[NoDisco]

If appears we have gone off the rails a bit price wise! Were supposed to be in the  $3000.00 range. And a you bought it you own it makes me laugh kind of attitude wow, never have i heard that one in all my audio years.

The Tekton line still gets my vote in my room on this survey of sorts.

You should look at some of the Audiogon ads. Lots of all sales final.

[AvsFan]

You should look at some of the Audiogon ads. Lots of all sales final.

Are you talking used or new?
Funny thing is, even as a consumer, if I sold something to someone on this forum and they didn't really like it, I'd even take it back in a certain time frame as long as it wasn't damaged and they paid to ship it back. Nothing more frustrating then buying and being stuck. Believe me, I know! I have some speakers right now that I dropped $1300 on and a sub for $900 that are not being used. $2200 worth of speakers. And the speakers are new! But a tad over 30 days but about 15 days in, I was like, I really don't think I am feeling these, oh, give them time, they'll break in. I should have been more adamant about it though, Oh well. Live and learn. Audio products should be 60 days. Some are, some are even 90. 15-30 days is not enough time. 

[AvsFan]

I've said it before and I will say it again. For $999, the ZU Audio Dirty Weekends are a steal! They are the $2250 Omens minus a few tiny upgrades.

https://www.zuaudio.com/loudspeakers/omen-dirty-weekend-2

Here are the chart comparisons. As you can see, nothing notable between the two. AT least not in my book. If there is something you think jumps out as a "significant" difference, I'm all ears.

[NoDisco]

Are you talking used or new?
Funny thing is, even as a consumer, if I sold something to someone on this forum and they didn't really like it, I'd even take it back in a certain time frame as long as it wasn't damaged and they paid to ship it back. Nothing more frustrating then buying and being stuck. Believe me, I know! I have some speakers right now that I dropped $1300 on and a sub for $900 that are not being used. $2200 worth of speakers. And the speakers are new! But a tad over 30 days but about 15 days in, I was like, I really don't think I am feeling these, oh, give them time, they'll break in. I should have been more adamant about it though, Oh well. Live and learn. Audio products should be 60 days. Some are, some are even 90. 15-30 days is not enough time.

Used especially.

I’ve worked with plenty of people within that 30 day window, and you really have like a week to audition unless you
don’t have to work. You’re right it’s too Short and should be 60 days, but that’s unfair to the biz that has to move stock. I can see why the Volti guy won’t do refunds...the size of those things..what a headache. Perhaps he could offer some sort of buyback with a restock fee though.

[AvsFan]

Used especially.

I’ve worked with plenty of people within that 30 day window, and you really have like a week to audition unless you
don’t have to work. You’re right it’s too Short and should be 60 days, but that’s unfair to the biz that has to move stock. I can see why the Volti guy won’t do refunds...the size of those things..what a headache. Perhaps he could offer some sort of buyback with a restock fee though.

It's just a difficult situation. Supposedly speakers take 30 or more days to break in, with Magnepan's, even longer, and the speakers I got, heck, I didn't even hook them up right away, they sat in a box for two weeks. It's just a lot of money to eat. Getting off the subject though. If anyone else has suggestions that are ZUish like, other than Tekton. Chime in.

[NoDisco]

It's just a difficult situation. Supposedly speakers take 30 or more days to break in, with Magnepan's, even longer, and the speakers I got, heck, I didn't even hook them up right away, they sat in a box for two weeks. It's just a lot of money to eat. Getting off the subject though. If anyone else has suggestions that are ZUish like, other than Tekton. Chime in.

Surprised no one has mentioned PI speakers.

[AvsFan]

Surprised no one has mentioned PI speakers.

Are these kits?

[Shear Bliss VMPS]

I was referring to brand new as in the 5G horn speakers a few clicks back. Used you pony up and take your chances period. Good communication between buyer and seller a must.

My experience with Tekton was smooth and easy. I used every bit of the 60 day trial on the Enzo XL and was rewarded with this long break-in process, hell I actually went over but was in communication with Eric and his office personnel on my Upgrade to his Electron SE model.

Yes the Dirty Weekenders from Zu come in at a great price, cannot say the same with the rest of their line, as them prices skyrocket to out of sight.

[morganc]

I've owned the Zu Druid MK V's and they were great.  I preferred the Druids over the Definitions and the Omen Defs which I also owned.  However, my favorite speaker I have ever had were the GR Research Super V's.  If I had the space to build them and the know how, I would buy one of the new GR Research models.  I know this is above the budget new, but I believe I got the Druids and Super Vs for around $3000. 

