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Turning to contemporary fare, Dylan’s apocalyptic Tempest inevitably suffers from some compression but is on the whole technically better than the average effort. This showed the Tektron/Tannoy connection to be free from the twin torments of bass boom and midbass moo. To be sure this was quite probably due to a fortunate series of coincidences. But even if the woofers were not held in the arc-welding grip dear to some, overall control was excellent. It easily separated electric from string bass whilst limning the bullfrog notes in Dylan’s prophetic croaks. Attilio’s cap tweaking was also probably right on since highs were of my favourite BBC variety - slightly recessed but perfectly intelligible  and musically articulate. Soundstaging was less than dramatic and possibly due to power constraints. Voices and instruments retained their natural dimensions and relationships which, when present, are often at risk with overdriven large and sensitive speakers.


At this point I decided it was time for my torture test. This was carried in a seriously lo-fi mode by again stuffing the iPod shuffle with mp3 tracks connected to the amp with a cheery Audioquest Evergreen cable, laying back and listening. The difference this time was that I loaded the pod with an uncounted number of tracks from Jack White’s Paramount Records. This is cheaply made poor people’s music afflicted from the start with every kind of hiss, crackle and pop. And it is wonderful! Bilious boomers may blearily compare it to the streams of stolid swill ceaselessly downloaded to expensive phones, pads and ponos. Alliterations aside, the upshot of the test was that I reloaded the limited-capability pod twice for a total session of almost three hours. As far as I’m concerned this is sufficient proof of the Tektron cake.
in Olive
By and large hifi shootouts have an entertainment value roughly equivalent to topless mud wrestling. There really is no fun in pitting a €600 obsolescence-courting design against the Nagra 300p, an aristocrat’s amp if there ever was one; or even a democratic overachiever such as the F5. Price/value considerations however may not be inappropriate in the case of the Trends TA10.2P as used in my setup. Both amps are underpowered by current standards. Both are unpredictably load sensitive. Both respond well to my Tannoys though I wish I could have tried the Tektron on my dear departed Harbeth shoe boxes which in their time verified the Trends’ commendable mettle. Sonically Chevassus’ classic review of the TA 10.2 really says it all but to my ears the Tektron plays in a different and arguably bigger league. Design wise they are polar opposites. One is nearly archaic, the other a PC byproduct. As durability goes, the Trends has been working flawlessly for two years now. Though when it goes south, I won’t be sending it to Hong Kong for repairs.

Attilio gives a two-year international guarantee on his products and vouches for tube availability. This leaves us with what is essentially a €200 chip in a can on one side; and a €600 handcrafted custom product on the other though it’s fair to say we’re not in Yamamoto territory. By my standards the Tektron is the better value but mileage differs widely when taking user satisfaction into account.


Speaking of which, with all the soul searching on positioning I hadn’t noticed that the TK’s nameplate is chromed. I really don’t think that fits with the overall colour scheme. Attilio says he is making a batch of blued plates and will be sending me one with the attendant woodscrews as soon as they’re finished.

Website: satisfactorily informative.
Packing: abundant if unsophisticated, well reusable.
Instructions: MIA
Personal interaction: bespoke, bilingual.
Tektron respond:
Can I ask you to add a brief note to the review stating that "the price indicated is the Italian price valid only to customers buying in Italy"?
Kind regards and thank you very much for your attention.
Attilio
Tektron Audio website