Tekton Ulfberht: My personal take ! 

Jay, A giant thank you for taking on the Ulfberhts! Careful notes have been taken. Yes, we're planning the introduction of new summit performance-based loudspeakers soon - they will start at $35K pr. Also note, the quickest/easiest way to overcome the visuals of the Ulfberht is to add the CNC machined grille that conceals all driver's top-to-bottom. Best regards, Eric Alexander - audio designer

This review made me buy a pair of Ulfberhts! And it has been one of best investments in audio I've ever made if not thee best. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 😍

I was really looking forward to your opinions regarding those speakers - Appreciate what you did, thanks.

It is amazing that I could hear the issues with the bass through my cheap work headphones

Considering the Tekton only had a 100 hrs on it, and was nowhere near broken-in, I'd say it faired very well. Good thing it wasn't completely broken-in or it may have made it hard to justify the amount of money you spent on some of your Uber expensive speakers.

As an Ulfberht owner I'd have to say that this assessment is quite fair and accurate.

Mr. Jay is correct. I have a pair of Ulfberhts paired with an svs pb 13 ultra. The speakers need a sub paired with it to be top of the line. The sweet spot is indeed narrow, I agree with his observations. Mids and highs are exceptional and soul stirring. With a subwoofer, I don't believe you can do better for under 40k. Very honest and fair review, I trust Jay more after this review

Well said Jay !!

Thanks Jays for your honest review and effort. I own the Tekton Encores and agree with all your observations for both pro and cons. I had many serious demo at dealers for Magico S1/2, Focal Sopra2/3, B&W 802d3 and Wilson Sabrina with my budget of 30kUSD but Tekton flagship speakers offers competitive sound for less money. With savings in speaker, I spent on better source and amplification like Chord Dave and Gryphon Diablo300. The Tekton’s are capable and deserve to be paired with better source and amps that cost more than 10k each. Looks wise, they are not at the same level as some of the speakers that you named. But looks vs sound, it is going to cost to have both and unless Tekton charges more for looks that will cost money to design and produce, there is no way to have the cake and eat it too. Ulfberht were 12k MSRP but I think that the nearly permanent sale at 9k is probably the reason why they are moving faster than before. It’s a lot of speaker for under 10k and no other speakers from any mainstream brand can match it.

Excellent review you hit it on the nails

I can't agree more with your professional and tactful/respectful approach. Hat tip to ya. The ads however are obnoxious. You'll lose a huge fan base due to that aspect, myself included. Cheers and happy listening!

Great 👍 video thanks 🙏

I’m interested in a review of the Tekton 1812. They look awesome, but I see like no reviews of them.

OK the round up is... The Tekton is an astonishing value. The Wilson looks a little better (it's not great). If you never heard the Wilson you'd think you had a home run with the Tekton. The Wilson has a better bass and overall soundstage presentation. The Wilson costs 10x the Tekton. We are in the world of diminishing returns. You spend more on footers for your amps than the Tekton.

Dear Jay, can you contemplate about checking Yamaha NS 5000? There isn't really anybody else who can do this expect of you and I asked reviewers. Yamaha pioneered Beryllium drivers. This speaker has another pioneering technology and is of brilliant craftsmanship. Also I am eagerly awaiting your video about comparison between Alexx and Utopia. Thank you

Hi Jay, you have been doing a valuable job, with your impartial competent and sincere reviews, helping many people to assemble the best system possible, by being able to compare as many hi end components as you do. Thanks! Have you rever considered evaluating the YG Hailey 2 or Sonjas, to know how they compare with WA Alexx?

Thanks Jay for taking the time to share great audio equipment! To me it’s alway’s very enjoyable to hear how great components truly sound playing real music. Some people who left negative remarks do not understand our hobby at all & so you wonder why they would be watching the videos in the first place. I appreciate hearing the Alexx even though I will probably never be able to buy them. I have heard them at shows & your demo was by far the best. I had no idea they sounded that good! It’s just great to hear great music on great equipment. Thx!

Congradulations with the SR,pretty good stuff isnt it,also like the Critical Mass footers,some say they are the best but give it some time!

Those Galileos looks very shiny!!! I bet they make your system sound great 😃👍👍👍👍 btw I would give 41 days and not 21 to break in those footer, I can't believe you don't ear the difference with the boulder ? My boulders totally changed for the best.

Great review on the Ulfbert. Haven't heard them but I've heard many other Tekton speakers and there's no doubt that Tekton gives the best bang for the buck in all of high end audio. Now, as far as there being certain brands that no one questions the pedigree of, well, it took a long time for Wilson to go from basically the worlds prettiest studio monitor to a well rounded a and truly world class speaker. When I've heard Magico's they've usually been so analytical that they're nearly unlistenable. Not that they can't be great but it seems so many owners of such high end products equate hyper detail and hearing artifacts with great performance. I don't. But to date I have yet to experience a pair of Magico's set up in a way that has me in agreement with many reviewers. Maybe they love analytics more than actual musicality, who knows? What amazes me though is companies that display these high end products at shows or in their shops rarely pay much attention to making them sound their best. It's almost as if they just shrug their shoulders and say, eh, it'll sound better in your home. Seriously, if you want my $100,000 show me why your product is worth it.

