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Zu def 4 are they the best speaker made?

I have been a Zu fan for a long time starting with the presence and moving to Definition 3 then to Definition 4.

In my opinion if you like Americana, Rock music
Blues or Bluegrass, then these speakers with the right electronics and room, I really feel like the room matters as much as components.

these speakers lack nothing in my opinion you have great soundstage as well as intimacy and realistic bass.

i have tried a lot of different amps and preamps
But for me as Cobra from this site.  suggested a good 845 amp is a match made in audio heaven!

I'm using a Jhango passive and my 845 is a Larry Moore Monaco with some upgraded parts

Lampizator Dac and transport thru a MacBook Pro with Tidal and it’s simply amazing!!

for vinyl I have a modded table from George Merrill of Memphis Tn, great guy by the way.

and my phono pre is Heed quasar , nothing crazy expensive and I would put it up against anything I have had the pleasure to listen to.

my point is Zu makes a fantastic speaker on top of amazing customer service. But with the right gear they can sound as good as it gets.

i know that’s a bold statement but these speakers are so immediate and life like without any limitations that I can hear but it’s just my opinion.

Check them out for yourself, you may feel the same way.

52tiger

Showing 2 responses by dentdog

dentdog's avatar
dentdog
506 posts
 
I have a pair of Def 4s and they sound like the signal coming into them. I think Sean showcases the dynamics of the speaker, which is great but not necessarily by itself an end all goal for most. 
They can sound any way you want them to sound. With the right signal they are warm and revealing at the same time. I have actually gone too far and had them sound too warm, and I am in the camp of liking slightly warm presentation. It is hard to conceive warm and dynamic but it happens in this case. 
dentdog's avatar
dentdog
506 posts
 
I’ve had my Def 4s about 5 years now and feel I can make some valid observations. They are very dependent on the amps and electronics upstream. Their transparency is revealed with certainty with the slightest variable introduced. Yes the right amps, preamp, front end, tubes selected all become a factor, I believe more so than many speakers due to the fact that the full range drivers are wired directly to the amps.
Their immediacy is startling and somewhat unusual, but their variation on different source material tells me they don’t color as much as reveal what the source provides.
Another pair of other factors are significant. The down firing subs are sensitive to room placement as distance from the walls and reflection play into the equation. The other factor is their sensitivity. While this makes them ultra dynamic in both a macro and micro sense it also causes them to be very sensitive to noise in the electricity. When this is addressed effectively depth and presence increase, giving a very in the room, at the hall presentation.  With the elimination of crossovers very little is masked and realism is there in spades.
I doubt the audio shows allow this level of setup and this is largely responsible for the widely variable opinions regarding them. Frankly, with dirty power they can sound pretty shouty. 
Spirit’s opinion as stated "in his room" carries more info than might be evident on the surface. When one has a speaker like the Def 4 the potential begs the effort to address what might bring it to fruition. Some things are just worth working for.


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