Are you a wimp in that you wussed out, or in that you caved in?
I guess the sale really is over which in a way is a relief in that even if they aren't for me, I can likely re-coupe what I paid locally rather than incurring a shipping expense.
I'm very excited. |
Thanks! This is reassuring.
The gentleman I spoke to at Zu said Nelson's gear is great and that it should all sound good with it, but that he was unfamiliar/did not test it with the firstwatt amps. I just know as current amplifiers they really aren't suitable for cross over speakers, so I was wondering if anyone had any specific info. |
For those of you who have heard the new Zus and the Cain and Cain Abbys, I'm wondering--how do the Superflys fare in terms of overall coherence.
While I can definitely pick and chose things I'd love to add to the performance I currently have, I certainly don't want to give this aspect up. |
Thanks for sharing your findings, Phil. I'm not a person that holds onto gear that doesn't do it for me, and I've had my Abbys for more than five years now... I'm very excited and anxious to see for myself what these Superflys are all about.
Have they begun shipping yet or is it just a few of their local friends who were lucky enough to get their hands on them prior to June. |
Thanks for keeping this thread alive, guys.
I am very excited to receive my pair and get it situated at home.
Does anyone know if shipping began today as anticipated? |
That is a concern of mine as well. I really wished they had put more, natural pictures up on their website. I'm concerned that everything they posted looks like it was taken through a camera filter.
For the free Superfly upgrade, however, it was worth the leap of faith. They don't have to look as good as my Abbys, they just have to deliver the goods without being eye sores/throwing off my living room too much. |
Just got a tracking number for my pair! |
My pair was scheduled to be delivered Tuesday, but the FedEx man came by today with my Superflys. They sound very good right out of the box driven by my First Watt, but I received them with hardwood floor footers rather than spikes for carpet.
I'm going to give Zu a call on Monday to get that and whatever literature was supposed to come with the speakers that may have been accidentally omitted.
Still even with the gap not being optimal, I think I'm going to enjoy these speakers. More more body and drive to the presentation--hopefully resolution sets in with burn in. |
My initial impressions are very positive. I'm hearing a much more complete sound than my Abbys could convey. I was not aware I was missing out on as much treble detail/extension as I was with my prior single driver, but the super tweeter is really great.
The mids are full and textured but I'm detecting a bit of hardness which I suspect will go away with break in, also I do find myself wanting a touch for more detail in this area.
The bass is obviously not optimal using floor mounts in carpet, but even still I can't really complain. It is fast and punchy.
This speaker does dynamics better than my Abbys which I felt were one of its strengths. Its an exciting presentation.
One surprise for me is that despite the significantly higher sensitivity (101 from 95) my noise floor is down. While my First Watt (which is working great in this system btw) is pretty silent in operation, my preamp is not usually as quite, but now I can't hear the low level of noise I could with my less efficient speakers.
Also, I seem to open the volume pot MORE now than before to get to similar levels. Not much more, but I worried going to this level of efficiency I wouldn't be able to fine tune volume levels as easily.
As far as looks go, the pictures on the site are pretty accurate, even at night under artificial light they look similar to the direct sun pictures. While they aren't as pretty as the Abby's, they are attractive in their own right, simple, clean and very well finished.
FWIW I have serial numbers 11 and 12, so I guess I have the sixth pair made.
Sigh... I guess its time to post the Abbys up for sale. Hate to do it, but based on my experience so far, Phil is probably right that I can move to these from my prior speakers without missing any aspect of the old sound. |
Mike,
I had not heard a Druid, but was actually researching the possibility of a pair as a successor to my Abbys when these were announced. I had pretty much resolved to buy the next used pair that didn't have a 'weird' color scheme to try in home and re-sell if I didn't like them. Then the Soul with free Superfly deal came around for about the price of used druids and I couldn't hold back. Also the metronome looking enclosure is more attractive to me.