I'm very late to this review but thanks for another comprehensive review. I would like to ad applicable possibly , i own Lores , they sound more open and better overall with my much lower powered Luxman integrated than with my 200/ side Pass designed power amp . To my experience high sensitivity speakers (can) sound at their best with lower power amplification . Low watts , high current .

I really enjoyed the Tekon speakers. I thought they were Great!

Tekton now offers a $2k “ultimate” crossover upgrade. I have done something similar with my Moabs and the improvement is tremendous to say the least. Much more immersive and bigger soundstage. I wonder how the Ulfs with the XO upgrade would fair against giants like Wilson and Magico

Who makes those cables? I'm not sure if you mentioned the manufacturer.

Great review Jay, I was waiting eager for your personal considerations to knew IF for the money the Tektons would be on the same sound quality tier as the Sopras , B&W 802 D, Piega coax 711, Medium Magicos, and the Proac.. I got an honest and direct answer from you as always :), now the question for me is how to get a pair of Encores Be to Argentina for a reasonable amount !! :) .. thank you very much ! :).

Hi Jay, Great videos, thanks for putting this videos. Have you’ve tested the Moon pre amp 740P ? Also, what is your take on the Dali Epicon ?

Btw did you try to place the tweeters of Magnepan 20.7 outside? I watched your videos and Magnepan 20.7 was always placed with tweeters inside. It is so strange because i use them with tweeters outside, they sound much better in this case. You said in this video that Magnepan are more directional than spacious. But if you place tweeters outside the speakers will sound much more spacious and huge.

Yeah the pile of wires in the corner of my room, I'm just uh, settling them in, makes them sound snappier 👌

I think you nailed it right on the head. Their Achilles heal is the look of their speakers. If they can address that issue, they will have a promising future. Thanks for the input.

Thanks for your honest opinion. It will really help for Techton and its potential consumers. And can you tell me what is better between AQ Niagara 5000(or 7000) and SR Power cell SX? I really want to know your opinion. Thx Jay.

You right the looks of the tektons would not make in my house especially living room maybe dedicated listening room maybe

Jay..great video...thanks again. There seems to be ads every 2 minutes or so, very annoying. Why are they now chopping up your vids with these ads?

Really interested in if you think the midrange in the sweet spot is in fact ‘ultra high end’ level for lack of a better word. I think people are looking very hard at them due to the price and it would be illuminating for us to know if it gets a recommendation at its slightly over 10 k price. How would it compare to say a Bowers and Wilkins 801d which can be had on the second hand market for around the same value

I just read three print reviews that disagree with you on comparisons. Heck each guy made them their new reference.

Try Townshend Seismic Pods under your amps 😉

Alexx is $135,000 ...Tekton Ulfberht $9830.....hmm the comparison is kind of silly?

Jay - The best part of this review was naming speakers that cost more but don't sound as good as the ULFs! Its because you buy your gear (either new or used) or its being loaned to you by a dealer or a friend - the point is IT'S NOT COMING FROM THE MANUFACTURER! The typical reviewer has to give a positive review because if they don't the manufactures will stop sending them equipment. With that said, if you want to expand your RU-vid channel, you must start buying and reviewing less costly gear. 99.9% of your audience can't afford what you are talking about!! - thats fun to listen to but after a while it gets old hearing about differences in mega-costly gear. If you named names and gave honest opinions on gear many of us can afford your channel would explode. Plus YOU could afford even more gear since your aren't paying as much to begin with plus your ad revenue would go up!

these Tektons kinda look like Wilsons

Jay, I couldn't agree more with your observations and evaluation of the Ulfberht. Specially your advice given to Tekton. I will reiterate my comment regarding Tektons speakers. They are excellent value speaker with a high end level of sound quality, but a low-fi appearance. They either have to stick to the under $5k category, or far improve their aesthetics to compete with speakers in the $10K+. Jay, since you were so kind as to answer the request of those who requested the Tektons, I will put forth my request. I would love to hear a side by side comparison of Borresen 05 vs. WA's Alexx. As you probably know they are Danish speakers from the land of Gryphon. At asking price of $120k they retail at the level of the Alexx. There are probably only half a dozen of these speakers currently in the USA, likely they would have to be ordered and wait for them to be imported. Now there will be no mistaking the Borresen 05 for a wanna be high end speaker. Thanks Jay.

Tekton can never open like Magico or Wilson because of their conventional square wooden cabinet with their inherent box noise. That why most top of the line speakers usually got the special cabinet which cost a lot of money.

