The Two Biggest Falsehoods About Zu Audio Omen Dirty Weekend Speakers
- Thread starter Shug451
- Start date
-
- Tags
- dirty weekend omen zu audio
kevintomb
Well-Known Member
Hmm.....interesting.
To me, they were quite flawed, and it did not take long to notice the flaws.
I seriously do not think they need long term listening to easily tell, they are quite "colored" sounding.
I can maybe get why some might like them, but not if accuracy or a neutral sound is the main goal.
Not a bash, as I see you are a fanboy, but just honest opinion.
MaxP
Super Member
Fanboy…not really. First, I’m not a boy, and second, I’m not blindly enamored with any brand. I have found that typically the loudest detractors haven’t really listened to them set up properly. This is often the case with polarizing equipment (think Bose 901).
My brother-in-law has a set that I put 500 hours on breaking them in. So I have done considerable time listening critically. I find them pleasing whenever I head over for a listen.
Last edited:
Well, here's the thing:
IME, over the last 40 years of working in the audio business- I have generally found, that the really GOOD speakers, generally sound good almost anywhere. My semi-joking response to these type speakers, that they are the type that "would sound good in a phone booth". Some speakers are just balanced properly, with good, consistent dispersion and good transient response- and work in almost any environment. This includes REALLY high-end, really revealing speakers- for example, I've seen the VSA Ultra 11 speakers work in a HUGE variety of environments- and somehow manage to "do what they do" in pretty much all of them..
Speakers that are extremely difficult to set up, are frequently that way because the setup is having to try and compensate for something the speaker is doing wrong. Whether that be FR, power balance, dispersion, resonance/damping, dynamic or other issues- something is amiss.
I've had to do this sort of setup, to try and salvage systems in client environments (where they had already bought equipment, and they asked me to try and make sense of what they had) and at audio shows. While there are speakers that are very good, that will definitely tell you if they're setup properly- if it's arduous to get them to sound good, there is likely something that's having to be compensated for, that's inherently not good.
This is what I've found with the Zu speakers in question here. Yes, it IS possible, in some cases, to get them to sound good- but, if you have a space that just isn't going to allow for the compensations to make them work- you're just SOL, basically...
Regards,
Gordon.
Last edited:
What is that semicircular wooden piece at the top of the speaker for?
Dear lord, a pair of $325,000 speakers better “work in a huge variety of environments.”
MaxP
Super Member
IMHO-the ZU audio speakers I have heard-eh.
Too bright.
They need a L-pad at the very least-but their bass box/loading is kinda a joke.
The leaky sealed box idea..
Their design is like one patch after the other.
IMHO get a Lore instead-at least they have decent enough bass, albeit under dampened.
IMHO these speakers are more a less a DIY.
Nothing wrong with that-but the prices they command don't equal the performance.
My biggest issue:
Their idea of 'transparency' is simply a bright tweeter.
Transparency in a speaker means you are able to hear what's on the program material without straining to hear, or straining to block your ears from a overly bright, poorly designed setup.
IMHO-these days no real excuse to have a speaker, or a system like this.
It ain't hifi.
Agreed on how well speakers work in certain environments.
The Zu's need everything to be in line most likely to sound average at best.
Part of the problem also is people buy everything on line.
Without even hearing them they spend $$ on speakers.
Then complain when they don't work well for them.
Take a good listen before you buy IMHO.
Too bright.
They need a L-pad at the very least-but their bass box/loading is kinda a joke.
The leaky sealed box idea..
Their design is like one patch after the other.
IMHO get a Lore instead-at least they have decent enough bass, albeit under dampened.
IMHO these speakers are more a less a DIY.
Nothing wrong with that-but the prices they command don't equal the performance.
My biggest issue:
Their idea of 'transparency' is simply a bright tweeter.
Transparency in a speaker means you are able to hear what's on the program material without straining to hear, or straining to block your ears from a overly bright, poorly designed setup.
IMHO-these days no real excuse to have a speaker, or a system like this.
It ain't hifi.
Agreed on how well speakers work in certain environments.
The Zu's need everything to be in line most likely to sound average at best.
Part of the problem also is people buy everything on line.
Without even hearing them they spend $$ on speakers.
Then complain when they don't work well for them.
Take a good listen before you buy IMHO.
Last edited:
Welcome back to AK!! I think you may have broke the record, over 14 years between posts!