One thing I'm liking a lot about these speakers is that they are far more versatile than my Abbys. I've thrown on some reggae and hip hop for grins and it does a very good job delivering the goods.
I was up listening till almost 2am last night and was up at 8am today to rock out a little more before the family gets up and I have to start the day. |
Scratch that: Heh, room acoustics were playing a part in sound change from yesterday. I had my son's "pack-n-play" between my right speaker and the door (see virtual system) and it was loading bass oddly. Just moved it to the bedroom and all is right.
Who else has a pair coming this week? |
I just got off the phone with Gerrit at Zu and he cleared up my concerns. There is no owners manual printed yet, so it wasn't mistakenly omitted and they haven't decided on spikes yet.
BUT for now the appropriate action is to loosen the nut on the bottom of the speaker and un-thread a little of the pole to set an appropriate height. I'm going to play with that when I go home for lunch today.
Also, I'll try and snap some pictures of them in place in my listening room this evening and update my profile accordingly. |
I unscrewed the hard surface footers and threw the spikes from my Abbys in the threaded holes. The diameter of the holes was too small for these spikes, but I balanced them in there and now have a proper gap.
These speakers are amazing me. So much more information to my music than I was hearing previously. Much denser sound while being just as agile as my Abbys.
I'm impressed! |
Zanon,
That is interesting. I really like the F1 a lot. It replaced a pair of tricked out Don Garber Fi 2a3 monoblocks on my Abbys. With SETs I always find myself worrying about tube life and wasting precious NOS tubes on background music. I get plenty of PRaT and fun factor with the First Watt and actually use my rig a thousand times more now than with tubes.
Part of the attraction to this particular speaker for me was the idea that I could swap it in for my Abbys and not really have to juggle anything else. I'm extremely satisfied with most of my components with the only part in question being my Well Tempered Reference (possibly a little too laid back for me).
I don't really want to get back on the gear-go-round especially in this climate, but as more Superfly users come into the picture, if someone has a particularly special experience with something reasonably priced, I might be tempted... |
Mahughes,
I updated my virtual system to include some pictures of the Souls. I know you were interested in seeing non-professional, normal lighting, in peoples actual home pics.
My listening room doubles as my living room. I wish I had a dedicated space, but its getting the job done. |
Very interesting, Phil. Are there any particularly good inexpensive amps you've heard with Zus? Their website seems to think the Dynaco ST-70 is a tremendous value. With my first child born 11 days ago and the wife on maternity leave, my ability to drop four figures (even three really) on a whim is pretty much non-existant. Notwithstanding, I will keep your 845 suggestion in mind on my daily perusals of the new today page.
Also as an update, the system is sounding very good+ but has taken a step back from last nights pure excellence. I think it's just the break in process of the drivers.
Don't get me wrong, they're still the best speakers I've owned.
|
No such luck, Mike. I check this thread obsessively! I'm watching the Hot Fuzz HD DVD with the wife right now doing 2 channel HT with my Superflys. I love 'em!
I live in a condo so I can't really crank them hardcore, but they're "unreasonably loud" now keeping their composure very well.
They sound great with my First Watt F1, but Phil has me really curious about tube power...
See my system profile for pictures of my own placement. I am pretty audio obsessed, but my ability to play with placing is limited. If anyone has any suggestions based on what they see, I am all ears. |
I just brought home one of my father's extra amplifiers to experiment. Its a class D job, a Panasonic XR-25 digital receiver. I've got it's volume maxed out and am using my tube preamp into the tape input.
What I'm hearing is interesting but definitely inferior so far to my First Watt F1.
The midrange is thin and kind of lifeless. Its detailed but very flat and lacking in texture, but sound staging is great, resolution top to bottom is really nice and my speakers seem like they may be benefiting from the additional power.
Bass isn't any more impactful, in fact its probably less so, but space and air seems like it might have improved.
This was a cheapie experiment and not intended for a second to replace my First Watt, but it does have me curious/eager to try other amplification. |
I can't say how the TT-25s would sound with the Zus, but I liked them with my former Abbys. I do remember reading a recent thread on audio asylum about them presenting a poor synergy with lowthers though.
