Floorstanding loudspeakers — Tekton Design ELECTRON

The Electron is a Tekton Design four-way tower in the Mid Towers group, priced at USD 2,200 per pair after a reduction from USD 2,880. Tekton describes it as a scaled-down version of the driver layout used in the Double Impact, fitted into a narrower and lower cabinet for smaller rooms. It is built by the company in Orem, Utah.

Key specs that matter

Each Electron uses two 8-inch Electron woofers, two 4-inch mid-bass drivers and Tekton's patented tweeter array, for which no count is given. Frequency response is 30 Hz to 30 kHz, sensitivity is 95 dB at 2.83 V and 1 m, nominal impedance is 4 ohms and power handling is 200 W. The cabinet measures about 1,219 x 254 x 346 mm and weighs about 28.35 kg.

Engineering and use context

The four-way layout mirrors the Double Impact, with woofers, mid-bass drivers and a multi-dome array, but with 8-inch instead of 10-inch woofers and 4-inch instead of 6-inch mid-bass drivers. This makes the cabinet narrower and lower than that of the Double Impact. The high-frequency array follows US Patent 9247339, Tekton's polygon-oriented arrangement of low-mass domes that share the treble instead of one conventional tweeter. With pairs of drivers in both the woofer and mid-bass sections, each band doubles the cone area one driver would offer. Tweeter upgrades, including beryllium domes, can be ordered for the array. Sensitivity is slightly below the 98.82 dB of the Double Impact, and the Electron weighs about half as much. Tekton offers the Electron with bi-wire or bi-amp terminals as a USD 75 option, in a range of paint colours, with grilles shipped separately and a choice of footers. Tekton also sells an Electron SE with upgraded woofers and crossover components in a cabinet of the same height.

Pairing

The high sensitivity lets moderate amplifier power reach normal listening levels, and the wattage figure is a handling limit rather than a requirement. The 4 ohm nominal load suits amplifiers that stay stable into low impedances. The slim cabinet and moderate weight fit living rooms of about 20 m2, and the bass extension leaves a subwoofer optional for music.

Alternatives

The Tekton Design Electron SE is the upgraded version, with two 8-inch SE woofers, two 5-inch mid-bass drivers, 96 dB sensitivity and 300 W handling at USD 3,140.