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Zu Audio Omen Dirty Weekends

StevenZ said:
Does your Magnavox 196 have a 16ohm tap? Looking at the impedance graph you'd be much better off using a 16ohm tap if you have one. Then again, I could be wrong. Worth a shot though.

-Steven
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Hi Steven,

Unfortunately not. The little maggie only has the 4ohm tap. It would definitely help if I could match the 12ohm impedance of the Omens more closely, but that's not going to happen on any of the Magnavox amps.

I will be trying the Fisher 800B again, and this time I will be trying the 16ohm taps.
 
I tried the Omens with the 16 ohm taps on a Fisher 500 and several other vintage push pulls but couldn't tell any difference. I never found anything that sounded better than a SET and the 2a3 amps were the best of the lot.
 
Got that Fisher magic back....

I put the Fisher 800B back in rotation and resolved the problem I was having before - turns out that I had the speakers out of phase. :twak:

In my defense, the 800B has a rather unusual arrangement with the speaker taps because their are extra connections due to the phase switch (which was designed to solve the problem I was having, if I had remembered to try it, duh.)

Anyway, I used the 16ohm taps and verified proper phasing, and the Omens opened up very nicely with the 30+ wpc from the 800B. Very prominent mids and highs, with voices literally in the room. I am running the tone controls at flat and the loudness contour off. I tweaked the treble a couple of notches, but I went back to flat after about 30 minutes. I am still running the MA sub for the low frequencies, but could remove it and enhance bass with the tone controls to compensate.

As I have been finding out, the Fisher sounds quite different than the Magnavox single ended amp. I have noticed significant differences in sound characteristics depending on the amp - the Omens are quite sensitive and are able to resolve this.

So far, for conversational sound levels, I prefer the single ended amp. For sonic "punch" and louder listening sessions, it is definitely the Fisher.

Where this may be leading me is in the same direction as Poultrygeist - a 2A3 SET amp may be next on the build list. :yes:
 
Poultrygeist said:
I tried the Omens with the 16 ohm taps on a Fisher 500 and several other vintage push pulls but couldn't tell any difference. I never found anything that sounded better than a SET and the 2a3 amps were the best of the lot.
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So Poultrygeist - what 2A3 amp did you run with the Omens?
 
I first used the Dared MP-2a3C shown here with excellent results. Later I moved to the Bottlehead Paramour 2a3 monoblocks which were a bit better. The Dared I could have lived with, had the Paramours not fallen in my lap.

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Anybody try running the Omens with the Transcendent Sound Single Ended OTL amp? According to the website, the amp would put out 2.25 wpc with 12 ohm speakers. Zu recommends a minimum of 4 wpc.

I am curious about the benefits of a single ended OTL amp, but I think this may be too underpowered for the Omens.
 
The Mini-Beast single ended OTL is 4 wpc. I heard a TS OTL briefly with some BL horns but not long enough to form an opinion. Owners really seem to love them.

I would like to try one and my only concern, which may not be a big deal, is how much heat all those tubes produce.
 
Dirty Weekend Omen

Talked to Garrett and ordered a pair of Dirty Weekends today. Chose natural maple. Going to be a long six weeks. Maybe by turkey day ? You guys still liking them? Let me know .
 
plinya77 said:
Talked to Garrett and ordered a pair of Dirty Weekends today. Chose natural maple. Going to be a long six weeks. Maybe by turkey day ? You guys still liking them? Let me know .
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To be honest, I am sending mine back.

OK, actually, I worked out a deal for another pair of "pre loved" Omens that had the cherry veneer finish. :D So, Gerritt worked with me to ship the DW's in Sangria back and trade'em for the cherry Omens.

WAF was the hangup - the wife said the Sangria finish didn't blend well with the other furniture (looked OK to me :dunno:)

The "new to me" Omens came in two days ago. They look great, the wife is happy now and so am I. These had the drivers from the Essence series, so they are slightly cosmetically different and the description on Zu's web site said that they would a extend a bit more on the lower frequencies. Frankly, I can't tell any difference in that respect, but they sound every bit as good as the Omen DW's they are replacing.
 
omen dw

Mine will be here tomorrow, ahead of schedule. That is according to email and UPS tracking. I'll keep my fingers crossed.:music:
 
Congrats! Look forward to hearing about your impressions and experience with them.

I purchased a pair of used Omens, but they're sitting in a closet waiting for home renovations to be completed. Another month to go........
 
Omen DW

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All I can say is wow. Beautiful and sound great. Took a chance and traded my beloved DQ-30 for Heathkit AS 101 and sold them to a friend to finance the Omens. My DQ-30 were my favorite all around speaker with my DA 15DC. I have a new favorite.
 
Those look great! Congrats. Glad to hear your happy with the look and sound.

Have you experimented yet with getting them off the floor etc?
 
omen

Ive got them where they recommend--- about 3/8 of an inch gap at the bottom where they have the small finger ports. I have't experimented yet but I will. They sound great where they are.
 
Omen DW

Thanks. Ive got quite a few hours on the Omens and still loving them. They seem to play all genres well. I especially love the acoustic guitar on James Taylor's hits. Stevie Ray Vaughn , Heart, REM and the Love Dawgs are just a few of the artists I'm rediscovering. Even tried a little classical. They shine there also.:music:
 
I have been reading this this thread and similar threads for a while. I am finally pulling the trigger on some dirty weekend's tomorrow. I have been running a vintage system with a sansui 8080db and ADS speakers. It sounds really good but just intrigued by all the great reviews on the ZU's. I am going with the walnut finish I think. I call Gerrit in the morning to put my order in. He told me to expect 8 weeks so it's going to be while. :(
 
Poultrygeist said:
Good review.

"Jazz at the Pawnshop" is another interesting test for detail especially during the intro when the audience is getting their drink orders and you hear conversation mixed with the tinkling of cocktail glasses.

When I first started listening to SET amps and full range speakers I was getting so much detail it was a distraction. I was hearing far more breathing in vocals than I was accustomed to. I was hearing the spit build up in Miles trumpet to the point where all I could think about was emptying his spit valve. Over time these distractions became the main attraction with the one quality that stands out most for me in audio: resolving detail at low levels. That's why I tell folks who haven't experienced SET/FR phenom they should not only break in the speakers but also their ears.
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One of the best systems I have ever heard included the Zu Omen DEF (S)...

Ocellia Quaero 300B SET monoblocks
Ocellia Quaero Phono stage
Rossner & Sohn KLM-15 w/ Denon 103 - wood body mod

Simple and straightforward analog. It was perfect, no other way to describe it. I just saw an ad for a used pair of Omen's and thought back on this system. I would love a pair, but I am too happy with what I have.
 
Just read through this thread. I have been SERIOUSLY considering working toward a pair of DW Omen's. I think if I sold my JBL 4311b and Infinity Reference Five's I should be able to reach the $1k mark. I would essentially have to totally flip my current setup and wait for a little over a month in the good faith that the Omen's would be a step forward. I have to admit, the remarks I read all over the internet are pretty intensely positive.

Wondering if there is any place in Chicago I could hear a pair of Omen's? Member's private setup or otherwise, I would LOVE a chance to demo
 
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