Zu Audio Speakers...Not a Discussion!

I run a single cap on Fostex tweeters with my 98 db Beta 12LTA's in OB which are very close to the same sensitivity as the Zu tweeter and driver. A 1.0 uF cap is good for a little more sizzle than the Omens which have a very tame top end. Tweeter matching is not an exact science for me and I use trial and error with an array of different value caps and go totally by ear. Not as easy with box speakers as with OB's.
 
slips,

My point was that the super tweeters should play little part in the sound you heard from the Omens. I could cup my ear to them and hear little. The crossover cap filters everything but the very high frequencies. I could hear a little sizzle at the very top with cymbals but nothing like you describe. Zu's would be best described as 1 1/2 way speakers.

I believe it takes time to become acclimated to full range speakers. So the break-in not only occurs with the drivers but with one's ears. Many folks who transition from owning conventional speakers often have to cultivate a taste for what they do best.

I feel ya Poultry, mi man. I guess I will have to chalk this one up to me not being a fan of Zu speakers. Every thing is not for every body.
 
ZU audio doesnt seem to know how a crossover work, either that or they dont care to explain. from the website:
"the tweeter section is only used to give that last bit of sparkle and resolution on the top of the presence/treble band (12kHz and up)."
-a capacitor gives a 6db rolloff starting at 12khz, making it -6db at 6khz, it doesnt filter everything under 12k. if it did they would sound pretty bad, since a 10" woofer would have problems reaching up that high. not to mention the unbelievable cone breakup and dispersion issues.

"The tweeter’s high-pass is a simple single-order network"
what is a single order network? shouldnt it be first order?

considering specs and how random their earlier speakers were, im not suprised. they dont even care to levelmatch drivers, for example the asd1001 tweeter in the coax omen has a avrage efficiency of 104db, the woofer wouldnt even be close to matching that. but i guess since its more of a supertweeter you probably wouldnt notice it that much.
i will definitly stay FAR away from any product that comes out of this factory. all theyr speakers look like they were designet on a napkin, no technical logic whatsoever.

for new members, anyone of these would walk all over them, at a fraction of the cost:
http://www.diysoundgroup.com/waveguide-speaker-kits.html
http://gainphile.blogspot.no/
 
Couple of fellas on here need to go back and have a look at the very first post on this thread.
 
i have not heared zu audio myself, but i am VERY scepticle to their designs.

You are very opinionated about Zu speakers for someone who has never heard them. I don't think your opinions will hold much weight around here. Certainly not by me. Go listen to some then report back.

cubdog
 
A couple of good vids on Youtube of the Superflys with tubes. Hard to find any brightness here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8PSN2c7rTc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDUwM79SPbE
Though I did see both of these videos before I got my Zu's, I've never really been able to get a good feel for what a speaker will sound like by watching YouTube clips - I just kind of like to see them :) And that is a pretty sweet amp he has.

Perhaps the Vincent Audio SV-236MKII really just isn't a great match for the Superfly's - that is kind of what I was trying to ask with my last update. The guy I bought them from thought it would be great - of course I bought the speakers from him so naturally he would say that :) Sometimes I think it is just hard to know exactly what you're going to get until you give it a shot for yourself which is why I went down this road.

To be fair to the Superfly's, I think I should give them some more time to settle in - they only have about 250 hours on them and according to Zu 600 hours is recommended. That'll take me a LONG time (unless I just play them round the clock which I don't like doing).
 
Their website claims they should be ready out of the box and that they put 600 hours on them at the factory.

If the speaker uses paper drivers and foam surrounds break could be related to the speakers. If the speaker uses rubber surrounds (a material that doesn't change over time - uses kevlar or plastic (polyproplene) wooofers (materials that never change over time, and the tweeters are made form ANY metal variant (that never change over time) then there is likely to be no speaker break in - there is audiophile break in as in your ears get used to the speakers.

I think you should get a sense of the speakers fairly quickly - 20 hours. Play Music like the following at fairly high levels continuously and if it still has issues after 20 hours return them. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WK5Z2FkEuGg

Edit: I posted that piece of music and then I saw my speakers playing the same cut with my amp as well a big 4 watts! - spooky - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QShLEfQeJF4
 
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Zu use tricked out 10" Eminence Legend drivers with doped cones. Tekton Lores use the same basic driver. They do need a break-in period.
 
Their website claims they should be ready out of the box and that they put 600 hours on them at the factory.

