Zu loudspeakers

[caesar]

Spirit, thanks for starting this thread!

Fun talking about Zu in what’s best forum. High end audio is all about subjectivity, so there is no right or wrong. Many guys don’t get Zu. And they don’t get other high efficiency, horn-type speakers. They call them “colored”.

And I don’t get how some guys can enjoy their Magicos, Wilsons, focals, and Sonus Fibers , etc., fed by sterile solid state amps and the likes of the supremely analytical Berkeley reference DAC.

Many guys here have spent tens of (or hundreds of) thousands of dollars on their box speaker-based systems. These systems measure impeccably, I’m sure. Unfortunately, most of those systems can’t make music and instead make noises (and sounds). At best, they just plain suck. Yet they don’t think Zu can do the audiophile vocabulary as well as their favorite analytical gear. Also, Zu isn’t pricy and luxury enough for them, and it doesn’t boost their self-esteem as, say, a big Magico with $120k soulution amps. They don’t get the “ooohs and aaahs”, congrats, power, prestige, and identity as a supercool audiophile on the forum sites and in their audiophile club. No different than a lady with a Luis Vuitton bag vs. a lady with an unlabeled bag (they think of Zu as a dirty canvass sack). So they aren’t interested in Zu.

Such is the nature of freedom of choice and subjectivity (the concept of which most of these guys do not understand on anything but a superficial level.).

So since they aren’t reading this, we can say anything we want about these superior-feeling, dumb mother fuyers who believe their tastes and preferences of expensive box speakers like Wilsons, Magicos, and other well-marketed drek are superior, and they won’t even know we are talking about them.

But maybe someone searching on the internet can arrive here and find some useful information....

 

[caesar]

Personally speaking, Zu is one of four high end systems I own, and I listen to it for pop, rock, soul, and blues music. It is not for boring, cerebral music, but for communicating the art and genius of the likes of Aretha, Mike Bloomfield, Albert King, King Curtis, James Brown, and others who brought/ bring emotional intensity to their playing and singing.

Here are some virtues of Zu that draw me into the brand:

Transparency to emotion. Kind of feel bad for “transparency to source”/ analytical detail listeners. Who gives a fukk about “transparency to source” and details when you are not emotionally engaged? Don’t want any misunderstandings: Zu does have tremendous detail. It just that it’s rendered in the mist musical way that analytical detail freaks will be disappointed. (But to each, his own.) Zu brand = emotional engagement. Period.

From an audiophile vocabulary standpoint Zu has excellent macro dynamics but, more importantly, also excels at the micro dynamic ebb and flow of music. I’m assuming this is so because of its incredible single driver. And multi-driver speakers just can’t match this continuity and fluidity of the music that come out, and thus sound much mechanical, sterile, and lacking emotion.


Zu speakers are SET friendly and are able to provide great dynamics, timing, speed, and texture. Interestingly, I have heard Zu sound better with tiny SET amps than with regular, popular tube amp brands. The Zu single driver and SET amps “fuse into one” creating absolute magic that can’t be described but must be experienced. When I listen, I am not aware of Zu making any audiophile vocabulary. I just listen to music and don’t notice it....

 

[caesar]

Competitor box speaker brands, on the other hand, despite spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on metallical and proprietary enclosure materials, along with “elaborate” home-made drivers, can’t compete with Zu on emotional engagement.

These uber expensive box speakers just don’t disappear to non-audiophiles like me because they have sonic signatures and colorations that strip all the emotions of music, turning the listening experience into a technical, mechanical, and audiophile vocabulary identification session rather than allowing the listener to enter into a state of flow and bliss. No wonder when normal people off the street hear something like what’s marketed as the best by the audio media, they have no interest in the hobby.


Zu speakers don’t need expensive ancillaries. In the real world, $2,000 is a lot of money for most people for an audio system, even for those upper middle class juggling multiple expenses for their families. Yet Zu gets one emotionally engaged with their $1k dirty omen model. People looking to spend $2k on a whole system have more emotionally engaging systems than guys spending tens of thousands. With Zu, one doesn’t need to spend $60k on ugly-looking dagostino amps (sorry, d’agostinos are butt ugly!) for their $75K speakers and just get analytical sounds and noises from their system. Instead, one can spend a few grand on a SET and get “transparency to the emotion of the music” which allows one to evaluate the musical performance.

And speaking of normal people, the speakers sound excellent in normal living conditions. Sure, one can go crazy and place them in custom rooms to great benefits, but it’s not necessary. It’s like a sports car that drives great in “comfort“ setting on regular streets, but put it in sport or sport-plus, and it’s track time. Bottom line is that thousands of non-audiophile, normal people enjoy music more in their life with Zu....

