[dgbiker1]

After 4 years of drooling, I finally pulled the trigger:

Sorry head-fi! I promise I'll keep listening to my headphones!

 

[Bigjppop]

I'd love to hear what you think of them. What are you using to drive them?

 

[dgbiker1]

Marantz SR8002 at first, but I really want a tube amp for these. I will be ordering a MiniWatt N3 to pair up with my Opus DAC- I think that should be a solid source for not much $$$.

 

[Drag0n]

Maybe Prima Luna tube amps from Upscale Audio - Rare Tubes, Highest Fidelity

 

[krmathis]

Traitor!

No, those sure looks like nice speakers. To each their own - so enjoy!

 

[Bones13]

I got a pair of the Zu Essence for Christmas. Driving them with a pair of Quicksilver Mini Mono amps. Still using my integrated amp for pre.

Vinyl - tube amp - speakers - pretty dang good.

Grats on your Druids.

 

[dura]

These look great, I googled some reviews and they seem to be fantastic speakers congratulations!

 

[koven]

Nice purchase, Zu speakers are great, my buddy has the Essence and is powering them with a Peachtree Nova, sounds amazing!

 

[mrarroyo]

dgbiker1 when I read you had gone to the dark side I was expecting ...

 

[flaming_june]

You know after four years, I think you've earned the right to do whatever the fudge you want.

 

[dgbiker1]

I'll start off with the two downsides I've experienced, just to get them out of the way. First- kick drums don't have much impact, which I was kind of hoping for in the move to speakers w/ 10.5" drivers. The speakers don't lack bass, they just don't hit very hard. It should be an easy fix with a subwoofer set to x-over at 40Hz to add a little punch without coloring the sound. Second- they are very detailed speakers, but they don't pick up every last detail like my K701s do. In some ways, this is a good thing as I can finally listen to the White Stripes without cringing!

Then I realized that focusing on those characteristics is to miss the point of these speakers. After a critical listening session, I had Slackstring's "She's On A Mission" in the background- that's when it clicked. The Zu's are more musical than anything else I've heard. Quick, dynamic, amazing soundstage and instrument separation, and a very solid sound.

Overall, I absolutely love these things. Like a kid on the day after his birthday, I've been waking up early to "play", listening before work and rushing home to get back to the tunes. I know the critics are quick to point to the "poor" frequency response of these speakers- quite frankly, I don't care. These things put a smile on my face like nothing else I've heard

 

[Ypoknons]

Woah - the speakers and the carpet match amazingly! A very refreshing shade of green.

 

[semisight]

Those pics are beautiful, I envy you.

I like the subdued green; desaturated enough to blend into the background so as not to be distracting visually and yet they add a lot to the room. Enjoy them in good health!

 

[GouldPhoto]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dgbiker1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'll start off with the two downsides I've experienced, just to get them out of the way. First- kick drums don't have much impact, which I was kind of hoping for in the move to speakers w/ 10.5" drivers. The speakers don't lack bass, they just don't hit very hard. It should be an easy fix with a subwoofer set to x-over at 40Hz to add a little punch without coloring the sound. Second- they are very detailed speakers, but they don't pick up every last detail like my K701s do. In some ways, this is a good thing as I can finally listen to the White Stripes without cringing! ... Then I realized that focusing on those characteristics is to miss the point of these speakers. After a critical listening session, I had Slackstring's "She's On A Mission" in the background- that's when it clicked. The Zu's are more musical than anything else I've heard. Quick, dynamic, amazing soundstage and instrument separation, and a very solid sound. ... Overall, I absolutely love these things. Like a kid on the day after his birthday, I've been waking up early to "play", listening before work and rushing home to get back to the tunes. I know the critics are quick to point to the "poor" frequency response of these speakers- quite frankly, I don't care. These things put a smile on my face like nothing else I've heard ...

Hi dgbiker1,
Those are some beautiful speakers and quite a unique design. I agree that's it unusual to match speaker color to carpet, but the match is great.
I am wondering if your perceived lack of bass impact has to do with the downward firing port and being on carpet.

Have you tried placing the speakers on a solid floor or maybe a piece of MDF or other similar solid surface to see if the bass impact/response is improved?

Not sure how sensitive those speakers are to room placement/corner/wall distance but you may want to play with that a bit as well. As much as your room will allow. Just my 2 cents, hope it helps some.

Looking forward to hearing more about these speakers.

Steve

 

[Elephas]

Speakers? I'm envious of that huge patio/balcony!