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M-Lores or Aon 3: bass/imaging

Ok, yet another thread along the lines of "which speakers should I buy?" (I've read a few thousand of them lately). But my question is really coming from the fact that I've never owned floor-standers before. So I'm sort of paralyzed by the fact that I like the idea of the Tekton Mini-Lores--straight-ahead good design--but I can't audition them. "Money back" -$120 total shipping isn't my idea of money back, on my salary... On the other side of the ring currently are the Golden Ear Aons, which claim the same 38Hz bass response. So, opinions and experiences from people with a deeper background with both kinds of speakers is welcome. If not experience with these models, then experience with the underlying technologies. I'm not sure whether or not conventional wisdom regarding floorstanders vs. bookshelves applies in 2013 with these designs.

Context:
1) I'm running a class-D (solid-state-sounding Icepower) amp, and like it a lot. My listening level is only about 82dB at distance, slow-weighted peaks on an SPL meter. So no need to shake the house. Still, 87dB sensitivity seems a good minimum to be safe. This makes some contenders marginal (Dynaudio, Kef, PSB, Ascend). It suggests Tekton and Golden Ear, in particular, although I'm mainly drawn to both for their bass response spec and other design features.
2) This system will be 2-channel music only. A main goal is to switch the subwoofer off for good, since I've never liked the amount of fiddling I've had to do and haven't ever been entirely comfortable with the result.
3) I'm a sucker for a vast sound stage and good imaging, not too far back (my current Axiom M2v2 speakers put the sound stage someplace way back in the neighbor's house). I also tend to be analytical in most things.
4. Low-E on a bass guitar is about 41Hz, I've read, so this is a good target for the bass freq I'm looking to nail. I want it defined and balanced, not accentuated. But I don't want it just "implied" through harmonics (or else the sub stays on).
5. I've always put on headphones when I want to hear detail, having never owned really top-shelf speakers. I can still do that if I get something really fun from the speakers as a trade off for less detail.

Questions:
1) Reading between the lines, it seems like bass response on floor-standers is reported honestly, while on bookshelves a "38Hz" rating or the like seems really to mean roll off below 60Hz. Is that basically how it goes? E.g., Mini-lores will be flat at 38Hz while Golden Ear Aon 3 would be (to make up a number) like -9dB at 38Hz? The Aons seem to rely on wall reflections to get that bass to you, which might be perfectly fine.
2) Both imaging and air-moving bass are about driver size--or so I've read, and it makes obvious sense. Aon 3 claims 7" mid-range driver; Mini-Lore = 8" wideband driver. Seems pretty close... Comments on either or both of these speakers, based either on personal experience or informed supposition? "They" say the mini-lores are "not the most resolving speaker" etc. Hedge, hedge. Do they stack up to the imaging capabilities of smaller good bookshelves or not?

Note that for the mini-lores, I would need to do vineers and/or grills, so it'll be the same price essentially as the Aon 3s.
That's the pricepoint I'm comfortable with.

I've also auditioned the Sjofn "(The Clue)" speakers, and found them to be terrific as a pro tool, but perhaps actually too detailed and too finicky for a room not furnished around them. I'm still considering them, though. Other than the Clues, I've really never heard outstanding speakers in-depth. I have the Axioms noted above, plus Boston Acoustics A40s from 1986, still in service. That's pretty much my speaker-buying history. I can audition the Golden Ears, but it will be a day trip so won't be doing it lightly. Again, no way to hear the Tektons, but I feel pretty confident about them except for the question mark about possibly lesser imaging (versus the Aons lesser bass?). Thanks in advance for opinions and experiences. I guess this post appears to lean toward the Tektons, but in fact the GEs fit the room better, so I'm still very much open, including being open to not buying anything.
adlevision
tonyangel
309 posts
 
I suppose I should qualify what I'm about to say with the fact that I haven't heard either of the speakers being dicussed.

Although my perception of my experiences may be off, I'd say that, generally speaking, when comparing a stand mount speaker to a floor mount speaker of equal price, the stand mount is going to be the better built speaker.

I've also found that just about all manufacturers make claims of low frequency responses that just aren't realized in the real world.

Dollar for dollar, stand mount speakers sound better. Even though a floor stander may be capable of delivering better bass, you may not be able to realize the benefits of the added bass. This is because putting the speakers where the bass response is best is likely not going to be the position where the speakers image the best, and placing the speakers where they image the best is unlikely to produce the best bass response.

Unless I'm mistaken, ALL speakers rely on reinforcement from their environment for bass response. If bass is what you are going to base your decision on, maybe you should just resign yourself to getting a subwoofer that integrates better.