$700 seems like a fine price. I have owned them twice over the years and I think I was able to re-sell for about $1000 after I had gotten my kicks for a while. The amp market is changing though. |
Amplifier question:
I was recently reading reviews on the Red Wine Audio 30.2 and it sounds as if it might be an absolutely perfect match for the Zu Soul Superflys. But at its price it was only a fantasy at the moment as I'm pretty effin' tapped out money wise.
Then yesterday I came across a post on Audiogon for a Tim Rawson-esqe clone of the amplifier (Wineclone). I don't speak technical, but it is affordable (albeit ugly) and I'm wondering if someone with both Zu experience and a more technical understanding of class d amps can tell me if they think this would be a good route.
If it were used I'd buy it and experiment for myself, but I don't want to take a depreciation hit if it doesn't work out.
I'd probably have it built with the available upgrades and minus volume control to use with my Minimax Preamp and two sources. |
Phil,
Just to clarrify, this is not built by Tim Rawson and it was probably unfair for me to call it "Rawson-esq" as Tim act(ed) with Nelson Pass' blessing using his actual schematics. The gentleman building the Wineclone appears to be bootlegging and after actually exchanging messages with Vinny today, it is without his blessing.
Notwithstanding, I'm curious if you have actually heard the 30.2, Phil. From the reviews I've read of the clari-t amp and even the 30, your position seems to be supported regarding a slightly bleached midrange, but from what I've read of the 30.2 it sounded as if it had a warmer tonal balance than most tube amplifiers along with being very harmonically full. Hmm..
I'm also curious about the debate over power needs. My First Watt is a transconductance amp, so it may not count, but its only what? 10wpc and it controls the drivers with tremendous authority.
On a side note, I spoke with Gerrit at Zu today (his favorite amps for Zus is the Yamamoto A08s and Melody i2a3) and they got my carpet spikes in the mail. He also highly recommended that I work on getting my speakers properly situated before even considering a change of amplifiers. I've been doing precisely that for the last hour or so and its paying off. Perhaps I'd do best to put off an amplifier 'upgrade' until I can afford to make an improvement rather than lateral move. |
Its funny, even as we regurgitate the importance of proper setup and room interaction, I don't believe many of us actually put the work in.
I've spent the last few hours making small adjustments to my speaker placement (and doing the best I can with the hardwood footers on carpet) and its made a positive difference. I actually broke out the laser site to help with toe in and I think the efforts were worthwhile.
Staging is better and from my listening position and the sound is better balanced and perhaps a touch more nuisanced. I think the biggest change I'm detecting though is that the presentation just seems a bit smoother.
One problem I am running into is the arm of one chair kinda blocks my right channel a little (see most recent system in my profile) but we are getting there! |
Nag, Im not sure what the upgrade will cost you, but have you considered selling your druids to fund souls? It may prove to be A larger, more cost effective upgrade.
Zanon, how big a difference was wood vs carpet? I have spikes coming from Zu, hopefully tomorrow but am wondering if I should just place it on some 13x13 mdf with the hard floor footers.
|
Thanks for the pointers, Phil. Can't wait to try the spikes. I realize this is NOT optimal but have been enjoying the hell out of it/listening to a ton of music just the same.
I'm also glad I put some more effort into placement, particularly making my listening room more of an equilateral triangle and using a sight to aim the tweeters a couple feet behind my head position. It is making me question whether I need to change amplification or if I'd be better served just rolling tubes in my preamp.
I am still very curious about that SLA battery powered alleged clone amp, but not sheerly as an upgrade. I want something that uses less electricity or at least is more efficient than the First Watt for summer time listening. The F1 is a friggin' sauna in the corner of my den which actually puts off enough heat to raise the temperature have the AC constantly kicking on (hate background noise) when I'm listening. Also, I'd love to just leave it on 24/7.
