Zu Defintion 1.5 vs Def IV

Morgan,
First off, I don't think I had the Def 3's here long enough for a good
comparison evaluation. Sounds like Phil actually has more hours logged on
the Def 3 than I had in the short period they were here. And, I certainly can’t
touch his expertise in describing the two.
In any event, my initial complaint to Sean with the 3's was a somewhat
bright top end-mostly with CD's. I had no complaints playing vinyl though.
Sean had me try rolling tubes and toeing out the speakers. Rolling tubes
didn't do much for the brightness, but toeing out helped a bit. In all fairness, I
have a lot of ceiling (drywall) here, and nothing can be done about it. As for
WAF that is.
The Radian 850 tweeter was a big improvement over the 3’s for my ears.
None of that harshness I had with the 3’s. And I can report that I am listening
to more digital than ever since my re entry into vinyl a few years ago. I will say
though that my 4’s are toed out just enough so they cross somewhere just
behind my listening spot to sound best to me.
As for my amp change, I was finding that at times I was maximizing the
volume of the PX25. 6 watts of SET power should be fine for most, but I do
like to rock sometimes and my room is on the large side. I wanted more
reserve power on hand so I picked up an 845 based Art Audio Carissa at 16
watts per channel. Sean mentioned to me that for my musical tastes and room
size that 10 watts should be minimum. I have plenty of reserve power on
hand with the Carissa.
I still say that I think the Def 3 is a bargain of a lifetime! You get a lot of
the Def 4 for about 1/2 the cost.

Thanks Mark. No Radian on the Def3s is the deal breaker for me. The high end was always a bit of a problem for me with my Def1.5s and listening to all the Zu people who have heard both, including you, makes this a no brainer. Now all I have to do is pack and ship my 1.5s (ouch) and wait. My SET is good for 32wpc clean. Ear bleed levels for me. Speaking of ear bleed levels, year ago I had a friend bring over his Bryston 4B to hook up to my rig to hear what these babies could do. Never got close to red lining the Bryston. My pictures were moving. Devastating, ear shattering, killer sound. My Bel Canto does it when I need the hair on the back of my neck to stand. Most of my listening is oh so sweet.

I often wonder how long it takes in this expensive hobby for people to become tired of the search for 'their' system. I know that I have spent, and lost, a bunch of money in the 3 years since I truly have explored high end audio. Thankfully I ran, and researched, my way into wonderful products. My delight was pretty much satisfied by my Zu Essence.

I have agree that when you have not heard Zu, any Zu will do. That is my experience exactly.

My experience what works now is a time and fate thing. If my Def 1.5 amp had not blown, audio life would go on 'til something else happened with my rig. My laser is going south on my Exemplar, hence, a new laser or a different more costly John Tucker mod? It's crazy, but I have had this rig for 5 years and have been very satisfied. The thought of going from the 1.5 to the 4 is very exciting. With the trade in it is $$ friendly to the wife. Happy Holidays

Late Channakah gift: Ordered my Def4s today. Zu (love those guys) will give me lead time to send back my Ibis speaker cable to reterminate. When they arrive I plunk my Def 1.5s in the box and back to Zu for my credit. Fedex or UPS? I'm leaning Fedex from experience (from The Hamptons NY), but never shipped anything this big. Suggestions?