Just received the last addition to my new Tekton family the Pendragon center. I’m upgrading to the Lores from the Polk 707 speakers. The polk 707’s are great speakers especially for the discounted price but in my listening room I often found the bass response a bit overwhelming at times and unfocused ( boomy)I figured less would be more in this case so I wanted to simplify my driver complement, I wanted it to be smaller but more efficient. Being a guitarist for a number of years and a jazz/Jazz fusion enthusiast tight accurate bass notes ( Jeff Berlin anyone) that are represented properly is very important to me.
Also as a personal note I really don’t believe you need to spends obscene amounts of money on speakers to get great reliable sound from your system you need to be aware of acoustics, sound proofing and a modest knowledge of electronic components take your time and read, experiment and have fun in the process. anyway..after researching some viable options I saw a YouTube video from what it seems to be a rather nice asian gentleman’s review for the Tekton Lores. I was rather intrigued with the review and was surprised that Tekton uses real bass drivers that are actually designed for bass guitarist in the Lore’s. The tweeter also caught me by surprise I personally have never seen a gold Audax dome tweeter most of the speakers I have owned in the past have used Ring Radiator, Ribbon and Magnepan designs for upper frequency response. It’s actually very attractive and from the reviews silky smooth. Okay.. I said to myself the price is right I have read great things about Tekton and this review seemed legitimate it’s purchase time!
Weeks later (that seemed like an eternity) the Lore’s arrived! Out of the box they were very clean sounding and a bit bright in the top end the bass notes were there but not where I expected them to be especially after the Youtube review I watched but gradually after tinkering with proper placement.. and yes folks the Lore’s are VERY placement sensitive. To accurately achieve proper imaging I used Sarah Vaughan’s SACD vocals. It should sound as if the vocalist is in the center of the room! You’re listing to a ghost so to speak because there’s someone singing to you or playing a classical guitar piece directly in front but no one is there. I found toe in to be key in achieving this now..on the other hand what’s interesting is if you place them straight out in front of you, You will get a 3D type of sound field that some may actually enjoy but being a musician and having my own recording studio and having been in other studios toe in is essential for proper stereo listening an imaging.
After about a week on and off I found the proper placement for my listening environment I also played lot’s of different musical genres including bass heavy techno tracks for about 200 hours (break-in) and that’s the key folk’s the drivers and tweeters got sweeter and sweeter became more focused, cohesive, articulate and warmer and I really have to say.. what a bad ass little set of speakers these are!
For what these cost and what they can do the Lore’s are by far the best most surprising speaker I have owned from classical to pop and every thing in between The lore’s presentation is detailed and has authority and yes! Those bass arpeggio’s are there! Clean broken fast notes that shine melodically within a song.
Over the years, I read/viewed many positive reviews about Tekton and the Lore Reference. I was still a bit hesitant to pull the trigger because I didn’t want to have to return the large and heavy speakers. But I’ve been pursuing for years for that certain elusive clear/transparent midrange and wide imaged sound.
I went ahead and took my chances on a Willsenton R8 Tube Amplifier and the Lore Reference. The last piece of my minimalist setup is a hidden gem and probably totally underrated Sony CDP-X229ES CD Player. I must emphasize that both the amp and the Lore Ref. need at least 40 hours of break-in time. It made ALL the difference. I’m so thrilled to say that I finally achieved that elusive sound that I’ve been pursuing for years! All of the magic happened in this simple setup. The synergy between the (relatively affordable) mentioned equipment brought my favorite music to incredible realism. I just can’t stop smiling and listening to this setup in my master bedroom for hours at a time. I can’t thank Eric Alexander enough for his brilliant Lore Reference speakers!
Add’l notes: I used the Lore Refence with my $5K Anthem solid state amp. Even though the sound was great and dynamic as expected, the midrange and imaging magic really only happened with the tube amplifier. I highly recommend using the current setup that I have for an absolutely amazing sound. Lastly, I also have a Bluesound Node 2i streamer in my system for convenience, but it does not produce the same synergy. Happy listening!
The journey of acquiring my Electron SE’s began while purchasing a pre-owned couch my wife wanted. I noticed the owner of the house was a little into Audio. After a bit of questions his wife suggested we head downstairs and see the real items.
We did and there were two sets of speakers with one being something called Tekton Design the other I do not remember. Never heard of TD before and was enthralled with the story behind the design of the speakers and their unique speaker presentation. I began the due diligence of research wherever I could find it – You Tube videos, Forums, Reviews of other TD speakers, and I was hooked!
