Considering Zu Dirty Weekend over my current B&w 702s2


I’ve felt for a long time (since I got them) that my 702s2 floorstanders have excellent “analytical” sound but are just missing the “life” that I want from my system. I swapped my Parasound P6 preamp for a Schiit Freya+ with some nice tubes that improved things significantly, but still feel a long way from the sound I want. I’m strongly considering the Zu Dirty Weekend 6 to replace the B&Ws, but I realize that’s a pretty big step down in “level”. So I’m wondering…am I going to regret it? Anyone have experience with both speakers they can share?

 

ps running Bluesound Node 2 as the main source and Parasound A21 amp. 

eburb

Ah.  Good to know.  Schiit DACs aren’t known to be sterile sounding nor are your interconnects or amp so I’d look elsewhere.  Given all the info I think trying new speakers makes sense, and the DWs will certainly sound very different. 

I went from Wilson Watt Puppy 8 to Zu Def Supreme and although on paper a step back, it definitely isn’t. Zu is very different but in a good way. Superbly alive and really engaging 

The Zu DW and B&W are two different sound.  The Zu are dynamic and lively vs B&W warm sound.  Zu is best match with tube amps like @rar1 stated with the Prima Luna.  The Zu D&W is a 12ohm speaker that needs little to drive them. One syatem I heard that I thought sound amazing was a Klipsch Forte with a Decware Zen Triode.  These high sensitive speaker doesnt take much for.them to sing.

thanks for all the input, everyone! My B&w speakers got damaged in shipment (when I originally bought them) and so have been very hard to sell. However, so diy room treatment (rock wool/roxul panels) along with a Pass Labs xa25 have really fixed the situation. So much more balanced, better imaging, and more pleasing highs. For what it’s worth, I installed the Pass amp before treatments and confirmed that made a very big difference, so I can highly recommend it! But room treatments are also super-cheap and huge benefit…much cheaper than a Pass amp :-) in any case, I’m happy now! Thanks again!

I’ve been wanting to try a Zu speaker for awhile, so when they came out with the DW6, my ears perked up and I recently bought a pair. I’ve owned and loved 3 pairs of more expensive Devore speakers for the last 10 years, so that’s where I’m coming from. First, be warned, the DW6 takes awhile (probably 150 hours) to get to where you can hear what they are capable of. If you are not patient and go by initial impressions, you will think you’ve been duped. Once broken in, they pretty much play like Steve Guttenberg describes in his YouTube video. I’d describe them as intense with an immediate, visceral connection to the performers and songs. My wife rarely comments on the system or makes requests, but after we listened to some classical music radio for awhile one afternoon, she said she noticed they were really starting to break in and sound good, and asked me to play some Steely Dan. I put on "Countdown to Ecstasy" streaming on Tidal (through our Naim Unity Atom) and she couldn’t stop raving about everything she was hearing. And we weren’t discussing the "highs" and the "bass" but the great lyrics, interplay of the musicians, and just digging the songs. Right now the DW6s are in our large living area so they can break in on the Naim Atom, replacing a pair of Sonus Faber Lumina 3s, which we both really like. But the Zu speakers are more full-bodied, direct and intense and I’m afraid I’ll never be able to get them back into my dedicated listening room to compare with the Devores. They are that good.