ABOUT TETRA SPEAKERS: I do a great deal of my listening in my office.  That’s largely where I preview new recordings for potential spins on my radio program (Friday Drivetime Jazz, 4-6:00 p.m. on WPFW 89.3 FM, Pacifica Radio in Washington, DC; listen live at www.wpfw.org), for my artistic direction work (see elsewhere on this site), and for writing & reviewing purposes; along with the trusty iPod for portable listening.  My aged NAD receiver had been faltering for the last few months and replacement time was near.  Yes, I know the audiophile’s biblical drill: separates are best for top-shelf sound.  But let’s face it, the average office is a limited space and the thought of cramming separate amplifier, tuner, pre-amp, etc., etc. wasn’t real practical.

Being more than satisfied with my two previous NAD receivers – from both performance and budget standpoints – I resolved to purchase their latest model, the C720BEE to go along with a CD burner I was well-satisfied with.  For these ears the speaker system is the key to good sound.  In this case I cast aside budget considerations and determined to go beyond the Circuit City/Best Buy-level speakers and seek something more in the audiophile atmosphere.

Ordinarily JazzTimes’ monthly Sound Advice column is a bit windy for me; and I suspect the same holds true for all but the audiophile amongst us.  But the November ’06 issue column, titled “The Making of a Jazz Audiophile”, caught my attention primarily because it detailed the listening habits of several jazz artists, including NEA Jazz Master bassist Ron Carter.  As the column recounted, Carter “describe[ed] how the Tetra 606 speakers he purchased last year have finally made him a believer in the legitimacy of so-called high-end audio…”  On the next two pages were photos of these rather advanced looking speaker systems. 

Curiosity properly piqued I visited the Tetra web site (www.tetraspeakers.com) and was further intrigued by the speaker’s glowing endorsements from such learned ears as NEA Jazz Masters Benny Golson and Herbie Hancock.  So via the listed email contact I inquired about the location of the nearest local Tetra dealer.  Wonder of wonders Adrian Butts, the company president himself, responded almost immediately.  One thing led to another and I ordered their office system-friendly bookshelf model Tetra 120u speakers.

A few days later when they arrived and I eagerly hooked them up to my new NAD, I was amazed at the clarity of these speakers; the absence of artificial bass and treble boost (no, you’ll read no audiophile hoo-haw about sonic hieroglyphics here), and the fact that what I now heard from the CDs spinning in the office was a sound atmosphere truer to the optimum live performance experience than any comparable bookshelf speakers in my experience.  So if you visit the Tetra site (www.tetraspeakers.com) you’ll find this writer among the happy endorsers of this great product.

Tetra is a Canada-based company whose speakers – ranging from my bookshelf 120us to Ron Carter’s monster 606 models – are nothing short of extraordinary for home jazz recording reproduction, and any other music I’ve spun through them — including blues, R&B, African and hip hop flavors.  To learn more visit www.tetraspeakers.com or call them toll free at 866/626-0030 and be sure to let Tetra know that Open Sky sent you!