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ZU
- Thread starter Petro85
- Start date
- Thread Author
- #42
nice !!!! welcome to the shark!!
i think the soul supremes are the ones to get. of all i read on the zu's seems the soul supreme is a great value because you get all the technology of the big zu's in a smaller package. if i buy a pair those will be the ones.
thats a cool int amp too. i messed around with one of those awhile back. if i remember correctly it can run on 2 different tubes at 2 different output watt ratings, and can be used as just a preamp, or just an amp as well. lots of options. sounded real nice too!!
KeithR
Active member
Petro - i much preferred the Zu Soul Supremes to the Vapor room at the show. I found the Vapors had sorta one note bass that didnt integrate well. Perhaps room related or maybe it was the transmission line. The Zus sounded fantastic- cant think of a better speaker in their price range- they were driven by 5k Melody 845 monos. I did really like the Clayton amps Vapor used.
- Thread Author
- #45
yes i like these soul supremes alot ,was just reviewing some specs
16 ohm nominal
101db sensitive
2 – 8 watt (average room, moderate volume)
8 – 24 watt (large room, loud listening)
24 watt + (large room, concert levels)
300 watt maximum music input power
Anything that sounds good (Soul Supreme is a fl
oating load so any amp type or circuit is fi ne).
i love white speakers for some reason. i really dont like anything else in white, but these may be too white.lol.
16 ohm nominal
101db sensitive
2 – 8 watt (average room, moderate volume)
8 – 24 watt (large room, loud listening)
24 watt + (large room, concert levels)
300 watt maximum music input power
Anything that sounds good (Soul Supreme is a fl
oating load so any amp type or circuit is fi ne).
i love white speakers for some reason. i really dont like anything else in white, but these may be too white.lol.
dlb2
New member
Those look great Steve. I like the white too.
- Thread Author
- #47
dlb2
New member
Go with the white! :woot:
dlb2
New member
KeithR
Active member
the finish they had on them at the Show was amazing if you haven't seen it- you should call Sean up and try to buy that pair. The paint job took 40+ hrs!
Keith
Keith
sharkmouth
Active member
- Joined
- Apr 5, 2013
- Messages
- 1,616
Steve...."WALNUT!" Mind you I have seen where their veneer hasn't been applied with much skill!
I agree - the best drivers in the best looking cabinet. I'd take a pair of these with one or two Undertones, over a pair of Definitions any day. But for those shopping around, the sound of the dual-concentric Souls is quite different to the rest of the range and very compelling. There's a lot to love about a point source speaker, I'm a big fan. Needs a sub though, unlike the Soul Supreme.
Also agree with comments about the veneer - their painted finishes are excellent, the veneer they use however is a little thin. If you go for veneer, go for a gloss finish so at least they've got some added resilience.
CPP
Active member
I've been looking at these speakers, I love the clean lines and they are very wifey friendly.
KeithR
Active member
The Definition has more resolution than Druids/Subs in my experience. The speakers actually sound a bit different due to the FRD implementation- the Druid has a bit more tone, the Def more resolved. There is a good thread on Audiogon where my friend 213Cobra goes through both speakers at length and is a must read in Zu-land.
For Def 5, I'm tempted to go Ferrari Red with Tan surrounds
Their paint finishes are world class- as good as Wilson if not better. KeithR
- Thread Author
- #55
great info guys. thanks keith, chris, arcade. i just got an email from a dealer friend who said "dont buy those zu's yet, they are very in your face speakers and you may not like them. " but i guess thats why they are 60 day in home trial. so i spoke with zu also they said they are right now 6+ weeks out from order to shipping. they take 1/2 when ordered and 1/2 when ready to ship. and all the colors i liked(white,honey walnut) are a special order and cost more. just something to think about. just wish i could simply go find a dealer and drive for a listen, make my life so much easier.lol.
CPP
Active member
Would the "in your face" comment be possibly related to using different amplification. I pulled this from the Zu site
"
The amplifier is a major factor in how a loudspeaker system performances, both technically and sonically. If testing the efficiency of a driver in an infinite baffle, correctly mapping the impedance across its bandwidth, then at least distilling the string of points into a nominal number is essential. You cannot simply pump in 2.8 volts and call it. Data acquired this way has little correlative meaning. Once impedance is known and plotted power and system efficiency can then be tested and the results can be useful.
Many Zu loudspeakers measure 12 ohms nominal. (Remember, the speaker driver’s measures and performance are in large part determined by the acoustic impedance system: box, horn, baffle... that they are mated with and raw driver or infinite baffle plots are not system impedance measures.) To get a basic measure of system efficiency we first solve for current, then voltage, all measures being at the loudspeaker’s input.
First solve for amperes; square-root of wattage over resistance (ignoring phase) which equals 0.289 amps. Then take amps times resistance to solve for voltage and we arrive at 3.5 volts input. So a 12 ohm load (older Zu Druid, Omen, Essence...) requires 3.5 volts at input to reach 1 watt. An input of 2.83 volts into a 12 ohm load yields 0.66 watts. Nearly all modern tests and measures on loudspeakers simply input 2.8 volts (assumption of an 8 ohm standard) which has almost no lay correlation to actual transduction efficiency and power. If all loudspeakers had a nominal impedance of 8 ohms then a 2.83 volt input would be fine and does in fact result in a nominal 1 watt of input power. With 4 ohm nominal loudspeakers we get; 2.83 volts input which equals 2 watts of electrical power at input, at 16 ohms its 1/2 watt and 32 ohm you are down to a 1/4 watt. Knowing power in and accurately measuring power out of a system you can then know efficiency. Voltage sensitivity is not efficiency, it is a subset of efficiency. Voltage sensitivity is a useful tool in specific applications and conditions but is typically the domain of the engineer.""
Wow 12 ohms, so does this mean its a good candidate for a SET amp I if I understand whats written, just asking ?
- Thread Author
- #57
the zu guy told me he has no direct experience with cary 300b's but he has a lot of customers who use them and never had a return or issue from them. alot of 300b's i been reading about mention the zu 16 ohm as great speakers for their amps. so id say yes to sets.
i got a pair of 102db speakers im picking up monday to try out with my amps. hopefully they are what i am looking for. more to come on that!!!
i got a pair of 102db speakers im picking up monday to try out with my amps. hopefully they are what i am looking for. more to come on that!!!
KeithR
Active member
What crossover speakers do you like? Perhaps i can glean more about your preferences then.
the Radian tweeter isnt in your face at all - im very sensitive to metal tweeters for instance. Its one of the best tweets ive ever heard. With 300Bs, i dont think you will have any issues. If you put bad class a/b ss on Zus, they would likely sound lean. At 100dbs with no xover, the amp is really displayed more prominently and becomes the fulcrum of a zu based system.
i personally chose Def 2s over Magico V3s and Wilson Maxx2s if that helps. The V3s were my second choice, but i didnt like amp requirements and they werent dynamic enough.
- Thread Author
- #60
:woot: