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Zu OMEN - hmm

I might still be under the influence of the open baffle Spatial Hologram I heard at CAS14 earlier this month... wow! Top sound in my (and my friend's) book. Or the Magico S5 room (omg is that resolution level for real? you can hear the grass grow through those things).

I went to the Zu room as well - hoping to hear some well setup Zu speakers and learn about the right way to do it - but the sound was awful (sorry Sean) so I did not bother asking.

Yesterday I ran into a video advice on "setup tips with Seam Casey from Zu Audio". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCoKDfdxzDg

Bingo! Now I will learn how to make my Omens sing - from the man himself.

What did Sean Casey say in the video? To stop tweaking the bottom gap, tilt and toe-in, stop adjusting them, stop doing all this nonsense that gets old fast. Why? because they already sound good right out of the box, that's why. Spend my money on music instead.

Hmm - what if they actually DON'T sound good? Is there some advice for that case? What if, after the 3 years I had them, many SS and tube amps, days of gap adjustment, tilt adjustment, swap of few speaker cables including Zu Libtec, what if they still sound like an amplified live event through a pro speaker on a stadium? (Incidentally - all adjustments do make a difference, but mostly between dull and blare. I know, I'm probably too harsh, but that video got me really upset).

I hope that my recent listening to real speakers at CAS will soon wear off so that I can return to living with my Omens that "sound good right out of the box".

Or I might have to buy the Holograms. The tough part would be to convince my medium-size dogs to stay away from those beryllium transducers located so close to the ground. Maybe if I throw in the Omens to sweeten the deal? That should keep them busy for about 3 years?

Choices, choices.
cbozdog
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,407 posts
 
I think higher efficiency speakers are more "finicky" pretty much by definition in that all aspects of both sound and noise are amplified more efficiently than otherwise.

SO I think it kind of goes with the turf to expect to do a lot of tweaks and maybe even fixes or changes to get sound just right with higher efficiency speakers. Its the proverbial double edged sword in a sense.
foster_9
1,638 posts
 
I hear what you're saying Mapman. But this fellow has held on for a good long run with his speakers and has gone through a roller-coaster of performance (SQ), amp changes, and tweaking, to no avail.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,407 posts
 
Yeah, as we all know, sometimes it just does not work out no matter what.

I think of high sensitivity speakers though as like listening under a magnifying glass....every little detail, good or bad becomes magnified and bigger/more significant. SO I think that puts getting things exactly right higher up on the difficulty scale for the end user, in general.

Compare that to a high efficiency amp. There, the designer/maker has handled the task of delivering high quality efficient performance for you. You may or may not like the results, but it is what it is, whereas speakers are always a function of how the owner sets tehm up overall.
bonesetter2004
13 posts
 
Took me some time, and eventually the help of of a friend in the audio business to get my Druids working well - that was 5 years ago and I have no wish to change

MOST important, for me was getting the 'speakers W-I-D-E apart. Where I had them (too close together) they squarked.

I my room they are 11' apart and I sit ~11' from the midline

Having the 'speaker axis pointing directly at you tightens the focus, and more toe out opens the sound, which is where I have mine

The music fills the room almost completely like this and very submersive. It's a beautiful sound

Rest of system consists of Leben CS-300 and a 47 Lab CDP
uncledemp
779 posts
 
I owned the Druid 4 for a year, give or take. Never figured out how to get the most out of them. I read and reread reviews, posts, swapped gear and cables in and out. May have been my listening area/gear/ears but they always seemed thin sounding.

Since then I've been happy with Usher cp6311 and Sonus Faber Concerto Grand Piano. I have Monitor Audio Silver in my home theater setup that I prefer over the Zu as well.

Very subjective hobby....
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