Hey boxer12,
The Tekton open baffle model was a great speaker if you love planar speakers, but want more dynamics and pinpoint imaging. However, I never tried them with a SET amplifier, my hunch would be it would not be a great match. The Model 50 sounds great with the high power SS amps I have tried on them, but the magic for me is when they are driven by a great 2A3/300B SET amplifier. |
Hey brownsfan,
It will probably go up on hometheaterreview.com in March sometime.
To drive a speaker with a 6SN7 is "mind boggling" without losing overall dynamics/lower bass/dB levels and keeping the beautiful purity of tonality, transparency, and 3D imaging that a pair of NOS Tung-Sol black glass oval plate delivers to a system. I find this tube to be one of the most musical sounding devices I have ever heard. It's not quite as "cozy" as a 2A3 tube (which is my favorite tube to listen to in a SET amp), but boy it has its own virtues that draw you into the music. Actually, I never had heard a 6SN7 used as a power tube until I reviewed the Line Tube Audio MicroZOTL and used it as an integrated amplifier. |
Hey Dan,
You should contact Aric (413-627-2543) of AricAudio who builds great tube gear at very reasonable prices. If you look him up on different AudioGon threads you will read nothing but accolades about him as a person and the hand-crafted pieces he designs/builds. I'm sure he would be able to build a 2A3 that would fit your budget. I have reviewed several of his pieces for hometheaterreview.com that would provide details about Aric and his designs.
I have driven the Model 50 with a 200 watt SS amplifier and they sound great, so your Quicksilver amps would be no problem being a musical combination. |
To answer your questions:
1) Don't know what drivers Erol uses in the mastering series.
2) I'm going to get in for review Eric's new Prefect SET speaker next month for review. Knowing Eric's creativity they will be wonderful and offer SET amplifier owners another option at a very reasonable price. |
Hello tdwolf1414,
Yes, I have tried three different SS amplifiers, including the XA25, and the Model 50 delivers superb results with these much higher powered amps. With each, the speaker's very high level of transparency allows the different amplifier's slightly different sonic signature to be easily heard.
So, I want to be very clear, this speaker offers wonderful results regardless what I drive it with. My excitement over the Model 50 is that it is full range transducer that allows me to use my SET 2A3 based amplifier to hear the SET glory with no short comings at all regrading dB levels, bass extension, or a rolled off high-end. As I stated before, I have auditioned/reviewed single driver designs and horn speakers, all of them were much more expensive, and none of them were keepers for me. |
Hey Guys,
I'm not an electric engineer so your belief that this speaker's spec of 101dB just can't be so I'm not going to challenge on theoretical grounds. Why don't you contact Erol to discuss this with him.
I'm driving this speaker either with 1 watt or 4 watt SET amplifiers with no difficulties regarding volume levels, bass extension, and overall dynamics. I get easily over 100dB if I really want to listen that loud, even though I rarely push it to that volume level (sitting seven feet off the front of the speakers). So, whatever Erol creatively did in his design to get an extremely high sensitivity obviously works beautifully.
I only post here on the GON when I find superlative products that offer "great bang for the buck" that I would want to own and use in my own system. So, the short answer is no, even though no product is prefect. |
Hi davidobr,
My review will be out shortly with all the details on the Model 50. Yes, I'm driving this pair with a 2A3 SET amplifier and love how this system sounds, therefore they would sound superlative with your 45 amp. |
Hi everyone,
My review on the Model 50 went up today on hometheaterreview.com with all the details about this NSMT speaker's wonderful performance. |
Hey mofojo,
Since the Model 50 is a floorstander, not a stand mount, it would not be an apple to an apple comparison with the DI Monitor. Also, the DI is priced $2,100.00 more then the NSMT, so it's not in the same price range.
I will be getting very shortly the new Tekton Prefect SET model for review. This speaker is built to be used with SET amps and is priced at exactly the same price as the Model 50, so this will be an apple to apple evaluation. |
Hey snapsc,
I believe what you are referring to is what I call a "leaness" in the lower midrange or upper bass region which takes away the foundation of the music. The Model 50 is not lean in this region at all. They sound "alive" with great punch/energy. |
