J

Jack N

Audioholic
I’m was considering the purchase of Tekton Double Impact SEs but now after doing some research I’m wondering if that would be an unwise decision. Something I find particularly troubling is the warranty not covering the one item that’s most likely to fail - the voice coil. I’ve read a few posts from owners on forums that confirm this is true. And from what I understand shipping costs aren’t covered either, which for these speakers would definitely be substantial. To a certain extent I can understand not covering the shipping costs (kind of, but not fully), but not covering the drivers?! So if I happen to get a driver that was constructed wrong, I’m just S.O.L. and I have to eat all the shipping and repair costs after I’ve just spent thousands buying them? And are the drivers so poorly constructed and/or designed that there’s a high likelihood they’ll suffer a premature failure? And what’s the likelihood the repaired speaker will fail again? Certainly does nothing to inspire confidence. When spending thousands of dollars on speakers, I would certainly think you’d get a better warranty than that. For the most part, it’s not of much use. Am I missing something? Would I be better off buying something from Salk?
 
S

shadyJ

Speaker of the House
Staff member
Speakers don't normally fail unless you abuse them. I wouldn't be too worried about wrecking the VC of a Tekton Double Impact unless you intend to pair it up with a powerful amp and will be listening loud. If you are going to be listening at very loud levels, it's a more appropriate speaker than the Salk designs. If you are interested in loud playback levels, I would also look at what can be had from JTR Speakers.
 
JerryLove

JerryLove

Audioholic Samurai
Would I be better off buying something from Salk?
Depends on what you want to do.

I love my Salk speakers. They are literally my favorites. I didn't chose to go Salk for the home theater out of a mix of budget issues and a desire for high-efficiency (I'm using Klipsch 650s).

The Tekton you are talking about is a 98db speaker. If you aren't after that sort of high-efficiency speaker, I'd have to ask how you settled on Tekton in the first place; and if you are, I'm not aware of a Salk offering that's similar. Some brands you could look at are JBL, Klipsch, and JTR.

The lack of driver warranty on a speaker I couldn't independently test first would indeed throw me off...but I don't know that I've carefully inspected warranties on my other purchases.
 
everettT

everettT

Audioholic Spartan
You're never gonna get a Salk speaker to play as loud as JTRs, however I have no problems listening at moderate levels with the Song 3e. The Exoticas @12k get very loud.
 
Verdinut

Verdinut

Audioholic Spartan
Personally, I would never buy an expensive speaker that doesn't carry a warranty. Defect in speakers occasionally happen. If Tekton is afraid that their speakers will be damaged, or wouldn't pay return shipping cost for a defective driver, then it's not a really responsible company. I would look for spending my money on some other brand.
 
B

Beave

Audioholic Chief
The Tekton you are talking about is a 98db speaker. If you aren't after that sort of high-efficiency speaker, I'd have to ask how you settled on Tekton in the first place; and if you are, I'm not aware of a Salk offering that's similar. Some brands you could look at are JBL, Klipsch, and JTR.
They (Tekton) may claim that the speaker sensitivity is 98dB, but I bet independent measurements would show it to be quite a bit less - probably closer to 90dB.

Just one more thing (among many) that Tekton exaggerates or misleads.
 
everettT

everettT

Audioholic Spartan
They (Tekton) may claim that the speaker sensitivity is 98dB, but I bet independent measurements would show it to be quite a bit less - probably closer to 90dB.

Just one more thing (among many) that Tekton exaggerates or misleads.
Completely agree with this.
 
J

Jack N

Audioholic
I realize that voice coils rarely fail and I agree with Verdinut that it doesn’t rule out the possibility. There’s proof of that in other posts. If I lived down the street from Tekton I wouldn’t be worried about shipping costs. However I’m 1300 miles away so not shipping isn’t an option and would cost a significant amount of money. I shouldn’t have to bear that cost for something in this price range. At least that’s the way I see it.

As far as me damaging the speakers, highly unlikely. Although I do have a have a pair of Outlaw 7900s I won’t be listening to them at loud levels. I like my hearing the way it is. I’m not after loud, I’m after better sound quality. So how efficient a speaker is really doesn’t come into play here. Any speaker I choose will play plenty loud for me.

