I am going crazy trying to pick new speakers!!!

sts9fan · « **on:** 23 Feb 2007, 04:04 pm »

I am going absolutly wacko trying to pick some new speakers! I am all over the board and can't even decide on which direction to go. I was going to only look at high sesitivity full rages like the Zu Druids and Omega Super Hemps but now my minds is all F'ed up. I really want GREAT bass so I am looking at the Strata Minis very closely. Although I am building some Zv9 amps which will not work well with the Stratas. I think the super hemps are too big for my crappy space so those are out. Now I am stuck with the minis or the Zu. How do you make a decision between two completly different speakers that you can't audition? I think I am going to go with the Zus just because I can get them used and get most of my money back if I don't like them.....end rant.

miklorsmith · « **Reply #1 on:** 23 Feb 2007, 04:08 pm »

What music will they be used for? How loudly do you like to listen? What's the power output of the amp you're building and how sure are you that it will the The One for these speakers? How big is your room? Would a smaller Omega model possibly work? What do you mean by "great" bass? Are outboard subs an option?

sts9fan · « **Reply #2 on:** 23 Feb 2007, 04:17 pm »

outboard subs are not an option I just don't have the room. As far as music goes I listen to steely dan to Dr Octagon. I am a full spectrum kinda guy. I do like bass though I like when I feel "the soft bulletin" in my gut. My room is not huge and I don't listen too loud. the amp I am building is ~15w/ch it is ver very similar to the First Watt F3. It is the DIY version that Nelson published. Srajan liked the F3 with his Zu Defs so I would asume(I know you should not) that the Zv9 would work well with the Druids. On the other had I could just use my Khatargo with the Strata and be cool. I want to sell the odyssey though to fund upgrading my SB3 and some DIY stuff.

miklorsmith · « **Reply #3 on:** 23 Feb 2007, 04:26 pm »

Dr. Octagon - a man after my own heart. The Druids won't do slammage but they'll pressurize a smaller room pretty well. I had mine in two pretty big rooms (one mammoth) and they were respectable in the bass. They don't have the kickdrum boomboom like ported boxes but I thought their presentation was more natural for more music. The Dan will be great on them. 15 watts will be plenty and I think that signature would be fantastic for the Druids which run on the warmer side.

The warning with the Druids is that not everyone cottons to them.

I haven't heard the Stratas though they have a fine reputation.

sts9fan · « **Reply #4 on:** 23 Feb 2007, 04:39 pm »

Quote

The warning with the Druids is that not everyone cottons to them.

I hear this alot. What exactly do people tend to not like??

miklorsmith · « **Reply #5 on:** 23 Feb 2007, 04:47 pm »

Well, you probably hear that a lot from me, as I always put it in my posts about the speakers. Honestly, I think it's a lot of different things. They aren't overly detailed, don't soundstage like a great monitor, won't kick you in the chest in the bass, and are average-to-below in the upper treble.

In other words, they don't score all that well on the audiophile checklist. Of course, they are more coherent and possessive of instrumental tone than the checklist average.

I'd say they're more "tubes'n'NOS" than "SS'n'detail". If you're from the latter camp they probably won't do it for ya. You could do a search over on Agon, as the only folks that didn't like the Druids I've seen were over there. Take a lot of it with a grain of salt - most of the negativity is based on two songs in a show room, which Zu reportedly hasn't been able to solve.

Kevin Haskins · « **Reply #6 on:** 23 Feb 2007, 04:52 pm »

Make a list of ones that fit your space/budget and go listen.

sts9fan · « **Reply #7 on:** 23 Feb 2007, 04:57 pm »

yeah I understand that but the market and brands I am interested in don't tend to have places to go and listen. I think I will bite the bullet on the Druids mainly because I have ~$600 in this amp plus i could most likely flip them for little loss if I don't like them.

So Mike in your opinion would the Druids be OK ~12' apart? That is another of my many room issues.

miklorsmith · « **Reply #8 on:** 23 Feb 2007, 05:05 pm »

Well, I'm no acoustics expert and I only had the speakers in two rooms, so don't hold me to it . . . I would try not to have the speakers further from each other than they are from you, preferably a foot or more closer than their distance to the listening seat. I think this would be true for most speakers. Even on an equilateral triangle you should get decent center fill.

I agree that hearing as much as possible before buying is smart, but unless you're getting close to spending $10,000, traveling to hear isn't financially beneficial. If you can buy/sell without much of a loss, it's not a bad way to go. For that matter, buying new with the trial can be a pretty cheap way to go. You'll only be out the new/used difference if ya keep 'em.

cbalano · « **Reply #9 on:** 23 Feb 2007, 06:26 pm »

http://www.salksound.com

sts9fan · « **Reply #10 on:** 23 Feb 2007, 06:30 pm »

well seeing that the two speakers I am looking at are at or under 2k I don't think Jim Salk has anything for me.

