Напольная акустика — Toa Electronics LORE REFERENCE

The Lore Reference is a two-way bass reflex floorstander made by Tekton Design, the company founded by designer Eric Alexander and based in Utah, where the speakers are handmade. Tekton lists it among its mid-tower models, alongside the Enzo 2.7, while the original Lore and the Lore Excite are sold as full towers. The Lore family also includes the smaller M-Lore, the original model of the line, which uses a single front port and was sold at USD 699 per pair. The pair price has moved over time, from USD 799 and USD 880 to a current list of USD 950, discounted on the Tekton site to USD 810.

Key specs that matter

Tekton rates the Lore Reference at 96 dB for 1 W at 1 m with an impedance of 8 ohm, and gives a frequency response of 37 Hz to 40 kHz and power handling of 200 W. Each cabinet measures about 91.4 x 26 x 29.8 cm (height, width, depth), with a weight close to 20 kg. The bass reflex enclosure is loaded by two ports on the front baffle, and the rear panel has single-wire binding posts. Grilles are included.

Engineering and use context

The woofer is an 8 inch driver built to Eric Alexander's specifications by Eminence. The Lore Reference does not use the multi-tweeter midrange array that Eric Alexander applies in the larger Tekton Pendragon. Above it sits what Tekton calls a hybrid HF transducer, a silk dome as standard with a beryllium tweeter available as an upgrade. Tekton states that the drivers are time-aligned for impulse response. Because both ports face forward, the speaker is less sensitive to the distance from the wall behind it than one with rear ports. Its cabinet is a plain rectangular box with unbevelled baffles. Buyers can order upgrade packages for the crossover capacitors and inductors and for the tweeter, and can choose spikes or other footers. Standard finishes include black, white, red and grey satin, with hardwood veneers and custom paint offered as options.

Pairing

Its efficiency and benign nominal load allow the Lore Reference to run from low-powered single-ended valve amplifiers of a few watts as well as from solid-state integrated amplifiers, while bigger amplifiers are also acceptable, with up to 250 W recommended.

Alternatives

The Tekton Enzo 2.7 is the other model in the Tekton mid-tower range, listed at USD 1,900 per pair.