Zu Audio Omen Dirty Weekends

[blownsi]

Wonder if Zu would consider selling a DIY kit since the problem seems to be cabinet costs and labor.

I still don't understand why they wouldn't just raise the price instead of teasing a future speaker for nearly double the cost. As someone whom debated on spending the asking price of DW for too long, I certainly won't be buying one that starts at $1999 (under 2k).

 

[Smitty43]

They have upgrade Kits on the website that is how I upgraded my old DW cabinets to Soul Superfly speakers.

 

[Andyman]

A guy had a set for sale locally on Facebook Marketplace for I think around $1100. The link is dead now so it looks like they sold in less than 2 weeks.

Another local guy has been waiting several months for his new ones to arrive; my guess is that they may be having driver supply issues.

 

[tuberadios69]

When the horse was alive, was trying to get a ride on it. But now it's dead, cannot help myself or anyone could. There was some value when it was alive. If not the whole world, a few wanted to get a ride and was worth "something". But after it went to the coffins, all the few can say is it's "worthless". Worthless because even the few who wanted to take the ride couldn't even when it was alive. But now?

The ones who got horses in your bran yard can take a ride as many time you like. For the others a dead horse is a dead horse.

Okay, your statement(s) are not actually true in this instance. While the Omen DW's are gone, the slightly more elaborate version of the same core model, the Omen II's, are still a current and available model. Those include upgraded wiring (Zu Mission Mk.II cable), metal/metal fasteners, Clarity Cap comes standard and inclusion of their Zu-B3 input connector panel. The Clarity Cap was a popular option on the DW's as was the Jupiter Copper cap, both of which increased the DW's price by $100 or $220, respectively. Add a premium finish and you were within approximately $700 or so of the Omen II's, depending on finish. So, if you really want(ed) a pair of the Omen DW's, you can still buy the upgraded version of what is essentially, the same model. Put your money where your mouth is.

 

[tuberadios69]

Wonder if Zu would consider selling a DIY kit since the problem seems to be cabinet costs and labor.

I still don't understand why they wouldn't just raise the price instead of teasing a future speaker for nearly double the cost. As someone whom debated on spending the asking price of DW for too long, I certainly won't be buying one that starts at $1999 (under 2k).

That has been available all along. An Omen II is an upgraded version of the DW. More money with improvements (see above). My DW mk.II's with Jupitor Copper cap, premium finish (Ruby Red hickory), optional carpet spikes and shipping with signature required came to a couple dollars shy of $1800. Worth every penny and an upgrade over my stand mounted $3,000 Usher BE-718 DMD's (moved to another room/system in my house). The "standard" Omen II's start at $2349 plus shipping. Since I am so impressed with my DW's, I may buy a set of the Omen II's for my den system this coming spring.

 

[HiFiJeff]

Wow. I just saw this. Sad days at ZU, or at least for people wanting in on the ZU sound for a great value.
Glad I got my two pair of DW's a long time ago. I think I got my first pair when they were $999.

 

[HiFiJeff]

That has been available all along. An Omen II is an upgraded version of the DW. More money with improvements (see above). My DW mk.II's with Jupitor Copper cap, premium finish (Ruby Red hickory), optional carpet spikes and shipping with signature required came to a couple dollars shy of $1800. Worth every penny and an upgrade over my stand mounted $3,000 Usher BE-718 DMD's (moved to another room/system in my house). The "standard" Omen II's start at $2349 plus shipping. Since I am so impressed with my DW's, I may buy a set of the Omen II's for my den system this coming spring.

https://www.zuaudio.com/loudspeakers/omen-2

$2649?!

The value is gone.

No way on earth I'd pay that much money for the Omen MKII. You wont hear any difference between that and the DW with some upgrades.

 

[HiFiJeff]

The DW at $1000 was a very good value.

At a $2349 starting price on the Omen MKII, not even close to a value.

