Post by pop on Jun 30, 2014 18:10:25 GMT -5
INTRODUCTION: This review does not include the Pendragon Theater sub in the setup.
First off allow me to thank again our own Andrew Robinson for making this dream of mine a reality. He was more than generous with his asking price for a 6 speaker Pendragon theater setup and a Pendragon Theater sub to boot. The whole adventure driving from Austin, Texas to Franklin, Tennessee put the purchase price to a total of $2,450. Still $50 less than just a pair of Pendragon towers, plus I got to go on a adventure and see my moms new lake house in Eddyville Kentucky. Win win if you ask me. There are cosmetic flaws in the two Pendragon towers, they were slightly damaged in his move to Franklin. One of the towers has noticeable chips in the paint on the two front corners and the cabinet where the chips are was compromised a bit. If there is an audible difference I can't say for sure, but I doubt it. The other tower has chips in the paint in the bottom right front and back corner. These cosmetic flaws are hardly noticeable from my listening position, and Andrew provided custom fit socks for the two towers which fit well and look quite nice. I am actually contemplating getting the contact number from Andrew and having the fella fashion me socks for the center and 2 surrounds. I mention this only because I am trying to dream a reason for why Andrew would let these speakers go, let alone at this price. IMO The cosmetic damage hardly brings this setup (6 total speakers) to $2,000. It boils down to what he originally stated. He wants someone to enjoy this system. Well Andrew, thank you.... I am.
Not just the Pendragons, but Tekton Design in general, is something I've longed to experience for quite a bit of time now. Ironically and mostly because of Andrews review of the Pendragons and Pendragon theater, which is the same system that I currently own. I think the fact that I own the exact system that got such glowing reviews is Pretty neat. There are other extremely positive reviews for these speakers, and the users are crazy about them. Trying a high efficient system was something that I was feeling very strong about. I wasn't exactly excited to go down the path of horn loaded loudspeakers, so Tekton seemed to fit the bill. Either way, I now own them and they sit firmly planted in my listening room.
Gear Used:
Emotiva UMC-1
Emotiva XPA-5
Oppo BDP103
Pendragon Towers (L,R)
Pendragon Center
Pendragon Surrounds
2x PSA XV-15
Emotiva Speaker Cables with banana plugs (LCR)
Monoprice 14awg Speaker wire (LS,RS)
Setup:
See pictures below for final setup
This task proved to be pretty Daunting. The LCR were quite easy to get into place. Luckily I had the foresight to leave enough clearance when mounting my plasma for a larger center speaker at some point. I used the provided carpet spikes for the two towers and purchased an Auralex platform for the center to get the tweeter at perfect ear level.
The surround sounds on the other hand were a bit difficult. They are 50lbs. plus and quite large. This is definitely something to consider when purchasing a full theater setup. However large you are imagining the surrounds sound/center speakers think bigger. I contacted Andrew for advice on Mounting/raising the surround sound speakers. He directed me towards the Ultimate Support ms90/36 typically used for studios. They support 100lbs. and have the option to fill with sand etc. I picked up the 36" version, filled them with sand and they are incredible. In fact I highly recommend them. When reclined in my listening position the tweeters rest 14" above ear level. Perfect. My advice to anyone considering these surrounds is to build them into a wall. The towers footprint are not that bad, but the surrounds and center are what you will want to consider when accommodating this system into your room.
It should also be noted that the surrounds Andrew designed to lay horizontal and mine are vertical. The center was designed to stand vertical and mine is horizontal. This effects the tweeter layout. In a simpler way of putting it, the two surrounds are a typical center design, and the center is a typical surround design. I exchanged the center for one of my surround speakers and I could not tell a difference at all, so I leave them the way they are setup. Once again refer to pictures below if you are still confused.
On to the fun stuff....
