Zu Soul Superfly

Bjesien:

I think soul is good value at the price, although I do not know if I would pay more for soul superfly.

As for essence, well, i hate ribbons and they cut down sensitivitiy to make it work together, so it depends on whether you like that toneless ribbon sound and hi fi sparkle in HF.

many people like this as you can see from plethora of ribbon fans.

From what I gather, it appears that the Essence (more than the other Zu's) should be paired with a tube amp. I can state from experience that this is some extra "sparkle" when partnered with solid-state gear. That said, with toe-in limited so that the tweeters' axis converge behind the listener lead to a much more balanced sound. The "cuppiness" that some experience or point goes away with Libtec cables and proper toe-in. It is definitely there without proper toe-in. Also, moving to Mission cables from Gede cables helps tame the ribbon.

Can't speak to the Soul or SoulSuperFly. I also suspect that the impedance interaction with a suitably powered SET amp will improve the integration of the ribbon.

I would love to hear other's comments on any of the new Zu' and partnering amps. I was going with Quad amps but have decided on Manley 300B SE/PP monoblocks instead.

PMB

I would love to hear other's comments on any of the new Zu' and partnering amps. I was going with Quad amps but have decided on Manley 300B SE/PP monoblocks instead.

Soul Superflys with about 150 hrs on them, hooked to the 16 ohm taps of an Audio Space Ref 3.1 300B. Mission cables all around. I think there's real synergy there.

The speakers are about 2.5' from the back and side walls, 7' apart, and slightly toed-in toward the listening chair.

I don't really have the technical chops to give you a detailed review. I can say that I've been floored by a number of recordings from various genres; heard things I've never heard before, and yet find it easier than ever to get lost in the music. They make the music big.

At the sale prices Zu has ben offering these days, the difference between the Soul and the Superfly, is a no-brainer, if that is the Zu speaker you are after.

Running the Soul Superfly off the 8 ohm taps of a Leben C300sx and they sound fantastic. Have owned the Druid and the Essence and the Soul is my favorite Zu by far. My listening room is 12' by 10' and I sit approximately 7 feet from the speakers. I had to experiment with the angle of the front baffle by raising the footers on the front of the speakers tilting the speaker back to improve the speakers coherence. With the the speaker level seemed I was missing some of the information coming thru the fullrange and the speaker sounded dull. The soundstage is huge , bass is tight and deep- vocals are much improved over the Druid and Essence . Zu soul Superfly offers tone/texture/detail in a nonfatigueing package.