Zu Druids - Two years after

Actually, the following is a quote from an interview with Adam Decaria that was publishd in 6Moons: "In short, it was time to restructure the lineup and retire the Tone, Druid, Definition and Method models. Call it progressing from the spring of Zu to the summer of Zu. . . . . One obvious element somewhat out of step with the revamp is the Presence model which we just introduced this year. It's really too new to be retired." Perhaps Adam mis-spoke. . .

Rleff: Good question. I did prefer the Druid over the Merlins, yes, but that is not to say they are the better speaker, they just do things in a way that I preferred and given my musical tastes and because of the tube equipment I use (Audiopax and Melody). The Merlin are more detailed but I love the dynamics and tone of the Zu speakers - both the Druid and Definition are excellent in this department IMHO.

How did the Merlin's with Audiopax compare to the Zu's with the same?

I just don't believe that a 10" midrange/woofer is going to capture the midrange. The bass,, yes. Midrange, no. Really short in that area. My opinion.

Sounds_real_audio
Not sure what the doubt is... Full range drivers of this size have been used for years, especially in pro audio with lots of PA systems(vocals) and guitars etc... Which are designed to excel in midrange!

Funny thing is the Zu's actually really take it to another level via they make it almost work like there is a 3.5 in midrange driver or whatever in the center by using the whizzer cone anyway to focus this sound just sharing a voice coil and single source for integration.. They are dynamic, smooth and very much more real sounding than many speakers I have heard using dedicated mid drivers of any exotics and size.

Not to mention this 10" driver has very limited excursion which is key to speed and making the midrange magic with energy still having a driver big enough moving some air for the lower frequencies, but the druid is not a bass speaker, its more of a midrange purity than anything else as a matter of fact, which is why to me they don't go low enough to truly put down the full range with authority...

Thats the druid speaker anyway, Zu has speakers that will make up for this in other models.