Sound:
It was very hard for me to review these speakers at first. I had been living with the ERM-6.3s for years and had them perfectly placed. My ears were accustomed to the way sound. In fact I believe my brain was wired to think "This is how things sound, end of story". This leads me to an interesting thought. More so than speakers breaking in over time, I honestly believe it is just our ears that need to acclimate. To be real frank with you, my initial impressions were not so great. They are wildly different than my old speakers in so many ways. It is really hard to classify the Pendragons, not only because I believe they are very unique, but my experience with other speakers is minimal. I am not going to go into much detail about what I didn't like about them at first, because I don't feel that way at all anymore. With music they were mostly loud, commanding, and simply polar opposites to what I have been living with. The ERM-6.3s are soft, expressive of very small nuances, and laid back. Not that the Pendragons don't meet the same qualities the ERM-6.3s do, it just took some time for me to tinker with placement, level adjustments, etc.
After hours and hours of moving speakers 1/2 an inch this way and that way, towing out, towing in, moving forward, and moving back, I found their perfect homes. My room is like putting a toddler in a garage with sharp tools. You can do it, you just need to be very thoughtful and manipulate the toddler from being in the "danger zone".
The Pendragons are unlike anything I have heard before. They have this amazing ability to be furious with your rock music, and delicate with your jazz. I think this is mostly because they don't color sounds. They sound extremely natural to the recording. Always, I will put on Melody Gargot "Who Will Comfort Me" To showcase my system to friends, or sit down to start my listening session. If you aren't familiar with the tune, I suggest you check it out. There is a nice blend of Female vocals, horns, swing band style male vocals, drums, simple guitar, and stand up bass.
Immediately from the beginning what I noticed was the finger snaps were crisp and precise. With just the L,R playing it sounded to me as if they were hanging in the distance somewhere far beyond where the speakers physically sit. Melody's vocals come beautifully from the center of my listening area. The soundstage is simply incredible. Trying to identify location on the two speakers would be extremely hard to do if they weren't almost 5 feet tall.
The horns in this song come in lush, and the standing bass has this amazing sharp THWAP when plucking the muted strings. I have listened to this song over 100 times and never have I had so many hairs on my body raise at one time. It is really quite the experience to get the chills so many times in one 4 minute song. the sound felt much more natural than what I had been hearing in the past. Not so much "as if I was in the studio" but more of "I'm pretty damn sure this is how it was designed to be heard."
Moving on to Live Widespread Panic recordings of shows I have attended, the Pendragons smashed it out of the park. The reproduction is lifelike. I listen to these shows often and love revisiting them, but they always seemed a little off to me. I never felt that they were missing anything until I listened through the Pendragons. Immediately it brought me back to the show, kind of like how smelling a holiday favorite in the oven brings you back to certain emotional ties you have with the days you enjoyed that meal. We typically stand at or near the soundboard for live events as that is generally the best sound in the venue. The Pendragons amazed me how they capture every sound. Between songs you can hear the stage banter between musicians, and there is some funny stuff being said! Things you would never even hear at the show. The reproduction of these events is simply priceless.
The sweet spot with these speakers is just mesmerizing. One fault that I have noticed, and this very well may be my room, is that sweetspot is a bit more narrow than the ERM-6.3s. It is much better, but it doesn't cast as much distance. A foot out each side and you start to loose the phantom center. I have been playing with positioning and it is hard to find a compromising sweetspot for both Jessica and I. Right now I sit selfishly square in the middle. I have been able to correct a bit, and I believe that further toying with placement will prove to win. It did take me quite a bit of months to firmly dial in the perfect location of the ERM-6.3s so I am not too concerned. Also, I know my room is a punk so I will take on the challenge.
Bottom line, if I had to classify these speakers for music with one word it would be "AWESOME!" Simply put, They are a blast to listen to. They do what you would expect from an audiophile loudspeaker, and add a degree of party time. Like I stated before they are natural to the production of the album. I wouldn't say they are the most analytical speaker you will ever hear or would I say they are the best, but you will have a damn good time listening to them over and over again. They do everything extremely well. It's funny because I don't feel a need to pick them apart, I just enjoy them. I believe this is a great quality for a speaker to possess.
With that being said I will throw this out there. The Emotiva ERM-6.3 is one hell of a speaker. This isn't just up here because I am selling them, It's true. I don't feel like the Pendragons do all things better than the 6.3s, they just do it differently and well....Maybe a little better. I am enjoying the Pendragons much more than the 6.3s, but it is because they suit me better. As all of you know it is simply a matter of taste. Some of us own speakers another wouldn't even touch. So it is really hard for me to say you must own the Pendragons for your music listening. I believe what they do best is defy the regulations most of us set on a loudspeaker and add a degree of sheer awesomeness. If you are in the market and have been wanting to try the Pendragons I say do it! You won't have regrets.
let's move on to what I consider the amazing part!
