Tekton M-Lore Speaker Review

[MarkS]

The Moab has a dual array of tweeters:

A single-array Tekton is better behaved, see Stereophile measurements of the Impact Monitor linked above.

Still, you will get more for your money from any of the engineering/science/measurement driven companies like Revel, KEF, Genelec, Ascend, AsciLab ...

 

[Vladimir Filevski]

Somehow I doubt that...

Model called MoabBe, Vertical listening window, Source: Stereophile

Single cherry-picked (poop-picked?) measurement will not reveal the full story. We need to see all measurements. Here is on-axis frequency response (courtesy of Stereophile) of the same loudspeaker:

As you can see, it is very flat (peak below 200 Hz is due to the near-field measurements, so deduct 5-6 dB).
Vertical off-axis response in reality would be much better at the normal listening distance - measurements in Stereophile are done at much closer distance, so comb-filtering is exaggerated. But dual tweeter array (very strange decision!) is not helping either...
For comparison, here is on-ahis measurement of different model, with single tweeter array - Tekton Design Impact Monitor:

And here is vertical off-axis respnse:

When comparing with vertical off-axis response of model Moab please note the different range - here Design Impact Monitor is much better than model Moab.
As I said before, tweeter array would be much better if tweeters with smaller flanges are used. Very strange to see full-size tweeter flange here - it is bad design decision.

 

[Arindal]

The Moab has a dual array of tweeters:

As I have seen units with such layout frequently, being labelled the reference speakers of this manufacturer, I thought of these being more representative for their idea than a compact monitor.

For comparison, here is on-ahis measurement of different model, with single tweeter array - Tekton Design Impact Monitor:
...
And here is vertical off-axis respnse:

To me, this looks like serious comb-filtering effects and a pretty restricted vertical listening window, showing some potentially audible effects of lobing/cancellation already under +-5deg vertical. Given the fact this is labelled ´monitor´, I would such a unit expect to perform better even under nearfield conditions.

Maybe I am overly critical here, having never heard these speakers, but from own listening experience I almost certainly found visible ripples and cancellation effects of any multi-tweeter array with wider spacing between the domes to being problematic. It is not so much the comb-filtering effect in the 30-45deg window which looks impressive on the graph and usually causes floor/ceiling reflections to be tonally off, but the very subtle, narrow-banded changes within the listening window, which cause an effect of permanent tonal change and localization problems the moment the listener moves his/her head.

tweeter array would be much better if tweeters with smaller flanges are used. Very strange to see full-size tweeter flange here - it is bad design decision.

I agree that smaller tweeters with diaphragm being positioned very close to neighboring diaphragm, might significantly reduce the effect we were discussing.

You call it a bad design decision, but where is the alternative? Which dome tweeters are available on the market, working this or that way down to 500Hz without getting destroyed at higher SPL, while being cheap enough to allow 15 units per moderately priced loudspeaker?

 

[MarkS]

Some ideas are just not good ones ... plenty of single-tweeter speakers measure and sound great ...

 

[Arindal]

you will get more for your money from any of the engineering/science/measurement driven companies like Revel, KEF, Genelec, Ascend, AsciLab

It depends on the side parameters and desired sound. If I understood the explanation correctly, this company is aiming for a different sound character with improved impulse dynamics, direct projection plane and subjectively ´fast´ timing particularly in the midrange, closer to what a stage monitor would produce (the founder seems to be a rock musician). Their own explanation about diaphragm mass aside, this translates to me like trying to achieve both higher directivity and higher SPL reserves in the midrange alike. That is a combination which is notoriously difficult to achieve, and the majority of affordable speakers like the ones you mentioned, while competently engineered from lab point of view, fails to meet these goals.

plenty of single-tweeter speakers measure and sound great ...

From how I understand it, these are actually single-tweeter concepts, at least for the upper tweeter range. The majority of tweeters is active only in the lower bands as well as in the midrange.

Some ideas are just not good ones ...

I think, the idea itself is very good. If one does not want to employ huge horns, an array is an obvious choice to meet design goals like higher midrange directivity and maxed out SPL, in my understanding.

Just agreeing with others that the choice of dome tweeters to meet these goals, seems to be questionable, particularly given the fact that it does not match with a single tweeter's directivity in its upper bands. I wonder how far one could bring this concept with proper drivers and geometry (I would have some ideas which drivers are suitable, but it would get really expensive).

 

[Karmacoma]

Maybe I am overly critical here

Indulge yourself, be sure you're in the right thread to be

 

[Vladimir Filevski]

You call it a bad design decision, but where is the alternative? Which dome tweeters are available on the market, working this or that way down to 500Hz without getting destroyed at higher SPL, while being cheap enough to allow 15 units per moderately priced loudspeaker?

