Zu Audio

Discussion in 'Speakers' started by xLn, Jan 31, 2017.

  1. xLn

    xLn Acquaintance

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    Has anyone had any experience with Zu Audio? I'm looking at the omen mk2 and the soul. I'm going to be calling or emailing them tomorrow.
     
  2. Daveheart

    Daveheart Friend

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    I heard the original Omen def at a show a few years back, and it sounded okay. Noise floor in the room was to high though, so I couldn't tell much. Nice people though.
     
  3. HitmanFluffy

    HitmanFluffy Hoping to see real genitals someday!

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    I tried the Soul Supreme in a proper showroom with a warm-ish 845 amp. While very clear and dynamic, you get that whizzer cone sound that makes the midrange sound "off" and unrealistic, and I ultimately found that distracting (the opposite of immersive), ultimately falling short for me as a viable choice. I'd look elsewhere if you need really efficient (95+) speakers.
     
  4. eastboundofnowhere

    eastboundofnowhere Facebook Friend

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    I've owned the Omen Mk1 since release not because I am in love but because given their relatively cheap price vs very large size I don't think it would make economic sense to try and sell/ship them. Very much a speaker that can sound great or absolutely horrible depending on upstream gear, but mostly dependent on placement and album. The problem is that some albums will sound horrible on them no matter what you do.

    Every review I've read says they are great for rock, but I have come to the conclusion that those people think the main criteria for a good rock speaker is simply how loud they will go. Basically, they sound great with something like Counting Crows, but if the music gets complex then everything seems to collapse. I read somewhere, here I think, that the cone starts to break up at a certain point and I think that is the collapse I am hearing.
     
  5. xLn

    xLn Acquaintance

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    Bleh. Thanks for the information. Maybe I'll hold out until rmaf and hear a few in person. Plus side, I'm going to demo the monitor audio 6 8 and 10 tomorrow. Different set up though.
     
  6. Daveheart

    Daveheart Friend

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    Definitely a good idea to demo, though keep in mind at big shows conditions are not always ideal. Also, room and gear setup can be really hit or miss.

    The worst sound I've ever heard at a show was a pair of Voxativ Ampeggios paired with a high end super-tweeter fed by Alnic amp and preamp with some Wadia CD player. I've heard every component there in other systems, and they were all reasonably good. However, this room was set up by a cable manufacturer who apparently didn't have good enough ears to tell that something was wired out of phase. It was decent gear ruined by a bad setup.

    A wily manufacturer can also take great care in setting up the gear, treating the room, and then selecting all the material that you'll hear on said gear. That's not to say that it can't be great gear, but generally be wary if they won't let you play your own material or if they don't have any particularly challenging material or bad recordings.
     
  7. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

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    NoAudiophile has a brutal review of a Zu Essence. What I really like is that he has measurements and a breakdown of the build. He even posted recording of the Zu system compared to his home system and the difference is definitely audible.
     
  8. Grahad2

    Grahad2 Red eyes from too much anime

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    This was certainly amusing:
     
  9. xLn

    xLn Acquaintance

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    Went for a demo today and ended up ordering the monitor silver 8s. Pretty pumped. Gorgeous speaker too.

    Store actually carried some mrspeaker offerings, knew schiit audio and said it would be great if I brought in the jot. They said they might order the two new focal headphones as well!
     
  10. kukur9

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    Just one more data point on Zu:

    I bought some used Omens based on the desire to hear their (semi-hyped) coherent sound. I wish I had heard them before I bought them because they are not your typical speakers. I won't even try to characterize their sound; it's just not for me and I agree with @eastboundofnowhere in that they don't separate sounds, they kinda mush it all together which is...interesting. I guess this is what rock sounds like at a concert as far as I remember (I haven't been to a show in years, as opposed to jazz which I attend often).

    The Zu's were "okay" (whatever that means...listenable?) on my low power system and people who like these say low power tubes sound good, but when I put them in my main rig driven by Naim gear, it was all of about ten seconds to hear clearly that they are not my cup of coffee.
     

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