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anyone heard zu definition speakers?

I am sekeing to replace my current Quad 988's. My budget will go up to $15,000. I use Thor tube amplification 150 wattt monoblocks, Thor line stage aned phono stage, Thor Dac, with a Cary 306/200 which I use as a transport. My analog is a VPI Scoutmaster. In any case, My Quads don't have the dynamics and without the Audio Physics Sub there would be no bottom end at all. The room has been treated by Mike Kochman of Echo Busters and things have dramatically improved. But, the speaker. I've read that the ZU Definition was excellent. Have any fellow
music lovers heard the Zu Definition. All speaker suggestions would be welcome. My room is 20x 20 with 12 foot ceilings.
kjl
tbg
5,263 posts
 
Matrix, the woofers on the Definitions are only from 40 Hz down as I recall. The Lowthers are only good down to about 64 Hz. You do need a subwoofer with them also.

As you suggest, the Beauhorns are not for big group sound such as swing big bands, opera, or symphonies. When I got the Acapella LaCampanellas, I realized what I had been missing in the midbass area.
matrix
305 posts
 
Tbg, not the front woofers, they are True full range crossoverless 10"'ers and respond from 40hz up to 12khz perfectly, the 4 rear 10's are in fact only 40hz Down on their own amplifier, the supertweeter picks up the range at 12khz up to who knows, but something in the 30khz or something but yes beyond 20khz... they will also put out 130db no sweat, but you will :) So they are basically a 2.5 way I guess would be a good explanation, maybe a 3 way but with no filters. They are super natural and very dynamic and extremly powerful sounding, I would not get into a street fight with them they might punch you thru the backwall.
miklorsmith
146 posts
 
Yeah, these buggers will play obscenely loud. And, bass doesn't get compressed when they're loud. There truly is no substitute for driver surface area. I live in a 3-story house. The stairwells don't match up. Last week, the family was playing in the upstairs bedroom with the stereo playing in the basement and Jack Johnson was clear. The sound was excellent, not compressed or distorted. Wowsers.

These speakers do something I've never heard. They turn the air in the room into another medium. Not air, not water, the room's atmosphere becomes more dense, like something you could touch and ripple by running your hand through it. Like if it was just a tiny bit denser you could see it. It's utterly amazing.

They won't do this with all amplifiers. My Clari-T with its reduced gain gets it a little bit. The AudioZone AMP-1 doesn't really do it at all, but with the hi-gain Clari-T, the result is astounding. Mine has been sent back to reconcile the gain.

So, I wouldn't assume these will be perfect with every gear combination, but if you get it right, the result transcends hi-fi.
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