high as advertised, with Stereophile test confirming. As far as I can tell, only two of the negative posters actually listened to a Tekton, but to what extent and under what conditions is unknown. Two other posters actually own a Tekton and love them.

This is pretty much what you will find, over and over again. Actual owners are incredibly happy, and while the haters can never be stopped hating neither can they find any traction given how few and far between these things come up for sale in the used market. People don’t wait for months except for a good deal. Nobody keeps $5k speakers just because it costs $200 or whatever to ship them back. A quick estimate based on serial numbers shows something like 99% are bought and kept. Hang out on the FB Tekton Owner’s Group page you will find more often than not when they are sold it is to upgrade or buy another Tekton. All solid evidence backing up the accolades from owners and reviewers.

This only serves to make the haters hate all the more.

I don’t know if Atkinson got 91dB, and frankly if he did I would have to seriously doubt the man even more than I already do. Before Moab I had 92dB speakers and Moab are considerably, obviously, exceedingly more volume per watt. Not even close. Which in any case, "they aren’t as sensitive as claimed" talk about thin gruel!

Real world experience: I’m using mine with a 20W Raven tube amp and have measured 102dB at the sweet spot 9 ft away in my 17x24x9 room. More importantly, they sound absolutely terrific, at every volume, with every kind of music.

Most people you would think would be thrilled to learn they can actually be able to afford this level of performance. Not the haters. It is all enough to make you think they not only do not want to be happy, they don’t want anyone else to be either.

Join the FB Owner’s Group. You will be pleasantly surprised.