I no longer have a dog in this fight, but the hysterical backlash against Tekton speakers on this site has been going on for years and is, for me at least, far more nauseating than Tekton's lofty claims for various speaker models. FWIW, I have personally owned three different pairs of Tektons: Double Impacts, Double Impact SEs, and the Encores.
I consider all of these to be good speakers, and the Encores to be among the best speakers I've owned in twenty-five years.
As for appearance, well, here's a brief anecdote. Prior to buying the Encores, I succumbed to the all too familiar temptation we all face to try a speaker that was getting a lot of attention here and the other usual audiophile sites, as well as in a couple of reviews. I thought they were kind of cool looking and stylish, but just as I was finished putting them together--yes, some assembly required--my wife got home from work, came into the living room where our system lives, and burst into tears because she hated their appearance so much. I drank a beer and told her I'd put them up for sale within the hour.
Later that same evening, I ordered a pair of Encores from Tekton with the Spanish Tile finish. A few weeks later, they arrived. I thought they looked pretty great, especially for a fairly large speaker. The finish was nice and the color was beautiful. My wife loved them, even without the grilles!
They sounded great, too, with different types of amps and different types of music. I enjoyed them immensely for several years before finally finding a speaker I preferred--albeit at more than twice the price--but I could have lived happily with the Encores for the rest of my days.
I don't doubt for a moment that the Ulfs and newer Moabs are even better, but I couldn't say because I have not heard them. But the Encores were very, very nice and looked great in our living room.
This is just one guy's story, but at least it's based on actual user experience rather than jealousy, envy, or whatever dark motivations lurk in the hearts of the chronically discontent.