Zu Essence vs B&W

i guess I want to know which one would be better suited for my taste in music, I don't care about the technology involved. I want a larger soundstage and a more immerse sound than my Klipsch with a smoother more present mid-range.

Understood, but Zu does not sell to any local stores, I have heard the 802d but not the 803d. I have listened to Martin Logan, Klipsch, B&W and Von Schweikert.

Thanks. I heard the 802d with an all Mcintosh front end, C2200 and MC402, sounded huge and very smooth, the top end was "sweeter" than my klipsch. The VR4-jrs were driven by an Arcam receiver, very smooth but nothing spectacular. The MLs were Vantages driven by Krell 400xi, these were my favorites but so inconsistent, on some songs they were awesome, on others thin and harsh. I like aspects of the electrostatic sound but I also like heavier music like the Bealtes White Album or the Stones. My Klipsch are actually very enjoyable once I added a tube preamp (Juicy Peach II) and a powerful amp (B&K 200.2) I am very into singer songwriter music so I want the vocals to be as smooth and 3-D as possible but do not want a speaker as limited as the ML.

The Spire would certainly be on my list, vocals are my top priority, i just don't want to be limited in what I can play. If the Spires can handle Floyd and Zeppelin then they may be the ticket.

That is what I have read, anyone compare to the Logans

I am looking to spend around $5K so the Logan Summit or Spire used would be in the ballpark and so would the 803s. I have an idea of the B&W vs Logan sound but have never heard the Zu. The Summit would be ideal if they could handle rock music. I will try to find a place to listen.

Thanks, the Spire and the Zu actually look like the best options at this point. Any thoughts on the Spire vs the original Summit?

Anyone familiar with the RF-7 and the Essence?

i had a chance to go listen to the Spire's yesterday. I was actually disappointed. They did some things great, vocals were very upfront but so was everything else. They sounded interesting but not real. It seemed like the drums, guitar everything was on an even plane about a foot in front of the speaker. Also the sound off axis was a dramatic difference much more pronounced than the folks on the Logan forum care to admit. It was set up properly using an Ayre front end and they did sound good, just not what i was expecting.

What i was impressed with was the new 804 diamonds, they looked tiny in comparison but sounded just as big as the Spires. In fact they actually imaged higher and seemed more disconnected from speakers themselves. The bass was not as powerful but i think a sub could cure this. I had never thought about the 804ds but they are top on my list now. Would a sub cure the lack of slam?