# My modest Tekton Audio 4.1 Speaker Setup



## HiGHFLYiN9

I recently decided to upgrade my work room's audio setup, as a table radio really wasn't doing it for me, and ended up with what I believe is a really excellent option for people looking for a speaker setup with a headphone budget. 







 Above is a pair of Tekton Audio Model 4.1s. These are full range speakers hand-made in Utah by Eric Alexander, and at the time of writing, these are going for a mere $250 (upgrades on binding posts and finishes are available for a little extra). Eric can paint these a variety of colors as well, I've seen a bright blue pair on Audiogon for example. I opted for a burgundy pair to match my table top. The Model 4.1s make use of full-range 4" Fostex FE103 drivers, so there aren't any tweeters or a complex cross-over. 

 These are very nice drivers and are a common staple in the full-range DIY speaker builder pages. Specs can be found on Madisounds site here:
Fostex FE103E 4" Full Range from Madisound

 I decided to pair the speakers with a Chinese made TP30 Class T Amp, making use of the Tripath TA2024. This outputs around 10W max, which is enough to drive the 4.1s at normal listening levels with no distortion. 


 I also made a pair of 10 gauge SPC in teflon speaker wires to compliment the setup, to make sure none of those 10 watts go to waste 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	









 The sound is a delight. Warm with surprising range and nice bass response. I'm incredibly happy with the setup and would highly recommend Eric at Tekton if you're looking for a full-range set of speakers:Tekton Design Even ironing shirts is a pleasure when these are playing behind me


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## Head Injury

How do I know which model is the greatest bargain in all of hi-fi if they're _all_ the greatest bargain in all of hi-fi?

 Your setup looks nice. I want to try a cheap pair of audiophile speakers some day, and I'll keep my eye on these.


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## Valens7

Neat, thanks for posting this. I've been considering a speaker system, and the Tekton Audio speakers are right at the top of my list.


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## Kawai_man

Very nice, I have a similar set-up, I have tekton that I use with a trends t-amp. I also have some whiplash ions which use a 3" tangband full range speaker
  
   Quote:


 I also made a pair of 10 gauge SPC in teflon speaker wires to compliment the setup, to make sure none of those 10 watts go to waste
 

  I noticed that my setup is quite sensitive to the speaker wire used, since the amp outputs so little power I think it needs some good quality wire to transfer all that effectiively .Right now Im using regular zip cord for speaker wire and next Im going to try some solid core 14 gauge speaker wire to see if that makes a difference. Those cables you made look great and I bet they sound awesome.


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## HiGHFLYiN9

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *Head Injury* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_How do I know which model is the greatest bargain in all of hi-fi if they're all the greatest bargain in all of hi-fi_

 

Heh, I don't know about the "greatest bargain in all of hi-fi", but I can tell you that I don't think a large company could match the quality of the product I received at the given price. 

  Quote:


  Originally Posted by *Kawaii Man* 
_I noticed that my setup is quite sensitive to the speaker wire used, since the amp outputs so little power I think it needs some good quality wire to transfer all that effectiively .Right now Im using regular zip cord for speaker wire and next Im going to try some solid core 14 gauge speaker wire to see if that makes a difference. Those cables you made look great and I bet they sound awesome._

 

It would certainly be worth trying. Magnet wire is quite affordable and you could try running it without terminations to see if you prefer the sound. It is quite stiff though, so you'll have to bend it into place. The ten gauge wire I'm using is low strand count (like 20 or so), so it's stiff as a hangar


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## TigzStudio

Once you go Magnet Wire you never go back, ever since I put it with my odyssey nightingales.. I haven't had a single thought about another speaker cable EVER. And I go with bare wire no terminations, be warned its like trying to attach coat hanger to your speakers tho lmao.


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## Qonmus

I'm really interested in trying these speakers out after reading what everyone has to say about them. How do you think they would sound compared to the audioengine p4's? The p4s have received some damn good reviews themselves, but I really like the look of the tektons. Would an NAD315 be overkill?


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## Kawai_man

It depends, with the tektons you can run them of a little tube amp or a t-amp as well as regular amps, and you have great sound  at low and high volumes, regular speakers tend to need more power to sound good and they wont have the amazing clarity that tektons or any single driver speakers have, but with single driver speakers there is a trade off in that they usually dont extend to deep in the bass region,though the whiplash and tektons have plenty of bass for me and I use to have some paradigm atoms and the whiplash had just as much bass as those, and the tektons even more so because it uses ab igger driver.


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## kmkamk

Hi,
   
  This is my first post on head-fi and I am sorry it is about speakers and not 'phones...
   