My system of 25+ years (kids, college and weddings prove to require a lot of money) was Acurus A250, Acurus L10 pre amp, ADS L1590-II tower speakers with a California Audio Lab Mark II CD player and a Audioengine B1 Bluetooth receiver.
The replacement began with a new Parasound P6 pre, then the Parasound 23+ amp and those two alone opened the door to improved sound. But the speakers were the weakest point.
I finally got the green light to order the TD Electron SE’s – the message was they are the same size as the ADS L1590’s and we can get them painted the color the Mrs would like and they were on sale (always a good trump card). Once I heard the “FINE do what you want” the order was placed. Electron SE’s (no Be) and the color the wife wanted.
Fast forward to the listening after the short break in period – WOW!!
The music became alive! The sound was full and open. The highs presented themselves in a crisp and balanced “I am here too” sound. The bass was and still is solid and warm. Not overpowering, not cold or wanting to dominate. The mids – o my! Vocals and percussion were right there with the highs and lows. In fact, the vocals created a whole new experience. My wife had mentioned “they sound like they are right there in the room”. Crisp without being sharp, clean without removing subtle background sounds and solid deep end without being obnoxious is what I had noticed first and still do!!
I tried everything I had listened to before and the sound was like a bright and exciting clear spring day after a muted winter. Chris Botti’s Live in Boston was a rebirth with the new system. His trumpet, the drummer, his guests – wow – and the soundstage was huge and deep! Even Classical music is alive and warm!
My favorite first listen for my guests are Donald Byrd – Slow Drag, Adele – Easy on Me, Pink Floyd – Goodbye Blue Sky and Jamey Johnson – That Lonesome Song. The responses from my friends and family are: “holy cow!” “That sounds so real and clear!” “I am hearing things I never heard before” (always a fun experiment) and “Incredible”.
I can listen to the Electron SE’s for hours without becoming fatigued. My musical interests have expanded, and I am very pleased with the Electron SE’s. As with any disease I started wondering what the Double Impact would sound like and what if I provide an amp for each speaker….. maybe later but for now I am extremely pleased with the set up and sound. BTW – hat tip to Ben’s review from March 4th regarding Parasound and the Electron SE. The pic shows the Electrons, the Parasounds are on the other side of the wall on the right.
Pound for pound the best speaker Eric has designed. Plain and Simple. These are very intentional in design and approach. These are not meant for passive listening.
They require the listener to participate in their experience and if the listener does they’ll witness pure magic. Bravo Tekton, home run.
I pulled the trigger on the upgraded Lores with the Beryllium tweeter, upgraded electronics, and Cardas binding posts. Fulfillment was great as I recieved my custom order including grill covers in about 8 weeks and was updated along the way.
I have been listening to my beloved Linn Nexus speakers with the upgraded tweeter OW1’s from Oskar Wrondeng . They Linns have sounded amazing and have brought me plenty of joy and listening satisfaction for the 30 plus years I have owned them. I recently purchased an Emotiva BAsX 2 channel amp to use my Yamaha A-840 as a preamp for 2 channel. I still use the surround programs for video and have not yet moved to a dedicated 2 channel system. I was using a Hsu subwoofer to help with the bass. I have demoed some other modern speakers and found I was missing some bass response and overall kick from the Linns.
Like the Nexus, the Lore Be’s are a 2 way front ported design which I find to be very placement friendly and good with off axis response. Both the Linns and the Lore Be’s have excellent treble response and both sound very airy and detailed without being harsh. That is where the comparison stops. The Lore Be’s really excel in mid and lower base response. I play mostly Jazz with some older rock and pop. One record I like is Joe Jackson’s Look Sharp from the early eighties. The recording comes alive with the Lore Be’s. The bass sounds like it does in a live show with beefiness and kick that you can feel. There is a kind of live element that you detect from the Lore Be’s, kind of like the vintage JBL sound but not as prominent. I find that I am digging the visceral response of the Lore Be’s and find myself constantly tapping my toes and wanting to move to the music. Same thing goes for other well produced records. The bass just sounds so detailed. You can actually hear the difference between a Fender bass as compared to a Rickenbacker (think Yes).
Anyway, I am very much glad I pulled the trigger on the Tekton Lore Be’s. I have had them for about 2 months now and I am still smiling at every listening. I hope I can live long enough to say I have enjoyed the Tekton Lore Be’s for the next 30 years.
