Hi Doug,
Thanks for the kind words.
My office is situated smack dab in the middle of three of the main areas in Hong Kong where all the HiFi is located (Central , MongKok, ShamShuiPo). All are just a few minutes by taxi, and getting out to demo this or that piece of equipment at lunch is quite convenient. The great thing is that all the shops in each area tend to be next to each other and/or in the same building, and run the gamut in terms of types and range of equipment.
Back to the Zu's - on one such lunch-demo excursion, I happened to come upon the local Zu/Melody/Rogue dealer. Looking to hear the Melody line of tube amps, these were hooked up to Zu Tones so I sat down for a listen. That turned out to be the audio version of the three martini lunch as I spent about two ++ hours listening (good thing I'm the boss). At first, the sound was a bit strange as I wasn't familiar with Hi-Eff speakers. The speed and transparency were quite a revelation and, while imaging was very good but not the best I've heard, the sound seemed very natural. The Tones excel at low volumes as well - something that my AAD's struggle with. Rock and fast paced music was particularly fun to listen to. Sound wise, the AAD's are a little more weighted towards the mid-bass and need to be pushed in order for them to shine. Being in an office, getting detail at lower volumes was very appealing as, in fact, the office is not a sound room but an office where other people work. Thus, after a few more listening sessions after hearing them with other amps, both SS and Tube, I thought they might work well in the office.
Re: the Pathi {you can use the term - I'll license it out to you cheap :)) }, I couldn't agree with you more about the Pathi. I, too, am puzzled as to why more haven't tried this - especially given what tubes in the mix adds to the overall package and, not to mention, the relatively low price of admission. In my opinion, there are perhaps two reasons for this. The first being, the unorthodox nature of haveing a preamps on each block. Sounds funny now, but being able to control the volume in step was an issue with me as I didn't want the bother of having to fiddle with one should the remote not work in sync. Your comment in that area was one of the main reasons I eventually made the jump. If memory serves me correctly, a few weeks ago when I posted this system someone made that very same comment; so, it seems, I'm not the only one. The second reason may be that sometimes the relatively low price of a good component may actually dissuade some people from making the jump, given the tendency for many to think that you always have to spend buckets more of money for to get better performance.
Right now, listening to some Robbie Williams ballads with some prominent piano pieces reminded me of your observation about the mic being moved closer to / in the piano - how true! The power reserves and the abolute control over the speakers is one thing that stands out as well. Blessed with both a SS system and tube system at home, the hybrid nature of this system is really intoxicating as you get the best of both worlds. Have the REL sub just kicks things up a notch - very tight and not at all boomy. I've had some of the local audio sellers in and they are really shocked at how good it sounds - it's really fun to see them shake their heads in disbelief.
If you get a minute, check out my home office system (Second System Sanctuary) and let me know what you think.
Gotta run now - business awaites!
Cheers,
Garry