LadyDog · « **Reply #11 on:** 23 Feb 2007, 06:54 pm »

Take it $2k is your budget?

Actually Jim makes a few speakers under $2000, 1801f for example.

Would think you couldn't go wrong with either the Zu's or Mini's. The Mini's certainly look promising.

sts9fan · « **Reply #12 on:** 23 Feb 2007, 07:19 pm »

thats the problem I am sure i will be happy with either but which will I be MORE happy with?

macrojack · « **Reply #13 on:** 23 Feb 2007, 07:20 pm »

I'm deep in the Zu camp having owned Druids only, Druids with MiniMethod sub, and Definitions. I was enamored of their ability to generate fun. They just bring music to me in a way that nothing else ever has and I have owned Aerial 10T, Sound Labs, Avalon Eclipse, Goldmund Dialogue, NHT 2.9 and Vision Acoustics.
The Druid delivery is bigger than I anticipated. It is much more speaker than it appears to be. If your emphasis is acoustic it holds particular appeal. Jazz and bluegrass are really exceptional and large scale orchestral is as good as you'll get at this price. I found they did Pink Floyd and Tom Waits really well. I have a hunch that they wouldn't work too well for death metal or nasty cacaphonic stuff.
Your philosophy of buying Druids used and recouping your investment immediately if they aren't for you seems really sound from what I have observed on Audiogon.
There was a pair on there for $1850 yesterday. If those are still available, they should be a very low risk purchase. At least you'll find out even if you don't find "your speaker".

sts9fan · « **Reply #14 on:** 23 Feb 2007, 07:25 pm »

I am telling myself that is what I am going to do!!!!! The truth is my head The mini with its powered subs and all the other goodies sounds SO appealing to me. Oh man what I life we lead when this is what keeps me up at night! Powered subs or fullrange oh woe is me!

srayle · « **Reply #15 on:** 23 Feb 2007, 10:10 pm »

I owned the Zu Druids and sold them after owning them a little over a year. I had previously owned the
Gallo Refererence 3's. I found that the Druids were easy to drive with any amplification, as expected with
their sensitivity. I liked them, but never fell in love with their sound. I had audio friends over who found them to sound
the same as I--lacking in some emotional range. I was constantly bringing in tubes and tube gear in an attempt to
bring some warmth to their slightly steely sound. The guy I sold them to 5 months ago has since sold them.

I found much more music and warmth when I bought a pair of Eric Alexander's modified Voight pipe design speakers
(think Cain & Cain Abby's) and they use a single Fostex FE167 in a 6 foot tall design...sound better than the Druids ever did.
And at one quarter the cost of a pair of new Druids!

You may want to email Eric (tekton_design@yahoo.com). He'd be happy to talk speaker with you, plus he once worked
for Zu, and also is now involved as a design consultant on some showpiece concept $20,000 speaker for an Italian company.
I'm having him build me a pair of his URUZ speakers with a gorgeous mesquite veneer. I can't wait. I only hope that I like them better
than the Voight pipe speakers, which will be hard to do. But Eric promises me I will.

Big Red Machine · « **Reply #16 on:** 23 Feb 2007, 10:56 pm »

I've heard the Mini's many times and heard the Duids once, so not an expert there. I would suggest you contact Jim, ask who is close to you for a listen and audition some Salks. You can get a pair for your price range and Jim's speakers are the cleanest, most "true" speakers I have ever had in my possession. Speakers are your number one component, IMO, so take your time and audition, otherwise you may have some large heavy boxes to ship to the next guy because you were not quite satisfied. Just don't rush to spend that money you have budgeted.

And yes, I am a Salk fanboy, for the record. Regardless, take your time and stretch the field some more.

djbnh · « **Reply #17 on:** 24 Feb 2007, 10:08 am »

Klaus of Odyssey just announced new speaker offerings in this thread.

wshuff · « **Reply #18 on:** 24 Feb 2007, 02:43 pm »

I don't know if this helps or hurts your decision making, but AV123 has a 30-day in-home trial period. You can try the Stratas, and if you don't like them, you're only out shipping. Two things. I have no idea what shipping might be, and it seems that there is always a backlog, so I have no idea how long you might have to wait to get a pair in your house.

WEEZ · « **Reply #19 on:** 24 Feb 2007, 02:59 pm »

I mostly agree with Big Red Machine; don't rush this purchase.

WEEZ