Once I added the PSA XV-15 subs with the ERM-6.3s I was genuinely very happy with my music. However, with movies I still was lacking that HOLY COW quality. This is why I intentionally set out for the Pendragons. Holy guacamole!!! Undeniably what I am hearing in my living room is far better than any movie theater I have ever been to or system I have heard. I am in love with the pristine magnolia room possessing the B&W diamond speakers, Whichever model they are at 8 grand a pop. I am not sure if they sound better, but they are just as good. Keep in mind the Magnolia room is heavily treated and furnished with a beautiful projector. You put the Tekton Pendragon theater in that room, do a blind audition, and I guarantee you the Pendragons are going to get some serious votes. The whole setup for less than 1 B&W speaker!!?? So far we have watched Saving Private Ryan, Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol, Transformers Dark Side of The Moon, Star Trek Into Darkness, and Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Mans Chest. I believe this system for movies is worth thousands of dollars over what the full retail asking price is. In general I don't like statements like that, but Let me clarify... If you told me you spent 25k on your Pendragon speaker theater I wouldn't question it. I would say. "Wow! Worth every penny, wish I could afford it! Sounds freaking incredible!"
The ability of this system to go from almost dead silent to ear deafening explosions/gunshots etc. is remarkable. In a pitch black room, if you told me there were 7, 9, or even 11 speakers in the room I would believe you without question. The front soundstage has no limit on height. You would think the speakers stretch from floor to ceiling. They put every sound exactly where it should be. Sound moving side to side or front to back is pristine. The transition through all of the speakers is seamless. Timbre matching is impeccable. As far as what I expected to hear out of this system for movies, which was a huge expectation, they are so much more. Whispers are totally audible. Voices sound incredibly natural. You hear things you never even knew were there. No matter what level you listen at it maintains it's balance. If you want to listen softly you don't loose cinematic quality, if you want to listen loud.... Well, hold on to your britches cowboy. These speakers will defeat you far before they start to distort. I say start to distort, but I haven't heard it yet. I am sure at some point they do, but I don't care to find out what it takes.
Trying to use words to describe what my theater sounds like is very hard for me. This is why it has taken me so long to write this review. Trying to describe an experience can be impossible. That is exactly what I have, a full fledged experience. You have to hear it to believe it. If you are in the area or passing by, I would love for you to join for a listen.
CONCLUSION
I love 'em! For music I think they are incredible. I love the natural sound and their liveliness. One thing to consider, they are a victim of the recording. Poor quality music through the Pendragons sounds... Well, poor. If most of your music is poor quality I cannot recommend these to you. My ERM-6.3s were much more forgiving. This is something to consider. For me a large majority of my music is lossless and I am filtering out the bad, so this doesn't concern me much. If you are considering a speaker of this caliber I doubt you are listening to shotty MP3 though. The sweetspot is fantastic, however I have found it to be a little narrow. Like I said earlier i'm sure this has lots to do with my room. They still sound great outside of the listening position, but if you have created an audiophile out of your spouse like I have with Jessica, than you have to make the listening position a bit more broad. If you are seeking a few fun new roommates that sing wonderfully I recommend the Pendragons 150%.
For movies this system is a no brainer. They are masterpieces at work. The only downside here is the size of the surrounds/center. Not really a downside, but as stated by others before make sure you know what you are getting yourself into. There are smaller options from Tekton, I haven't heard them but I guarantee they are wonderful. A 5 speaker Pendragon setup without the subs I believe would cost you $4,900. towers at $2,500 and other 3 speakers at $800 a piece. If I had heard this system I would most definitely be stashing money aside to purchase as soon as possible.
Now I'm onto saving for a Projector.
Thanks for reading. Hope it was beneficial.
Speaker socks off.