 

[HiFiJeff]

I have no direct experience with the B&Ws you are asking about, but it does not look like they would have much in common. Stand mount vs floorstander, crossover circuit vs single cap. However when I had a pair of Polk Audio Reserve 200 in the same room with my DW I was surprised how similar they sounded. The R200 image well produce a ton of low end for their size and much like the DWs, they do a great job with vocal content. Despite all the differences I found them two speakers did a lot of the same thing well. Sorry, not a direct answer, but maybe give them a shot and see what you think.
View attachment 2414532

The DW's make for GREAT speaker stands!

 

[tuberadios69]

https://www.zuaudio.com/loudspeakers/omen-2

$2649?!

The value is gone.

No way on earth I'd pay that much money for the Omen MKII. You wont hear any difference between that and the DW with some upgrades.

You're right, you won't hear any difference if you have cotton in your ears. Seriously, you get upgraded internal wire, a better speaker connector panel, well, just read my previous post a few comments up. The DW's were a gateway to Zu's better offerings and an absolute unqualified bargain, albeit money losers for Zu. The Omen II's are a more refined version and certainly worthy of their price, too. The fact you claim they are not even close to a bargain and sarcastically state they make great speaker stands is a pathetic comment, quite frankly. You got a huge bargain on your DW's and that's great. But to verbally devalue the Omen II's is a disservice to others and somewhat snarky on your behalf. (or, maybe just being a skinflint)

 

[Nightwisher]

https://www.zuaudio.com/loudspeakers/omen-2

$2649?!

The value is gone.

No way on earth I'd pay that much money for the Omen MKII. You wont hear any difference between that and the DW with some upgrades.

That's the point of the cancelation. You were getting a pair of speakers essentially at half price to "hook" you. Now with the cost of materials going up, Zu is losing even more money or would have to raise prices even more. Don't forget they ran out of the recycled drivers that made the DWs "dirty" long ago. And they can make actual profit on the full priced Omens to justify staying in business. Naturally, the full priced Omens were never the next step up for Dirty Weekend owners anyway since they're virtually the same speaker.

A full priced pair of speakers is rarely a "great value", especially for those used to getting them half priced.

 

[allmanbros]

That's the point of the cancelation. You were getting a pair of speakers essentially at half price to "hook" you. Now with the cost of materials going up, Zu is losing even more money or would have to raise prices even more. Don't forget they ran out of the recycled drivers that made the DWs "dirty" long ago. And they can make actual profit on the full priced Omens to justify staying in business. Naturally, the full priced Omens were never the next step up for Dirty Weekend owners anyway since they're virtually the same speaker.

A full priced pair of speakers is rarely a "great value", especially for those used to getting them half priced.

From a marketing standpoint, if the DWs and Omens are "virtually" the same speaker, then offering the DWS at half price may have been well intended, but it essentially established the price of both the DWS and the Omens at the lower price.....cash flow was probably generated, and using rebuilt drivers may have cleaned out inventory and space, but raw materials price increases and from reading earlier posts, the zeal of Zu to make customers happy by performing upgrades without price increases quickly took its total on profits.....there seems to be about a $1300 jump up to the Omens, and at least two previous posts have said they were only "slightly" different or "virtually" the same.....if these posts are true, then the PERCEPTION" of some buyers would be that the Omen is over-priced whether it is or not, and paying over double what others have paid for "virtually" the same speaker is not an option......very interesting topic for a case study....

 

[eyewanders]

You're right, you won't hear any difference if you have cotton in your ears. Seriously, you get upgraded internal wire, a better speaker connector panel, well, just read my previous post a few comments up. The DW's were a gateway to Zu's better offerings and an absolute unqualified bargain, albeit money losers for Zu. The Omen II's are a more refined version and certainly worthy of their price, too. The fact you claim they are not even close to a bargain and sarcastically state they make great speaker stands is a pathetic comment, quite frankly. You got a huge bargain on your DW's and that's great. But to verbally devalue the Omen II's is a disservice to others and somewhat snarky on your behalf. (or, maybe just being a skinflint)

Most of us in here are aware of (Jeff included) the upgrades present in the Omen MKii, or rather the downgrades that were the Dirty Weekends. Jeff isn't wrong - the DWs were *considerable* value, though to be frank, just by adding an upgraded finish and caps to those pushed much closer to the Omen Mkiis in price. Everything else is, as is always the case, incredibly diminishing levels of return. Hope this thread doesn't devolve into cable discussion.

