Zu Druids win Second-Ever Lunar Eclipe Award

Russell Dawkins · « **Reply #60 on:** 17 Oct 2005, 12:56 am »

beaming refers to the effect of very narrow dispersion of a range of frequencies (often high frequencies) such that the tonal balance differs markedly as you move across the "hot spot". Relates to light, i.e. spot light vs flood light.
Russell

madders · « **Reply #61 on:** 17 Oct 2005, 10:18 pm »

Quote from: rnhood

"madders", how about a brief comment or two on the character of sound that you heard. In particular, did you notice any beaming at all? And, how was the low end - tight, loose, deep, etc?

Why are you considering the "First Watt" amplifier? Does this speaker need a constant current amp to provide a boost to the low end (point of maximum impedance due to it's tuning)?

I am also intrigued by the Zu speakers. Wish there was a pair nearby to audition. I am tempted to take them up on their trial offe ...

Hi,
The speakers I listened to weren't fully broken in (they had around 200 hours on them) but they definitely went low! The bass was nice and tight though and certainly not boomy. When I played some Stevie Ray Vaughan on them, the sound of the guitar was so "alive" it was spooky. The finger picking of the strings was just dead on! I found the character to be more "monitor" sound than "hifi speaker" sound in that it wasn't a warm sound and was totally true and accurate to the source material - which is the type of sound I like (having had M&K S150's in a previous setup). I didn't hear any obvious beaming.

I only mentioned the First Watt amp as I have never considered the lower power amps due to not having had speakers with such high sensitivity, so it is a whole new world to me. I am now leaning towards the Audiosector Patek amp. I have been speaking with Peter Daniel and reading the reviews on 6moons.com which have positive comments of the amp running with the Druids. Peter has also said it's possible to get one made in a 5 channel configuration which would be perfect for my needs - and at a great price. So we will see......

UncleStu · « **Reply #62 on:** 18 Oct 2005, 01:07 am »

Quote from: kck

If I may request a quick detour (but not complete hijack) here, could somebody kindly give this audio-vocab-challenged fella a quick-and-dirty on what 'beaming' is?

What happens, kck, is that as the wavelength of the sound becomes the same size or smaller than the diameter of the driver (that is, at higher frequencies), the radiation pattern of the driver narrows - beams.

There's not much that can be done about it, though apparently, a whizzer cone helps.

For a 12" driver like that on the Druid, a signal is attenuated by 3 dB at +/- 45 degrees off-axis above 912 hz and is 6 dB down at 1427 hz. For the Druid, the whizzer must make quite a difference, IMO, or the beaming would be quite severe by 12k.

It may be that the phase plug helps as well.

Well, perhaps not 'quick and dirty'...

miklorsmith · « **Reply #63 on:** 18 Oct 2005, 02:19 pm »

It's a 10" driver.

UncleStu · « **Reply #64 on:** 18 Oct 2005, 10:18 pm »

Quote from: miklorsmith

It's a 10" driver.

Oops! Right you are.

So, that means that the -3 dB point is 1065 hz and the -6 dB point is 1674 hz.

Please do not get me wrong. I'm not saying that the Druids (or any other 'full range' / 'single driver' speaker) are intrinsically flawed. The beaming is a design compromise that can certainly be well worth it. And, again, the whizzer probably helps.

I was quite impressed with how little beaming was evident when I auditioned the Druid. That, compared to other multi-way speakers. I haven't heard other 'single driver' speakers (though I'd like to do so).

213Cobra · « **Reply #65 on:** 23 Oct 2005, 06:34 am »

I can say from direct experience owning Druids that the beaming is not a serious factor in most installations after 200 -300 hours of break-in. The final sweet spot at 8' listening distance, which is relatively near-field, is about 3 people wide. Imaging and frequency fidelity do not fall off a cliff outside that window but instead gradually lose focus; and further away, the window of precision broadens.

For the Definitions, there is no practical difficulty with beaming in the vast majority of domestic rooms.

Phil

madders · « **Reply #66 on:** 28 Oct 2005, 11:30 am »

Possibly dumb question, however the speakers are quite tall compared to "regular" speakers. Do you find that the drivers are above your head when seated in a regular couch/chair when seated about 9' back? Does this have a detrimental effect to the sound?

miklorsmith · « **Reply #67 on:** 28 Oct 2005, 02:21 pm »

Yep, they're a little higher. I think this is designed in, as the speakers are designed to point straight at the listener. In this configuration, the driver itself is a little off-axis which is preferable with most speakers.

I never thought there was a loss of fidelity and those speakers sound great whereever you sit in the room. I'd sit on some phone books to see what you think.

madders · « **Reply #68 on:** 31 Oct 2005, 07:49 pm »

Thanks for the reply. I look forward to reading your impressions once the Definitions are fully broken in on your other thread

miklorsmith · « **Reply #69 on:** 31 Oct 2005, 09:08 pm »

I've had/am having a veritable parade of gear through my house. For now, I'll say the speakers are very transparent to the electronics and cables. They are incredible.

madders · « **Reply #70 on:** 1 Nov 2005, 12:55 pm »

Thanks again for the response. I'm just about to pull the trigger on a 5 channel system (4 Druids and a Tone for center channel) and am just trying to decide on speaker cables (probably Libtecs) and appropriate 5 channel amp (probably a 5 channel Patek).

Does anyone else have other suggestions I should consider?