IMG_0129 by Austin Contemporary Dance, on Flickr
Left Surround
IMG_0134 by Austin Contemporary Dance, on Flickr
Right Surround
IMG_0133 by Austin Contemporary Dance, on Flickr
Socks on, Center on top of auralex platform
IMG_0135 by Austin Contemporary Dance, on Flickr
First off allow me to thank again our own Andrew Robinson for making this dream of mine a reality. He was more than generous with his asking price for a 6 speaker Pendragon theater setup and a Pendragon Theater sub to boot. The whole adventure driving from Austin, Texas to Franklin, Tennessee put the purchase price to a total of $2,450. Still $50 less than just a pair of Pendragon towers, plus I got to go on a adventure and see my moms new lake house in Eddyville Kentucky. Win win if you ask me. There are cosmetic flaws in the two Pendragon towers, they were slightly damaged in his move to Franklin. One of the towers has noticeable chips in the paint on the two front corners and the cabinet where the chips are was compromised a bit. If there is an audible difference I can't say for sure, but I doubt it. The other tower has chips in the paint in the bottom right front and back corner. These cosmetic flaws are hardly noticeable from my listening position, and Andrew provided custom fit socks for the two towers which fit well and look quite nice. I am actually contemplating getting the contact number from Andrew and having the fella fashion me socks for the center and 2 surrounds. I mention this only because I am trying to dream a reason for why Andrew would let these speakers go, let alone at this price. IMO The cosmetic damage hardly brings this setup (6 total speakers) to $2,000. It boils down to what he originally stated. He wants someone to enjoy this system. Well Andrew, thank you.... I am.
Not just the Pendragons, but Tekton Design in general, is something I've longed to experience for quite a bit of time now. Ironically and mostly because of Andrews review of the Pendragons and Pendragon theater, which is the same system that I currently own. I think the fact that I own the exact system that got such glowing reviews is Pretty neat. There are other extremely positive reviews for these speakers, and the users are crazy about them. Trying a high efficient system was something that I was feeling very strong about. I wasn't exactly excited to go down the path of horn loaded loudspeakers, so Tekton seemed to fit the bill. Either way, I now own them and they sit firmly planted in my listening room.
Gear Used:
Emotiva UMC-1
Emotiva XPA-5
Oppo BDP103
Pendragon Towers (L,R)
Pendragon Center
Pendragon Surrounds
2x PSA XV-15
Emotiva Speaker Cables with banana plugs (LCR)
Monoprice 14awg Speaker wire (LS,RS)
Setup:
See pictures below for final setup
This task proved to be pretty Daunting. The LCR were quite easy to get into place. Luckily I had the foresight to leave enough clearance when mounting my plasma for a larger center speaker at some point. I used the provided carpet spikes for the two towers and purchased an Auralex platform for the center to get the tweeter at perfect ear level.
The surround sounds on the other hand were a bit difficult. They are 50lbs. plus and quite large. This is definitely something to consider when purchasing a full theater setup. However large you are imagining the surrounds sound/center speakers think bigger. I contacted Andrew for advice on Mounting/raising the surround sound speakers. He directed me towards the Ultimate Support ms90/36 typically used for studios. They support 100lbs. and have the option to fill with sand etc. I picked up the 36" version, filled them with sand and they are incredible. In fact I highly recommend them. When reclined in my listening position the tweeters rest 14" above ear level. Perfect. My advice to anyone considering these surrounds is to build them into a wall. The towers footprint are not that bad, but the surrounds and center are what you will want to consider when accommodating this system into your room.
It should also be noted that the surrounds Andrew designed to lay horizontal and mine are vertical. The center was designed to stand vertical and mine is horizontal. This effects the tweeter layout. In a simpler way of putting it, the two surrounds are a typical center design, and the center is a typical surround design. I exchanged the center for one of my surround speakers and I could not tell a difference at all, so I leave them the way they are setup. Once again refer to pictures below if you are still confused.
On to the fun stuff....
Sound:
It was very hard for me to review these speakers at first. I had been living with the ERM-6.3s for years and had them perfectly placed. My ears were accustomed to the way sound. In fact I believe my brain was wired to think "This is how things sound, end of story". This leads me to an interesting thought. More so than speakers breaking in over time, I honestly believe it is just our ears that need to acclimate. To be real frank with you, my initial impressions were not so great. They are wildly different than my old speakers in so many ways. It is really hard to classify the Pendragons, not only because I believe they are very unique, but my experience with other speakers is minimal. I am not going to go into much detail about what I didn't like about them at first, because I don't feel that way at all anymore. With music they were mostly loud, commanding, and simply polar opposites to what I have been living with. The ERM-6.3s are soft, expressive of very small nuances, and laid back. Not that the Pendragons don't meet the same qualities the ERM-6.3s do, it just took some time for me to tinker with placement, level adjustments, etc.
