Zu loudspeakers

cjfrbw

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Apr 20, 2010
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Nelson Pass SIT amps and Zu, which I have heard, seem an ideal combination. Great synergy of finesse and energetic presentation.
 
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SETDrugs

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Feb 9, 2019
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I don't understand how I will understand the Zus by just listening to it on one amp. What if you have got it wrong?

I will beg to differ with Marc a bit on one thing: Zu transparency and detail is based on synergy of the whole system due to the lack of crossovers.

Also, transparency and detail changes the tonal balance of the music so this is very subjective and aids how people ultimately chooses the ancillary components around their speakers. What I do know is that the Zu Soul Supreme is the most transparent and detailed speaker I've ever owned and certainly up there with most of what I've heard. This conclusion was after I inserted the Mayer 45/2a3 amp and Mayer 10y preamp into the system. They made a significant difference, particularly the 10y preamp which is known for its transparency due to the thoriated tungsten filaments.

So I don't consider modern Zu speakers , particularly with the Radian tweeter to be lacking in detail or transparency at all. With the right components upstream, they are pretty amazing in this regard.
 
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SETDrugs

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I've heard Zu's several times and each time I was struck by their musicality. Two times I will always remember:

I was at a listening party with an excellent system made up of Martin speakers and Eisenstein pre-amp and OTL's. This playback was so bright and fatiguing that I was driven from the listening room to the kitchen. 2 hours into the party, most of the party goers were in the kitchen drinking. The system owner then put in a pair of Zu Definitions and we were invited back in the room. The sound was now entirely musical with a huge soundstage and excellent bass. Voices that were edgy before (15 IPS tape and LP's played on a Brinkman LaGrange) were now engaging and frankly beautiful. I was about to leave the party moments before the speaker change was made, I ended up staying until 1AM.

The second time I was blown away by Zu's was at the last LA Audio show. Sean Casey from Zu was demoing the latest Zu Driud Mark VI and playing progressive rock. The system was simple: First Watt F6 amp and preamp and a vintage Luxman turntable. This simple system produced the musically I heard at the listening party but with enhanced definition and more defined space between the instruments. For $10K, the Druid VI is a contender for one of my favorite speakers. I can only imaging what the Druid VI could do with higher end amps.

Thank you Jeffery,

I guess me and Marc are not alone here. Ever since I brought the Zu Soul Supreme home, they were and continue to be the most emotionally engaging, musical , and balanced speakers that I've heard. Certainly in their price range, they don't have much competition in this regard.

With the insertion of the Thomas Mayer amps and preamps , they are just pure magic right now so what you're describing in these scenarios, I've experienced and can totally relate. I just hope more people come forward to share their experiences with Zu like you.
 
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SETDrugs

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Brad, I can't really comment on the tech. But a critical reason why the IV sounds so much better than the II is the change to the Radian 850.

Sean is adamant that he wants the full range driver to cover the ?2.5? octaves range of the human voice, 40-50Hz to 11kHz, w no crossover component interrupting this range.

I do know the Radian 850 is highly modded incl building into a quasi horn. Maybe this takes its range closer to 20kHz.

It may interest you to know, the newest top Zus ie recently released Druid VI, and soon to be released Definitions VI, Dominances II and Experiences I, will all still use the 850, despite much else being changed.

Full range drivers are nano tech doped Eminences w whizzer cone, 12" Eminences as subs. Sean is working hard to bring the Eminence subs close to the 101dB efficiency of the full range drivers.

Those full range drivers are not off the shelf Eminences either. Eminence does the charging of the magnets, provides the voice coil and aluminum chassis but the rest is all Zu; its a custom designed driver made to Zu specs. The voice coils are also underhung by design, trademarks of some of the best full range and midrange drivers in the world.

Like Marc says, Sean is really adamant about the size of the driver of 10" being roughly the same size as average human head. Also on paper it may look like the Radian is crossed too high but when you hear the speakers properly setup and matched to the right components you'll forget all of that. The Radian as used on the Zus are some of the most beautiful sounding tweeters in the world. The design of the Radian 850 originates all the way back to an old Altec engineer who left to work for another speaker company that was eventually bought out by Radian I believe.
 

