Zu Druids in da House

Ern Dog

I friend let me borrow his Zu Druids V for a few days. These are 16 ohm with 101db sensitivity. I'm running them with my 75 wpc Coincident Dragon tube monos. They look stunning and have a fire engine red color. They remind me of fast sports car. They also don't have any crossovers. Zu claims that crossovers can be limiting.

They sound totally neutral, open and transparent and thats the blessing or a curse because they will expose any problems you may have upstream. The highs are beyond what my Tylers can do. They sound airy and have more detail than what I'm used to hearing. The bass sounded lean from what I'm used to hearing with the Tylers. In comparison the Tylers sound veiled and muffled. Never thought I'd describe the Tylers that way. I'm a bass fiend and to really float my boat I'd need the Zu Definition IV's which come equipped with dual 10" drivers and a 12" sub: http://www.zuaudio.com/#definition-mk4-loudspeaker.php Those Definitions are like $13k :eek:

For now I prefer the warmth & bass the Tylers add to the mix because it's a better synergistic match for my system.

Ern Dog

Forgot the pics.

SDA1C

Hey those are slick. You run into Harry the Hat lately?

treitz3

Hello, Ern Dog. I do hope that you don't mind me speaking freely......in fact, I may have to put on my flame suit for what I'm about to say but I feel I must. The last pair of Zu audio speakers I heard looked just like that and it was one of the worst sounding set of speakers I have heard in a long time. We tried different pre's, amplifiers and subs to get them to shine and we even went so far as to hang blankets over the walls to improve the sound. Keeping in mind, we were in an acoustically challenged room, it was a horrible experience and one that I wish I could forget.

The Zu audio speakers were the definition of "congestion". Every time there was a heavy passage, the vocals and instruments blended in together with so much confusion, nothing was palpable and it cringed these ears to listen to them, no matter what combo of gear we tried. I could not figure out for the life of me why folks would even consider Zu audio whilst listening to them. They were "shouty", bright, extremely congested [even at reasonable listening levels] and the bass was, to be honest? Laughable when it tried to produce it.

The owner had mentioned that Zu audio speakers needed to be hooked up to a tube amplifier and the ones we had on hand were all SS with everything else being tubed. One of the SS amps we tried was a Lightstar which is no slouch and even with a JL Fathom sub......they just, to be kind, weren't a preferred speaker to me.

I don't think they expose problems upstream, I think they expose what's wrong with the speaker. Of course, that's just my observations. YMMV. *Dons flame suit*

Tom

SDA1C

Right on Tom, tell us how you really feel...Didn't you give a similar review of a Cannondale one time....JK! LOL.

I rather enjoy the tales of disgust over a given brand or configuration. It does two things for me; it makes me want to try them that much more so I can hopefully start an argument about them:twisted: and it lends real insight, good or bad, as I have not known too many that will report in depth without an honest evaluation based on real experience.


Cheers!

Ern Dog

Tom- In my opinion, it depends on the system as a whole. With the right components this speaker really shines. I also have experience hearing this same speaker in my friend's rig and it sounds totally awesome. It even sounded better than my rig! It was pure magic like I've never heard. In my rig it doesn't sound half as good as it does in his rig. Now I'm not putting myself in a position to defend Zu speakers. The Druids surely aren't the speaker for me. There is definitely strong camps in both directions with Zu speakers. People love them or hate em. I enjoyed trying something new for sure.

B Run

I just ordered a pair of Zu Omen's today, I can't wait to check them out. Glad to hear your thoughts on the Druids.

coolsax

Nice I'd love to hear those someday hope they work well for you.

B Run

coolsax wrote: »

Nice I'd love to hear those someday hope they work well for you.

Thanks, I can't wait to get em in. I ordered the Omen Dirty Weekend's in Sangria, they seemed like too good of a deal to pass up but the only problem is waiting the next 3 weeks for them to get here. They'll be for my living room running off my Rotel which is nothing super high end but I think will be a pretty nice little 2 channel setup.

Ps sorry not trying to thread Hijack Ern Dog.

