Zu Omen Dirty Weekend Setup tips

So the tip that nobody gave me was don’t be a dumbass and leave your amp on the 4 ohm taps. I can now confirm that the 8 ohm taps definitely sound better. I’ll probably listen for a bit before trying the 16 ohm taps. Nominal spec is 12 ohm but characteristic is 14 ohm according to the chart Zu has with some of their snubbing resistors. Still a tube noob so I’m not used to so many choices.
The carpet spikes are LONG. Fully inserted the spike protrudes about 1-1/2”. So I’ve got plenty of clearance under. Initial bass response is fine. I know intellectually that I’m missing that little last bit of extension that I had before and it would probably show up on a test sweep but why would I listen to test tones already. I have some spare shelves for those IKEA CD racks that were recently discontinued. I bet sliding one under each finger port would provide the opposite extreme for comparison. But not yet. Leonard Cohen is currently telling me I’m in the right ball park as is. I heard a more hiss as a Ben Folds Five track trailed off than I’m used to, but the decibel meter tells me I’ve turned the volume up about 10dB more than usual without noticing. Coincidentally the DW are about 10dB more efficient than my Dynaudio Audience 82 are. These are easy to play loud. Good thing I’m in a house and not an apartment. I’m missing the deepest bass a little with Meshell Ndegeocello but not enough to stop the volume from creeping up again. Got swept up in a Saint Saëns cello concerto. I had a feeling cello would shine on the Zu. I don’t need a speaker to shake the earth or rattle the windows but you can’t roll off too early and miss the upright bass in a small jazz ensemble either. This wasn’t initially intended to be a play by play of my first listening session. There’s some Stanley Clarke, Propellerheads, Johnny Cash, Iggy Pop, Gillian Welch, Dizzy Gillespie, Police, Portishead and it’s going to be a long night. I should pour a drink and put down my phone. I think I’m getting an idea what people mean by Zu sound. "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."
If it matters:
Primaluna DP HP
Schiit Saga+ (meant to be temporary, but I like)
Oppo BDP-105
Bluesound Node 2i
Cables are some Cullen and some Zu. 

Damn. They sold out in less than a day. That’s crazy. Glad I didn’t hesitate. Thanks for the breakdown, whoopycat. Sounds like messing with the floor gap makes the most difference. The bass response is the big unknown for me. The speakers I’ve had for years claim extension to 26Hz. It’s only the last few years that I’ve put them in a room big enough to take the foam plugs out of the ports and let them breathe. I hope the Zu get close enough that a lack of bass doesn’t distract from the areas where they’re supposed to shine. I guess I’ll find out soon enough. How good of a sub do you need to keep up with a Zu?

I don’t consider myself a bass head, I just know over time I must have become accustomed to speakers with decent low end extension, no matter the genre. I had some large stand mounts for years long ago that rolled off around 50Hz. They were great. My decision to go to full range floorstanders had nothing to do with blowing a woofer with over exuberant volume.

No point in drawing conclusions early. That’s the whole point of the 60 day trial. I think my long term plan may involve some subs in a 2nd system. There are a lot of speakers I want to try over the next few years that have limited low end. I’ll have to figure that out when I get to it.

All the advice is appreciated. I’m the kind of person that prefers to learn from other people’s mistakes rather than my own. Doesn’t always work out that way. Sounds like there will be plenty of opportunities for both. 

Mine are Rustic Hickory, too. I just couldn't justify spending $150-400 extra for a special paint job on $1,000 speakers. I did spring for the upgraded capacitor though.If I ever move up the line I might look at a premium finish, even the hickory are damn nice to look at. I haven't had the speakers 3 days or finished tweaking the setup, and I'm already thinking about the upgrade path. Shameless.

Looks like you found your weak link. I hadn't changed any gear in years until recently and I've noticed it does change the way you listen. There's the old debate about listening to gear versus listening to music, but sometimes listening to gear makes you hear the music again. I've been playing a lot of stuff I hadn't heard in years. And since I only recently started streaming there is an enormous back catalog of stuff I always wanted to listen to but never got around to buying. Priorities.

whoopycat - What refinements did you get moving up to the Druids? Not that I’m looking to upgrade right away. (It’s only been a few weeks.) I’m just curious how the rest of the line compares.

For me I think the real test will be in a few months after I’ve fully run in and acclimated to the DW. I wonder what I’ll think when I try my 20yo Dynaudios again.

I’m still on the fence about getting a sub. I’ve heard new low end detail in tracks I thought I knew well with the DW but I’ve also changed a lot of other gear recently. I briefly put my old speakers back in and could now hear the same elements but they manifest differently. It almost was too much bass because I’d grown used to the DW. I didn’t leave them set up for long but mostly because I only half ass set them up without moving the DW. I have them set farther apart than my other speakers, but I like a wide presentation. I’ve also been thinking of getting a Class A SS amp as a contrast to my current tube amp and give myself options. Pass XA25 and First Watt F7 are high on the list.
@terjea17 tube amps have different taps based on the approximate speaker impedance in order to get the proper amperage from the output transformers. Solid state amps don’t need this.
You might ask Zu about those caps to make sure they’re the proper size to crossover properly. I got the clarity cap upgrade when I ordered the speakers and haven’t had any complaints in the upper registers and I’m someone that usually finds violins screechy.