 

[spiritofmusic]

Caesar, say what you REALLY think.
LOL.

 

[caesar]

Excellent finish that fits into a normal living space. Optional paint jobs that rivals Wilson. At 1/8 th to 1/20th the price.

One of the reasons for low prices is the direct to consumer model. Obviously, many dealers are knowledgeable people with excellent values. Yet not everyone enjoys dealing with dealers, being pushed into something they don’t want, being contacted periodically - when the dealer needs money, and haggling over price. Zu solves this. One can hear Zu at a show or at a friend’s house, and then try at home before committing. Few dealers loan out speakers, as it is, so one always imagines what they will sound like in their own room. Try Zu in one’s own room and return if it doesn’t work out. And Zu has excellent phone support and serves as a guide to the customer without any negatives that dealers bring. All of that helps customers avoid failure. And obviously, there are cost savings in eliminating the dealer from the value chain, so one is getting great value for their money....

 

[caesar]

Guys who love Zu have confidence in their tastes and preferences. So many audiophiles invite “friends” over to hear their systems. But when that “friend” doesn’t like it, the insecure audiophile wants to sell the system. Not so for the majority of Zu fans.

The Zu brand has no ego or superiority complex, but instead projects confidence. As a contrast, take Wilson or Magico. Magico’ brand’s main “villain” is "distortion" caused by “inferior engineering and technology”. To Magico owners, everything else is inferior. They want to feel sophisticated and cutting edge with the newest speaker technology. And of course only the "superior to the almighty", alon wolf, is capable of taking out those “distortions”. (Interestingly, many of these guys don’t notice the sonic signature caused by the magico distortions, but again, such is the nature of subjectivity I mentioned above.)

From a marketing perspective, Zu is not about using “sterile” Jon Valin and that despicable, misleading and time-wasting mother fuyer, “worthless to the audio fans” Robert Harley to harangue people with their marketing spiel every month they publish something. Sure, the Zu brand has Steve Guttenberg and Herb Reichert as fans in the reviewer community, but the Magico marketers/ reviewers come across as disgusting individuals who are oozing mucous, slime, and sleaze while the Zu reviewers come across as amiable music-loving geeks and empathetic coaches. One doesn’t feel cheated or lied to by the guys who review Zu because they communicate authority with real empathy toward the problems of their readers. And this cements trust in their work while bringing more credibility to the Zu brand.


Reviewer marketing aside, for the most part, Zu sells through the word of mouth of its rabid fans. People appreciate testimonials from owners who have serious experience with the brand and communicate competence. This type of marketing is very effective in building trust, which is paramount in starting a relationship with a brand.


Zu Brand philosophy: have fun! The ethos of Sean Casey is the antithesis of the rest of high end brands. Enjoy normal music through Zu, not just 600 esoteric audiophile recordings that exist in the world and make sounds, but no one is moved emotionally by.

So the Zu brand is not about boasting about their “best” technology (like Magico) or getting the audiophile vocabulary perfectly right in an ugly, short and stubby, pretty-painted box (Wilson). Zu is solving its buyers’ deep philosophical need of how to enjoy life (while Wilson is about execution of audiophile vocabulary and Magico is about taking out distortions , which are frustrations that only some of the audiophiles care about; thanks for the pinpoint image, Mr. Wilson, but that just doesn’t satisfy my soul).

 

[caesar]

The Zu brand is about having fun, enjoying the music, and living a better life! Audiophilia, itself, and its paranoia about missing a new piece of analytical detail, is the villain because it takes one away from joy of music to chasing gear that provides that detail. Some guys may spend 20 plus years wandering in the wilderness of audiophilia, reading from despicable Audio journalists about what is “best” because some scumbag reviewer heard some new noises in his recording, and finally discover Zu.


And when they do, they enjoy the full emotion of music with a scrunched face, squeezed- shut eyes, craned-back neck, curved and stretched-out back, curled toes, a smile or grimace based on the song. It’s the full emotional transport to the heartbreaking pain or ecstasy, reaching to the depth of the artist’s soul and deliver it to the listener. From their heads to their heart to their hands. Soul to soul connection. It’s why music exists. And there’s nothing like Zu to deliver that.

 

[caesar]

Caesar, say what you REALLY think.
LOL.

Just having some fun.