MaxP
Super Member
Have you had a chance to really put a pair through their paces? Just curious…
MX117.MC7150
Listener
I found mine difficult to tune for good bass performance. But, I'm not a floor-standing speaker fan-boy and they are gone. If they work for you, that's great. We all have our own ears.
I was on the Zu DW wait list once. Order placed in March of the year. Come mid-Summer the order had never been deliverd. Zu ran another sale on the DWs. Two months later, March order never delivered. Zu runs another sale on DWs. At that point I was disgusted because they kept taking orders for DWs when they couldn't fulfill orders taken 6+ months ago. Cancelled the order. So, have never heard a pair.
This was a few years ago, but I did contact Zu and talk to them about not being happy with their customer service. Communicated with them after both subsequent sales were done and they were not delivering on orders from the earlier sale.
I don't mind waiting a long time for something if the expectation is set up front that the wait will be long. For example, waited a long time for a Decware amp, but they were up front about the wait being long.
kevintomb
Well-Known Member
Okay, Sorry for the "Fanboy" comment, lets start again please!
I agree you are not a boy or a fan, BUT, the speakers basically did not sound very good at all. No amount of "Set up" normally will remove these type of flaws. I was trying to be nice in my first comment, and even said I can see why some would like them.
Can you please enlighten us to what specific set up is needed to make the ZU speakers go from mediocre to truly good sound? I mean that not sarcastically, as when I heard them, it was IMMEDIATELY evident, they were very colored from the instant I put on some "Pink Noise" just to get an idea of their overall timbre and so on.
My set up was in a normal living room, with carpeting, 8 foot ceilings, and about a 21 ft length, and width of about 13 feet.
All tone controls and EQ were bypassed.
I do not believe the speaker is polarizing as you put it, but simply somewhat bad sounding. Not horrible, not utterly crap, but very colored and very uneven. I am not saying this as a slam against you, nor the design, but I simply prefer a somewhat neutral, even smooth sound.
Last edited:
No I have not.
I have heard them in 3 setups-so far.
Even the best sounding set up, it's not hard to hear the overly colored (IMHO) midrange, lower treble.
Esp with a piano track, the response in this critical range seems ragged.
I like darn near every genre of music.
But if a piano track doesn't sound close to a piano, it's a no go for me.
I realize over the years very few speakers get pianos right.
It's a tough gig for most-but speakers I do like get close enough.
ESS AMT3's ESS PS1220's, Infinity RSiii's are some of those that do-come to mind that really get piano right.
But the Zu's were not even close.
Plus there is no real midrange magic, or "it" factor.
Eh.
Too many other good choices IMHO.
Plus the quasi Aperiodic bass box is not a good choice IMHO.
For any speaker.
Ess struck out on the AMT3's.
Get the right woofer/driver and seal them up!!
Or at least a true BR box.
Having said that, I don't think they are bad speakers if they have want you like.
But agreed on the op's point.
The fact they have a uneven frequency colored mids-would make them a challenge to find the right electronics to match up.
Kinda like horns speakers.
Try listening to day in, day out to a set of Heresy's, for example, on a random SS set up.
Unless you got lucky-it's bound to be a exercise in pain.
Last edited:
As to the specific set up for ZU's I could not say other than I found the stock "feet" to be a PITA and the carpet spikes not much better (no flats to grip with a wrench for adjustment). My solution was getting some carriage bolts to ease adjustment and lock nuts to secure the adjustment. Much easier to adjust bottom clearances.
Whether or not this would affect one hearing them as colored I have no idea. I do not find them to be colored. I also do not know if listening to pink noise would tell me much. With my DW's I find pianos sound like pianos and that is good enough for me. The most serious test music I have for this is "Ingrid Fliter plays Chopin", which to my philistine ears sounds like a very pure live recording. I will admit that this is not my typical music, it came into my collection quite by accident.
Whether or not this would affect one hearing them as colored I have no idea. I do not find them to be colored. I also do not know if listening to pink noise would tell me much. With my DW's I find pianos sound like pianos and that is good enough for me. The most serious test music I have for this is "Ingrid Fliter plays Chopin", which to my philistine ears sounds like a very pure live recording. I will admit that this is not my typical music, it came into my collection quite by accident.
Many speakers of all price ranges, don't. Again, that's speaking from experience. And that's an indicator that something is wrong, regardless of price.
Regards,
Gordon.
I’ve heard them several times and with different types of music. To say they are UNBEATABLE is an understatement. When your wife (someone that could give a rats a## about audio) looks at you and smiles and nods, that’s all you need to know.
I’ll never own them, but if you have a chance to listen to them, what a treat.