We shall see what happens, funds are unexpectedly tight at the moment so I'd have to sell off something to rationalize it. |
Mike,
I'm not sure what actual level I listen at, but these speakers have been enjoyable at night when I keep things a bit softer. Take that with a grain of salt as I'm told I listen to music irrationally loud--I don't feel thats the case at all but to each their own. Its not a speaker that must be cranked to come alive though, nor is it (thankfully) a speaker that comes apart when cranked (I just left a speaker like that).
Paul,
Thanks for sharing your experience with the wineclone. It is intriguing and relatively cheap (albeit fuggly). I just may give it a whirl--I'm not in a rush but I am curious after reading of Srajen's account of pairing the Signature 30.2 with Zu speakers.
Also, as it pertains to blessings--it is pretty obvious that Wineclone is marketing itself as a copy of the Red Wine Audio Signature 30.2... If its name isn't enough of a giveaway, the tag line is ""WineClone" Integrated Amplifier -- A $3000 amp for $349. " and further goes on to state "WineClone", was modeled after a very expensive ($3000) amplifier of a similar name. "
I'm not going to get into the ethics of it or anything, but it has piqued my curiosity. Especially at the price. I may drop you an email one of these days to pick your brain about its sound if you don't mind.
Phil,
It sounds completely silly, I realize but it puts out a LOT of heat. In fact, yesterday I burned my hand trying to slip a set of black diamond racing cones underneath it (I found them in my tweak chest and don't even recall buying them!).
Its also too hot for me to feel comfortable putting in my enclosed hutch where I'd really like it to be. I'm concerned for overheating problems.
Though I did bring up amps again, I'm not feeling a need to graduate/move on. The pairing is quite nice and I'd like to hold on to the Rawson built F1 AND try something inexpensive as well. |
Phil or anyone else who might know: What is the appropriate height for the Superflys? I first tried the lowest setting that allowed me to lock the spikes in place with nuts, but it was too high and sounded a little funny.
I'm now using it at about CD case height without the nuts and its sounding more balanced and resolved than on the hard floor mounts, but the spikes are not as rigid as they aren't locked. It might also be just a touch harder in the midrange, but I also swapped in a new IC that needs burn in. |
I've continued to tweak and have re-achieved something special. I'm operating at just about a CD case over denser (as opposed to plush) carpeting.
The hardness is gone from the mids and things are a hair more coherent in this range. The big change, as expected, is on the low end. Bass punch and definition is a lot greater now. Well integrated, impactful bass--daddy likes. |
Phil,
Insensitive as in "not as critical" or insensitive as in irrelevant?
I'd like to lock the spikes in place with the nuts but would have to raise the height for that.
Also I feel like presentation has been different higher vs. lower, though in fairness I didn't have it perfectly balanced when they were higher. I broke out the bubble level when I was working for the jewel case height.qqq |
Did anyone happen to save the list of amps with the short description that was originally listed on the Soul Superfly page as being the amps used to voice the speaker?
It seems to have been lost in the shuffle when they updated the Soul page. |
I too am a little confused by the apparent 'tiff' between Phil and Zanon, but both have offered solid, legitimate insight and recounts of personal experience so both are valuable to me.
For those wanting more feedback, I've largely achieved what I want with these speakers. The control the F1 has over the FRDs is amazing and the extra detail and natural extension I'm getting on the top end compared to with my Abbys is a revelation.
As suggested previously, these speakers have a signature that is harmonically rich/tonally dense with excellent speed and dynamics.
In my current system configuration they serve up an abundance of coherent energy. They are just extremely musical with everything I throw at it and deliciously versatile as well. Having these speakers made me realize how much my prior speakers controlled my listening choices. With the Zus, everything I've got is fair game from Jay-Z to Miles Davis.
The midrange is quick with great inner detail, but its not at all sterile sounding--very human. I think this is what people refer to when they describe it as 'organic'.
The bass response has been terrific as well. I truly don't want for a sub woofer.
