6 Moons Reviews Zu Cable Definition Speaker

Yeah, yeah, yeah....
IMO 6Moons is turning into just another Tout, whether intentionally or not. There's always something coming down the pike that's the greatest thing since sliced bread.

I auditioned the Gallo's after reading the "glowing" review - and pretty much wrote off 6Moons opinions as being incompatible with my own after that. But this review takes the cake - the guy's getting carried away - this is a rambling, self indulgent rant full of Zu publicity photos. And after reading it like 3 or 4 times, I still have no idea what these speakers are supposed to sound like. I'm sure they're very good, and a "real bargain" for $9,000. And just like Talons, some will love the sound and some will hate it.

And on a separate note - what's with these self-powered boxes being marketed as high efficiency, SET compatible now?!*&X??? Bull... If I put a 1000 watt solid state amp inside each of my sealed boxes, does that make my speakers "high-efficiency"? Now I only need an exotic one-tenth watt tube amp? I get it - so put the amps on the outside and you're speakers are power hungry, but put 'em on the inside and they're "S.E.T. friendly" !

I'm obviously being curmudgeonly today, so one more thing, that Dawgbyte brought up - Everytime someone writes, "These (whatever) sound just like live music..." I want to groan. It's the most overworked, meaningless cliche in all of High End. As Dawgbyte was getting at, live music is generally a fun experience, the performers are interesting to watch and hear, and the communal aspect is nice - BUT THE SOUND QUALITY (from an audiophile perspective) SUCKS. Period! Good recordings at home are vastly superior as a pure Listening experience.
Equipment either reproduce accurately, or they introduce color - that's it. SO what does it mean to say a piece of equipment sounds "just like live"? It's a marketing hook that nobody seems to question, plain and simple. (IMHO, of course).

But back to the actual Zu's themselves - it'll be interesting to hear them. I'm a fan of full range driver based speakers, I'm just curious as to what the Definition actually does better than a pair of Druids and 2 subs don't do at a lower price point.

Unless your head's at perfect ear-level with center of the two main drivers, and doesn't move from that position, it seems to me that having TWO mains in each box is going to introduce slight phase error that at certain frequencies partially negates the coherency of the full range driver concept. Just food for thought.

What Dawgbyte says is true - Srajan obviously enjoys these speakers. And I don't doubt his good intentions.

But on a general level (not necessarily pertaining in this instance) do keep in mind that when a reviewer says they "bought" the equipment - they sure didn't pay retail for it. Usually the insider price is so low that reviewers can resell used at breakeven or a profit later on. 6Moons prohibits their reviewers from selling at a profit - but I guarantee, they don't pay anywhere NEAR what you or I would. So the turnover risk for them is low - they know they can enjoy for a year and then flip it at no, or minimal, cost. It's NOT the same decision as for you buying a $9,000 per pair (+ tax and shipping, too) of speakers, knowing that once you open the boxes they're down to $7,000 and a year later $5,500 or less. When a reviewer "buys" it is nearly always the result of a combination - they really DO like the equipment AND a sweetheart deal was offered to them. So to say a reviewer is using "hard-earned" money may not tell the whole story.

I recommend that anyone who actually reads equipment reviews for other than sheer entertainment should consider Arthur Salvatore's opinions and experience on his website - especially this essay: http://www.high-endaudio.com/magaz.html

Quote from the article - "As Sean's visit drew to a close, I asked him to take my Druids and the Method sub back to Ogden and bill me for the balance."

Now, at the insider "accomodation" pricing, how much do you think that "balance" was? Whatever it was, at that amount of $$$ it's a no-brainer and I wouldn't hesitate to take 'em right now, myself.

Which is not to say that the these aren't GREAT speakers. They very well may be, and I'd love to hear them. But I think what TVAD and I are trying to say is, the fact that a reviewer buys them - especially under the "trade-in" nature and pricing of these circumstances - is not valid criteria for forming a premature opinion, which colors what many people hear in a live audition later on (the placebo effect).