[jon_010101]

Just curious who was also at the Easton Zu Cable demo.  I was there today (Saturday afternoon) and talked to a few audiocircle members but don't remember usernames.  

My impressions were quite positive, of the speakers and of Zu Cable as a company. The Zu Cable folks were very friendly and answered my nosy technical questions in great detail. The speakers look absolutely beautiful and the attention to detail is impressive.  Connectors on cables and speakers were art.  I was surprised to see how low the serial numbers were on the Tones, as the level of aesthetic refinement and product design was far above what many large companies pull off for high-volume products.  I got the impression that almost every aspect of the design was proprietary and novel... custom drivers, etc.  They should end up selling a lot of speakers as the word gets out.  

This was only my second experience with high-end speakers of high-efficiency (I'm mostly familiar with inefficient standmounts, or efficient speakers that aren't high-end).  Sound was organic and dynamic with a great sense of speed and scale (instruments sounded huge at times, depending on the recordings).  Different experience from what I am used to, but very appealing.  Druids had a slightly more-pronounced midrange than the Tones or Definitions.  I listened most carefully to the Druids, although the Tones are more in my price/sizerange and would thus be my first choice to take home.  The Definitions were monsters ... at way-loud levels they still were totally relaxed.

The crowd seemed somewhat polarized between tubes and the NuForce amps.  While I was very excited to hear the NuForce amplifiers, I found that they really weren't my style -- somewhat sterile and dry in the particular system -- but they could totally "rock" with the Zu speakers.  A concert-loud Neil Peart drum solo was cake for the Definitions+NuForce amp.  My own system would have rolled over and died at 20dB less, probably worse.  For tubes we listened to a gigantic pair of Consonance 211 SET amps and an impressive custom pair of parallel 300B amps.  My vote for best sound would go to the latter.  Soundstage was much larger with either amp.  Perhaps with a tube preamp my opinion of the NuForce amps would change.  As Zu suggested, these speakers could be just about anything desired depending on what sort of system they were connected to.

Definitely a good time!  I'd be interested to know what others' impressions were.  

-Jonathan

[tubeytubeamp]

I was there as well. I agree with you on the Druids who's colorations fit my personal preference more so than the Definition. The Definitions are incredibly dynamic speakers that brought the Rush drum solo to life. But the Druids had a more upfront sound, esp on female vocals which were more to my liking. The off axis response of the Druids was much better than the Definitions as well. The difference between the two raises the question of what is more important to you, tonal accuracy(or in this case, tonal colorations) or Dynamics. Don't get me wrong, the Definitions were very accurate but just a little dry at times.

I did not get an impression of the Tone's. I only heard them played once.

I also left after the drawing and didn't get a chance to listen to the tube amps in comparison to the Nuforce amps.

All in all an excellent demonstration and I'm disapointed that I didn't win the Tones. My wife also had a good time.

Dennis

[jon_010101]

Don't get me wrong, the Definitions were very accurate but just a little dry at times.

I agree; after hearing tubes with the Druids I think that the NuForce plus the Benchmark were possibly responsible for the dryness on the Definitions.  I suspect that the Definitions with tubes could be magic, although we were so happy playing with the Druids that we didn't even bother to try.  

Being able to listen to the NuForce + Benchmark + Zu products all in one system was quite a treat ... but I think the combination yields a bit too much "detail" for my ear-comfort.

[213Cobra]

I own both Druids and Definitions, and use tube amps on each. I think you can safely attribute perception of dryness on the Definition to the Nuforce amps. The Druid is a 12 ohm speaker, more favorable to getting better sound out of the Nuforce than the Definition's 6 ohm impedance. The Definition is also a little more revealing and extended on both ends than the Druid, which will more transparently display the Nuforce signature, which is a relatively cold presentation in the midrange and treble. The two speakers do have somewhat differing tonal character within common family attributes, so even though the Defnition is the superior speaker (at much more expense) there are good reasons for some folks to prefer the Druids in their systems, apart from lower cost.

Phil

[rustydoglim]

The amps used were Ref 8b. Some people preferred the fast, neutral and revealing nature of Ref 8/8b.
But those who like Ref 8/8b but want a little more warmth (and tube like), should check out Ref 9.

[ton1313]

Les from 6moons comments

http://www.6moons.com/industryfeatures/zu/zu.html

[UncleStu]

I, too, really enjoyed the demo.  Adam and Sean are great guys who clearly enjoy what they're doing and have designed some exceptional products.

Almost everything I heard was using the Nuforce amps.  These sounded fine, but my short listen to the Consonance 211 amps made me wish I had had more time.  They seem like a bargain for the price (as do the 8bs, in a very different way).  I also felt they were quite attractive.

I was kicking myself several times since I forgot to bring my CDs.  I listen almost exclusively to classical music, so most of the music was completely new to me.  So, I really wasn't able to evaluate what was the system and what was the recording.  In particular, I felt this impacted my ability to assess imaging which was my main goal.  I did feel that the Druids had a noticable sweet spot, but they seemed to image very well when one was in it.    In all other regards, I'm sure I'd be very happy with the Druids.

The Druids (and Tones and Definitions) really spoiled me for my current speakers (rather old ProAc Tablettes) which now seem compressed and distorted.  While there is at least one other speaker I wish to audition (the Gallo Reference IIIs), I find myself rather enthused about the high-efficiency of the Druids and the resultant flexibility in amplification.

So, thanks Adam and Sean!  It was a lot of fun.  Well worth the long drive.

[miklorsmith]

I owned the Gallos which were replaced by the Druids.  They disappeared better in my room and their tweeters are probably more transparent.  But, in dynamics and believability, they don't hold a candle to the Druids.

[UncleStu]

I owned the Gallos which were replaced by the Druids.  They disappeared better in my room and their tweeters are probably more transparent.  But, in dynamics and believability, they don't hold a candle to the Druids.

Yeah.  I'm leaning heavily towards the Druids, but I wish to check out the Gallos as well.  I seem to only buy speakers every decade or more and I use them more than my car(s) - probably 1.5 hours per day average, so it's an important decision.

[carusoracer]

I owned the Gallos which were replaced by the Druids.  They disappeared better in my room and their tweeters are probably more transparent.  But, in dynamics and believability, they don't hold a candle to the Druids.

As  Gallo owner I'm interested in the Druids as well for comparison.
Can you expound on you term of transparent Tweeters. I find the CDT to be own of the most advanced and open sounding tweeters I have heard.

[miklorsmith]

Hmmm. . .good question.  The Gallo tweeters are extended to the point where I felt I could sense treble information above where my hearing is rolled off.  The voicing of the speaker takes advantage of the superior tweeter by not rolling it off one bit and the tweeter takes center stage.  Usually this is bad, but not with these speaks.  

They have excellent pitch definition.  Listening to drum kits, it was always immediately obvious which cymbal was being struck.  Multiple crashes were accompanied by convincing visualization of the relative sizes of the brass.

And, the excellence of the tweeter is a big part of the Gallos' ability to soundstage and disappear in a room.  These elements were far superior to any other speaker I've heard.  And, its size (big) means that it pushes more air than usual, giving more meat to the soundwave.  It's like the difference between a 6" and a 10" woofer.

But, I've decided these skills are ultimately not that  important to musical conviction.  Audiophiles put "imaging" and "soundstaging" on a pedestal that in my mind is unwarranted.  To me, rhythmic drive, dynamics, and tone are far more important.  I've really only found these traits optimized with higher efficiency speakers.  And, the breath and life of music is in the midband, not in the highs or lows.  If you don't have that right, don't even bother with the rest.