Zu Audio speakers and accessories

livestrong

Well-Known Member
Something lead me to Zu Audio this weekend and I couldn't get enough. I've really been having a blast diving into "modern" gear :)

I went through their entire website a few times, watched some videos on YouTube, and looked around for some reviews. I really want to hear some of their stuff, though. I searched here on AK and haven't seen a whole lot - has anyone here heard any of their speakers? Or had any experience with their interconnects, speakers wires, etc.?

I must say, I really love the idea and I admire what they're doing!

Here's one of their models - the Zu Audio Soul Superfly which seem to be aimed more at getting the most from tube amps.
soul-superfly_zpsbd3103a4.jpg

Image borrowed from Zu Audio

And these are their new Zu Audio Omen Def MK.I-B which look like they're aimed at me :)
zuomendef_zpsfc778968.jpg

Image borrowed from Zu Audio
 
I hate to tell you, but a buddy here in St.Louis had that pair in the second picture. The Omens in that same color and he had the matching center channel. They where gone with in 6 months.
 
You will either love Zu speakers or hate them. Or both, actually. I heard Zu Druids 3 times. Twice I hated them. Once I absolutely loved them. Yes, my reactions to them were that strong, and that varied. I have certainly never experienced this with any other speaker.
The time I loved them was at one of our best local audio stores. The gent working there said he had spent the week tweaking and fine tuning them before he got them right.
 
I can't think of any other brand where "try before buy" applies more than with Zu. It seems love them or hate them applies here big-time and it's pretty hard to find someone who has heard them who comes away with a neutral view.

Maybe in the right system, maybe the right room, maybe the right music, maybe, maybe, but on the 3 or 4 times I've heard Zu speakers, I've ended up solidly in the 'hate them' camp.

Just my experience.
 
They use guitar amp drivers from what I understand. I do find guys who play nothing but very loud hard rock, metal rock seem to love them.
 
My local hifi shop had them until very recently (I think he is still an official dealer, but doesn't demo them anymore). I actually quite liked the Soul Superflys with a Leben 300 amplifying them, but when I asked him to let me hear them through a Rega Mira 3 (which was what I had at home at the time) he said no way.

So, and I think this is uncontroversial, I think the right amplification is very important for making those speakers work.
 
Crrreeeaaakk. That is the can of worms slowly being opened. Be prepared for the "frequency response-curve team" to show up soon to tell you why they suck etc.

Uh okay, guitar speaker drivers, well, not exactly but I guess because they are modified Eminance "pro" drivers etc. one could call them that. Definately not your "pipe and slippers" hoidy-toidy Harbeth/Spendor etc. drivers, nor were they designed for that particular "sound".

I would agree though, they are a very polarizing speaker, you either like them or you don't for the most part. I guess if I had to be in one camp or the other, the one pair that I have heard twice for any length of time-the very one you pictured in the first photo, Soul Superfly, I totally enjoyed them and thought in the room and with the amplifier/source(Almarro 318B tube integrated/Luxman PD 277 turntable and forget the cartridge) I heard them with, sounded very good. I think they might fit certain types of music better, which a lot of speakers do for whatever reason.

I tried to listen to them with no pre-concieved notions or thoughts about them, and kept an open mind and ear to them. I loved the tonality of guitar, both electric and acoustics that they made, and really, couldn't complain about any of the vocals, female or male. They seemed to have the proper fullness to them that I enjoyed.

The main thing you can do for yourself is to just give them a listen, and try not to think about what the drivers are, or what the response curves are, just check out the music. And if they aren't up your alley, so be it. For many, they aren't. You will either get them or not, pretty simple really. Have fun and enjoy the tunes, that is the most important part! Tim

PS-I do not own any of the Zu speakers, but if I was looking for a pair of speakers and amp, I would probably give them a fair shake in my own home.
 
I owned Zu Omens. Liked them fine, could still be living with them but I liked the next pair I bought a little better, then built a pair, then built another pair...
They are ported out the bottom as I believe all/most of their speakers are, so setup is absolutely critical. I think part of the love / hate thing is that they do sound a bit different than many speakers, but also because people plop them, sit and hit play, then give them a thumbs down without working with them. It took me all of the 30-day trial period to get them from, "Good thing the boxes didn't get damaged 'cause these puppies are going back" to "I'll keep them."
 
Don't care for their speakers at all (although I do like Tektons, which are usually lumped in w/ Zu, so go figure), but they do make some nice inexpensive cables - which they frequently auctioned off on ePay.
 
I heard some Zu speakers at the Capital Audio Fest last summer and was not impressed. Not sure what the model was, but they looked like the ones in the first picture.
 