I was looking at the DIs (the SEs are on sale right now) and associated speakers because of their ability to play lower frequencies. My own personal sound preference is for speakers playing lower so I don’t have to have the sub come in earlier. To me, it just sounds better that way. On the flip side of that, Salks are much more refined, better built, look nicer, are smaller, and have better drivers and crossovers – but they give up ground on how low they play unless you get into the higher dollar stuff which I’m just not willing to spend that much money on. The Song 3 and associated speakers would do nicely. I thought if I was able to save some money going the Tekton route, I’d be willing to do that – especially with a trial period.

Tekton not standing behind their products says a lot for me – Mainly they don’t have much confidence in their product either. And if that’s the case, it makes me wonder as others have speculated about the specs that are published. Odd that in the years that Tekton has been around, no audio associated publication has published a review with hard, independent findings. I don’t give much credence to YouTube or other reviewers because it’s all based on their perception and taste without anything to back it up which makes it difficult at best to make a decision. Basically it boils down to whether or not you’re buying into what the manufacturer is advertising. Not a good situation. Is Audioholics the only one that does testing now? It’s not looking good for those of us who don’t have money to throw around trying one piece of equipment after another until we find something we like. I'm thankful Audioholics still does testing. And because manufacturers are becoming more and more likely to bend the truth is why doing things like checking what kind of warranty comes with a product, and finding out what kind of experiences others have had with a product or company (standing behind what they market) is important to me. It says more than I think most manufacturers/companies realize. In this case, if Tekton makes such great products, why aren't they willing to stand behind them? So I guess for me in this particular purchase, I don't have the money to risk in finding out if their products are any good.
 
Swerd

Swerd

Audioholic Warlord
They (Tekton) may claim that the speaker sensitivity is 98dB, but I bet independent measurements would show it to be quite a bit less - probably closer to 90dB.

Just one more thing (among many) that Tekton exaggerates or misleads.
I gotta agree with this.

90 dB sensitivity speakers will be plenty loud in a home. Speakers with a genuine 98 dB sensitivity would be overkill. That kind of very high sensitivity is made for large theaters, auditoriums, or outdoor use.

There is no standard method for measuring or reporting speaker sensitivity. Speaker manufacturers know that high sensitivity numbers are noticed by shoppers, and as a result these values tend to get overestimated, or worse, exaggerated.

In contrast, Salk publishes sensitivity numbers for speakers that are conservative, and in my experience, realistic.

I wonder if there is a relationship between the very high (too high?) sensitivity numbers Tekton reports, and the fact that Tekton doesn't provide a warranty for speaker voice coils. Do Tekton buyers frequently fry their voice coils?

Finally, remember that voice coils on good speakers should come with a 1-year warranty, but human ears do not. But playing loud enough to burn out voice coils on speakers that are said to have 98 dB sensitivity, must do terrible things to a listener's ears.
 
Swerd

Swerd

Audioholic Warlord
I was looking at the [Tekton] DIs (the SEs are on sale right now) and associated speakers because of their ability to play lower frequencies. My own personal sound preference is for speakers playing lower so I don’t have to have the sub come in earlier. To me, it just sounds better that way. On the flip side of that, Salks are much more refined, better built, look nicer, are smaller, and have better drivers and crossovers – but they give up ground on how low they play unless you get into the higher dollar stuff which I’m just not willing to spend that much money on. The Song 3 and associated speakers would do nicely. I thought if I was able to save some money going the Tekton route, I’d be willing to do that – especially with a trial period.
The specs Jim Salk publishes for his speakers are honest and a bit conservative. You can take them to the bank. I don't know Tekton speakers well enough to be able to comment on their specs. But I seriously doubt if they deliver on 98 dB sensitivity. In speaker design, you can have loud performance or deep bass, but you can't have both without HIGH cost.

