Zu Omen Dirty Weekend Setup tips

Thanks whoopycat, that's great information.  I'll play with my Anthem's tone controls and maybe even set up some custom ARC curves.

I've looked at the Loki more than once, so that's also an interesting idea.  I'd honestly rather not add a sub so you've given me some food for thought.

So the tip that nobody gave me was don’t be a dumbass and leave your amp on the 4 ohm taps. I can now confirm that the 8 ohm taps definitely sound better. I’ll probably listen for a bit before trying the 16 ohm taps. Nominal spec is 12 ohm but characteristic is 14 ohm according to the chart Zu has with some of their snubbing resistors. Still a tube noob so I’m not used to so many choices.
The carpet spikes are LONG. Fully inserted the spike protrudes about 1-1/2”. So I’ve got plenty of clearance under. Initial bass response is fine. I know intellectually that I’m missing that little last bit of extension that I had before and it would probably show up on a test sweep but why would I listen to test tones already. I have some spare shelves for those IKEA CD racks that were recently discontinued. I bet sliding one under each finger port would provide the opposite extreme for comparison. But not yet. Leonard Cohen is currently telling me I’m in the right ball park as is. I heard a more hiss as a Ben Folds Five track trailed off than I’m used to, but the decibel meter tells me I’ve turned the volume up about 10dB more than usual without noticing. Coincidentally the DW are about 10dB more efficient than my Dynaudio Audience 82 are. These are easy to play loud. Good thing I’m in a house and not an apartment. I’m missing the deepest bass a little with Meshell Ndegeocello but not enough to stop the volume from creeping up again. Got swept up in a Saint Saëns cello concerto. I had a feeling cello would shine on the Zu. I don’t need a speaker to shake the earth or rattle the windows but you can’t roll off too early and miss the upright bass in a small jazz ensemble either. This wasn’t initially intended to be a play by play of my first listening session. There’s some Stanley Clarke, Propellerheads, Johnny Cash, Iggy Pop, Gillian Welch, Dizzy Gillespie, Police, Portishead and it’s going to be a long night. I should pour a drink and put down my phone. I think I’m getting an idea what people mean by Zu sound. "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."
If it matters:
Primaluna DP HP
Schiit Saga+ (meant to be temporary, but I like)
Oppo BDP-105
Bluesound Node 2i
Cables are some Cullen and some Zu. 

I'm not sure gear "matters" but it's always cool to see what others are using.  It sounds like your enjoying yourself and isn't that what all of this is about?

I just took possession of a refurbished Dual 1219 and wow has that transformed the Dirty Weekends.  Well it hasn't transformed them as much as it's allowed them to show me what they're all about.  I'm finally in love.

I guess I didn't realize how much my AT LP120 was holding them back.  I haven't enjoying listening to records this much since getting back into it seven years ago.  The grin hasn't left my face since unboxing the turntable yesterday.

Since you listed your gear, here's mine:

Anthem MRX 520
Dual 1219 with Ortofon OM10
Schiit Mani
Sony SCD-CE595
Cables are Blue Jean and a hodgepodge of Acoustic Research & Monster Cable from decades ago. 

Oh and of course the Zu Omen Dirty Weekend in Rustic Hickory

Mine are Rustic Hickory, too. I just couldn't justify spending $150-400 extra for a special paint job on $1,000 speakers. I did spring for the upgraded capacitor though.If I ever move up the line I might look at a premium finish, even the hickory are damn nice to look at. I haven't had the speakers 3 days or finished tweaking the setup, and I'm already thinking about the upgrade path. Shameless.

Looks like you found your weak link. I hadn't changed any gear in years until recently and I've noticed it does change the way you listen. There's the old debate about listening to gear versus listening to music, but sometimes listening to gear makes you hear the music again. I've been playing a lot of stuff I hadn't heard in years. And since I only recently started streaming there is an enormous back catalog of stuff I always wanted to listen to but never got around to buying. Priorities.

Glad you like 'em.  I'm a big fan of the rustic hickory finish.  I had DW's in rustic and my Druids are also in rustic hickory with a light rub to make the wood grain pop just a little bit more.