Zu Druid questions

Congrats Jack!...They are the latest Druids. Zu is selling the remaining stock of matte black and will be going to gloss black production as well as the other colors. But, the matte finish has ended, thus this sale it appears. I dont think the 60 day refund applies(I didnt see that it the ad... could be wrong on that..) however you can verify that with Zu. Either way, you can always sell them for your paid price(or close to it)..let us know how they sound. I believe Zu breaks them in for ~100 hours in-factory, but you will definitely want to get at least 200 hours logged on them to sound very good.

regards,
Ken

Thanks Ken. And yes, they do have the 60 day trial period listed as well. After reading the add again, I do see that they are the version IV's too.

Looks to be a really good deal. We'll have to see how they stand up against my 6381's.

If there as good as I think, I might just end up keeping both and starting a second system for two channel only.

Congratulations. I look forward to reading your review of the Zu's (please?). I certainly enjoyed the review you did of the Veritas 2.3i - judging from that review I expect you will be rather sorry to see them go.

Great to see that you have such confidence in the comments here. I have only once ordered a speaker without an audition of the specific model and I based my decision on the speaker user list (well known musicians) and knowledge of the manufacturers other designs rather than a forum thread. Kudos to you, as they say "Nothing ventured nothing gained!"

Shandorne, thanks, but it's not really that big of a risk. They have a 60 day in home trial and if I don't like them all I lose is shipping cost.

I will indeed be sorry to see the 2.3i's gone. They're a very special speaker for sure and one of my all time favorites. But, they were detrowned by my 6381's and as I said, we'll see how the Druids match up.

I wish I had the money to try everything and keep most.

You know how it goes. Always looking/listening. One day I will find the holy grail.

Also still looking for the "right" CDP, pre-amp, etc. but, that's another story. :0)

Can't wait to hit the lotto!!

I've had the Druids in my system for three days now. They are different from any other speaker I've heard. When hearing them for the first time I was not impressed. It sounded like they were distant, no bass (didn't have the spikes installed), and just bland.

My initial reaction was that I couldn't see how anyone could like these speakers. But, then things started to change. I don't know why and have no idea how to explain it.

I played them very loud for a good period of time and they seemed to just open up. I started to hear the magic others have raved about. Voices and instruments have a realness that I've not experienced before.

As expected, the bass is not extended and it's obvious the bottom octave is missing. Wierd thing is I could care less. The bass is there and sufficient for most music. As a matter of fact, it's much better than I expected. I used my SVS sub (not a good sub for music) cut @ 40Hz, but found I prefered not to use it.

If I were to compare them to my Ushers (CP-6381) and describe them in audiophile terms, they would not hold up.

They don't have the bass extension or detail, they don't image as well, don't have the soundfield width or depth, don't have the separation or air around the instruments, the highs are not as extended and are some what reticent, they look cheap in comparison, etc. etc. And, for these reasons I fully understand why many do not find what they're searching for.

However, what they are is dynamic, musical, and real. They make music fun again! It sounds like your listening to the real thing and not a stereo system. Just incredible! Once I start listening I don't want to stop.

I like them very much right now and if they're going to improve as they break in, then all the better. I've tried them with every type of music and liked it all. Bad recordings still sound like bad recordings, but maintain the realness. I think this is what others have described as accurate tone. Not sure what the correct term is, but I like what I hear.

I think their stated efficiency is a bit exagerated. They are rated ~ 13 dB higher in efficiency then my Ushers, but in reality they play only slightly louder with the volume at the same level. Perhaps this is because of the much higher impedance. I don't know, but I really really don't think I could use a low powered tube amp in my room.

I'll do an in-depth review and post in the review section when they're fully broken in. I just wanted to follow up with my initial observations.

Bottom line, IMO; if your a music lover you will like these speakers. If your an audio system lover you might not.

Mine will not be going back and the Ushers will be up for sale. And I really like the Ushers.