One of the Song3 models seems like a good choice for you. Most of them with the 7.5" woofer go as low as 33 Hz, and the more expensive Song3 Encore (with a larger 9.5" woofer & cabinet) goes down to 25 Hz. My own Salks, Veracity STs, go down to 34 Hz, and most people don't seem to understand how low that really is. They can't believe the speakers can do that without the aid of a sub.
 
S

shadyJ

Speaker of the House
Staff member
I realize that voice coils rarely fail and I agree with Verdinut that it doesn’t rule out the possibility. There’s proof of that in other posts. If I lived down the street from Tekton I wouldn’t be worried about shipping costs. However I’m 1300 miles away so not shipping isn’t an option and would cost a significant amount of money. I shouldn’t have to bear that cost for something in this price range. At least that’s the way I see it.

As far as me damaging the speakers, highly unlikely. Although I do have a have a pair of Outlaw 7900s I won’t be listening to them at loud levels. I like my hearing the way it is. I’m not after loud, I’m after better sound quality. So how efficient a speaker is really doesn’t come into play here. Any speaker I choose will play plenty loud for me.

I was looking at the DIs (the SEs are on sale right now) and associated speakers because of their ability to play lower frequencies. My own personal sound preference is for speakers playing lower so I don’t have to have the sub come in earlier. To me, it just sounds better that way. On the flip side of that, Salks are much more refined, better built, look nicer, are smaller, and have better drivers and crossovers – but they give up ground on how low they play unless you get into the higher dollar stuff which I’m just not willing to spend that much money on. The Song 3 and associated speakers would do nicely. I thought if I was able to save some money going the Tekton route, I’d be willing to do that – especially with a trial period.

Tekton not standing behind their products says a lot for me – Mainly they don’t have much confidence in their product either. And if that’s the case, it makes me wonder as others have speculated about the specs that are published. Odd that in the years that Tekton has been around, no audio associated publication has published a review with hard, independent findings. I don’t give much credence to YouTube or other reviewers because it’s all based on their perception and taste without anything to back it up which makes it difficult at best to make a decision. Basically it boils down to whether or not you’re buying into what the manufacturer is advertising. Not a good situation. Is Audioholics the only one that does testing now? It’s not looking good for those of us who don’t have money to throw around trying one piece of equipment after another until we find something we like. I'm thankful Audioholics still does testing. And because manufacturers are becoming more and more likely to bend the truth is why doing things like checking what kind of warranty comes with a product, and finding out what kind of experiences others have had with a product or company (standing behind what they market) is important to me. It says more than I think most manufacturers/companies realize. In this case, if Tekton makes such great products, why aren't they willing to stand behind them? So I guess for me in this particular purchase, I don't have the money to risk in finding out if their products are any good.
If you aren't listening loud, there are other choices out there. Salk BMR Philharmonitor has very good extension and an extremely neutral response. Check out the Paradigm Premier 800F or SVS Ultra Tower. Spend a bit more and get some Revel F206 speakers. A lot of great choices out there.
 
Kvn_Walker

Kvn_Walker

Audioholic Field Marshall
I know Eminence makes the DI woofers. Not sure if it's custom or one of their off-the-shelf 10's though. Very close resemblance to the Eminence Legend BP102's. May or may not be a drop-in if something goes wrong.

A high voice coil failure rate seems pretty suspect. That's not something you hear about often. I'm sure the main reason Eric isn't covering that is because it's the top symptom of speaker abuse. Is it possible he got a batch of bad woofers from Eminence? Certainly.. and if that's the case somebody needs to step up and own it.

Now I know human nature, and I know people tend to get on forums and play the victim. Online game I used to play, folks who got banned for cheating or RMT would get online and cry a river and make the developers look like monsters, until a dev finally had enough, logged in, and posted proof that the person did what they said they did. The bans weren't justified 100% of the time, but easily more than 90%. So, I have a feeling the majority of people saying their "voice coils failed at normal volume" aren't telling the whole story.
 
JerryLove

JerryLove

Audioholic Samurai
They (Tekton) may claim that the speaker sensitivity is 98dB, but I bet independent measurements would show it to be quite a bit less - probably closer to 90dB.

Just one more thing (among many) that Tekton exaggerates or misleads.
In that case: I amend my previous reply. Yes, you would be better with a Salk.
 
