Zu Druid questions

Jack,

Appreciate your post regarding your initial perspective of the Druids sound. Thanks for sharing.Its obvious you hear some of what they do very well in terms of harmonic coherency and tonal truthfullness.

I find it interesting also your noting that at this point they wouldn't hold up to the Ushers in terms of bass extension (agree with that, hands down)..but in terms of "bass detail.imaging, soundfield width or depth,seperation or air around the instruments" to para quote... I found just the opposite in my experience//The Ushers were way too "hi-Fi", laid back, and were quite image challanged compared to the huge soundstage and depth of the Druids..Not to disagree with your findings, as your system and room are different than mine of course as well as equipment..

I will say that paired with a very good SET amp such as my Dared 845..the match is heavenly and just blows past anything I had with the Ushers at any point.

I suspect( and as you rightly mention) you need lots of break-in time and tweeking. Its critical (Very critical in fact) to size the gap at the base plates so allow the bass to work properly. Too much gap = bass overhang and is un-tuneful..to little= lack of bass and thin sound. Get the gap right and its well balanced, tuneful and just right. I used the jewel case of a cd to adjust to its height..very much like a feeler guage..this way I knew I was accurate and matched. Make sure they are at least 4 or more ft from the front wall..this really get them a huge soundfield and depth. In my set up..I towed them just to the outside of my ears..I could just see the inner sides of the speakers as I sat in the sweet spot.In my set up..this "locks" me in so-to-speak.Excellent!

Last week,I added Zu's mini method and I am thrilled with it. This will really put them in the killer catagory IMO. Seamless agumentation in the low end.

Dont be timid to try a good SET amp..Thats where the Druids shine. Having heard them with several SS and El-34 based amps were okay..but nothing compared to a true SET amp's sound. Its there youll find the sweetness of the Druids in the soundstage, depth and imagaing dept.

All this said..Let me congratulate you on your purchase and wish you many years of enjoyment with them.

I just found a nice pair of Quads to play with ( always wanted them!!)..Ill set them up for awhile, but I know Ill likely keep the Druids for what they are capable of, even if the Quads sound excellent, theres something very special about the Zu's in my room!

Best,
Ken

Ken, thanks so much. Perhaps they will open and surpass the Ushers in my set-up as well, but right now they don't in the areas mentioned. As you said, different equipment, room, etc.

What amazes me is that I don't consder them as good in all these areas, but still like them so much better. I realize this probably makes no sense what so ever, but it's just how it is. I obviously could never be a professional author or reviewer. :0)

I read much about these speakers before making the plunge and did set them using the CD case. I've got a thick carpet and pad and barely had enough threads on the spikes to get the separation I needed. I still need to experiment with this gap, but figured I'll give them the proper break-in first.

The tow-in you use sounds exactly how I chose to place mine as well. Zu's recommendation was to get them as far apart as possible and point them at the listening position.

I have mine spaced 10' apart, 2' from the rear wall to the back of the speakers (my living room is my listening room, can't move them out any further), and 14' to my listening position.

I have a large entertainment center between the speakers. This obviously will effect the depth, imaging, etc., but it will do so equally for both pairs of speakers.

Did you also use your tube equipment with the Usher's? If so, maybe they didn't take as well as my Odyssey. Who knows? Once again, it's the synergy. You described the Usher's sound as laid back, but this certainly is not the case with my rig. I was looking for ways calm them down a bit.

I'm curious to know how big your room is and how much power that SET amp puts out. I have another thread going in the amp forum as I have been considering a integrated amp with HT by-pass, tube amp, tube CDP, etc.

I would also like to try the Zu sub at some point, but I think I need to fill other priorites first (Zu center speaker for HT).

The important thing is that I have speakers I'm just thrilled about. Everything from here out is just icing on the cake.

Now I just need to get my Usher's up for sale so I can by some more toys. ;0)

Ah...so you dont have the Druids placed on something hard like a slab or granite base? This is important to do, since it will focus and tune the down firing slot loaded area under them. Carpet will only diffuse and make the bass weak, wooly and soft. Take a look at my system pic and see what I mean. The base's make a dramatic difference.

Its a shame you cant get them out further than 2 feet..but we have to work around what we have.

My room is 19x22x8 and opens into a hallway/ dining area. The 845 amp puts out 18W and is more than enough for my set up. I didnt use this amp with the Ushers, but used several such as Manley Stingray, a modded Jolida 502A, McIntosh 6100 integrated and a Plinius SA 250 on the 81's at one point (first amp used on the 81's when they were new) All with good results. But, as mentioned previously. If you can run a SET amp at some point..by all means do it!

Enjoy!

Ken

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

Jack_dotson (Threads | Answers)

Interesting, because when I re-read my comments above on the speaker measurements your description matches entirely what would be expected. Perhaps measurements are worth something...not much but they do offer some guidance.

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

This is something the measurements are unable to quantify. Perhaps the most important aspect of any speaker for many music lovers and shows why this is such a successful speaker.

Enjoy and Congratulations! Thx for the forthright review.

your ushers are classics