Ern Dog

B Run wrote: »

Thanks, I can't wait to get em in. I ordered the Omen Dirty Weekend's in Sangria, they seemed like too good of a deal to pass up but the only problem is waiting the next 3 weeks for them to get here. They'll be for my living room running off my Rotel which is nothing super high end but I think will be a pretty nice little 2 channel setup.

Ps sorry not trying to thread Hijack Ern Dog.

Cool. I think there are a couple other Zu speaker owners on the forum too. Have you heard them before? You'll have to share your impressions.

As I said already, my friends rig sounds Killer with the Zu's. His source is a $3k modded TT (I forget what kind), Audion Black Shadow tube mono blocks and a tube preamp (I forget which kind).

B Run

I've been exchanging PM's with Dawgfish he owns a pair of Omens and really helped me out with all my questions. I've never heard them before which I realize seems crazy, but with a 60 money back return policy I figured it couldn't hurt anything and I might as well hear em on my rig anyways. I'll definitely write a review for anyone interested, should be a nice change up from my Klipsch.

Dawgfish

I really like the Omens now that I've had a chance to experiment with different equipment and setups. As the others have noted, they are very sensitive to equipment upstream. They are also very sensitive to placement and setup, especially toe-in. Once you find the correct placement and toe-in they sound very good. There are some songs that I have heard on these that I have never heard sound better.

Placing a butcher block or engineered concrete pad under these really helps with the bass response, both tightness and extension. Bass is quite good once this is done. They also pair well with my REL sub for even more low-end. Now that I found the proper placement, they don't sound congested to me at all. In fact I find they excell with large orchestral arrangements and classical in general.

After spending some time with these, I really like them. They have a sound that is quite unlike anything else I have heard (ultra quick transients and very dynamic) and it took me awhile to get the proper placement and get used to them. I still prefer my SRS 2s and LSiM703s to these overall, but they are a nice changeup especially when listening to classical.

B Run

I did, it's Whetstone Audio and I probably should have taken some time to go in and see what he had in stock over there. My problem is i'm up in North Austin in Cedar Park and he's East DT area, and I could never get the time to make it over there before he closed. Since I was buying the Dirty Weekend direct from ZU I didn't want to make him spend hours answering questions and demoing them for me and then go buy them online either.

Ern Dog

Dawgfish wrote: »

I really like the Omens now that I've had a chance to experiment with different equipment and setups. As the others have noted, they are very sensitive to equipment upstream. They are also very sensitive to placement and setup, especially toe-in. Once you find the correct placement and toe-in they sound very good. There are some songs that I have heard on these that I have never heard sound better.

Placing a butcher block or engineered concrete pad under these really helps with the bass response, both tightness and extension. Bass is quite good once this is done. They also pair well with my REL sub for even more low-end. Now that I found the proper placement, they don't sound congested to me at all. In fact I find they excell with large orchestral arrangements and classical in general.

After spending some time with these, I really like them. They have a sound that is quite unlike anything else I have heard (ultra quick transients and very dynamic) and it took me awhile to get the proper placement and get used to them. I still prefer my SRS 2s and LSiM703s to these overall, but they are a nice changeup especially when listening to classical.

Yeah, I agree with them sounding lightening fast and it took some time to adjust to the new sound. My Tylers sounded like they were in molasses in comparison. I wasn't able to get the bass right with the Druids. It sounded too lean for my taste. I'm guessing with more time with placement and more attention to what's underneath the speaker, I could have improved that part. Instead I fired up my JL sub and this helped. I never found the Druids to sound congested. They always sounded open to me.

madmax

I have two pairs of Druids and a pair of Omen Def. I absolutely LOVE these speakers! With the right amplifiers (I didn't say "expensive") they are great. I prefer the Omen Def over the Druids but both are outstanding. Like any speaker, they can suck without the proper setup.
madmax

shadowlight

A pair of Soul Superfly Mk.1b and Omen Def Mk.1b with cap upgrade and just picked up b-stock Cube's today. Hoping to trade in one set for Druid V or Soul Supreme in the future. Zu's are polarizing (sp?) folks either like the sound or they hate them. I love them personally.

Omen Def's are being driven by B&O Ice 125W amp, while the Soul Superfly's are either driven by Mingda 3008AB SE 40W SET amp based around 805 power tubes.

