Tekton Moab, McGary Audio SA-2 Integrated Amplifier, Exogal Comet DAC and Ion Power DAC, Anticables

I like speakers with dark wood finishes. My friend Sphere loves speakers painted red. My partner “bb” prefers blue ones that match her room. Tekton Design makes speakers in these and many other colors and finishes. Tekton speakers, though, also have many tweeters, which gives them a distinctive look.

I always get happy seeing Tekton Design’s principal Eric Alexander. I’ve reviewed two of his speakers (the Pendragon and the Impact Monitors), and I am a fan of Eric’s “tweeter arrays;” they deliver a precise and seamless midband that must be heard to be appreciated. It’s not that looks don’t matter—they do—but visual tastes are personal, and sound matters more.

At CAF, I got to hear Eric’s latest: the $4500/pair Moab, which, powered by the attention-grabbing McGary Audio SA-2 stereo tube amplifier, made smooth, vivid sound.

I admit to being distracted by the beauty and features (and the $7985 price tag) of the red SA-2. The red and silver McGary is handmaid in Gainesville, Virginia. It is all hand-wired, point to point, and, is supposedly filled with fancy parts. The McGary website says the SA-2 puts out 80Wpc, but it does not mention tube type. The amp I saw appeared to be sporting KT-88s. The amp I saw also had this big beautiful knob which the user can use to adjust the amount of global negative feedback applied to the circuit. This feedback-adjusting knob is right upfront – not hiding on the back. To me this is a big deal because most audiophiles do not understand what feedback actually does (both positively and negatively) to the sound of a power amplifier. Most audiophiles have no idea what flower-like beauties are often sacrificed at the altar of low THD specs. Therefore, I wish more amps came with a knob like this.

The McGary SA-2 comes with a lifetime warranty, excluding vacuum tubes of course; those are warrantied for 90-days.

I wish more amps looked this stylish and came with a big knob and a warranty like this.

The SA-2 received it analogue signal from a $3500 Exogal Comet DAC and a loom of Anticables.

When the McGary amp was out of the system, the Tekton Moabs were powered by the Exogal Ion Power DAC.

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