 

[Steve Williams]

Caesar

Nice to see you animated again

 

[spiritofmusic]

Caesar, I'm having the best of both worlds. Full tonal density, shove and pop, real immediacy, texture and immersion, a heady brew of full range drivers eliminating energy sapping complex crossovers, with true 101dB high efficiency and steady 8 Ohm impedance across the whole audio spectrum.

Combine this with a real increase in transparency and delicacy/air as a result of full flexibility in positioning in a large, expressive acoustic, and my efforts to reduce noise and optimise setup.

So, Zu can sound great out of the box, on SS, SET and OTL, fully engage within 5 minutes (love at first song), continue the love affair a decade down the road, and like enthusiastic puppies respond to attention lavished on them like acoustic treatments, dedicated lines etc.

I've just installed the simplest of system upgrades, a carbon fibre tonearm wand, and my analog is supercharged as a result of less mids opacity.

So, Zu is engaging and good time, and also highly responsive to upstream changes.

Thanks Caesar for putting the case for Zus way better than I ever could.

 

[morricab]

Competitor box speaker brands, on the other hand, despite spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on metallical and proprietary enclosure materials, along with “elaborate” home-made drivers, can’t compete with Zu on emotional engagement.

These uber expensive box speakers just don’t disappear to non-audiophiles like me because they have sonic signatures and colorations that strip all the emotions of music, turning the listening experience into a technical, mechanical, and audiophile vocabulary identification session rather than allowing the listener to enter into a state of flow and bliss. No wonder when normal people off the street hear something like what’s marketed as the best by the audio media, they have no interest in the hobby.


Zu speakers don’t need expensive ancillaries. In the real world, $2,000 is a lot of money for most people for an audio system, even for those upper middle class juggling multiple expenses for their families. Yet Zu gets one emotionally engaged with their $1k dirty omen model. People looking to spend $2k on a whole system have more emotionally engaging systems than guys spending tens of thousands. With Zu, one doesn’t need to spend $60k on ugly-looking dagostino amps (sorry, d’agostinos are butt ugly!) for their $75K speakers and just get analytical sounds and noises from their system. Instead, one can spend a few grand on a SET and get “transparency to the emotion of the music” which allows one to evaluate the musical performance.

And speaking of normal people, the speakers sound excellent in normal living conditions. Sure, one can go crazy and place them in custom rooms to great benefits, but it’s not necessary. It’s like a sports car that drives great in “comfort“ setting on regular streets, but put it in sport or sport-plus, and it’s track time. Bottom line is that thousands of non-audiophile, normal people enjoy music more in their life with Zu....

You should try some Decware HDTs, quite the speaker for about $2500. I have a pair for my third system driven by an eleven watt Mastersound Integrated (EL34 SEP) and a Monarchy Audio M24 Dac. As I bought everything but the DAC used it comes to under $3k total and sounds fun and engaging with lots of micro and macro dynamics.

 

[spiritofmusic]

Brad, I guess Caesar's energetic missive is not just about Zu, but all those spkrs that are "transparent to emotion", not the audiophile dead end descriptions that do the rounds.
I'm sure these Decawares fit right in too. As do many horns.

 

[caesar]

You should try some Decware HDTs, quite the speaker for about $2500. I have a pair for my third system driven by an eleven watt Mastersound Integrated (EL34 SEP) and a Monarchy Audio M24 Dac. As I bought everything but the DAC used it comes to under $3k total and sounds fun and engaging with lots of micro and macro dynamics.

Thanks. Will try to give them a listen if I run across them.

 

[caesar]

Brad, I guess Caesar's energetic missive is not just about Zu, but all those spkrs that are "transparent to emotion", not the audiophile dead end descriptions that do the rounds.
I'm sure these Decawares fit right in too. As do many horns.

Amen

 

[caesar]

Brad, I guess Caesar's energetic missive is not just about Zu, but all those spkrs that are "transparent to emotion", not the audiophile dead end descriptions that do the rounds.
I'm sure these Decawares fit right in too. As do many horns.

I could be wrong, but I believe when high end was popular in the main stream from the '50s-'70s, high end gear sounded like music.

Audiphilia took a bad turn at some point.... analytical tastes seem to dominate these days. Audio will never get back into life of regular people, in the rooms they live in, if gear is so analytical...

 

[morricab]

I could be wrong, but I believe when high end was popular in the main stream from the '50s-'70s, high end gear sounded like music.

Audiphilia took a bad turn at some point.... analytical tastes seem to dominate these days. Audio will never get back into life of regular people, in the rooms they live in, if gear is so analytical...

