What amp are you using with your Zu Essences?

Having owned every Zu speaker (except Superfly), most on multiple occasions, I'd opine that virtually any amp will work ok.

That being said there are better matches than others. My recommendation after thousands of hours would be to stay away from Class D amps with every Zu speaker. In general they seem to suck the warmth and polish out of Definition, Essence, Druid, Tone,Presence, and my newly arrived Omen Defs.

Most other topologies work quite well and sound terrific; pay particular attention to the speaker's impedance. For example, OTL amps are not ideal with the Omen Defs (6 ohm) whereas Class A solid state is magnificent. The best amp with the Omen Defs so far, to my ears, is the Pass XA30.5.

Alternatively, Presence and Druid with their 16 and 12 ohm impedances, work extremely well with OTL.

Class D amps can be wonderful with the proper speaker but to my liking, Zu is not high on that list.

However, at the end of the day, if you like what you hear go for it. Afterall, your money.

Dealer disclaimer

In fact my previous statement is correct.

Having had 3 pairs of Definition (6 ohm) here with an Atma-Sphere S-30 for over 2,000 hours of critical listening I'm quite sure of my conclusion.

The only instance in which the S-30 worked properly was on 1 pair of Definitions that had a 30 ohm load option. The bottom end performance was extremely poor using the 6 ohm taps. I suspect the Omen Defs (6 ohm) would perform similiarly.

I did not use the M-60 or MA-1 models so no opinion with them is offered.

Thank you.

Additionally, if you go to the Zu website and view the speaker comparison chart you'll see amplifier recommendations for various amplifier topologies.

Please note that Zu's comment for Omen Def (6 ohm) and OTL is a tenuous "maybe".

Thank you

Apparently Ralph doesn't like dealers who don't toe the company line as I've just been removed from the list of Atma-Sphere dealers.

That's certainly his prerogative and I make no apologies for expressing what I believe to be honest opinions based on actual listening experiences.

I wish Ralph and his company all the best.

Thank you.

>>making invalid claims/statements<<

I don't really need to check with anybody, manufacturer or otherwise, to report what I hear. That's not my style.

Anyway, I've been offered my job back; no decision as of this moment on my part.

This is my last post regardless of what follows; readers please feel free to email or call should you wish to discuss