I wasn't terribly impressed with the pair I heard at TAVES, but an audio show isn't the best place to judge a speaker. I'm sure Zu speakers sound pretty good given proper system matching and set up. They do not get this far if their speakers have no redeeming qualities.
 
I had these Omens for the better part of year. They were the first pair sold on the East Coast. If you like a big boisterous sound they have it in spades. A little shy on detail but smooth and laid back. I would have kept them but they couldn't compete with the OB speakers I've been building.

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Best speakers I have ever owned. And I have owned Martin Logan, PSB, Living Voice and KEF. These speakers are for music lovers NOT audiophiles! Not that they don't get most audiophile stuff right. They are about tone, pace and life in all forms of music I've tried. I have the Omen Definitions now and used to own the Soul Superflys. Have driven them with a Naim Supernait, Rega Brio-r and Decware ( both the Torii mk3 and the 6 watt SE34I.3 that I own now). They bring out the best qualitys of each amp and just plain play music. They have a great return policy so you can audition them at home. Go for it!
 
Ther must be quite a few pairs of Zu speakers in circulation - correct me if I'm wrong, but these are 'direct sales only' ? John Darko has this ominous (!) warning in his review of the Omen Standard. Note the part re 'agonizing, send-them-back-at-once period' : just thought it may be of some interest to the OP. Extensive break-in and setup requirements, along with a 'nearfield' listening position, makes me wonder just how many people are going to fall in love with these. One man's opinion, sure, but it seems to line up with some of the impressions given in this thread. Reading this, it would seem that the Omens have a somewhat narrow 'sweet spot' - not the kind of speakers which would wow anyone walking into a demo room, for example, but that's purely fwir.

Be forewarned: the Omen require — nay, demand — an extensive run-in period, well beyond any 30-day home trial. Forum chatter reflected my experiences – up to 400 hours…and an agonising, send-them-back-at-once run in period. Zu provide comprehensive setup instructions for best in-room results; don’t fall for the marketing spiel that these are loudspeakers that can be plonked down anywhere, particularly if your room isn’t large. It’s also worth spending time with the measuring tape to ensure their equidistance from side walls. Small, incremental positional changes matter with the Omen. I achieved best results by bringing the Omen much further into the room than is my norm and listening at near(er) field.

http://www.digitalaudioreview.net/2011/08/zu-omen-standard-loudspeaker/
 
See what I mean - love them or hate them - all a matter of personal opinion and not many that have heard them will be neutral. :)

Just to be clear on my experience; all under show conditions which I'm the first to admit are a major-crap shoot but I'd think dealers and even the manufacturer would know a thing or 2 about system matching and break-in to get the best out of them - particularly when the results could lead directly to sales.
 
Zu's can be a bitch to set up properly. Those finger ports on the bottom require proper distance from the floor as well as a slight back tilt. I probably went through a half dozen different sets of feet before I was satisfied. Zu's use doped and tricked out Eminence Legend drivers with aluminum phase plugs. They don't use a passive XO network but just a cap on the super tweet so they run full range.

I still remember how they sounded on Dire Straits' "Money For Nothing" - big honkin and house filling that sounded great from two rooms away.
 
I've sure enjoyed reading these replies - wish I could hear them first hand to decide if I'm in the love 'em camp or not. But I don't think I'm willing to drop the dough to find out. Who knows...maybe someday I'll be able to hear them in person.
 
You will either love Zu speakers or hate them. Or both, actually. I heard Zu Druids 3 times. Twice I hated them. Once I absolutely loved them. Yes, my reactions to them were that strong, and that varied. I have certainly never experienced this with any other speaker.
The time I loved them was at one of our best local audio stores. The gent working there said he had spent the week tweaking and fine tuning them before he got them right.

Pardon my ignorance, but how do you tweak/fine tune a speaker? Are you talking speaker placement, different speaker cables, or opening it up and messing with the guts?
 
This has been an entertaining and polarizing thread. I've heard the Druid's once and was impressed but did not have the time to listen critically. I am toying with the idea of getting the Omen's to have a flat out rock and roll speaker in the house that will deliver concert level fun volumes in my listening room which is sounds like it excels at based on some of the posts.

One question not aimed at stirring the pot but what is everyones comparison point and type of music listened to? I would be running these with a higher power NAD amp and listening to blues and more progressive rock with a bit of Miles sprinkled in. Also, any comments on the bass? With the Eminence speaker, I am assuming that the bass is relying on the cabinet vs. the speaker. I am intrigued by this speaker because of the design. Essentially a PA based system in a home cabinet tuned to deliver some bass.

I am surprised at the break in time of 400 hours. Extra doping on the surrounds?
 
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