If the speaker uses paper drivers and foam surrounds break could be related to the speakers. If the speaker uses rubber surrounds (a material that doesn't change over time - uses kevlar or plastic (polyproplene) wooofers (materials that never change over time, and the tweeters are made form ANY metal variant (that never change over time) then there is likely to be no speaker break in - there is audiophile break in as in your ears get used to the speakers.

I think you should get a sense of the speakers fairly quickly - 20 hours. Play Music like the following at fairly high levels continuously and if it still has issues after 20 hours return them. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WK5Z2FkEuGg

Edit: I posted that piece of music and then I saw my speakers playing the same cut with my amp as well a big 4 watts! - spooky - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QShLEfQeJF4

Thanks for your thoughts and the links - I'll see if I can get that song playing in my setup! Nice LM gear by the way :)
 
I have spent some more time with the Zu's this week and enjoyed them quite a bit. A guy came over to demo them and they sounded as good as I've heard them sound since I got them - some very good quality recordings do wonders! It was really fun to demo them for someone else and see the huge smile on his face.

I also listened to some vinyl I haven't listened to for awhile and was quite impressed with the sound. The tweeters seemed to have settled down or I found some better recordings. These speakers are going to be a great match for his tube amp, I'm glad that they're going to a good home and enjoyed them for the brief period I had them.
 
Livestrong, glad that you are enjoying the Zus. I have the Soul Superflys MK.1-B, and the Undertone sub, and really enjoying it. Just a lot of fun to listen to them and very cool looking with great fit and finish. I have had audiophile friends, whom I really respect, come over for a listen, and they only have had positive comments about them. No harshness or distorted highs. They are not laid back which suites me fine and are very revealing. Supply them with good quality source material and recordings and decent amplification, etc.

I agree that they are impressive with vinyl. Happy listening.
 
Livestrong, glad that you are enjoying the Zus. I have the Soul Superflys MK.1-B, and the Undertone sub, and really enjoying it. Just a lot of fun to listen to them and very cool looking with great fit and finish. I have had audiophile friends, whom I really respect, come over for a listen, and they only have had positive comments about them. No harshness or distorted highs. They are not laid back which suites me fine and are very revealing. Supply them with good quality source material and recordings and decent amplification, etc.

I agree that they are impressive with vinyl. Happy listening.
I think you nailed it - they are revealing...throw crappy source material at them and you'll get it thrown right back at you. But quality source material and the right amplification sure does sound nice! I'm glad I got the hear them before they go to their new home next week :)
 
Getting closer to being able to finally set up my Zu Omens. And wondering if any one can give me some advise on what might be the best material to stick under them?

We have hardwood floors and I'm thinking of getting some 1.5 inch audio boards for them. Does this sound like a good plan?

http://www.audiounion.jp/ct/detail/new/45076/
 
The Druid mk 5 at RMAF was the highlight of the day. Craziest soundstage ever..... I didn't want to leave... but my pops did. Sometimes they're just playing the right music.... and sometimes not
 
Getting closer to being able to finally set up my Zu Omens. And wondering if any one can give me some advise on what might be the best material to stick under them?

We have hardwood floors and I'm thinking of getting some 1.5 inch audio boards for them. Does this sound like a good plan?

http://www.audiounion.jp/ct/detail/new/45076/

What would you gain in setting them on a hard acoustically reflective surface, when your floor is already a hard acoustically reflective surface?

Not criticizing here, just wanting to understand the reasoning.

I know Poultrygeist used granite, but didn't you also use some type of vibration absorbent material under the granite, Poultrygeist?

I have tried tilting them back with the stove bolts from the hardware store, but I have not really noticed any improvement in sound. My Omens sit on a hardwood floor over a concrete subfloor. This may be due to my use of a subwoofer, so the LF from the Omens is not as much of a concern.

Jebb - I would suggest you listen to your Omens first without adding anything before you invest in tweaks - you may not need to add anything.
 
Under the granite tile I used a ribbed floor mat from Home Depot. My floors are laminate over plywood with a crawl space underneath.
 
PG and GG, thanks for your replies.

I can see that I really hadn't thought it through properly yet. Was just going off various pics I had seen of the Omens on blocks etc. And also thinking that I might want to get them off the floor and elevated a bit, since they aren't a tall floor stander by any means. Was also a bit worried about scratching up the new floors.

I will set them up first and give them a listen, like you suggested GG.

And if I need some blocks or rocks, I'll add some rubber to insulate them from the floor, correct?
 
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