Zu Druids upgraded Vs Essence

213cobra: I am very excited to hear them, and astonished that the smaller cabinet produces more low end extension as you say. They put measurements of the Soul on the website, and it is really flat (almost too flat) -- a stark contrast to the ragged Essence in Stereophile and the poorly measured Druid in something I forgets.

The plots look so good that I cannot beleive they are the real deal!

(Also, the very flat HF make me nervous because those tend not to sound good. but what can i say, if I was graph guy I would never try Druids which I do like).

As for amps, if I get PushPull frankly I might as well stick with solid state. The magic I hear is in SET, whether it is transistor or tube (which is why I like Nelson Pass -- they are interesting) but, although level is fine, I hear strain at 30W.

I had not realized impedence was even higher--wow!

>> if I get PushPull frankly I might as well stick with solid state. The magic I hear is in SET<<

There's plenty of magic in a well-executed push-pull tube amp that is elusive in p-p solid state. The two devices are dynamically quite different, and tonally dissimilar - except when they're not. While I agree on the preference for SET, and especially love the synergy between 845 SET and the Zu FRD, you can get excellent results from exceptional p-p tube amps like a used Jadis, Quad Classic II, Quad Two-Forty, vintage Mac MC225 or MC40, MC30 monoblocks, MC240, EAR, Wright Sound, Luxman, lots of others, will yield a sound so distinctly different from p-p solid state as to be essentially unavailable from silicon. If you like silicon better, fine. But p-p topology doesn't make the difference between solid state and vacuum tubes moot. In solid state, Pass-designed amps tend to sound very fine. The current Luxman Class A integrated is a great match; 47 Labs, LFD, Valvet's power amps.

Phil

thanks you for list of amps.

let me ask you, are any of them 50W+?

thanks you for list of amps.

let me ask you, are any of them 50W+?

Zanon,

I have not heard the Druids before, let alone own a pair. I use my First Watt F1 with a pair of Cain & Cain Abby speakers, but have read that this amp worked well with the Druids.

I guess I'll have to wait and see. I like how my system is sounding these days and hope this is a change I'm happy with.