[Shear Bliss VMPS]

Must be something about that Utah air ...........................

[NoDisco]

Are these kits?

I believe you can get them built to order...prices are very reasonable. The other speaker is the crites cornscalla.  Both of these are budget friendly and I am surprised they haven’t come up.

[RonN5]

When you are talking about large and heave speakers like the double impacts...and you have to pay to return them...that could cost $5-600+ so you better be pretty sure you like them because packing them up and shipping them back and then meeting the return standards can be a real hassle.

Here is what Tekton says on their website..."Returned speakers must be in new condition - no signs of damage or abuse, including scratches, fingerprints, dust, etc."

So....in many cases, its cheaper to fly or drive to hear them than it is to pay for the return.

[JLM]

Surprised no one has mentioned PI speakers.

Agreed.  I've heard 2Pi, 2Pis Towers, and 4Pi.  They can be placement sensitive, but have lots of good science behind them at very good prices.  Their downfall for the OP is that they don't go down to 20 Hz which frankly in light of the research done by Floyd Toole, Earl Geddes, and others is more of an advantage.

[RonN5]

Here is the Salk policy on trials and returns....

On lower priced models with a standard finish, we offer a 30-day in-home trial period. You can feel free to return the speakers within 30 days, in new condition, for a refund in the event they do not perform to your satisfaction.

With “custom” finishes and/or more expensive speakers, this is not practical. If we only offered three or four standard finishes, it would not be a problem. But normally customers who order our higher-priced speakers want them finished to their personal taste. So if they were returned, we would have to wait until another customer wanted the exact same finish before we could recoup our costs. Unfortunately, this would not work for us.

However, in a case like this, we would work to find a new home for the speakers and process a refund once the speakers were re-sold. Our speakers normally sell quite quickly on the used market, so it would probably not take all that long.

All that said, we almost never have returns and it is unlikely that you would ever feel the need to return our speakers. The reason is quite simple: They are that good.

I think if I built expensive customer speakers that I sold internet direct and didn't want to have a return option....I would offer a $3-500 credit for anyone that came to hear the speakers at my shop and then decided to buy them...at least that way the more serious potential buyers might opt to come and hear them?

[genjamon]

I believe you can get them built to order...prices are very reasonable. The other speaker is the crites cornscalla.  Both of these are budget friendly and I am surprised they haven’t come up.

Yeah, I recently came across the Crites speakers and am really curious if anyone has ever heard them.  Especially the Type D 2-way with the Faital wideband compression driver handling everything from treble down to 500 hz.  https://critesspeakers.com/crites-speaker-style-d.html

Very impressive, and reminds me of what Clayton (Spatial) is trying to do with his latest M-Series, except not open baffle like the Spatial is. 

But how does that Faital driver actually sound?

[Freo-1]

Agreed.  I've heard 2Pi, 2Pis Towers, and 4Pi.  They can be placement sensitive, but have lots of good science behind them at very good prices.  Their downfall for the OP is that they don't go down to 20 Hz which frankly in light of the research done by Floyd Toole, Earl Geddes, and others is more of an advantage.

I've got a slightly different take on this.  If there is one thing I've learned after many years in this hobby, it's that nothing beats a floor standing set of speakers that can provide the FULL frequency response from 20 Hz to 20 KHz.  One doesn't fully realize just how much can be added to the enjoyment of all types of music when the bottom octave is faithfully reproduced.  I've owned both floor standing and monitor/sub setups.  I'll take the floor standing option any day, as it's much easier to get the sound right without the hassle of setting up one or two subs to integrate properly.  Additionally, there is the WAF issue of more "boxes" in the room with the monitor/sub setup. 


The two sets of speakers I have can both get down to 20 Hz with no issues.  One set can get there easily (T+A Criterion TB 160), as it's a Transmission Line design with two 10" drivers in a large cabinet.   The other are Dynaudio Focus 360 that are driven by a Devialet 400 with Speaker Active Matching (SAM).  The SAM technology allows the Focus 360's to get down to 17 Hz safely.  The SAM currently supports over 1,000 speakers, and is expanding all the time.


https://www.devialet.com/en-eu/expert-pro-sam-ready-speakers/dynaudio/focus-360/

[JLM]

I've got a slightly different take on this.  If there is one thing I've learned after many years in this hobby, it's that nothing beats a floor standing set of speakers that can provide the FULL frequency response from 20 Hz to 20 KHz.  One doesn't fully realize just how much can be added to the enjoyment of all types of music when the bottom octave is faithfully reproduced.  I've owned both floor standing and monitor/sub setups.  I'll take the floor standing option any day, as it's much easier to get the sound right without the hassle of setting up one or two subs to integrate properly.  Additionally, there is the WAF issue of more "boxes" in the room with the monitor/sub setup. 