Its a bit rich don't you think to be dissing Tekton looks while showing those Alexx monstrosities? Oh well, eye of the beholder I guess.

I'm sorry that you fell for audiophool cables.

If you had them set up like the wilsons then you had them way too far from the rear walls which is why you didnt like the bass.

How bout a review of cable lifters? With your awesome system you should be able to actually hear a difference Carpet is the worst from what I have read. Static

In my opinion, lamenting the aesthetics of Renton misses the point. I suppose if they can beautify them for very little extra cost it might be worth it, but their big draw is performance per dollar. Maybe that applies in the double impact price range, but I suppose at 12k the clientele might be able to demand looks and performance. But I suspect at the 3k range for DE's if it went to 4k to make it look better, it would harm their sales. What do I know? Might be worth it for Eric to investigate.

They aren't bad looking to me. I like the industrial look. But those Alexx are ugly too. TAD has some nice looking one. Also, bamboo cabinets would be interesting.

Wow! What do you do , make money for a living:)

It must be Hard to design speaker with 21 I drivers in it 🤪 , I have never heard of Tekton but I don’t think I would replace my Martin Logan ESl 15a with these , Even Focal Sopra 2 , I would take Sopra 2 any day over the Tekton. But kudos to you J for bringing those monsters in , setting them up for testing , that’s a lot of work and hassle for something you know you would not keep ...

Jay I believe you have mad a gross error in placing those proprietary footers under the centre of mass. By placing here , the bending stress on all the internal components has been reversed- That cannot be what the designers of the amplifier had in mind. I would recommend placing footers either under original feet , or at least very close.

Cables "broken in" 🤣🤣🤣you audiophiles make me LOL

Without any doubt the tekton are ugly but considering how much the Wilson’s cost they are nothing special to look at. Yesterday I listened to the 360k dollar Wilson’s they do sound amazing but still noting special to look at Also listened to way cheaper sonus faber, yes they are not as good but they look amazing Just talking about looks here ! Also I know that there are speakers out there that sound as good or better than the Wilson for less money. Their name their legacy does not make them the best out there. Don’t shot me Wilson fans

11:02

Doesn't talk about ulfberhts until 11 mins in...

I have a couple observations. It looks like you put your speakers out from the wall by about 8 to 10 feet which to me is not realistic unless you have a dedicated listening room. Also for the first five minutes of this video you were talking about cables burning in and the amplifier stand affecting the sound of the amplifier. It's really difficult to take the rest of this review seriously even if what you said about the speakers was true. I'm not saying I wouldn't love your system though. Nice setup.

save your money and don’t buy into the hype of cables costing thousands of dollars.🤦🏻🤦🏻

The Boulders have been engineered to stand on their own feet. It must put unintended pressure on the chassis. Not a fan

Looks like Tekton didn't take Jays advice. They have now came out with a Signature Series speaker that starts at $18,000 but have made absolutely no improvements in their crap cabinets. Who would spend almost $20K on a speaker with Cabinets like that? Honestly I don't understand that. For the 2K to 5K speakers with people on very limited budgets I get it but not for this speaker.

For me, Tekton looks better than Wilson. For me

More time on speaker placement and you may not need to coerce the sound with extra overrated gear. Your room looks off and cluttered. Nice for pictures though.

Speakers need way more than 100 hours on them before you can give them an honest review. +1 on improving the looks. Need to hire some expert cabinet makers

Regarding Center Stage Footers FWIW over the past 4 years I have sold over 2000 feet including some Boulder users Every one of them has had a positive outcome. The Boulder is very heavy and IME with clients to whom I have sold Center Stage their settle in time is about 4 weeks. Once the feet settle it hits you in the face as the sound is so good The key is not only to be patient but to understand they will settle but heavier components take longer Several months ago I sold a set of CS2 1.5’s to a client who uses the 560 lb per channel D’Agostino Relentless I can tell you that I spoke to him every few days. He did experience degradation of sound but that was it. Like you at two weeks he was prepared to give up. I encouraged him to hang in there as there was no doubt in my mind that they would settle. It literally took him about 30 days but when it happened he was gob smacked His email to Me in that day was “Bam.......and there it is.” He continues to use these with superb results under his Relentless. I have found that settle in is system dependent and no two are the same. However to make a statement that they don’t work under Boulder is just not my experience Feel free to contact me if you want some suggestions. These are the real deal and IMO are true system changers

I couldn't get through it. Too many commercial interruptions.

Be on the lookout for backlash from the owner of Tekton....Eric. He won’t like having his babies called ugly.

Sorry.. But so much advertising really has to be.....

Man, you bought into ALL the snake oil didnt you? A fool and his money... LOL!

Get to the point

Arguably the biggest eyesores in audio. Who cares how they sound.

I'm sorry but the percentage of people that could afford a system like this video shows is embarrassing.

What a waste of cooper

I'm sorry but, if you keep smacking your lips. I will not be listening to your channel .

Alex look much worse to this visual artist.