Are Zu Druids really good HE speakers?

Listen to them before you buy. I heard them and was not too impressed and neither was the dealer who was showing them.
However, the problem may have been an issue of a less than ideal amp for the speakers. I plan to hear them again with different amplication before I pass judgement.
Many have bought the speakers and love the sound. Judge them with YOUR ears and good luck with your decision.

I have the Zu Tone monitors, and if they are anything like the Druids, this is what you will get IMO:

Good Stuff

1) A speaker with electrostatic speed and detail without the power requirements, limited sweet spot, and space requirements.
2) A speaker with absolutely huge soundstage, both front to back and side to side.
3) A speaker that is SET amp friendly, although I dispute Zu's claims about 101db sensitivity; see below.

Not So Good Stuff

1) Tonally, the speaker is very innaccurate. I spoke to Zu about this, and they claim that the speaker was tested for a very even frequency response in an anechoic chamber, but even after many hours of break-in, I dispute this. I have taken many measurements with varying measurement devices and techniques, and maintain my opinion that these speakers (at least my pair) are not accurate. If you read the article in the Jaunuary 2006 Absolute Sound about the 2nd Rethm speaker (which is full range), this IMO also describes the attributes of the Zu Tone (both positive and negative) almost perfectly (with the exception of high frequency extension, which Zu speakers have due to their supertweeter). The most apparent tonal anomalies of the Zu Tone's are a very peaky upper midrange (about 7-8 db, centered about 1.4kHz but going all the way to over 5kHz), and a reduced bass response (about 8 db) centered about 70hz.

2) As others have indicated, there seems to be a pretty long burn-in time (which reduces some hardness), but it is not nearly as dramatic as some have suggested.

3) Since they are so detailed, they are not forgiving of other sources in the chain, especially poorly recorded music, which there is an awful lot of.

I use digital EQ to correct the tonal anomalies described above. Once this is done, the 'sensitivity' of the speaker will be reduced. One reason I believe it measures so high is due to the big bump in the upper midrange (which requires less power than lower frequences), and the reduced bass output.

If you are willing to correct for these anomolies using EQ (or of course if you like the sound of the speakers without it), these speakers sound absolutely lovely. I've never heard a dynamic speaker sound so detailed and image so well, and I've had some pretty good speakers (including large Martin-Logan electrostatics). Even the bass once corrected, is very fast and detailed (although I am supplementing the low bass with a pair of subwoofers).

Good luck!

One other thing I forgot: the speakers can play quite loud without breakup, which might help with your HE speaker decision.

- Stew

I heard the Druids at the VTV show in Arcadia and I have to agree with the first comment. I was not in the least impressed. Maybe they were not fully broken in but....

Mechans,
Your experience is your experience but I have to challenge your characterization of the Druids. Mine are only 2 weeks old and they sounded very special right out of the box. If they are going to get better as they break in, that will be so much the better but I am absolutely thrilled with my purchase.
I replaced a pair of Goldmund Dialogues with the Zu Druids and never had a second thought. I have new Rowland electronics (Concerto and 201s)and Zu cables (Libtec and Gede). The sound is very natural, fast and precise. There is an openness and realism that might be disappointing to those who crave pyrotechnic sound affects, but for the lover of acoustic sounds and mellifluous vocals, nothing in my experience exceeds them except their larger (and 3 times as costly) sibling.
Perhaps someday you'll have another opportunity to evaluate this remarkable product. I've been in and around this biz for many years and to my mind the Zu Druid represents a paradigm shift. Different people will catch on at different times but these are the real deal.
I predict that most of us will own these or someone's imitation thereof within just a few years. The concept is unassailable and the execution amazingly effective.