After hours and hours of moving speakers 1/2 an inch this way and that way, towing out, towing in, moving forward, and moving back, I found their perfect homes. My room is like putting a toddler in a garage with sharp tools. You can do it, you just need to be very thoughtful and manipulate the toddler from being in the "danger zone".
MUSIC
The Pendragons are unlike anything I have heard before. They have this amazing ability to be furious with your rock music, and delicate with your jazz. I think this is mostly because they don't color sounds. They sound extremely natural to the recording. Always, I will put on Melody Gargot "Who Will Comfort Me" To showcase my system to friends, or sit down to start my listening session. If you aren't familiar with the tune, I suggest you check it out. There is a nice blend of Female vocals, horns, swing band style male vocals, drums, simple guitar, and stand up bass.
Immediately from the beginning what I noticed was the finger snaps were crisp and precise. With just the L,R playing it sounded to me as if they were hanging in the distance somewhere far beyond where the speakers physically sit. Melody's vocals come beautifully from the center of my listening area. The soundstage is simply incredible. Trying to identify location on the two speakers would be extremely hard to do if they weren't almost 5 feet tall.
The horns in this song come in lush, and the standing bass has this amazing sharp THWAP when plucking the muted strings. I have listened to this song over 100 times and never have I had so many hairs on my body raise at one time. It is really quite the experience to get the chills so many times in one 4 minute song. the sound felt much more natural than what I had been hearing in the past. Not so much "as if I was in the studio" but more of "I'm pretty damn sure this is how it was designed to be heard."Moving on to Live Widespread Panic recordings of shows I have attended, the Pendragons smashed it out of the park. The reproduction is lifelike. I listen to these shows often and love revisiting them, but they always seemed a little off to me. I never felt that they were missing anything until I listened through the Pendragons. Immediately it brought me back to the show, kind of like how smelling a holiday favorite in the oven brings you back to certain emotional ties you have with the days you enjoyed that meal. We typically stand at or near the soundboard for live events as that is generally the best sound in the venue. The Pendragons amazed me how they capture every sound. Between songs you can hear the stage banter between musicians, and there is some funny stuff being said! Things you would never even hear at the show. The reproduction of these events is simply priceless.
The sweet spot with these speakers is just mesmerizing. One fault that I have noticed, and this very well may be my room, is that sweetspot is a bit more narrow than the ERM-6.3s. It is much better, but it doesn't cast as much distance. A foot out each side and you start to loose the phantom center. I have been playing with positioning and it is hard to find a compromising sweetspot for both Jessica and I. Right now I sit selfishly square in the middle.
I have been able to correct a bit, and I believe that further toying with placement will prove to win. It did take me quite a bit of months to firmly dial in the perfect location of the ERM-6.3s so I am not too concerned. Also, I know my room is a punk so I will take on the challenge.Bottom line, if I had to classify these speakers for music with one word it would be "AWESOME!" Simply put, They are a blast to listen to. They do what you would expect from an audiophile loudspeaker, and add a degree of party time. Like I stated before they are natural to the production of the album. I wouldn't say they are the most analytical speaker you will ever hear or would I say they are the best, but you will have a damn good time listening to them over and over again. They do everything extremely well. It's funny because I don't feel a need to pick them apart, I just enjoy them. I believe this is a great quality for a speaker to possess.
With that being said I will throw this out there. The Emotiva ERM-6.3 is one hell of a speaker. This isn't just up here because I am selling them, It's true. I don't feel like the Pendragons do all things better than the 6.3s, they just do it differently and well....Maybe a little better.
I am enjoying the Pendragons much more than the 6.3s, but it is because they suit me better. As all of you know it is simply a matter of taste. Some of us own speakers another wouldn't even touch. So it is really hard for me to say you must own the Pendragons for your music listening. I believe what they do best is defy the regulations most of us set on a loudspeaker and add a degree of sheer awesomeness. If you are in the market and have been wanting to try the Pendragons I say do it! You won't have regrets.let's move on to what I consider the amazing part!
