Compare: Salk Sound, Silverline, Tyler, Zu

Aktchi,
Check out this link:http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/zu2/definition.html
You'll find plenty of good photos and a very worthwhile review.
If you don't like the looks of Zu, cross them off your list and keep looking. If the best sound is your goal, you are on the right track.
I can assure you that the cabinet materials, the paint and the appearance are all well considered and carefully selected elements of a very successful speaker design. Where Zu is lacking is in marketing but that is their problem not yours now that you have been made aware of them.

Ton 1313: Even if they have chosen offer only paint, I hope they will soon put a few good photos of what a painted panel looks like.

Macrojack: I have read the 6moon review. Interestingly they are equlayy gung ho about a Gallo model which is priced similarly to Druids. The red of Zu's iis striking but not my thing. Most people who want to order a trial pair might like a few clear photos to help them choose between black and what Zu call "Tokyo Forest".

I'll wait to see what Zu does next. Like many revolutionary designs, theirs too may take a couple model cycles to stabilize.

In the meantime, moving away from Zu a little...Has anybody here actually compared Tylers and Salks side by side?

That would be quite interesting indeed if someone has...

I think finding someone who has heard both Tyler and Salk side by side is going to be difficult as Tyler is a very small brand and Salk even smaller still, not to mention they are both mail order direct brands.

I suppose there could be an owner that owns both brands (as they kind of appeal to the same kind of target clientele) but again, it is probably going to be hard to find them if they exist. Who knows though, *I* may want to buy the HT-1s for my bedroom system someday, so maybe I'll be the first. :-)

---Dave

On Zu finishes: My Druids are gloss red. They were bought used and had been updated by the factory to near MkIV status. Sean says they're "Mk 3.5" by virtue of having the current supertweeter with the prior gen FRD, and a slightly different expression of the Griewe model. Point is, they were painted early in Zu's life. They have a little orange peel and Zu's panel sanding precision wasn't quite what it is today. Nevertheless, they meet with enthusiastic approval from even finicky people who are accustomed to veneered speakers.

My Definitions were ordered new, in custom automotive finish. The blue speakers in one of the Six Moons photographs are mine. They are a Maserati color, Blue Nettuno, duplicated in DuPont Chroma. Even these speakers do not quite match what Zu is capable of today with their new paint booth, and they are all-but-glass in their surface finish. They are uniformly regarded as more gorgeous still than my Druids.

The factory offers their satin finishes as standard prices. They upcharge for standard gloss with has some orange peel similar to mass-market cars. A little further upcharge gets standard gloss with a little hand-cutting to reduce the orange peel. Then the top upcharge is for a fully cut finish like glass.

Honestly, the Zu design aesthetic is almost unimaginable in woodgrain. It would seem visually dissonant to me. A friend of mine just ordered black gloss, going into a home with mainstream wood finishes on furniture and fixtures. And they will look fully compatible. Given the phenolic jacket in the cabinet construction, paint is the logical finish and I believe most people will find it interesting and compatible to a wide range of decors, if they give it a chance.

Phil

and I bought the Druids. The Salks sounded very good, but lacked the jump factor of the Druids - really explosive dynamics on music like electric blues, and electronica. On classical I think there was less difference. Overall, for $1200 less, the Druids were a great bargain. The Salks had beautiful woodworking, but the sound of the Druids cliched the deal for me.