Zu introduces Soul 6


https://www.zuaudio.com/loudspeakers/soul-21

Major changes:
1. $5999 starting price
2. Okoume standard finish instead of hickory
3. Bigger cabinet - up from 31.5" to 36"
4. 120 days to audition in home!

Zu claims Druid 6-type performance, deeper bass than mk.II, more amp friendly, horn-like impulse response.
I am intrigued.  Soul Supreme is a nice value at $4500 so Zu must really feel this a step up in performance to price it above that.  

whoopycat

@kingofgix The Yggdrasil is a good DAC at its price. But if you are planning to spring for that I suggest you consider the mhdt Pagoda Balanced instead. I had a chance to directly compare both R2R DACs for three months. Both have organic, natural sound. The mhdt was better dynamically and does a noticeably better job of remaining uncongested in any combination of musical complexity and dynamic surge. The Yggdrasil's one slight advantage was in rendering deep bass, but on full orchestral works or even "stadium" rock, it smears events and loses instrument threads during crescendos while the Pagoda kept its composure and conveyed the weave intact. You also get some latitude to tune the Pagoda via choice of the output buffer tubes.

The comparison was made using tube adaptors to enable use of 6922 tube types in the 5670 sockets. That's key. The Pagoda retains its uncongested advantage with certain 5670 tubes but is dynamically burstier and more explosive, plus throws a larger soundstage, with a good 6922-type installed.

Then there is the matter of whether to spring for a Pagoda or Pagoda Balanced. If you don't have a balanced system, the single-ended Pagoda is fine and saves some cash over Pagoda Balanced or Yggdrasil. Theoretically, there is no reason to use a Pagoda Balanced in a single-ended system since via single-ended outputs you are only using half the circuit. But, having had both Pagoda Balanced and single-ended Pagoda (two systems), I found that Pagoda Balanced in a single-ended system sounds discernibly better via XLR>RCA adapters than via its own single-ended outputs or a Pagoda. So, given the price similarity, if you are prepared to buy an Yggdrasil, I suggest a Pagoda Balanced and a pair of balanced output adapters instead, along with 5670>6922 socket adapters and a nice pair of NOS 6922 or CCa tubes. If sticking with 5670 tube types, Raytheon 2c51 or Bendix 6385 come closest to what can be obtained using 6922 types.

Phil

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So much is made of the Zu’s house sound (and in particular the Soul 6’s) with Rock and electronica. I listen to a very wide variety of music including classic jazz (think Bill Evans, cannonball Adderly), vocal jazz, chamber music, classic rock, opera, metal, 60’s and 70s folk. How would more restrained music work?  Given the way in which people talk about the “lively” sound I can’t think I would either love or hate on the sound, given my source material. It’s not the most helpful. Right now my amplification is a Schiit Freya and dual Schiit Aegir’s. 

 

thanks