Nathan Loggins –
Just received the last addition to my new Tekton family the Pendragon center. I’m upgrading to the Lores from the Polk 707 speakers. The polk 707’s are great speakers especially for the discounted price but in my listening room I often found the bass response a bit overwhelming at times and unfocused ( boomy)I figured less would be more in this case so I wanted to simplify my driver complement, I wanted it to be smaller but more efficient. Being a guitarist for a number of years and a jazz/Jazz fusion enthusiast tight accurate bass notes ( Jeff Berlin anyone) that are represented properly is very important to me.
Also as a personal note I really don’t believe you need to spends obscene amounts of money on speakers to get great reliable sound from your system you need to be aware of acoustics, sound proofing and a modest knowledge of electronic components take your time and read, experiment and have fun in the process. anyway..after researching some viable options I saw a YouTube video from what it seems to be a rather nice asian gentleman’s review for the Tekton Lores. I was rather intrigued with the review and was surprised that Tekton uses real bass drivers that are actually designed for bass guitarist in the Lore’s. The tweeter also caught me by surprise I personally have never seen a gold Audax dome tweeter most of the speakers I have owned in the past have used Ring Radiator, Ribbon and Magnepan designs for upper frequency response. It’s actually very attractive and from the reviews silky smooth. Okay.. I said to myself the price is right I have read great things about Tekton and this review seemed legitimate it’s purchase time!
Weeks later (that seemed like an eternity) the Lore’s arrived! Out of the box they were very clean sounding and a bit bright in the top end the bass notes were there but not where I expected them to be especially after the Youtube review I watched but gradually after tinkering with proper placement.. and yes folks the Lore’s are VERY placement sensitive. To accurately achieve proper imaging I used Sarah Vaughan’s SACD vocals. It should sound as if the vocalist is in the center of the room! You’re listing to a ghost so to speak because there’s someone singing to you or playing a classical guitar piece directly in front but no one is there. I found toe in to be key in achieving this now..on the other hand what’s interesting is if you place them straight out in front of you, You will get a 3D type of sound field that some may actually enjoy but being a musician and having my own recording studio and having been in other studios toe in is essential for proper stereo listening an imaging.
After about a week on and off I found the proper placement for my listening environment I also played lot’s of different musical genres including bass heavy techno tracks for about 200 hours (break-in) and that’s the key folk’s the drivers and tweeters got sweeter and sweeter became more focused, cohesive, articulate and warmer and I really have to say.. what a bad ass little set of speakers these are!
For what these cost and what they can do the Lore’s are by far the best most surprising speaker I have owned from classical to pop and every thing in between The lore’s presentation is detailed and has authority and yes! Those bass arpeggio’s are there! Clean broken fast notes that shine melodically within a song.
Jaco would be impressed.
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Hayden (verified owner) –
Over the years, I read/viewed many positive reviews about Tekton and the Lore Reference. I was still a bit hesitant to pull the trigger because I didn’t want to have to return the large and heavy speakers. But I’ve been pursuing for years for that certain elusive clear/transparent midrange and wide imaged sound.
I went ahead and took my chances on a Willsenton R8 Tube Amplifier and the Lore Reference. The last piece of my minimalist setup is a hidden gem and probably totally underrated Sony CDP-X229ES CD Player. I must emphasize that both the amp and the Lore Ref. need at least 40 hours of break-in time. It made ALL the difference. I’m so thrilled to say that I finally achieved that elusive sound that I’ve been pursuing for years! All of the magic happened in this simple setup. The synergy between the (relatively affordable) mentioned equipment brought my favorite music to incredible realism. I just can’t stop smiling and listening to this setup in my master bedroom for hours at a time. I can’t thank Eric Alexander enough for his brilliant Lore Reference speakers!
Add’l notes: I used the Lore Refence with my $5K Anthem solid state amp. Even though the sound was great and dynamic as expected, the midrange and imaging magic really only happened with the tube amplifier. I highly recommend using the current setup that I have for an absolutely amazing sound. Lastly, I also have a Bluesound Node 2i streamer in my system for convenience, but it does not produce the same synergy. Happy listening!
Ken Ketsenburg (verified owner) –
The journey of acquiring my Electron SE’s began while purchasing a pre-owned couch my wife wanted. I noticed the owner of the house was a little into Audio. After a bit of questions his wife suggested we head downstairs and see the real items.
We did and there were two sets of speakers with one being something called Tekton Design the other I do not remember. Never heard of TD before and was enthralled with the story behind the design of the speakers and their unique speaker presentation. I began the due diligence of research wherever I could find it – You Tube videos, Forums, Reviews of other TD speakers, and I was hooked!