The two sets of speakers I have can both get down to 20 Hz with no issues.  One set can get there easily (T+A Criterion TB 160), as it's a Transmission Line design with two 10" drivers in a large cabinet.   The other are Dynaudio Focus 360 that are driven by a Devialet 400 with Speaker Active Matching (SAM).  The SAM technology allows the Focus 360's to get down to 17 Hz safely.  The SAM currently supports over 1,000 speakers, and is expanding all the time.


https://www.devialet.com/en-eu/expert-pro-sam-ready-speakers/dynaudio/focus-360/

I was alluding to use of a swarm (3 or 4) subwoofers to address inherent in-room bass peaks/dips that no full range speaker can resolve. 

[genjamon]

Yes, you can advance beyond the Omen DW, but not without spending more. (quote from Captain Obvious) FWIW, I think my Heresy III's are a tad more efficient and dynamic. They don't go as low, but if supplemented with subs, it's not an issue. Bottom line is the Omen is tough to beat if one wants a great all-arounder at a shade under $1K. At this price point, my friend has both the Tekton Lore and the Omen DW. The Lore has been retired to his HT set up, while he continues to refine his dedicated audio set up around the DW. This with a cap upgrade and snubbing resistors in place. If you want more of what the DW offers in the way of dynamics and a bigger presentation, I would look at the Zu's that use 2 main 10" drivers or the Klipsch Forte III. If you wanted all that plus more refinement, probably the Volti Razz already mentioned. These all keeping it at or below the $5K mark.  Above that price point, there's too many options to list.

I'm the Lore/DW friend.  Yes, I find the DW at a different performance level than the Lores I have owned since 2010.  I totally rebuilt the Lore crossovers with higher quality parts, re-wired with DH Labs silver hookup wire, and bypassed the binding posts.  Also damped the cabinets a bit.  Much cleaner sound than stock Lores.  But the DW are still at another level.

I would note that I tried the DW Clarity upgrade, and it's definitely worth the money, but I then substituted Miflex KPCU caps instead of the Clarity's and could never go back to the Clarity's.  Clarity's are very cost effective, but those DW tweeters just get smoother and more natural sounding the better the caps you can put on them.  I see Zu now offers Jupiters as a further upgrade beyond the Clarity's.  After trying the Miflex, I'd say if you're not willing to DIY, I'd recommend the Jupiters over the Clarity's, even for the extra cost.

Yes, I'm continuing to invest in other areas of my system, and am happy that the Zu will continue to grow with the rest of the system.  That said, it's because I can live with the fundamental limitations that the Zu have.  They're certainly not perfect.  Beaming upper mids, smallish sweet spot.  But with no crossover until around 10Khz, you're getting unbridled microdynamics that speakers with crossovers pretty much can't convey.  And with high enough quality caps on the tweeter, you really and truly escape that "pro audio" sound completely.

I agree with the refrain on this thread that you really cannot do better for $1K.  That said, if I get back to making money again after law school, I will be quite interested to hear the latest Spatial and GR Research options, which both have me salivating.  And for some reason the Crites Type D and the Volti Razz are now entering my curious dreamscape.

[Freo-1]

I was alluding to use of a swarm (3 or 4) subwoofers to address inherent in-room bass peaks/dips that no full range speaker can resolve.

Understand, but not very practical in the normal world.  Not a lot of spouses are going to be happy with large boxes all over the room.  It's also not easy to get them set up correctly.


Happily, my rooms don't suffer too badly from room interaction. 

[opnly bafld]

I've got a slightly different take on this.  If there is one thing I've learned after many years in this hobby, it's that nothing beats a floor standing set of speakers that can provide the FULL frequency response from 20 Hz to 20 KHz.  One doesn't fully realize just how much can be added to the enjoyment of all types of music when the bottom octave is faithfully reproduced.  I've owned both floor standing and monitor/sub setups.  I'll take the floor standing option any day, as it's much easier to get the sound right without the hassle of setting up one or two subs to integrate properly.  Additionally, there is the WAF issue of more "boxes" in the room with the monitor/sub setup. 

I used to think that way also until a few years ago when I had some monitors that I really liked and added a pair of really good subs with them.
It was less imposing in my room, sounded just as good, was less expensive (in my case), and allowed a wider variety of amplifiers to choose from.