To the OP - the prices listed on Zu's website for Def. IV is for global price listing. US pricing are around 10K still too rich for my blood .

B Run

shadowlight wrote: »

Omen Def Mk.1b with cap upgrade

I was thinking about that earlier, how easy was it to upgrade that little resistor to the tweeter? 3-4 weeks before I get them and I already want to upgrade them:twisted:. Glad to see all the love for Zu on here, can't wait to check em out.

B Run

DSkip wrote: »

Any chance you're going to make it up this way for LSAF? There'll be plenty of systems to push them on and it'd be cool to get a chance to finally hear them.

Going to be out of town every other weekend of May, but if I can swing it that'd be a blast and i'll definitely bring em. I'll post in the other thread when it gets closer and let ya know.

Ern Dog

B Run wrote: »

3-4 weeks before I get them and I already want to upgrade them:twisted:. .

I'm the same way. Audiophiles are sick like that.

madmax

shadowlight wrote: »

US pricing are around 10K still too rich for my blood .

Since I got the Defs its been pretty much my assumption that if I were ready to spend 10K on a speaker I'd call up ZU.

shadowlight

madmax wrote: »

Since I got the Defs its been pretty much my assumption that if I were ready to spend 10K on a speaker I'd call up ZU.

I heard them at my house last July when Sean came our for Zu House Tour and loved the sound. Someday I will be able to step up when current owners move up to the next level and I get to pickup a used pair

B Run

Talked to Zu today, love their customer service btw. They upgraded the caps for me for $40, that was easy, and it's looking more like 2-3 weeks instead of 3-4. I can't wait.

madmax

The Druids are broken in by ZU. Last I heard they do not break in the Omens. They will suck for a little while. If they would run them through their break in process it might be worth some dollars so you don't have to hear them at their worst.

B Run

madmax wrote: »

The Druids are broken in by ZU. Last I heard they do not break in the Omens. They will suck for a little while. If they would run them through their break in process it might be worth some dollars so you don't have to hear them at their worst.

They come with 300 hours of break in now but since I bought the Dirty Weekend Omen's they'll have even more since they're used drivers. They also burn in the internal wiring as well so it should be ok, i'm sure it'll still take a week or so for them to really settle in.

mrbiron

I need you to hurry up and get those dirty weekends!!
I've been eyeing them for a couple weeks now and am on the verge. So call up Sean and tell him to get the lead out!

B Run

Haha right? He said he thinks he'll have em out by the 12th but will try for even sooner. I sold my Klipsch yesterday so now i'm really getting impatient, i'll start a new thread as soon as they're in with pics and a review.

Dawgfish

I've been playing my Omens all weekend. They are really sounding good with their current setup. I was listening to Joe Bonamassa's Live From Nowhere in Particular last night and they were sounding spectacular. I thought I was actually at the concert. I have never heard a guitar sound as realistic as they did last night on the ZUs.

shadowlight

B Run wrote: »

I was thinking about that earlier, how easy was it to upgrade that little resistor to the tweeter? 3-4 weeks before I get them and I already want to upgrade them:twisted:. Glad to see all the love for Zu on here, can't wait to check em out.

B Run, it was easy to do the cap upgrade. Zu basically sent me a new tweeter with the cap's already attached. All I had to do was remove the drivers pull the old tweeter out and drop the new one in. No soldering required. Personally the cap upgrade cleanup the highs even better.

B Run

shadowlight wrote: »

B Run, it was easy to do the cap upgrade. Zu basically sent me a new tweeter with the cap's already attached. All I had to do was remove the drivers pull the old tweeter out and drop the new one in. No soldering required. Personally the cap upgrade cleanup the highs even better.

Already had them do it for me, it was only $40 more so I felt like it was a no-brainer.

Ern Dog

There is a very informative thread on Audiogon giving all the ins and out of Zu speakers. It's now at 4 pages long. See here. What I'm getting out of it is that the Druids are super sensitive to the amp pairing and it takes careful matching for the speakers to sound their best. They recommend low watt tube amps, like the Audion Black Shadow or Melody 845.

shadowlight

B Run wrote: »

Already had them do it for me, it was only $40 more so I felt like it was a no-brainer.

At $40 it is a no brainer. Looking forward to your impression.