[doug s.]

...First of all Electra Print 300b monoblocks (2 300b per side) offer more then 3X the muscle then SV83M Decware amps. That extra power contributed to more pronounced layering, more effortless reproduction, more robust bass and micro-dynamics. All these beneficial improvements contributed to music reproduction which took Omens to another level. Of course, magical qualities associated with seductiveness of queen 300b tubes didn't hurt either...

mariusz, as i was saying before, about your decware amps - w/the omens, your 300b's are offering at least 6x the muscle of the decware amps.  no way you are getting more than 2-3w out of the sv83m's into the omen's 12 ohm load...

doug s.

[Charles Xavier]

use a mirror to look down the cabinet

[Mariusz]

Hi Doug
Omens do drop to 6 Ohms.
Even with Decware monos, I was able to play Omens at 105db peaks without any problems.
It is the headroom that chokes the music presentation. (yes, I know, Decware like 2-4 Ohm loads)
With Cheap and Cheerful in mind, pairing Omens with MiniWatt integrated would be the right thing to do but I can't help but wonder if those few watts of muscle can move those Zu drivers in the right direction........   Probably not.
I also have Virtue Audio Sensation integrated amp with Dodd Audio buffer. Not sure how that's going to play out but it doesn't hurt to try.

use a mirror to look down the cabinet

There is nothing there...... trust me.
Pyramid is made out of an acoustic foam (no mdf or ply was used).
There is no additional cabinet dampening or secret elf tuning the slot ports to sound its best (except the top of the cabinet).
At the bottom of the cabinet all you see is 4 port slots, that's it. (what if the mirror breaks - the last 3 years haven't been that great. Another 7 would push me over board) 

[Mariusz]

I sure would like to see a head to head between this ZU Omen and the Tekton design Lore.

Hey! Me too! 

[skeeter99]

And some insider, secret shots  :
(I can see what they had to do in order to meet the projected price)











Sides of the Omens could use some of that special dampening paint used on Superfly brother ( composite treatment process).
ZuRG pyramid seems to be hit with economy stick.
I couldn't see parts used in filter network which was hot glued or poxy to the back of the tweeter but I am sure there is some room for improvement there as well. With few inexpensive tweaks, Omens could get a face lift and possible gain in SQ. (That part should be fun)

Man those really look like they need some dampening material in there for resonance issues. Looks awfully stark ...

Beautiful pics as always though

[naggots]

Quietcoat or soundpaint, waterbased panel damping is around $70 and 2 Mundorf sio caps $80.. Cheap upgrades all in all!

[Mariusz]

Quietcoat or soundpaint, waterbased panel damping is around $70 and 2 Mundorf sio caps $80.. Cheap upgrades all in all!

Anybody got links/source for Quietcoat (not a wholesale warehouse). I would also like to find out if Zu would be OK with these upgrades. Perhaps they could help out their customers with DIY kit for Omen owners?

Anyway, experimenting with cabinet  dampening could help in clearing up some smearing in middle range, clarity and airiness.
It's a GREAT speaker but there are things which can make Omens even better. I know.......it is hard to squeez all that performance in a speaker under a grand but those are simply suggestions and issues which may or may not be important to potential buyer.
Few tweaks that come to mind:
- quietcoat paint
- extra interior wall dampening
- cap upgrade
- additional driver basket dampening

There is few more less pronounce tweaks but those mentioned above should "up" Omen's SQ.


.....also, I am not sure if you guys noticed some comments around the net from Zu owners (Omen and similar) about effect of placing Zus on top of area rug or carpet. Reported improvements in bass reproduction and overall presentation could point to cabinet under-damping and fragile balancing act with port(s) to floor height adjustment and ratio.

P.S
Great album and test tracks for smearing of underdamped cabinet. Bass is great so are the strings but notice some smearing between individual instruments and clarity of voice.
Jacob  Dylan
Seeing Things
"On up the mountain",  "Will it grow".

[JoMoCo]

Soundcoat GP-1, Black Hole adhesive pads (VMPS style) or ? I have no experience with either one and they may be others...Percyaudio.com used to sell the Soundcoat although it looks like now they carry primarily SPECTRA DYNAMICS DEFLEX DAMPING products among others...

I do remember an acoustic treatment product used on HVAC air handlers several years age made out of two different densities of foam with a layer of dense (think lead sheet) in between....

[Mariusz]

Someone asked earlier (not sure who it was tho - Ed?)
If Omen drivers resemble some shortcomings of similar drivers? Biggest concern was - shouty presentation. That characteristic is found in extended range/full range drivers with wheezer used to disperse
high frequency. There are several full range drivers which were used in my DIY ventures and some are more fogiving then others. You can immune yourself to that phenomena but you will hear it if you want to.
Some horn speakers exhibit the same and sometimes far more pronounced shout effect.
Its part of the game and those sacrifices/shortcoming are to some degree a necessary evil.

Can you expect Zu drivers to poses these characteristics?
Truthfully, yes. 
The real question is: how sensitive are you to this side effect and can you look the other way considering all other things Omens do right???

(those who are not familiar with shouty speakers/"phenomena",..... well, it is not easy to describe but if you put your hands close to your mouth, form a horn and speak normally, you will get the idea of what it sounds like.)

[Mariusz]

Soundcoat GP-1, Black Hole adhesive pads (VMPS style) or ? I have no experience with either one and they may be others...Percyaudio.com used to sell the Soundcoat although it looks like now they carry primarily SPECTRA DYNAMICS DEFLEX DAMPING products among others...