My system of 25+ years (kids, college and weddings prove to require a lot of money) was Acurus A250, Acurus L10 pre amp, ADS L1590-II tower speakers with a California Audio Lab Mark II CD player and a Audioengine B1 Bluetooth receiver.
The replacement began with a new Parasound P6 pre, then the Parasound 23+ amp and those two alone opened the door to improved sound. But the speakers were the weakest point.
I finally got the green light to order the TD Electron SE’s – the message was they are the same size as the ADS L1590’s and we can get them painted the color the Mrs would like and they were on sale (always a good trump card). Once I heard the “FINE do what you want” the order was placed. Electron SE’s (no Be) and the color the wife wanted.
Fast forward to the listening after the short break in period – WOW!!
The music became alive! The sound was full and open. The highs presented themselves in a crisp and balanced “I am here too” sound. The bass was and still is solid and warm. Not overpowering, not cold or wanting to dominate. The mids – o my! Vocals and percussion were right there with the highs and lows. In fact, the vocals created a whole new experience. My wife had mentioned “they sound like they are right there in the room”. Crisp without being sharp, clean without removing subtle background sounds and solid deep end without being obnoxious is what I had noticed first and still do!!
I tried everything I had listened to before and the sound was like a bright and exciting clear spring day after a muted winter. Chris Botti’s Live in Boston was a rebirth with the new system. His trumpet, the drummer, his guests – wow – and the soundstage was huge and deep! Even Classical music is alive and warm!
My favorite first listen for my guests are Donald Byrd – Slow Drag, Adele – Easy on Me, Pink Floyd – Goodbye Blue Sky and Jamey Johnson – That Lonesome Song. The responses from my friends and family are: “holy cow!” “That sounds so real and clear!” “I am hearing things I never heard before” (always a fun experiment) and “Incredible”.
I can listen to the Electron SE’s for hours without becoming fatigued. My musical interests have expanded, and I am very pleased with the Electron SE’s. As with any disease I started wondering what the Double Impact would sound like and what if I provide an amp for each speaker….. maybe later but for now I am extremely pleased with the set up and sound. BTW – hat tip to Ben’s review from March 4th regarding Parasound and the Electron SE. The pic shows the Electrons, the Parasounds are on the other side of the wall on the right.
Enjoy!
Uploaded image(s):
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JC –
Pound for pound the best speaker Eric has designed. Plain and Simple. These are very intentional in design and approach. These are not meant for passive listening.
They require the listener to participate in their experience and if the listener does they’ll witness pure magic. Bravo Tekton, home run.
Uploaded image(s):
Uploaded image(s):
Hap Hall –
I pulled the trigger on the upgraded Lores with the Beryllium tweeter, upgraded electronics, and Cardas binding posts. Fulfillment was great as I recieved my custom order including grill covers in about 8 weeks and was updated along the way.
I have been listening to my beloved Linn Nexus speakers with the upgraded tweeter OW1’s from Oskar Wrondeng . They Linns have sounded amazing and have brought me plenty of joy and listening satisfaction for the 30 plus years I have owned them. I recently purchased an Emotiva BAsX 2 channel amp to use my Yamaha A-840 as a preamp for 2 channel. I still use the surround programs for video and have not yet moved to a dedicated 2 channel system. I was using a Hsu subwoofer to help with the bass. I have demoed some other modern speakers and found I was missing some bass response and overall kick from the Linns.
Like the Nexus, the Lore Be’s are a 2 way front ported design which I find to be very placement friendly and good with off axis response. Both the Linns and the Lore Be’s have excellent treble response and both sound very airy and detailed without being harsh. That is where the comparison stops. The Lore Be’s really excel in mid and lower base response. I play mostly Jazz with some older rock and pop. One record I like is Joe Jackson’s Look Sharp from the early eighties. The recording comes alive with the Lore Be’s. The bass sounds like it does in a live show with beefiness and kick that you can feel. There is a kind of live element that you detect from the Lore Be’s, kind of like the vintage JBL sound but not as prominent. I find that I am digging the visceral response of the Lore Be’s and find myself constantly tapping my toes and wanting to move to the music. Same thing goes for other well produced records. The bass just sounds so detailed. You can actually hear the difference between a Fender bass as compared to a Rickenbacker (think Yes).
Anyway, I am very much glad I pulled the trigger on the Tekton Lore Be’s. I have had them for about 2 months now and I am still smiling at every listening. I hope I can live long enough to say I have enjoyed the Tekton Lore Be’s for the next 30 years.