Zu or Harbeth


Hello Gentlemen,

I soon may be in the market for some new speakers. I currently have a pair of Vandersteen 3a's ( my "waterproof" digital camera got soaked, so I haven't updated my system photos for a while) and I really enjoy the sound. That said, I am sure there are better speakers out there.

The Harbeth 40.1 has been on the top of my list since the beginning, but lately I have been looking at the Zu Definitions and/or Presence. At this point in time I am only interested in speakers from these 2 companies for various reasons, esthetics being one of them.

I have read all the reviews for each of the speakers and would love to hear from anyone who owns/has owned these speakers.

My room is about 16'x25' with an a-frame ceiling with a 20'peak.
Also I have a Mcintosh MC 2500 beast of an amplifier, which I love, and have no plans on upgrading, not sure how this would mate with the Zu's.

I also plan on buying used.

Thank you in advance.
hanaleimike

Showing 3 responses by swampwalker

Based on what I heard at RMAF this year, I would say that the comments above are pretty much on-mark. Their presentation (good term) IS quite different. The Harbeths would most likely be more forgiving of upstream problems; the Zus definitely have more jump and as Ryder said, the PMCs that I heard at RMAF fall somewhere in the middle.
Hanalemkie & Tvad- I'm confused. Are you talking about Vandy 3A Sigs or Reference 3A Grand Vennas? If the Vandys, then I would just point out to Mike that those speakers punch well above their weight unless you are looking for pyrotechnics and.or live volumes. I would venture that the Harbeths are much closer to the presentation of the VAndys than the Zus are.
Hanaleimike/Tvad- That's what I got from the context but wanted to make sure I had missed anything and make sure Mike has the 3As. The 3A sigs are a much better speaker, but I would still expect them to sound much more like the Harbeths and #as, while the Zus would be quite a bit different. FWIW, for a total investment of just over $2K, you could have the speakers upgraded to 3A sigs AND get a pair of used 2WQ subs, if you want more bass. The 2WQ is a GREAT sub and mates seamlessly w the Vandy speakers. I had to turn mine off to make sure they were on.