While all my systems are different, none fit the analytical basket. I have single driver + SEP + tube Dac, Aries Cerat system + two-way horns , Three way coax (horn tweeter) system with tube pre, PSET and old school ladder Dac . Couldn’t stand dead sounding boxes anymore.

 

[Lagonda]

Guys who love Zu have confidence in their tastes and preferences. So many audiophiles invite “friends” over to hear their systems. But when that “friend” doesn’t like it, the insecure audiophile wants to sell the system. Not so for the majority of Zu fans.

The Zu brand has no ego or superiority complex, but instead projects confidence. As a contrast, take Wilson or Magico. Magico’ brand’s main “villain” is "distortion" caused by “inferior engineering and technology”. To Magico owners, everything else is inferior. They want to feel sophisticated and cutting edge with the newest speaker technology. And of course only the "superior to the almighty", alon wolf, is capable of taking out those “distortions”. (Interestingly, many of these guys don’t notice the sonic signature caused by the magico distortions, but again, such is the nature of subjectivity I mentioned above.)

From a marketing perspective, Zu is not about using “sterile” Jon Valin and that despicable, misleading and time-wasting mother fuyer, “worthless to the audio fans” Robert Harley to harangue people with their marketing spiel every month they publish something. Sure, the Zu brand has Steve Guttenberg and Herb Reichert as fans in the reviewer community, but the Magico marketers/ reviewers come across as disgusting individuals who are oozing mucous, slime, and sleaze while the Zu reviewers come across as amiable music-loving geeks and empathetic coaches. One doesn’t feel cheated or lied to by the guys who review Zu because they communicate authority with real empathy toward the problems of their readers. And this cements trust in their work while bringing more credibility to the Zu brand.


Reviewer marketing aside, for the most part, Zu sells through the word of mouth of its rabid fans. People appreciate testimonials from owners who have serious experience with the brand and communicate competence. This type of marketing is very effective in building trust, which is paramount in starting a relationship with a brand.


Zu Brand philosophy: have fun! The ethos of Sean Casey is the antithesis of the rest of high end brands. Enjoy normal music through Zu, not just 600 esoteric audiophile recordings that exist in the world and make sounds, but no one is moved emotionally by.

So the Zu brand is not about boasting about their “best” technology (like Magico) or getting the audiophile vocabulary perfectly right in an ugly, short and stubby, pretty-painted box (Wilson). Zu is solving its buyers’ deep philosophical need of how to enjoy life (while Wilson is about execution of audiophile vocabulary and Magico is about taking out distortions , which are frustrations that only some of the audiophiles care about; thanks for the pinpoint image, Mr. Wilson, but that just doesn’t satisfy my soul).

Wow Caesar you are on a roll. Welcome back ! Is part of your outrage because of years spent with SS amps and hard to drive speakers ? Are you stil using
your MBL’s ? If yes, how much ? Is part of your enthusiasms maybe a credit to your tube amps ? You really need to get yourself a decent TT, musicality can
also come from the source, not only the speakers

 

[spiritofmusic]

Caesar is displaying the trait "transparency to opinion".

 

[caesar]

Wow Caesar you are on a roll. Welcome back ! Is part of your outrage because of years spent with SS amps and hard to drive speakers ? Are you stil using
your MBL’s ? If yes, how much ? Is part of your enthusiasms maybe a credit to your tube amps ? You really need to get yourself a decent TT, musicality can
also come from the source, not only the speakers

Thanks. Yes, still enjoying the MBLs very much. Played them LOUD all of this past weekend during the day when everyone was out, and played Zu in the evenings. MBLs are very musically transparent, with the right amps and when bi-amped. Sonically, they are the anti-thesis of the well-marketed box speakers I refer to. MBLs are keepers; 10-15 year plan is to upgrade to X-tremes.

And I am listening to a lot of professionally-converted digitized vinyl. Who needs to fuss around with a TT?

 

[Lagonda]

Thanks. Yes, still enjoying the MBLs very much. Played them LOUD all of this past weekend during the day when everyone was out, and played Zu in the evenings. MBLs are very musically transparent, with the right amps and when bi-amped. Sonically, they are the anti-thesis of the well-marketed box speakers I refer to. MBLs are keepers; 10-15 year plan is to upgrade to X-tremes.

And I am listening to a lot of professionally-converted digitized vinyl. Who needs to fuss around with a TT?

Once you start fussing, you will understand. I did a 10 year bid with digital and
have most of my favorite music on CD. Good Vinyl is just more engaging.
Here is the perfect room for X-tremes, curtesy MBL. Yes i will build the room
first