For three days and nights in Dallas, Texas, the recently updated Tekton Design Enzo XL tower loudspeakers did their best to run me through the full gambit of emotions. Sometimes trying my patience, I ultimately walked away with fond memories of my Texas roommate.
When I arrived at the Lone Star Audio Fest on Thursday, I was promptly lead to my quarters, where upon I discovered that I’d be sharing my suite with an exhibit system from the show. Raven Audio and Tekton Design had teamed up to show off the newly revised Enzo XL, which in person is more imposing than pictures do justice to convey. These things are monsters. Big and red, the Enzo XL lives up to its name.
The Enzo XL ($1,750 pair USD delivered) is a mid-tower design from Tekton Design founder Eric Alexander. The “XL” model finds its design roots based on the smaller mid-tower Enzo 2.7 which is $2,000 pair USD delivered. The “2.7” model uses two 8-inch woofers and a flock of ring radiator tweeters in a “polygon-oriented, triple-ring radiator high frequency array.” Whereas the Enzo XL utilizes two 10-inch woofers, a larger cabinet structure, and only three ring radiator tweeters in it’s vertical high frequency array. The gains of going to dual 10-inch woofers, and two 4-inch front-firing ports in the XL version takes low-end frequency specs down to 30hz from the smaller 2.7’s 40hz. I guess it’s not really fair to compare these speakers as they are probably more different than the Enzo name suggests.
The Enzo XL’s are sensitive at 96db, and with Raven Audio’s Blackhawk Mk3 pushing them, there is more than ample power to get things going loud. I tested this ability one even after the show had already wrapped up for the day, and most of the show goers were enjoying libations in the hotel’s atrium bar. My room — ahem, our room (the Tektons and I) — had an entry door on the third floor facing the atrium and lobby below. While everyone was making dinner plans, I was rocking out to Def Leppard’s Pour Some Sugar On Me.
Every thrust of the volume knob clockwise, gifted me with what seemed like limitless control and dynamics. In fact, things got better the louder we went. The Raven Blackhawk never faltered and the Enzo XL’s were taking the thumps with grace and poise. The character was that of live music, which is to be expected from these and other Tekton designs as they often incorporate the use of live sound drivers.
As the weekend progressed, so did my time with the Enzo XL loudspeakers. I spent many mornings listening to them off-axis as I did my morning rituals to get show-ready for the day. Many evenings I listened to them alone, sofly, on-axis, as I wound down for the evening to begin writing show reports and editing photos. Sometimes I even dared to listen attentively as the speakers often drew my attention regardless of how much I tried to force them into the background. The Enzo XL’s have a way about them to not be ignored or be left to passive listening duties. Buy a Sonos for that.
By Eric Shook