MOVIES
Once I added the PSA XV-15 subs with the ERM-6.3s I was genuinely very happy with my music. However, with movies I still was lacking that HOLY COW quality. This is why I intentionally set out for the Pendragons. Holy guacamole!!! Undeniably what I am hearing in my living room is far better than any movie theater I have ever been to or system I have heard. I am in love with the pristine magnolia room possessing the B&W diamond speakers, Whichever model they are at 8 grand a pop. I am not sure if they sound better, but they are just as good. Keep in mind the Magnolia room is heavily treated and furnished with a beautiful projector. You put the Tekton Pendragon theater in that room, do a blind audition, and I guarantee you the Pendragons are going to get some serious votes. The whole setup for less than 1 B&W speaker!!?? So far we have watched Saving Private Ryan, Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol, Transformers Dark Side of The Moon, Star Trek Into Darkness, and Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Mans Chest. I believe this system for movies is worth thousands of dollars over what the full retail asking price is. In general I don't like statements like that, but Let me clarify... If you told me you spent 25k on your Pendragon speaker theater I wouldn't question it. I would say. "Wow! Worth every penny, wish I could afford it! Sounds freaking incredible!"
The ability of this system to go from almost dead silent to ear deafening explosions/gunshots etc. is remarkable. In a pitch black room, if you told me there were 7, 9, or even 11 speakers in the room I would believe you without question. The front soundstage has no limit on height. You would think the speakers stretch from floor to ceiling. They put every sound exactly where it should be. Sound moving side to side or front to back is pristine. The transition through all of the speakers is seamless. Timbre matching is impeccable. As far as what I expected to hear out of this system for movies, which was a huge expectation, they are so much more. Whispers are totally audible. Voices sound incredibly natural. You hear things you never even knew were there. No matter what level you listen at it maintains it's balance. If you want to listen softly you don't loose cinematic quality, if you want to listen loud.... Well, hold on to your britches cowboy. These speakers will defeat you far before they start to distort. I say start to distort, but I haven't heard it yet. I am sure at some point they do, but I don't care to find out what it takes.
Trying to use words to describe what my theater sounds like is very hard for me. This is why it has taken me so long to write this review. Trying to describe an experience can be impossible. That is exactly what I have, a full fledged experience. You have to hear it to believe it. If you are in the area or passing by, I would love for you to join for a listen.
CONCLUSION
I love 'em! For music I think they are incredible. I love the natural sound and their liveliness. One thing to consider, they are a victim of the recording. Poor quality music through the Pendragons sounds... Well, poor. If most of your music is poor quality I cannot recommend these to you. My ERM-6.3s were much more forgiving. This is something to consider. For me a large majority of my music is lossless and I am filtering out the bad, so this doesn't concern me much. If you are considering a speaker of this caliber I doubt you are listening to shotty MP3 though. The sweetspot is fantastic, however I have found it to be a little narrow. Like I said earlier i'm sure this has lots to do with my room. They still sound great outside of the listening position, but if you have created an audiophile out of your spouse like I have with Jessica, than you have to make the listening position a bit more broad.
If you are seeking a few fun new roommates that sing wonderfully I recommend the Pendragons 150%.For movies this system is a no brainer. They are masterpieces at work. The only downside here is the size of the surrounds/center. Not really a downside, but as stated by others before make sure you know what you are getting yourself into. There are smaller options from Tekton, I haven't heard them but I guarantee they are wonderful. A 5 speaker Pendragon setup without the subs I believe would cost you $4,900. towers at $2,500 and other 3 speakers at $800 a piece. If I had heard this system I would most definitely be stashing money aside to purchase as soon as possible.
Now I'm onto saving for a Projector.
Thanks for reading. Hope it was beneficial.
Speaker socks off.
IMG_0129 by Austin Contemporary Dance, on FlickrLeft Surround
IMG_0134 by Austin Contemporary Dance, on FlickrRight Surround
IMG_0133 by Austin Contemporary Dance, on FlickrSocks on, Center on top of auralex platform
IMG_0135 by Austin Contemporary Dance, on Flickr
