ZU OMEN speakers 12ohms??

Jayctoy, which Jolida powered the Essences? I find that the Essence driven by tubes is spot-on with vocals and pianos. Palpability and goosebumps are both included with the price of admission. What did you think of the bass response?

I have to agree with Atmasphere's comment about accuracy, but with a slight reservation. I'm three weeks into my home trial of a pair of Essences. They possess the same 10" wide bander, but unlike the Omen, they use a ribbon tweeter. I've been experimenting with a variety of tube amps and taps. I'm currently using a push-pull EL84 amp that produces 22 wpc.

Since the speakers are still breaking in their character changes gradually. However, at this point one thing is very clear. They are capable of revealing all sorts of details. So far their presentation is one of rock solid images with a deep sound stage and plenty of air. Voice is reproduced in a fleshy, three dimensional manner. Piano, whether from a CD or LP, is stunning in tone, decay and resonance.

If anything seems out of whack at this stage it's the bass. While the Essence can produce solid bass (try Lyle Lovett's "She's already Made Up Her Mind"), it doesn't seem to blend seamlessly with the rest of the frequency spectrum. To my ears that makes the midrange stand out a bit too much and emphasizes the perception of "accuracy." At this point this may be a break in issue. I've got less than 100 hours on them. The wide bander uses a pleated surround which takes a notoriously long time time break in.

As part of a special promotion, I was given a 90 day home trial, so I'm in no hurry to rush to any judgement. I'm encouraged by what I'm hearing.

"Character changes are rather obvious as the break-in proceeds." Boy, have you ever got that right. I'm just passing 100 hours on my Essences and have experienced the same exact thing. I also discovered how much a difference seating height makes, though that might not be as big an issue with the Omens. How do you find the Omen's bass response? While the Essence can reach down there (check Lyle Lovett's She's Already Made Up Her Mind), and the bass is quite tuneful, I do find that's a bit light weight at times. I found the Essence to become much smoother as it broke in. I'm currently driving them with a Bob Latino/VTA ST70 with all of the cap upgrades. The speaker connectors are hard wired to the 4 ohm tap which to my ears produces a somewhat laid back and polite sound.

I realize my experience is with the Essences so it might not apply exactly to the Omen. However, the both share the same 10 inch wideband driver. Compared to the 4 ohm tap, the 8 ohm tap delivers a crisper, faster, more open presentation. Until my speakers settled in a bit, I felt it was a bit too "in your face." So I tried the 4 ohm tap and found it smoothed things out a bit. The down side was the 4 ohm tap made things a bit too polite. Not offensive in any way and some listeners might prefer it over the 8. I thought the highs were rolled off a bit and the overall presentation lacked some air. A good demo would be Black Prarie's "Red Rocking Chair." In the end I think it's a very subjective call. Use the tap that produces the results you like the most.