Anyone listen to Zu Audio's Definition Mk3?


Comparisons with the 1.5s and the others that came before? Getting the itch; again......
128x128warrenh
Break in is a very interesting phenomenon. My Def2s broke in fully within 48hrs, and this was direct from the US to London in sub zero temps!
My 4s otoh, delivered in the late Autumn, first spending 8 weeks with Roy Gregory who used them for his Audio Beat review, and yet they have been sounding more relaxed and powerful literally everyday since I've had them since late Oct.
Now, I have been experimenting a lot with setup, so who knows whether this is burning in or just that they are ruthlessly revealing, transparent and neutral and really benefit from really careful approach to set up.
All I can say is do NOT expect them to sound of their best immediately, and ask your wife to send out a search party periodically as you fail to resurface from your Zu project!
48 hours?? Sub zero and they sounded good? What were you smoking?...lol....What was the shipping cost on that? Do you have those 850s crossing over behind you? From what Phil says, this seems to be the way to go, since the dispersion is better than previous Defs. Do you love the bottom end? I mean when you’re cranking that mother to some serious earth shaking fender bass rock. You can give me the 4 string jazz bass too. Enough questions for ya? Oops there's another!!
I get my kicks purely thru music, waccy baccy not so much. Shipping cost maybe around $700, but this is across the Atlantic.
Initially I had the tweeters crossing too far in front of me, but with Phil's advice reduced the toe in so they cross just behind - I sit 12' back from them, and just see the inner walls of the cabinets.
The only bottom end I prefer to the 4s is Beyonce's LOL, oh and my GFs'! But seriously, the 4s bass is SERIOUS. Hard to believe the single 12" driver so outclasses the 4 x 10"ers of the 4s, but it's almost embarrassing. The trick is to make sure the bass tilt doesn't crossover much higher than the natural roll offf of the FRDs into the sub bass, in most rooms this'll be 35-40Hz.
The rock solid Al plinth fixing of the sub driver, and superb performance of the FRDs into bass territory really elevates the performance over previous models.
The bass can really be cranked up, but what is really impressive is bass articulation at lower levels which enhances presence of the whole presentation.
Initial chills of anticipation will give way to the warmth of what I call cognitive calm. In other words, the sound is so balanced, and very much akin to how music is experienced live, that a real subconcious relaxation envelops where you're not picking the sound apart, just allowing it to wash over you. This I really believe to be due to a lack of musical energy being degraded by traditional xover, and the FRDs providing over 90% of the musical spectrum in an entirely holistic manner. The spell is completed by a really sweetly performing high end and foundation gripping low end. But don't feel that talk of calm and relaxation means a laid back or boring sound, no nothing of the sort. The 4s possess uncanny rhythmic and dynamic grip ie one can relax into the music and have edge of your seat excitement, all at the same time.
I often find compliments from non-audiophiles most instructive of all: my best friend's GF, an avowed non believer in spending any money on a system, listened to an average lp pressing of some Elvis, and excitedly stated she couldn't locate where the music was coming from, she'd never experienced such transparency in listening to music before. Nuff said. Quite an achievement. Thank God I'm never likely to be afford the Dominance, if I did I might never leave the apartment! The other component in my system that is demonstrating this total lack of strain is my direct rim drive tt/linear tracking arm, so devoid of jarring analogue artifacts it's unreal.
So Warren, I just KNOW you are going to be so happy with these. You'll never feel the need to move beyond them.