  For a while now, I have been looking at getting the same setup as HiGHFLiN9's, ie Topping TP30 and Tekton 4.1.  The Tekton 4.1 is available only online (it does come with a 30-day trial but unfortunately this is not very practical from where I am) so I hope HiGHFLiN9 or anyone else reading in can help with the following questions:
   
  - the shaping network that comes optional with the Tekton 4.1.  What does it do in this case and is it better to go with it or do without it?
   
  - do the bass and treble extend to what the specifications say or it depends on how the speakers are positioned?
   
  And, to HiGHFLiN9, what made you decide to go for the 4.1 instead of say the 3.1 or 4.5?
   
  Many thanks.


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## kmkamk

Hi,
   
  Anyone?


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## BadassBob

I just ordered a pair of Tekton 8.1s this past weekend, looking forward to getting them.  The ones I ordered use an 8" Fostex FE207E in a 35L cabinet.  To the OP...how long did it take you to receive yours when you placed the order?  I know the wait time will be a little bit, as Eric usually builds to order.  These will be replacing my Klipsch Forte rig and run off of a 3W 6B4G SET amp.  There are a few "glowing" threads over on the Klipsch forums and Audiokarma about Tekton speakers, and every one of them has nothing but positive things to say.


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## Kawai_man

Congrats  Bob let us know your impressions when you get them.
   
  I have a set of the tekton ob4.5's , they use two identical 4.5" drivers instead of one but they don't use crossovers, they have much better bass response and the same amazing clarity as the single drivers and an even better soundstage, I got them with the grills which I recommend for owners of these speakers because the paper cones and banana pulp cones these speakers use are kinda fragile.


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## darknessproz

Are these speakers active or passive speakers?


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## Cid

Those look fantastic. I wonder how much better they would be than my Technics or JPW speakers, shame I can't listen to them.


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## mrarroyo

The Tekton are passive speakers.


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## BadassBob

I should have mine come Wednesday, but probably wont be able to post my impressions until Thursday.  I arced a rectifier tube in my SET, so Im waiting on a replacement before I give the Tektons a run.


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## BadassBob

This past Wednesday my Tekton 8.1s arrived.  Theyre pretty darn big for bookshelf speakers, using an 8" Fostex FE207E.  The next thing that got me was how well constructed the cabinets were.  There are no sharp edges, everything is smooth and rounded off.  The cabinets seem to be of much higher quality than lots of speakers costing more than these.  They sound so much smoother than the horns I was running before, and theyre not even broken in yet.  The mids are to die for, the bass has punch, although not as much as you get from a larger speaker.  The highs are very nice and detailed with no harshness.  I could sit and listen to these for hours.  Im powering them with a 3.5WPC SET amp, they do get plenty loud off of such low wattage.  Tekton speakers have to be one of the best bargains in audio.  I think Im going to pick up a pair of smaller Tektons for my desktop computer and run them off of a T-amp .


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## mrarroyo

BadassBob, how about posting some pictures!


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## BadassBob

....and my amp.  I rearranged my area last weekend and put my TV on top of my rack.
   

   
  EDIT:  Why do we have to jump through hoops and click on a bunch of stuff to post pics now?  It was MUCH easier just adding the


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## Bones13

I use a set of Tekton 4.5s as nearfield speakers on my desk as work.  They are as tall as the iMac, and the center of the driver is even with my ear.
   
  I too use a T-amp - mine is a Mardis v.3 mod of the trends unit.
   
  Very nice sound.


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## mrarroyo

Nice looking setup BadassBob!


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## Omega17TheTrue

The 8.1 are very tempting and dirt cheap, how do they sound ?


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## ssheavy

I stumble across the Tektons and now, I'm now very tempted. To Badassbob, do you think they can handle rock and metal music? I'm using a solid state integrated. Many thanks!


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## BadassBob

Quote: 





ssheavy said:


> I stumble across the Tektons and now, I'm now very tempted. To Badassbob, do you think they can handle rock and metal music? I'm using a solid state integrated. Many thanks!


 

 I havent found them too good for metal.  At lower volumes, theyll handle metal nicely, but we know metal is meant to be played loud.  Larger full range drivers have a tendency to beam under high cone excursion.  I listen to alot of psytrance, ambient psychedelica, classic rock, and light rock....they do great with those.  I think with metal, youll be much better off with a multi-way speaker.


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## ssheavy

ok, in that case I probably look at others. Damn! Do they look good!


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## BadassBob

Quote: 





ssheavy said:


> ok, in that case I probably look at others. Damn! Do they look good!


 

 Have a look at the other Tekton speakers.  Eric will custom make you anything you want.  He has some nice 2-way models that just might be what youre looking for.  hes a very good guy to deal with.  Ask him what he would recommend for metal.  Tekton Design has a 30-day return policy...so if youre not happy with them, you can send em back and go back to the drawing board 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




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## Kawai_man

In case any of you guys are interested I'm selling some of my tube amps and speakers including a set of tekton ob4.5's.


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