So I finally received my Omen Dirty Weekend Speakers with ClarityCap upgrade last week, after arriving 1.5 months after expected delivery date. Not too keen on the communication from Zu, but it is what it is.
As for the speakers, they sound great.Dynamics are fantastic, and I've been caught off guard by the contrast between loud and soft passages. Mids and highs are crisp and clear and the bass is tight and punchy(they are now - see below). On top of that, they're not too bad to look at either. I've always been a Dynaco speaker guy(a25/Aa5XL,a35) with a bit of Advent thrown in as well. I can't say these loudspeakers are better than the Dynaco's(to my ears), but they're different in a good way and I truly enjoy listening to them. The match with my gear has proven to be a good fit. Currently powering the speakers through a VTA ST70/Erhard Aretha preamp and Micro Seiki Solid5 (Grado Black Body and a 8mz stylus) turntable and it's pretty fantastic Cabling is Zu Mission MK1 cables I picked up on the bay for cheap. Can't say the cables perform any better than my preferred system cables(Frank at Signal Cable). I've also run the speakers with my Pioneer SX-950 and I can't say that the speakers play as nice as they do with my Tube gear. The a25xl's are probably my favorite to run the 950.
Now here's the kicker. As you can see from my photo, I have some challenges with my room in that one of my speakers sits right in the corner. For a serious listening session I will generally pull the speakers over to the couch so I can get them out in the open for proper sound stage, which also cleans up the bass. It's unfortunate I have to do this, as my favorite chair is right in front of my setup! On a whim, I decided to pick up some Herbie's threaded stud gliders to replace the bolts that came with the Zu's. I figured that having some sliders would make it easier to slide these into listening position, and some of the claims on the sonic benefits in reviews were pretty bold. Herbie's has a pretty good return policy so it was worth a shot.
Once these things were installed I pretty much shit my pants. The boomy corner bass had completely disappeared and the bass tightened up considerably from when I had them on spikes. I have the feet adjusted per Zu's recommendation, and it works well for me. I've also tried a slight tilt up and it wasn't as good a fit. Really impressed by these little feet!
Here's the 'too long, didn't read' - Great speakers for a grand. Plays nice with tube gear. Herbie's makes magic feet.
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