Zu Druid IV - the real deal?

I have a friend, a piano tuner who hears things in my system I can never locate. Joni Mitchell sounds fine to me but he thinks her voice isn't chesty enough. He raves about levels of detail that I'm not sure I hear.
Plainly, the two of us have different levels of acuity or, at the least, difference points of reference or taste. Neither of us is wrong and neither is an expert. Many of the comments I read on this site seem to be very authoritative in tone. In fact, I'm sure some rabid archivist will dredge up something I've written in the past to expose my hypocrisy in mentioning this. This will only illustrate that I too am guilty or have been.
What I'm getting at is the need for all of us to recognize that our values are perceived and our opinions flawed. The sound is what he hear and only what we hear. The notion of an Absolute Sound is poppycock. How can the ephemeral be absolute? Sounds are fleeting no matter how many times we replay them. What we hear varies from moment to moment, mood to mood and person to person.
I find Zu to be unencumbered by the compromises invariably introduced by crossover networks. I also dislike makeup on women. Most guys seem to think it enhances her. To each his own.
I'm glad Skuras likes his Druids. I had the same "right out of the box" experience. In fact, I have read many times now about people who make similar statements. I'm not sure about Chazzbo's 80/20 ratio but I think the ratio of people who have actually listened to them in their own homes and loved them is much closer to 100%.

Newbee has expressed my opinion better than I could. Thanks.

Mechans - That seems to me to be a very good question that you should put to the Zu boys. I would answer it here and now if I could but it never occured to me to ask so.........

Bartokfan - If you would take more care with spelling and punctuation, I would have a better idea of what you are saying. At times you are very clear and at other times I find your writings unintelligible. Please take your time and be more careful.

Bartokfan - You are a boundless source of misinformation which most of us chuckle about and then move on. However, I want you to be well informed on at least one topic if you choose to discuss it, and that would be my beloved Zu speaker line. It is not a big or well funded corporation but rather a small startup with young and inventive owners like your friend Tyler. I have been to the Zu factory and I can tell you for certain that they have 9 employees. As far as innovation and the Danes go, you have supposed correctly. Zu has it all over them. The products that Zu has presented are all built around a wide bandwidth driver that produces uninterrupted signal from 40 Hz to 12 Khz. This design has been in the works for over 70 years but had been abandoned because of the inability of Western Electric to make it work well enough. The Zu boys took up the challenge and succeeded in their pursuit by using modern materials and instrumentation that was unavailable to WE's very capable staff. Use of a large surface area and very short excursion makes for a very quick and electrostatic like presentation. Since there is no crossover in the mix, the problems of time and phase alignment that challenge Tyler and virtually all other speaker manufacturers do not come up for Zu.
There are many other aspects of the Zu designs that are interesting and innovative, and I would encourage you to explore the topic further by reading and by asking questions of the factory. They will welcome your call.

D_edwards - I think my zen will be O.K. as long as you keep calling me friend. But I'm afraid that measurements aren't valued much around here. This is a very subjective and experiential crowd. We're more into what seems to be than what is, even though we speak in absolutes.
I loved your "frozen in time" thing.

D_edwards - I'm not one to grab the salt shaker or the ketchup bottle. I respect the chef in that regard. And I do not hasten to modify every product that enters my house with any and every available tweek. I don't have test instruments because I wouldn't know how to use them. However, I am sure that you will find that Sean Casey at Zu can answer your questions about measurements and design decisions. There are no 12 inch drivers in any of Zu's speakers and the mention of Stereophile in any sentence meant to impress me is self-defeating.
The tone of your comments seems to indicate that you have confused us mindless consumers with the geniuses who created the product. Not a fatal error, I suppose but it leads to some very confusing arguments from you.
And your bit about short sighted editing of the artist's intentions calls for a bit of projection. God made winter and created me naked. And every year I put on clothes because the artist set me up to freeze to death if I don't.
Oh, and what's up with the tale about some other speaker company wiring their crossover wrong. What bearing does that have on Zu or this discussion? It sounds like you are attempting to position yourself as superior to that established manufacturer. Perhaps you are. Again, though, what's the point?
Measurements are nice, and as you point out, vital to some pursuits. I don't need any for my audio outside of the cable length or speaker position. I don't know the weight of my car keys, the height of my mulberry tree or the time it takes me to shave. Nonetheless, I've moved through life with some degree of comfort and grace. I don't think I could say that if I had been measuring everything for the last 50 years.
Relax, D_edwards, there's nothing to prove. I like my speakers and you could never provide me with enough data to change that.

The Druid is very efficient. This affords wide latitude in amplifier selection. It has a very benign impedance curve, again affording almost limitless amplifier compatibility. It plays very loud without breakup. It is remarkably coherent allowing you to understand the lyrics of screaming vocalists. It is very rhythmic about playback, if that makes sense to you. There is a fullness of tone that you are unlikely to find in other speakers. Its a kind of vitality that really defies description but is easy to detect. Tones are more resonant than what you are accustomed to in speakers at or even above this price range. Bass is a little tricky to adjust initially but comes through as fast and furious once you get it right. The addition of Zu's Mini Method sub takes it to a genuine full range experience. Cabinets do not seem to contribute anything. This is partially due to their design materials and construction and perhaps also to the short excursion of the full range driver and open bottom which emits bass energy. Call Zu and ask them about how all this works. They will explain plainly and not make you feel like a fool for asking.
I don't know a thing about the other speakers you mentioned but I'm hoping you find some useful answers in what I said.
Another fact about the Druids that went over well at my house is that you can postion them right up next to the front wall without significant loss of performance. Good for small spaces and difficult wives.

When I had Druids, I got the best bass by putting tiles on top of the carpet and then gapping the speakers from a solid surface. In another post I read about somebody suggesting 12 inch square, 1 inch thick grey concrete pavers from Home Depot. I would have tried those if I hadn't traded up.