I run a pair of the tiny Silverline Minuets with a small REL subwoofer and the integration is seamless. I used a setup cd with a bunch of test tones on it and a sound level meter from Radio Shack to get pretty close to where the settings needed to be and tweaked from there. It was a set it and forget it affair.
holley
79 posts
 
I currently own a pair of Tekton m-Lores that I bought for surround speakers. I have played with them quite extensively as main speakers, and I am absolutely amazed at how much you get for so little $. My listening area is a loft that is 35' x 15' x 8', and the m-Lores fill the whole area with sound. The bass response is amazing -- I thought I still had the subwoofer running when I first hooked them up. My son is a bass freak and would not believe me when I said the only speakers playing were the m-Lores -- he had to go double check that the sub was off!

The strength of the speakers is they are so musical -- I find myself just sitting down and enjoying the music. They throw a large soundstage, are dynamic, reach much lower in the bass than a speaker their size should (I have measured down about 5 db at 31 Hz in my room) while providing real bass punch, and they do a fantastic job in the midrange -- vocals and guitars just sound right.

Are they the perfect speaker? No, but I can't think of another speaker in their price range that gets so many things right. They do have a couple of things prospective buyers ought to be aware of. First of all, they are not the last word when it comes to detail. But I have to say I really do not notice that as there are so many strengths to these little speakers. But if you are a detail freak, then they probably would not suit you. The other thing is they are so short (about 31") that you will probably have to tilt them back to get the sweet spot of the mids and highs. They are not very heavy, so if you have little ones around (which I do) you will have to take care they do not get tipped over (I built some small, 6" MDF stands that I fill with sand). They are perfect as surround speakers in my setup, but I would have no problem living with them as my main speakers either.

BTW, I have run them with class D amps (Wyred 4 Sound mAMPs) as well as a Marantz receiver -- both sound great (Wyreds better tone and tighter bass, but still very good sound with the Marantz). I am really mystified by Bigshutterbug's findings that the Lores did not have very good bass. I don't think I have ever heard that about the Lores -- usually it is said they have too much bass. Obviously he heard what he heard, so as always, system synergy and room interaction are critical to obtaining the best sound.
johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 
I have a pair of Mirage OMD-15 small floorstanders anchoring my LP-based living room stereo. They use a couple of 5-1/4" woofers in a 41" tall column, augmented by a passive radiator and a downfiring port. They have a nice tonal balance and very natural overall presentation. They originally listed at $2500 in 2007.

Last February I heard a fairly extensive demo of the GoldenEar Aon 3s at a high end audio shop's open house. They were powered by a fairly modest 60 wpc PeachTree integrated amp. Several of the listeners wanted to make sure that the system wasn't being augmented by a subwoofer. It was not. That's how good the bass on the Aon 3s is. You see these modest-sized standmounts and start looking for the subwoofer. I can state with some confidence that the Aon 3s are at least a match for many mid-sized floor standers and beat the pants off compact floor standers. Their bass equals or exceeds my Mirages in that department, and the Mirages are 41"x8"x12". They struggle to get down to 40 Hz while the Aons make it into the 30s with ease.

The Aons are 89dB efficient on 1w input, but they have so much more going for them. The bass is not only strong and extended, it is fast and articulate. The midrange is a marvelous driver and their motion transformer folded ribbon tweeter is totally high end--extension out to 35 Khz and not a hint of the ringing and overshoot so common to dome tweeters. If you judge them purely on sound without considering form factor, they are a stone cold bargain at $999/pair.

The small enclosure with all non-parallel surfaces makes for a clean and quiet enclosure and a small front baffle making for holographic imaging and soundstage. Larger speakers at this price will have cabinet resonances that the Aons simply don't have.

Then there's the fact that GoldenEar has an extensive dealer network, so you will probably be able to audition them without a lot of driving. They even have a couple of dealers in Hawaii. They are easy to drive and sound great with a quality integrated such as the Peachtree or Marantz PM8004, but they are so resolving they will reward high grade electronics upstream.
mikirob
955 posts
 
I'm with Holley on this one and I'm also "mystified" by
Bigshutterbug's statement regarding the Tektons, even tough I greatly
respect Bigshutterbug's opinions. My Tekton Lores have wonderful bass in
my 16x14x9 room. It also has good detail, wide, deep soundstage. Wall-to-
wall with great height as well. Male and female voices are right there front
and center. They sound live. Timbre and color saturations are spot on. The
Lore is dynamic, toe tapping PRAT. And when you factor in their cost, one
of the high end bargains.

My brother owns the M-lore connected to a Leben CS600. The bass is not
as deep as the Lore obviously, but it gets down below the Low-E string on
an electric bass guitar with aplomb. In every other respect it is similar to the
Lore.
Good luck!
tonyangel
309 posts
 
I have to admit that all of the buzz going around with the mLores also sparked my interest, which led to a bit of reading up on them.

A poster above mentioned tilting the speakers back to get it so that the listener is in the sweet spot. I've seen this mentioned several times in my research and it bothers me a bit.

Is it to say that you have to be sitting in a sweet spot to enjoy these speakers at their best? How narrow is this sweet spot? Is there so much phase shift (I think that's the term) that you are compelled to tilt the speaker back.

If this is so, it seems to me that there is a fundamental design flaw in that the speakers should have been made a bit taller.
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