Anyone listen to Zu Audio's Definition Mk3?

Marc,

I haven't heard any one TT drive type make all others moot, in the way that SET + Zu has been transformative for me. And I know of no one who has directly compared everything credible. I have, btw, heard the Palmer but not comparatively. It's good. Whether, for instance, it's better than the Acoustic Solid Wood Reference which is also excellent, I can't say comparatively.

How people who have heard the Dobbins Beat would in direct comparison judge alternatives as different as the DD Brinkmann Oasis, the BD 47 Labs Koma and the EAR Disk Master with its no-contact drive system, would be interesting and, practically, anybody's guess. The difficulty of access for straight-up comparison points out the futility of seeking "best." In today's boutique world of TTs, you're buying flavors, not perfection. Have fun choosing!

Phil

I am in the process of switching from top tier SS (Mac 601 monoblocks) to Sophia Electric 845 SET monos. Note- these aren't the Macs of old and are far from slow, sluggish, and dark.

I receive the new amps this week, so hope to have some impressions for you guys in a week.

I have owned or tried in my system:

BAT 300xSE
McIntosh MA6600
Shindo Haut Brion
Triode Labs 845 integrated
AudioValve Assistant
Vac Phi 200
Shindo Montille
McIntosh MC601s
MasterSound Due Venti
Onkyo 9555 integrated
Audion Black Shadows (though had a prob with the amp grounding---so were uncharacteristically noisy)

I decided to punt the MC601s as they don't do nuance well. I believe i can give up some slam (and there is no better amp I've tried for that, period) for some nuance and more texture. That said, the Macs are phenomenal amps and do the 3d thing that usually is reserved for tubes only.

The Shindo Haut Brion had my favorite mids---nothing plays strings better, period, that I've owned or demo'd. However it was dynamically lacking- and Shindo monos are pricy compared to many alternatives. I will probably pick up a used Cortese some day for fun.

KeithR

>>Audion Black Shadows (though had a prob with the amp grounding---so were uncharacteristically noisy)<<

To update this: what we thought was a serious ground loop we didnt have the time or means to resolve was instead a failing bridge rectifier on one of the mono amp's filament circuit. Since repaired and quiet was restored. It was more than uncharcteristically noisy -- the hum was overwhelmingly intrusive. We'll be doing that demo again, this time against the like-minded Sophia.

Phil

213 writes,

The less said about Gary's choices of expression in the prior inconsequential imbroglio the better

in·con·se·quen·tial  (n-kns-kwnshl, nkn-)
adj.
1. Lacking importance.
2. Not following from premises or evidence; illogical.
n.
A triviality.
in·conse·quenti·ali·ty (-kwnsh-l-t), in·conse·quential·ness (-shl-ns) n.
in·conse·quential·ly adv.

n. pl. im·bro·glios
1.
a. A difficult or intricate situation; an entanglement.
b. A confused or complicated disagreement.
2. A confused heap; a tangle.

Wow I guess if one has a different slant than what you preach you write such things. To bad you feel that way one one doesn't see it your way.

With the ( I believe permanent) world economic downturn, the new sustainable paradigm needs to be looking for excellence in engineering in real world priced packages.
Not looking for untenable 'bargains' and expecting longevity eg $40 dvd players and $200 plasma tvs, looking for bargains everywhere.
And in audio high end, repelled by $150000 uber speakers/amps/tts.
I SO agree with you Phil, as audio goes off on this dead end tangent, Wall Street brokers/hedge fund retirees/Swiss and Monaco tax exiles can keep their Magico/Kharma/Continuum/Wavac gear, the rest of the world will switch off audio even further.
So the point of this rant is to extol the virtues of newer companies like Zu who put so much innovative thought and quality into their product at prices most in this hobby can afford within a reasonable time frame. I'm sure this applies to Audion and Dave Berning etc. It certainly did with Hovland (RIP).
What's the point of Magico Q7 at $150000, even if trickle down benefits mean their cheapest speaker is twice as expensive as the Def4s with prob only a third ( I'm being generous) of the performance?
As this applies to tts, I'm going to look at well engineered models below $8000. This means the Palmer 2.5 belt drive, fantastic timing for a non DD/idler; Claro Audio Clarity Dual, superb build quality belt drive; Brinkmann Bardo, incisive and detailed DD; Inspire Monarch, excellent use/upgrade of time honoured Technics SL1200 DD technology; and biggest value for money of all, Trans Fi Salvation, idler dynamics/linear tracking neutrality.
Unfortunately 47Labs Koma, EAR Disc Master about twice my price limit, v.hard to get audition in UK, so non-starters.