We've yet to know what sub-$2k loudspeaker will fill the void here. The Omens, despite being obviously very good, are not going to do that at more than double the cost for those additions. They just aren't. Zu knows this.

 

[Nimbley]

Seven months and a day after ordering I’m finally unboxing. My order was confirmed 3 1/2 minutes after the sale began. I’ll probably plug them in to my Sansui 4000 for the initial listen and then move on to the tube amps from there. I have a feeling I’ll be here a while.

 

[MaxP]

Seven months and a day after ordering I’m finally unboxing. My order was confirmed 3 1/2 minutes after the sale began. I’ll probably plug them in to my Sansui 4000 for the initial listen and then move on to the tube amps from there. I have a feeling I’ll be here a while. View attachment 2473463

Did you order them with clarity caps? Those look fantastic, by the way!

 

[Guido57]

Seven months and a day after ordering I’m finally unboxing. My order was confirmed 3 1/2 minutes after the sale began. I’ll probably plug them in to my Sansui 4000 for the initial listen and then move on to the tube amps from there. I have a feeling I’ll be here a while. View attachment 2473463

3 minutes behind my order, 6 months behind my delivery. I guess there were a bunch of us ready to 'snipe' when the sale went live. I can say my Large Advents haven't seen much use lately. I find the DW's sound good on all my amps, including a Sansui 5000A and even a lower end Onkyo that uses the STK power pacs. Don't have any tubes though.

 

[Nimbley]

Did you order them with clarity caps? Those look fantastic, by the way!

I ordered with the standard caps. I have a pair of Jupiter copper foil and oil to try but was going to give the Erse caps some time first. So far initial impression is that I really like the speakers after spending the evening bringing them to life. They do very well with the Sansui CC amp. 9 o'clock on the volume knob begins to get into the "damn that's loud" range but beautiful. The Sansui has a fairly warm sound and has me smiling from ear to ear. Steely Dan vinyl has never sounded so good in my house.
Next was my Harman Kardon EL84 integrated. It's a freshly restored amp and it pairs beautifully with the Zu's. It won't blow the windows out but can definitely get to uncomfortable levels. The small details are what I notice here...bells, cymbals, fingers on strings, the vocalist breathing.
The last amp of the evening was the Dynaco ST-70 hooked to the 8ohm taps. I haven't tried the 16ohm taps yet. The sound here is the best of the previous two amps. Maybe not quite as detailed as the HK but now the speakers are showing some ass. Up to this point bass has been great but now its punching with authority. This is a fun sound and will probably be how I drive the speakers most days. Even at low volume they retain the fullness and still give the clarity that can make me jump. Not a bit of buyers remorse at this point.
Starting very soon I'm going to begin the weekend's auditioning. I'll probably first switch to the 16ohm taps on the Dynaco but don't expect much change from the 8ohm. After that I have a pair of Zenith EL84 mono amps, a Magnavox SE EL84 amp, and then one that started me on this journey, my HH Scott 299c. Trying all the flavor combos is what I never get bored of. I've been using all forms of media for inputs. Vinyl, R2R, Cassette, CD, and Amazon HD via Schiit DAC. I should have enough coffee and wine to last the weekend. Once the amplifier swapping is done my next step is to decide what room they're going in and then get them tuned to the space.
I would like to place blame and thank all on this thread that inspired this purchase almost a year ago.

 

[MaxP]

Fantastic! Glad you’re enjoying them!

 

[eyewanders]

...Once the amplifier swapping is done my next step is to decide what room they're going in and then get them tuned to the space.

Or, if you're anything like @HiFiJeff , you'll just order another pair or two.

edit: Oh wait! I just realized what I said. Oooph. Oh well.

 

[Cornclown]

After reading this thread I got in on the last Dirty Weekend sale July 1 2021 - got them Jan 21 2022. First new speakers since the Sony APM-55W's in 1985!
I got the clarity caps and have been very happy. The Sony APM's get day use and ZU's get fired up at night. I do think they sound better at eyeball height.