Disclaimer: I am the present owner of the Zu Soul Superfly, and I have previously owned the Druid Mk4, and the Essence.
The summary so far is:
1. Some people who have heard Zu speakers like them.
2. Other people who have heard Zu speakers do not like them.
3. There exists a set of measurements conducted by Stereophile in 2002 of an older version of the Zu Druid and these measurements are unflattering to Zu.
4. People who like Zu speakers consider the 2002 Stereophile measurements as not being an accurate representation of the capabilities of the 2002 Druid owing to a somewhat unique design.
What is interesting too is a recent Stereophile review of the Zu Essence. In it, John Atkinson measures the Zu Essence and has this to say about it:
"In many ways, the Zu Essence is an underachiever, measurement-wise. But the surprise for me, when I auditioned it in AD's room, was how much of its measured misbehavior was not too audible, other than the rolled-off highs and the lack of impact in the lower midrange. I suspect that Zu's designer has carefully balanced the individual aspects of the Essence's design so that the musical result is greater than the sum of its often disappointingly-measuring parts."
Also, Art Dudley in the same review of the Essence says this:
"With its very good bass extension, superb musicality, lack of egregious timbral colorations, and impressive spatial performance, the Zu Essence qualifies as the first loudspeaker I've heard that combines genuinely high efficiency with a level of audiophile performance for which no excuse needs to be made, all while being priced within the reach of the serious-but-not-crazy hobbyist. I'm really impressed with the EssenceĀand, yes, I could happily live with it myself: It's that good."
So I think even Stereophile says it sounds better than it measures.
The summary so far is:
1. Some people who have heard Zu speakers like them.
2. Other people who have heard Zu speakers do not like them.
3. There exists a set of measurements conducted by Stereophile in 2002 of an older version of the Zu Druid and these measurements are unflattering to Zu.
4. People who like Zu speakers consider the 2002 Stereophile measurements as not being an accurate representation of the capabilities of the 2002 Druid owing to a somewhat unique design.
What is interesting too is a recent Stereophile review of the Zu Essence. In it, John Atkinson measures the Zu Essence and has this to say about it:
"In many ways, the Zu Essence is an underachiever, measurement-wise. But the surprise for me, when I auditioned it in AD's room, was how much of its measured misbehavior was not too audible, other than the rolled-off highs and the lack of impact in the lower midrange. I suspect that Zu's designer has carefully balanced the individual aspects of the Essence's design so that the musical result is greater than the sum of its often disappointingly-measuring parts."
Also, Art Dudley in the same review of the Essence says this:
"With its very good bass extension, superb musicality, lack of egregious timbral colorations, and impressive spatial performance, the Zu Essence qualifies as the first loudspeaker I've heard that combines genuinely high efficiency with a level of audiophile performance for which no excuse needs to be made, all while being priced within the reach of the serious-but-not-crazy hobbyist. I'm really impressed with the EssenceĀand, yes, I could happily live with it myself: It's that good."
So I think even Stereophile says it sounds better than it measures.
