Same as me... Tekton speakers on Clear Day cables... awesome sound.  The Clear Day stuff will straight up embarrass cables that cost FAR more.

One thing...

I talked with Eric @ Tekton about amplification one day for a bit.  I was always using tube amps up to that point... ranging from a 1.8-watt SET to about 35-watt PrimaLuna amp.  He told me.... "You have not even heard the Pendragon's yet" (quote).  He was right... I went on the hunt for a "big power" SS amp that I could actually afford (can't spend Pass Labs money)... and I tried a few amps and ended up with a Hafler 9505.  ABSOLUTELY ASTONISHED by the sound with these speakers... INCREDIBLE.  So dynamic and "full" sounding.... massive soundstage and limitless output.

I know that these Tekton's are very efficient and sound GREAT with low-power tube amps, but OMFG was blown away when I tried a big SS amp.  I am using a VTL tube preamp behind it (which helps a lot I am sure), but the things that speaker will do with high power is just plain silly.  Most fun speaker I have owned in 20+ years.  I keep both amps to listen to depending on my musical preference for that night of listening.

audiofreak32 August 15, 2016 01:58

Dan,
Thanks for the kind comment. I am really very pleased with the 300b tube. The premium quality versions can get rather expensive but they sound wonderful and these tubes last for many years.I`ve had my SET amplifier nearly 4 years and plan to keep it for many more.
Charles,

charles1dad May 17, 2013 03:35

Charles1dad,
You have an amazing system yourself. I am sure the coincident combo sound fantastic. How do you like the sound of 300b?Dan

boniccie May 17, 2013 03:00

Dan,
I happen to share your viewpoint about the bass performance of tube amplifiers. First the bass quality will depend on the speakers in use and the particular tube amp driving them. 2nd point, I find the texture, pitch, tone and balance of SS amplifiers inferior and honesty less natural. What some refer to as "bass slam" is artificial and embellished, especially when listening to acoustic lower register instruments. So I definitely see where you're coming from. Some speaker designs do need to be matched with SS amplifiers and some are designed for optimal use with tube amplifiers, it all depends on the speaker builder's intention.
Regards,

charles1dad May 16, 2013 14:16

Charles1dad,
Thanks for your comment. I absolutely love the combination of vinyl and tubes. There is something special and magical about the warm velvety texture sound produced by this combo. Some may think tubes colour the sound too much but to my ear it sounds very neutral. Also the fact that the Pendragon are very dynamic speakers it definetly complement the laid back sound of the tube amp. Dan

boniccie May 16, 2013 06:07

I like the make up of this system.Given your music preferences I imagine the sound is natural and keeps you emotionally involved.The tonality and timbre of acoustic instruments must sound very realistic.
Regards,

charles1dad May 11, 2013 15:07

Devilboy.
Thank you for your comment.
I really like the tube sound with high efficiency speakers specialy when i listen to vinyl. You are absolutely right when you mentioned that the bass is not very deep and this is the reason i moved from small high efficiency speakers to the Tekton Pendragon. I am getting a very satisfying deep and quality bass with the Pendragon that i am not even interested to try a solid sate amp because it will be an overkill. But i was thinking to try the Red Dragon Monoblock pretty soon and i will post an update.

boniccie May 09, 2013 07:22

I've had a few systems centered around high efficiency speakers driven by some low-watt tube amps. While they did a lot of things very well, I always felt that they did not give me the deepest, tightest bass that I wanted. How do you like your system in regards to the bass?

devilboy May 05, 2013 23:04

Very smart component matching. The thing I love about high efficiency speakers driven by tube amplification is that not only do they sound great together but you get so much more "bang for your buck" than with solid state. Must sound wonderful.

devilboy May 05, 2013 22:59