Zu Soul Superfly

Good to see more pictures but what's up with you people? You scared to go round the back or something? :)

Suspect there will be quite a few of us who recognise real world rooms like that. Good to see and, yes, actually the brown looks good.

My maple is wood rather than gloss or matte after much domestic negotiation. She's convinced it will look like the (supposedly maple) fireplace. I'm convinced it will look like the copper beech Hutter Racktime.

I shall post pictures and sound reports when the speakers arrive, however, I long ago abandoned any pretence at real photography when I acquired an iPhone. I suppose I could be sad; film it with the Flip HD and take some stills off of that.

Mike

Hey Zanon, madmilkman has posted pics of the soul with the designer/builders own 2 watt "yamplifier" Do you know something he doesn't? When are you getting your souls?

Venicelake:

When I listen to my audio system I have very specific ideas about where it performs to my satisfaction and where it does not perform. I know what I like and do not like about my sound very clearly, and I also have clear ideas about what I want as next step. In general, I do not like trying any new component without knowing first what I want component to do. Then I can judge by "am I closer or far?"

In my system, the problems I hear with midbass and upperbass have little to do with Zu Druid and mostly to do with room. The problem I hear in tone up and down again have little to do with Druid and mostly to do with amplifier (I think).

Therefore, my next investment will be focused on those two areas. Not on changing druid.

Still, I am intersted to hear about Soul and very much want opportunity to listen to it. Maybe I can convince friend to buy it.

Zanon,

I still don't fully subscribe to your belief that the Zus sound bad with low power, but I've gotta admit, I've now listened to them extensively with two amps with 35 tube watts and 85 ss and they do open things up a bit more than my Firstwatt.

It could just be the characteristics of the amps, but sound stage is a good bit more imersive and holographic with my Dynaco and borrowed Virtue TWO.2.

That said, the lower powered amp still offers the best bass performance of the three which is not something I associate with under powered amplification.

Venicelake:

My experience with Druids has been similar to Zanon's. I've gone as low as 4.8 watts (Almarro A205) to as high as whatever Monarchy SM-70 Pro monoblocks will output into 12 ohms, plus a number of amps with power in between. In my system and room and to my ears, 4.8 watts just didn't cut it. I found the FRDs didn't really come alive until I gave them about 25 watts. For now I've settled on an Audiosector Patek that makes about 50 watts.

That doesn't invalidate Sean's Yamamoto or 213cobra's Quad IIs or anyone else's low power amp experience. One of the cool things about Zu speakers is you can drive them with almost anything, subject to your tastes and budget. If you ever talked to Sean, as I did, at length before I purchased my Druids, he'd tell you the same thing.

After you get your Souls, feel free to use any amp you please.

:-)

David