J

Jack N

Audioholic
Thanks for the suggestions shadyJ. The F206s and F208s are on my list. I’d absolutely love using BMRs for the surrounds, but it’s going to be out of reach financially.

I agree totally Kvn, I would think it would be normal for somebody to step up and own it. It certainly isn’t the customers’ fault if the drivers are bad to start with. I’m not following the logic that the buyer should bear the cost, unless, like you say, the speakers are being abused. Although I do think the vast majority of people who are willing to spend thousands on a pair of speakers aren’t going to abuse them. They’re not the types who are careless or thoughtless. It would just be a mistake of something like having the volume turned up too high when switching to another piece of equipment. I wouldn’t think it would be common. Is that feasible logic?

I hear you about posters not being entirely honest about what happened, and it’s certainly possible that some of the posts are entirely fake too for whatever reason. Message received. But even if none of the posts can be taken at face value, the fact still remains that Tekton isn’t standing behind their products, and I certainly can’t afford to throw hundreds of dollars away in shipping/repairs – especially when there’s no guarantee on the repairs as well.
 
S

shadyJ

Speaker of the House
Staff member
Thanks for the suggestions shadyJ. The F206s and F208s are on my list. I’d absolutely love using BMRs for the surrounds, but it’s going to be out of reach financially.

I agree totally Kvn, I would think it would be normal for somebody to step up and own it. It certainly isn’t the customers’ fault if the drivers are bad to start with. I’m not following the logic that the buyer should bear the cost, unless, like you say, the speakers are being abused. Although I do think the vast majority of people who are willing to spend thousands on a pair of speakers aren’t going to abuse them. They’re not the types who are careless or thoughtless. It would just be a mistake of something like having the volume turned up too high when switching to another piece of equipment. I wouldn’t think it would be common. Is that feasible logic?

I hear you about posters not being entirely honest about what happened, and it’s certainly possible that some of the posts are entirely fake too for whatever reason. Message received. But even if none of the posts can be taken at face value, the fact still remains that Tekton isn’t standing behind their products, and I certainly can’t afford to throw hundreds of dollars away in shipping/repairs – especially when there’s no guarantee on the repairs as well.
Why do you say that BMRs are out of reach financially? They cost less than Tekton DI speakers...
 
Verdinut

Verdinut

Audioholic Spartan
They (Tekton) may claim that the speaker sensitivity is 98dB, but I bet independent measurements would show it to be quite a bit less - probably closer to 90dB.

Just one more thing (among many) that Tekton exaggerates or misleads.
Unfortunately, they're not the only ones exaggerating! Think about Klipsch about the sensitivity ratings, and how about Bowers & Wilkins on the published low frequency response of some of their products?
 
Alex2507

Alex2507

Audioholic Slumlord
Why do you say that BMRs are out of reach financially? They cost less than Tekton DI speakers...
BMRs for the surrounds
Point being that the OP wasn't considering the Tek's for surround duty.

It could be 4 surround speakers ($5,000 worth of BMR's) plus the the mains as opposed to $3,000 in mains plus 4 more affordable task appropriate surrounds. Just based on the weird tweet array on the TEK's, I think I would run. Has anybody here ever heard them?

Thanks for making me look at the BMR's again though. Is the flat pack hammered out yet? I wonder if this speaker lust thing ever eases up. :)
 
Kvn_Walker

Kvn_Walker

Audioholic Field Marshall
Point being that the OP wasn't considering the Tek's for surround duty.

It could be 4 surround speakers ($5,000 worth of BMR's) plus the the mains as opposed to $3,000 in mains plus 4 more affordable task appropriate surrounds. Just based on the weird tweet array on the TEK's, I think I would run. Has anybody here ever heard them?

Thanks for making me look at the BMR's again though. Is the flat pack hammered out yet? I wonder if this speaker lust thing ever eases up. :)
Stereophile measured a pair of their smaller monitors with the same array and it did far better than one would imagine based on looks alone:


Atkinson did also call them out on the sensitivity ratings being overly generous.
 

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