I have an A318B and my friend had a Melody I2A3. We hooked my Almarro to his system and it was MUCH better. More bass control and 3-d imaging. We were both impressed. |
Does your friend's system use Zu Omen Def or other Zu speaker? |
You should call Zu directly. They are a great source of recommendations. |
No... he has Reference 3A deCappo's. |
I have the Omen Defs and I have had two I2A3's in my system, that is how much I liked them. I have not heard an Almarro, but I tried to buy one twice and lost it as it sold quickly. For the price used, either one would be fantastic for you I would believe. I can say with vocals the melody is fantastic.
I think you would get more bang for your upgrade buck by changing amps and trying out a new DAC. I have found minor changes in my Zu system with pre-amp changes and huge changes with my amp and Dac changes. However, the good and bad about Zu speakers is that:
1. Every weak point in your system will hold it back. That could be your Dac or your computer, or both for example. Even power conditioning and the like.
2. Every upgrade that you make will bring noticeable changes to the system as long as there are no obvious weak links.
And finally I would suggest in your price range a Tekton mini Lore or Lore. You will not find a more tonally accurate amp for your guitar, violin, etc IMO.
Good luck! |
I got my brain all haywire.....the last line should be Decware Mini Torii or Torii! If budget allows, the Coincident Frankenstein is the best I have tried (disclaimer I am selling mine because I upgraded to a newer more shiney version). |
Thanks for all the reply, I think I will get either the Melody and Almarro whatever come up first. The challenge is, they are very hard to cross by, and I missed a couple Almarro in the past. They are gone too quickly ... |
The MasterSound Due Venti is better than the Almarro. They pop up from time to time. |
To be fair to my friend, the I2A3 is a very good amp. The build quality and looks are top notch. It is a great sounding amp also. The difference was mostly in the bass area. The A318B is hard to beat in bass for a S.E.T..
Also, he listens at low level volumes at night while his family is sleeping. The volume attenuator was not sensitive enough for his listening style. The A318B has a linear volume that is much more sensitive to low volume listening. He no longer has the I2A3 amp. He went with a Ayon amp with remote control that is suited to his listening style. The Ayon amp is a very nice amp, but more money also. |
Another great upgrade option is on the speakers themselves. I have had both the standard Omen Defs, and a pair with HO Drivers and upgraded Mundorf Silver in Oil Caps. Both of these made a huge improvement in the sound and took a very good speaker and made it great for me. Just my $.02. |
Hi Morganc, can you please let me know which specific Oil caps do you use in your Omen Def? Is it I have to take the driver out to do this? |
Had an SE1 hooked up to several speakers including Khorns. Replaced the caps with Mundorf silver/oil, hexfreds, and installed a stepped attenuator. Everything has to go through the volume control.
Cap upgrades to the Omens should be large improvement.
Very pleased with my W4S Dac. |
I do not remember which capacitor it was size wise, but they are Mundorf Supreme Silver in Oil. Yes you would have to remove the drivers, and I am sure Zu could tell you the size. Also replacing the drivers (from Zu) would also be a huge upgrade. Both of those for around $500 would greatly improve the speakers. |
I just pulled the drivers on my Omen Def and it looks like the capacitor value is 1 uF. I have sent a note to Zu to confirm that. I think I will try that upgrade (that looks to be one of the differences in the Superfly). |
Come back and keep us posted, Holley. |
Yes, Holley, please keep us updated. I am not very technical, so, it would be good if you can make a video or take pictures along the way =) If you post on youtube, I am sure it will get alot of hits. |
There are three differences between the Omen Def and the Superfly.
1. silver in Oil Mundorf caps
2. Internal Silver wiring
3. HO Drivers
I have all three so I cannot comment on which is most important. However, I can say that the upgrade is very very significant. Increased intimacy, better imaging, and much smoother mids and highs.
I'm in the Bay Area if anyone wants a listen or demo. And I may be downsizing my collection soon so they may be for sale soon. |
I finally got a Almarro, and so far it is very good. But I have a question. Should I connect to the 4 ohm or 8 ohm output? I check the spec, the Zu Omen Def is 6 ohm. |
The general advice it to forget about the rating and just try both and see which you prefer. Either one is safe and will nor hurt your amp or speaker. |
Thanks. I have one more ignorant question.
I am tempted to connect my Prima Luna preamp into the Almarro and see how does it sound, because I read a post that someone put a preamp with Almarro and he likes the result ( I can't remember where I read it)
My question is, it won't have any harm on my unit by doing so, am I correct? |
Another alternative would be an Audion Silver Night Anniversary or their Duo. This is also an insanely good match: I will most likely go for either the Melody i2A3 or the Audion, but I have the Essence speakers. |
The Melody I2A3 and Essence combo is amazing for the price! It is a very good combo! |
+1 I didn't hear the I2A3, but the Melody integrates I've heard, including the awesome Melody MK88 I have now is all extremely Zu friendly, great sound (and looking stuff).
The are also a steal on the used market! |
