Zu Druids upgraded Vs Essence

An early iteration, as the current one has a tweeter. The shape is definitely the same.

Looking forward to seeing the new Soul. I don't like hi-fi treble, which is why I got Druid Mk4 instead of Gallos etc.

And they are such interesting speakers, very glad I got them.

I'm hoping that Zu will also launch a new, cheaper sub too. Druids need stereo subs, and the methods are no longer in production.

PHIL: Hear hear on getting the right amp. I spent my budget on the speakers, so am very hard up for amp money. I have found that my 15W class-d is not good enough. There just aren't enough watts. 101db/W, or 97db/W sensitivity is fantastic, but I have a feeling that I'll get more of their dynamics with more watts, even if it's from a SS receiver.

Afc

I have a Zu 5.0 system with Credenzas for the left and right fronts, Zu center and Zu surrounds. My sub is a Velodyne SPL 1200. The speed and blending with the Zu speakers is very good. I used to use the 8" Velodyne model but the 12" is a much better match. These comments are based mainly on home theater usage as most of my music listening is done using with my 2 channel system.

btw. wanted to comment on Essence being more "hifi" and therefore doing better with mainstream audiophile tastes.

I agree that the "hifi" sound has exaggerated treble, which I do not like and is why I got the Druids. I hope that Zu retains some reasonably priced model that has natural HF. I also understand that more sales will help them support more models, so if this is what the market wants, stupid market for wanting it, smart Zu for serving it (I suppose).

But there is also a market segment that did not try Zu because Druids measured very badly, especially in frequency response. Both Essence and Druid have ragged frequency response, and you just cannot get there without a crossover, which would turn Zu into a conventional speaker. Although the measurement side of audiophile world and the stereophile-followers don't like each other, I think that flat frequency response tends to sound like HiFi HF at the listening position. So, the pair of antagonists are maybe closer together on something directly related to sound than they think!

I wish there was some way to measure dynamics and tone. That would give Zu some good graphs it could use in marketing.

Cool.

I thought I'd responded, but I don't see my comment. Anyway, yes, I figured that Soul image was prototype. The description of the Soul's trapezoidal shape had me worried, but even in the early stages, it looks promising for a small floorstander. I'm excited to see how it develops.

Interestingly, it looks to me like the shape is an external shell of the new foam cartridge pictured in the Essence stereophile review. I'm just guessing, and you guys seem to have a lot of good firsthand knowledge of the Zu stuff, but is there anything to that?