Tekton Design's new THE PERFECT SET equals "goosebumps time"

Teajay,

Thanks for comparing the Perfect SET and Model 50's to answer dcevans question.

Could you also include your observations regarding soundstage depth and width?  Your description of 5-10 vs. 15-20 feet away from a live jazz band gives some indication, but I would appreciate any additional comments.

And thanks for your review on the Perfect SET, as it is the first I have seen myself and have been curious about them since they were first offered.  I've enjoyed the sound of high efficiency/dynamic speakers with HF horns since the 70s, but would like something more natural and a bit deeper in sound stage, so these have my interest.

Hey oldschoolsound,

Both speakers are excellent at creating, if it's in the recording, a very large precisely layered soundstage that extends past the outside edge of the speakers with space/air between the instruments. 

Both speakers would work in a small acoustic space.  However, the Perfect Set is a much larger speaker then the Model 50.  Also, the Tekton speaker does go deeper in its bass extension, so it could possibly over load a very small listening space.

Imagine all the speed/dynamics/aliveness of a horn design with no horn colorations. Then add on a great extended high airy top end, great bass, and a detailed transparent midrange that allows what ever amplifier you are using to be heard regarding timbres/tonality.  I have listened many hours with both a SET 2A3 amp and a restored Threshold S/350e amplifier with the Perfect Set and find I'm enchanted with both amps in the system.  The rest of the system is a CEC transport, Lab 12 DAC, LTA Micro-ZOTL into the amps I mentioned above.  Think of the flexibility with this speaker, you can use a SET 3 watt tube amp or a 350 watt SS amp with superlative results.  If you already have listening experience with either the Double Impacts or the Double Impact Monitors you know what the Perfect Impact sounds like, just add outstanding linear extended bass which is totally integrated with the lower midrange. 

Hey Teajay,

Thanks for such a quick and in-depth response!  Good to know both speakers have very good soundstage capabilities.

Good point about listening space and bass extension.  While my room is on the small size (as far as I would like) at 13’ x 20’ x 8’, it has been acoustically treated following Ethan Winer's guidelines.  After playing with placement, it has my system/room sounding the best it ever has.  Hopefully this would be enough to control the Perfect Set's bass.  

And, as you said, the proper recording is the starting point.

Since my listening is near field and at lower levels that I use to listen at back in the days of my youth, your previous comments about the Perfect SET having good low level listening characteristic was also important to know.

The one thing I will not be able to replicate is the quality of your upstream components.  You’ve got one nice system there!  I’m old school (like my moniker) with a Cary SLP 94 and highly modified Dynaco ST70 based on Lance Cochran’s circuit.  But, like many of the other brands you’ve reviewed, I feel my gear gives me a very good return on my investment with a little tube rolling to fine tune the sound.

Still, always room for improvement, so thanks again for your comments on these two speakers.  Unfortunately, I live in a rural area and have not had an opportunity to hear any Tekton speakers.  But your description of what they provide beyond the typical horn design is what I’m looking to achieve.

Thanks again.