Zu Omen or Tekton Lore


Best floorstanders under $999 for low power SET amp?

Thanks
mstark
I got a pair of Lore speakers at the end of December. I have been a Magnepan user for the past 12 years. I've had MG1.6's and Magnestand MMGs in my system. Before committing to larger, more expensive models, I wanted to experience a high efficiency type speaker. I took a chance and ordered the Lore (I compared to the Omen but like some of the design decisions of the Lore better).

Waiting on the speakers was frustrating. I ordered mid October and expected them in a couple of weeks. Two months later when they arrived the grilles I had ordered were not included. At this point I was really not wanting to like the speakers.

An hour later I had a smile on my face. I'm really impressed by these speakers. The dynamics and quality of bass are much better than the Magnepans. Midrange and treble quality are about the same. I was worried they might have a "boxy" sound, but they do not. I was worried that the height of the speakers would be a problem but the acoustic center appears to be higher than the MMGs. From the box they sounded slightly "dark", but with break-in and tilting the speakers back slightly this has gone away.

The amp I'm using is a 500W class-D amp (purchased for the power hungry maggies). I would have thought this would be a terrible match for the Lores, but Eric told me that he expected them to be a good match. Based on this, I would expect most amps to sound good with these speakers.

I'm very pleased with my purchase at this point. Thoughts of upgrading to bigger Magnepans are gone. I'm not sure at this point what my next step will be. I had considered the lores to be a low cost test of high efficiency but they are good enough to stay in my system for a while.
B rodgers - thanks for your great review!! BTW did you ever get the grills or did you just let that go?? What was he wanting to charge for that option?
B rodgers.
You've given me hope in my speaker choise.
It's always good to know that a floor staning speaker can put a smile on the face of a Maggie owners face.
It's always a challange to compete with the soundstage of Maggies, and to know you were happy make me happy.
Eric told me that mine will be shipping on Wed..
I'll keep the post going with my initial impressions.
John
He refunded the $50 for the grilles. He offered to send them but it would have required me drilling attachement points on the speaker. I didn't want to risk damaging the finish. The speakers are done in maple and look great.
Sounds good. The speaker is not designed to run w/ a grill anyway, although having a 4-5 mth old and a 2.5 year old, it sure would be nice when not in use. Can you send a pic of your finish? Thx