I do remember an acoustic treatment product used on HVAC air handlers several years age made out of two different densities of foam with a layer of dense (think lead sheet) in between....

Thanks, I'll look into it.
New damping panels from PE look and sound quite good (used it in small monitors - 3/4" thick) but could be too pricey for Omen project ( less then $100 per side - could be the reason why Zu went with more efficient Quietcoat..).
 

[springnr]

I sure would like to see a head to head between this ZU Omen and the Tekton design Lore.

Hey! Me too! 

I was interested in putting together a system for a son.... he needed money for a car instead.
I was leaning towards the Lore as its 8 ohm 98db 1W@1m sounded like a good match for low watt amps.

Right now my cheap system speakers are Tube Audio Design 805SD and Paul's sub that went with them.
Might twist off on the Lore or ZU for something different.

[Wind Chaser]

When it comes to modding a product it might be a good idea to stick to only to reversible mods.  I've seen people ruin their gear with 'great ideas' only to make things worse and ultimately non-sellable.

[HT cOz]

You can't go wrong with No Rez by GR Research.  Here is a pic of me installing it in my current project.  That little Harbor Freight tool works great for cutting it because it is surprisingly heavy and hard to cut.

[Mariusz]

I just ordered some more (6) Sonic Barrier 3/4" 3-Layer Damping Material w/PSA (18" x 24" each) from PE. Total - $100.14 + free shipping (now they offer free shipping on all orders of $40 & up). You will probably need 5 panels for Omens. That will cost more or less the same as Quietcoat but totally reversible if effects are going to be less then desirable. I'll definitely try those in Omens and report back. Also, I am going to build some sand boxes with dimensions of 16"x16"x6" to raise these speakers off the floor but preserve functionality of down firing slot ports. I feel that placing Omens on platforms of the exact same dimensions could affect the bass loading of a speaker. To be honest, I am wondering if raising Omens will be practical and if it will yield desirable effect. But that's what makes this hobby a fun venture for me.

HT cOz
Danny's stuff is great and I would use it if it was more sensibly priced. (including shipping)

Good luck with your build. Looks good. 

[djbnh]

Another forum's thread re: Omens. Some comment about Omen v. Tekton.

[Mariusz]

Read it but..... It is like comparing apples to oranges.
(full range single Fostex in different enclosure to Zus pro, modified, extended range driver/ribbon "super-tweeter")
What I am interested in, is direct Omen to Lore comparison. (similar cabinet volume, drivers and their orientation, price)
I haven't heard from Eric if he is still interested in comparison or if there is any progress in sourcing out parts for his Lores. For the time being, I'll just try to concentrate on Omens and getting the best out of them. I am glad to share my experiences with rest of AC community and hopefully make unbiased observations which might help someone make up their own mind about these speakers.
      

[Eadron]

I have raised the Omens about 4" from the floor. Listening distance is some 12-14'. And they are some 8-9' apart. I'm using brass spiked maple (2") platforms, 15x15" made by Timbernation. I used to use them under my Omega 8"XRSs as well. I think the performance of the Omens won't suffer, actually I like them a lot. And they also look pretty good. Pics will follow later.

I'm driving them with my 15W Tektron EL34 PSE amp, the sound is powerful, surprisingly smooth, dynamic and quite big, even though I'm using only my EE DAC's own volume control, so no any special preamp in the chain at the moment. That'll be taken care in the future though. Cables used Zu's Mission loudspeaker cable and Chimera DIY ics.

I used to own the Druids some years ago..so even not broken in yet, I'd say, Zu's sound has progressed and took some healthy steps for the better. But I do also recognize the famous Zu sound here - but I like it!

These do ROCK!

jouni

[JoMoCo]

It would be good to find out what "degree of tilt/lift" Zu gave to the forward lobe via the crossover to steer the tilt up the acoustic center focus due to cabinet height and placement of tweeter below the driver...that would be useful to know to aim for room placement / distance / elevation of speakers.  I am more of a fan of tilting the cab as opposed to crossover steering.




 

Also finding out how changing the spacing / distance beneath the cab to the Zu slots affects bass & room integration would be interesting...

I am still under 100 hours so can't get too serious yet on any conclusions but it is very interesting the changes in sound as the clock ticks on...400hrs seems to be the magic number for that...

[bigjppop]

Read it but..... It is like comparing apples to oranges.
(full range single Fostex in different enclosure to Zus pro, modified, extended range driver/ribbon "super-tweeter")
What I am interested in, is direct Omen to Lore comparison. (similar cabinet volume, drivers and their orientation, price)
I haven't heard from Eric if he is still interested in comparison or if there is any progress in sourcing out parts for his Lores. For the time being, I'll just try to concentrate on Omens and getting the best out of them. I am glad to share my experiences with rest of AC community and hopefully make unbiased observations which might help someone make up their own mind about these speakers.
      

I'm hoping to hear something about this as well.  I emailed Eric about a week ago regarding purchasing some Lores and haven't heard anything back.  It's odd because I've purchased speakers from him before and he's always been a pleasure to work with.  So it's an issue sourcing parts?

[Wind Chaser]

Having a solid surface rather than carpet underneath has a big impact on the bass with a speaker that vents out of the bottom.  However my concern with the speaker tilted as such without being anchored down to the plinth is gravity + vibration = trouble.