From Klipsch to Zu Omen Def

Macallan7, very late on this thread, but I owned the Omen Defs for about 18 months and absolutely loved them (had a chance to step up to the Def IIIs so I had to get rid of them). I have heard the Essence at a friends house, and frankly, was not wild about them -- they lacked that dense Zu sound. I used Wyred 4 Sound mAmps with the Omen Defs and it was a terrific combination. I have heard the Kefs in an audio store, so very difficult to make comparisons, being the system and rooms are so different. However, I certainly thought the Omen Defs were a large step up in tone and density over the Kefs. The Omen Defs are very simple to set up to get very good sound, but if you take a little extra time and effort, they can sound fantastic.

Any one? I would audition these if I could. I think the Omen def makes the most sense but curious if anyone has compared them to the old Essence or the new Druid V. I would be using a SS amp.

Any thoughts on the Omen Def vs. the Druid V or even the older Essence?

I have been a Klipsch owner for over 25 years. Forte's were first ( still have them) and then Khorns. SOld those and now the Forte's will be up for sale to be reaplaved by Druid V's soon. Heard those and was really surprised. Running SET and a soon to be completed 15W OTL. Druids are excellent.

I've heard larger Zus just once at a local hifi show.

THey were just OK for pop/rock music off a 6 watt SET amp, below par at that particular show. Sounded very nice on more smaller scale acoustic type music

Zu guy in the room admitted that they would have benefited from more power for pop/rock.

Klipsch can be a nice choice as well if in the right setup. Some tweaking with system, room, the whole kaboodle over time is pretty much always the key to get where you want once you make some basic decisions on what to build around. Kind of like building a dream house, but hopefully not nearly as expensive.

06-12-14: Shakeydeal
"Look at the Klipsch Heritage line."

Shakey is spot on with this suggestion. A pair of LaScalas or CornScalas will definitely give you that "big" sound you are seeking with a sweet midrange for vocals.

Bill

Look at the Klipsch Heritage line. Much better for two channel listening than the Reference speakers.

Shakey

Macallan7,

I have owned a pair of Klipsch RF-63's since May 2008 and have had many opportunities to "upgrade" to RF-7's, RF-83's, RF-7II's, and other brands but just can't accept that any of these would be "better". The 63's have that classic Klipsch forward sound with unlimited dynamics but with a smoothness and very accurate midrange that I have yet heard in a 2-way tower at it's pricepoint.

Just suggesting a more refined Klipsch Reference tower before you try another brand.

Bill

I have still yet to pull the trigger. Now the Druid V's are out what are thoughts on the Omen Def vs the Druid? I like the dynamics of my klipsch but want smoother mids (vocals specifically)

Yep. That's how I'd characterize the difference between VSA and Klipsch.

Though the VSA can be goosed to be more forward and fast with careful equipment matching, just as Klipsch and Zu can be tamed a bit with certain set-ups.

Vr4 jr and they were very smooth but laid back compared to the Klipsch

I have not compared those directly, but I have heard speakers from both companies. If you want a sound in the same family of Klipsch, then Zu is a good choice.

Von Schweikerts do have a different sound from Zu, a good deal less forward and they can be pretty laid back especially with certain paired components. It has taken some tweaking to get my Von Schweikerts as forward as I would like (which isn't as forward as Klipsches or Zu). Out of curiosity, which Von Schweikerts did you hear and how did you think they compared to the Klipsch sound?