XV-1

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May 24, 2010
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Jeffrey, yes I have the Towshend supertweeters. They've contributed a small but important part to the end result I'm achieving.

great to hear Marc. They do a good job on my big Wilsons as well
 

spiritofmusic

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Jun 13, 2013
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SETDrugs, I've always been aware of transparency not being as impressive as in some systems I've auditioned.

I've heard some great Martin Logan, Apogee, AG and Cessaro setups, and transparency wasn't an issue. I've also heard the self same spkrs sound pretty veiled and murky in different rooms, and w different amps/sources.

I'm always unsure of transparent as a term. So Zus have an uncanny knack of getting to the heart of a tune, truly immersive, musical, involving.

You could call this "transparent to to the message". Other spkrs are much more see thru but fail to convey emotion.

Ironically what I feel makes Zu one of the best musical messengers, it's fully fleshed out lower mids w plenty of heft ("dynamic shove" as designer Sean puts it), *can* result in a little opaqueness that imposes itself, and one becomes aware of.

Now this is very room and setup dependent because it was worse in my old space and much reduced here. But I've never totally eliminated it.

The good thing, from my POV, is that it's a benign thing, only really an issue on v congested or lumpy recordings. But undoubtedly to those who value absolute invisibility of spkrs, Zu might not make the final grade.

However I'm fascinated to read SETDrugs' comments. Maybe I'm reading this a little wrong. Maybe it is indeed my amps, or more correctly amps-spkrs synergy that is to blame here rather than any perceived shortfall in the Zus.
 

the sound of Tao

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Marc, I’m not sure that there is anything more personal than speaker choice, and to that end we can’t really divorce speaker choice from amplification choice. Sounds to me that with NAT and Zu you have found your happy place. That is all that counts as far as I can see.

The Zu crowd are relatively numerous here actually so it seems so there must be something good going on. However us poor Harbeth, Pureaudioproject and Magnepan fans are comparatively endangered species here relative to the robust number of brimming and happy Zu bots here. Just sayin. Enjoy in good health!
 
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spiritofmusic

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Tao, I think WBF is populated by some serious big game hunters like Wilson and Magico at the top of the food chain, some mutant variations that would fit the audio version of X Men like planars and horns, some left field alternatives like Zu.

The rest of the world is 99% populated by ear buds and sound bars.
 
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the sound of Tao

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It is a frightening world lol.
 
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spiritofmusic

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Which Tao? That Wilson and Magico dominate the high end? Or that for the 99%, listening at home intently as a hobby has reached the low point it has?
 

spiritofmusic

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Rockhopper, I'm liking that acoustical treatment midway btwn the Druids LOL.

I may be arguing at cross purposes w myself re transparency etc. You and SETDrugs are both v happy w Zu performance. It may be that I need to find a different way to describe the one or two caveats I have w the overall sound.
 

the sound of Tao

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Which Tao? That Wilson and Magico dominate the high end? Or that for the 99%, listening at home intently as a hobby has reached the low point it has?
A world full of sound bars is perhaps just a little scary because it says we are just watching tv. Ear buds are fine because that implies we are still listening to music. Though I am happy if we all find our own version of culture and so are in some ways fulfilled. For me however music is and always will be king.
Wrt Wilson and Magico this is essentially unimportant, happy for everyone to find their own pathway as we are all very clearly a minority no matter which path we choose.
 
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spiritofmusic

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Rockhopper, I was actually talking about the armchair.

Yes, your idea seems sound, unless you're planning to swap carts after imbibing a bottle or two.
 

spiritofmusic

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So Rockhopper, with a fair choice of spkrs out there, why go Zu?
 

perart1

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Russell....Please do not encourage him. Please tell me that the Merlot was not new world
 

spiritofmusic

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I'm more a Real Ale man. But I never decline hospitality.

Ked is more a cake man. As first course.
 
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the sound of Tao

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Marc, I beg to differ, anyone who can first put down a rich solid layer of tiramisu AND then top it with Vongole (clams and spaghetti) is very much a real man in my part of the world... wine matching we’d go black ale down here as well or chocolate milk shake if driving.
 
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