Easy - just trim the flanges of the used tweeters (or make new ones). Then, diameter of the flange will be much smaller - about the diameter of the magnet.

 

[Vladimir Filevski]

Some ideas are just not good ones ... plenty of single-tweeter speakers measure and sound great ...

I concur...
But, some manufacturers just have to offer something new (not necessarily better) to attract new unsuspicious customers. This tweeter array will be much better with smaller tweeter flanges, and manufacturer may use the same fairy tales as before.

 

[kharan]

Some ideas are just not good ones ... plenty of single-tweeter speakers measure and sound great ...

Tekton isn't the only company who's had ideas about weird driver configurations.

Here are some concepts I've seen around, though no actual product based on them yet.

 

[mhardy6647]

Re: the Tekton Moab.

I cannot help but think that an array like woudl give us an idea of what houseflies' hearing* must be like.

OK, I really stretched that one! Work with me here, OK?

____________
* i.e., any insect or other creepie-crawlie with compound eyes.

 

[Jim Creek]

Textron speakers, for all their flaws, are highly efficient, ~95db. This makes them ideal for those hobbyists that love SET amps. The specs on SET amps are not particularly hifi. But advocates swear by them because they believe SET amps have other qualities that they love.

So, you have SET amps with poor specs, matched up with Tekton speakers with poor specs. It’s a match made in hifi heaven (or hell) !

 

[mhardy6647]

Textron speakers, for all their flaws, are highly efficient, ~95db. This makes them ideal for those hobbyists that love SET amps. The specs on SET amps are not particularly hifi. But advocates swear by them because they believe SET amps have other qualities that they love.

So, you have SET amps with poor specs, matched up with Tekton speakers with poor specs. It’s a match made in hifi heaven (or hell) !

Yeah, but we I mean they have so many, so much better choices thanks to the pioneers at Western Electric, RCA, JBL, Altec... and others. Many of those are still cheaper, too.

Plus, at least so far, the above-mentioned companies' wares already-demonstrated track record of holding their value is likely to remain better.

 

[Jim Creek]

Yeah, but we I mean they have so many, so much better choices thanks to the pioneers at Western Electric, RCA, JBL, Altec... and others. Many of those are still cheaper, too.

Plus, at least so far, the above-mentioned companies' wares already-demonstrated track record of holding their value is likely to remain better.

For the record, I’m not criticizing SET systems. I don’t judge.

 

[mhardy6647]

For the record, I’m not criticizing SET systems. I don’t judge.

I didn't detect any criticsm at all!
I am a (big) fan of high sensitivity loudspeakers... but most (possibly all) of Tekton's offerings are not/would not be high on my list.

 

[norman bates]

Years back, that was a very rugged sb acoustics $60 tweeter.
The older "dimple dome" tweeters found in the 2015's enzo ($2,100 U.S.)

A quick look on their sb acoustic's website, I didn't find the tweet (out of production ?).....

I'm pretty sure this is it for $75 at madisound.

SB Acoustics Neo Magnet Ring Dome Tweeter | Premium Audio

SB Acoustics SB29RDNC-C000-4 tweeter featuring neodymium magnets and ring dome technology for precise high-frequency reproduction.

www.madisoundspeakerstore.com

Tweet looks to still be used in the enzo and pendragon.

 

[markus]

Any "amateur YouTube reviewer" wants to fly out and "see how good this thing measures in real time"? After all "there's professionals in the industry that stated that this is the most linear loudspeaker that they've ever seen"

 

[SigbergAudio]

I'm just happy I'm not the one who has to wire up all those drivers.

 

[lordhumungous]

I'm just happy I'm not the one who has to wire up all those drivers.

LMAO !

 

[Buckchester]

Any "amateur YouTube reviewer" wants to fly out and "see how good this thing measures in real time"? After all "there's professionals in the industry that stated that this is the most linear loudspeaker that they've ever seen"

“You don’t have to rely on amateur YouTuber measurements because you will instead SEE them in REALTIME!!”

 

[mhardy6647]

I'm just happy I'm not the one who has to wire up all those drivers.

I once "built" a pair of open baffle 1 x 8 line arrays with the famous/infamous PartsExpress 269-469 69 cent wonders - 4 inch 'fullrange' drivers made for TV speaker (?) use by Pioneer, bucking magnet and all.
This is to say that I cut sixteen more or less round holes in two pieces of 3/4" plywood.
The absolute worst part was 'designing' (series, parallel, Ohm's law) the interconnection of the drivers (no XO, don't you know? ) and wiring them up.
That I used crimp "Faston" style terminal connectors to do it made it even more onerous.

So... yeah... wiring up those Tekton behemoths would be H-E-double hockey sticks as kids in the US would say -- at least when I was a kid in the US.

Still have a ziplock bag containing all of those freaking wires.