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Some impression on Zu Omen Definition

I just pick up a pair of Zu Omen Definition, and I have mixed feelings. It sound very different from my B&W.

First of all, the height of the sound. For my B&W, the sound is a bit higher than my ear level. But for the Zu, it is the same or a bit lower than my ear level. This sounds a bit weird. Because usually the singer will be on a stage, so, it is more natural to expect the sound is higher from my ear level.

Secondly is the depth. For my B&W, the singer is behind the speaker plane. For the Zu, the singer is very forward. It almost feel it is in front of the speaker plane. I don't know which way is better. Due to this difference, for the 30 mins or so .. I feel very weird listening to Zu.

Why would 2 speakers have so much different in presentation? The zu is much taller than the B&W, so, I expect it will project a bigger soundstage. And usually the sound stage is behind the speaker. But with the height and forward sounding, I can't say produce a big sound stage. Or can I say it produce a sound stage in front of the speaker plane, and I need to sit back further?
gte357s
morganc
255 posts
 
Well, just because you believe in something or not does not change the fact that it will take a minimum of 200 hours for break-in, and mine kept improving for maybe 300-400 hours. If you fall out of a tree it doesn't really matter if you believe in gravity, you are going down!

I was never a believer in break in either till I heard it myself with my Omen Defs. They went from so so to decent to great to crap all over the course of a week. I was questioning my decision to buy them on more than one occasion, then they settled down and now they sound great.

As for amps, you cannot go wrong with a Pass XA30.5 or F3, or pretty much any quality set amp. But if you have any weakness, your system will suffer.

And if you cannot get the sound you want, then your maybe too small.....in which case the Superfly's would be a much better choice as they are much smaller.
gte357s OP
281 posts
 
yes, I am researching on an amp, and I read someone said SS is better match to Omen Def, and particularly the Pass F3 and XA30.5. But I check, the XA30.5 has 26dB gain, which is not too much lower than my McCormack DNA-1 of 30dB gain. I am looking for something around 20dB gain. The F3 may be better as it has 12 dB gain.
What are the difference between the F3 with the SET on definitions. I listen to vocal, sax, cello, violin ...
morganc
255 posts
 
I have had both of the SS above and several set amps, it just depends on your room, your taste, and the synergy of your system.....tubes give you a bit more intimacy and improved tone, especially with jazz and vocalists, while the SS gives you a bit more dynamics, increased bass, etc.

With your music choices, I think a Set would be a good choice, but until you try both in your system you will not know what each can do for you......I bet Gopher can chime in as he has both also, and he is better with words than I:).

In my system, I love the Pass XA 30.5 as an all around performer for rock, electronica, jazz, vocalists....it all sounds good......and I just am selling an Art Audio 845, and for jazz, I am yet to hear better As for as tone, intimacy,soundstage,etc. ( though I think my new 300's will be my preference I just don't have enough hours on them yet to comment).

My guess is that if the McCormack is not the best pairing, then the next thing I would try would be a SET.
gte357s OP
281 posts
 
Actually, the McCormack sounds ok, I think. I cannot say if it is good or bad as I have no comparison. The only problem is the gain. I cannot turn on the volume knob of my preamp pass 9 o'clock, and I feel the sound is not as good as I turn the volume to a higher range.

but I just want to understand. For the Omen Definition, it seems it is better to have more watts compared to Druid or Essence. If I am looking for SET, what power I should get? I am thinking something 20 or above, but I think it is rare and expensive.
roscoeiii's avatar
roscoeiii
1,155 posts
 
I have had similar issues with gain in my system. I fixed it by using a jumper to bypass two of the tube sockets in my Atmasphere S30. Having had an F3 in my system I do heartily recommend that you try it. A wonderful sound. The Pass designs are wonderful. I would also recommend paying attention to the damping factor of an amp. With drivers like Zu uses, I find that overdamping can be an issue and negatively impact the bass. Aleph 30 for example was a fabulous amp, except that it had too high a damping factor for my full range drivers.
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