ZU DruidsMK2 vs. Totem Hawk and/or Forest

The new Druids are MK-IV. I owned the Gallos previous to the Druids. The Gallos had better tweeters, but the midrange immediacy and utter coherency of the Druids trumps any conventional speaker I've ever heard. At 101 db efficiency, a bigger amp isn't better and probably 80 watts is bigger than optimal. The downside is you'll have to optimize a system to take advantage of their capabilities.

The Gallos were spooky-good HI-FI speakers, the Druids sound like music. I could see a given person preferring one over the other, but for me it's not even close.

I haven't heard Totems but have heard good things. If you end up not liking them, you can just switch speakers. If you optimize a Druid system, you're seriously hedging toward hi-eff selections which seriously compromises your other choices.

Try before you buy! I know Zu will try to get ahold of Druid owners near you if they can. Good luck!

I haven't heard the Druids, but am familiar with the review, and my buddy has heard them v. Gallo's Reference 3's, and has heard the forests in my system, and is familiar with the hawks as we auditioned them together. He hasn't heard any in A/B or A/B/C comparisons, but here's what he feels concerning each speaker, with my comments about mating with the MF X-150:

He felt that he preferred the Gallo's to the Forests, Hawks, and Druids, and he's thinking of buying a pair, but hasn't found a happy amplification solution because he feels the Gallo's are a little finicky. I don't think you'll be enough out of the Gallo's with the MF, but it gives you room to grow.

He preferred teh Forests to the hawks and druids: better imaging and soundstage, and more plump and impacting bass. Again, your integrated wouldn't really let the Forests shine.

He preferred the Druids to the Hawks, but just marginally. He thought considering the price, which is inbetween the hawks, forests, and gallos, that the druids would probably outlive an amplification upgrade sooner than the hawks would. He loved the immediacy and grip of the druids, but the hawks have eerie imaging for their size. I think that the MF would drive the druids (and Six Moons says they'd be great with a micro power amp) but they're rated up to 300 according to the web site, so you could upgrade your amp and probably disover a fuller sound.

All this being said, I think the hawks would mate perfectly with the MF. I've heard them with MF gear and it's a nice combo. I think the build quilaty of the druids is very nice (and they're heavy suckers) but if you like things in smaller packages (like the MF X-150) then the hawks are the winners, not to mention they're really well built, and are bi-wireable, unlike the druids.

You'd be happy with any of these speakers, I guess it's best to get a feel for what might happen to your amplification section down the road, because then you may have a longer life for your speakers.