The entire frequency spectrum is interegrated extremely well giving a very linear sound.
I can listen to this rig for hours--it just breathes PRaT... very musically satisfying. I'm not quite getting the emotion I've experienced before but suspect that would be achieved with tubes rather than my transconductance amp. Don't get me wrong, they are emotionally communicative and engaging, but not THE most emotionally gripping experience I've had... Definitely the most I've had with SS though!
I had thought about Zu and decided against it a few times in the past. I don't know why, but I had a feeling their house sound would be very... weird. I'm honestly disappointed now that I waited so long, but the Soul Superfly really was a good place to jump on board.
I'm beyond satisfied with my purchase. |
Mike,
I wanted to hold up on commenting much at first for a few reasons.
Firstly, the drivers were no burned in (and probably still have a couple weeks to go).
Secondly, I did not have appropriate spikes and was using the floor footers on carpet which was difficult because my plinth gap was uneven as a result--practically sitting on carpet in middle with gap around edges. I used my Abby spikes awkwardly for a couple of days until my Cains sold, but the screw was too small for the hole and they were very anything but appropriately planted.
Thirdly, I've been beta testing a new line of cables which repeatedly introduced a very positive improvement in sound. Now that these things aren't issues (drivers/cables settled and appropriate spikes on) I feel more comfortable commenting in depth.
It still surprises me how much more extension I've got on top and bottom while retaining the FRD coherence. I almost took the plunge months ago to try the Druids (before soul superfly was announced) but the guys on audioasylum almost unanimously advised against it, so I'd put that on hold.
I am happy I decided to be an early adopter on these and don't miss anything about the Abbys sound--only their looks.
I truly believe these speakers will be good enough to see the benefits of all upgrades elsewhere in my system. That is very cool for me. |
Anyone else get their Superflys yet? I'm surprised there has been next to no feedback from anyone else.
I spent a good deal of time listening over the holiday weekend and the more time I put on my pair the more I appreciate them.
The ONLY thing I want a touch more of is texture and image density with my F1, which I may try to achieve by means of a tube amp, but I don't want to upset the amazing PRaT I'm getting now.
Either way my listening is a lot more fun and less analytical these days and I could easily live with what I'm experiencing. |
Regiggey,
That looks very interesting to me and sounds like it may be precisely what I am looking for. The only problem is my Firstwatt was build from Mr. Pass' DIY plans by Mr. Rawson. I am not technically skilled to perform the upgrades myself, Mr. Rawson has retired and I doubt Mr. Pass would care to work on something he did not build himself...
Audiofeil,
I weigh your feedback very heavily as I realize you have quite a bit more exposure than most to Zu's speakers, but I am very surprised you feel the F1 lacks drive.
Though I have no basis for comparison, I feel as if the F1 really takes control of the driver. Based upon your experience with the F1 and Zu speakers, I am curious as to what you feel is missing.
To my ears the amp doesn't sound soft at all offering very strong bass performance and a clean uncongested mir-range. Its very dynamic and keeps great PRaT.
I'm very curious as to what more power would bring because to my, admittedly less experienced ears, this amp sounds darn powerful.
I'd love to try the higher end First Watt but its a bit out of my budget at the moment... Perhaps you have an outstanding lower cost recommendation? Phil made a compelling case for el34/el84 amps. |
I have a loaner Virtue Audio TWO.2 that should arrive this week through a tour on Audiocircle. I suppose that will be an opportunity to hear what extra power can do as I believe that puts out 55wpc into 8ohms.
What do you mean "PRaT is a joke"? I understand the term to be essentially the swing factor of a component--the toe tapping factor. If two sources are playing the same piece and have a similar tonal balance (not just a more forward midrange or similar catching ones attention) but one just has a faster attack, better fun factor and is just more musically satisfying, I equate that with PRaT.
Maybe I'm using the wrong word but an example of this would be the Meridian G08 I formerly owned (not PRaTy IMO) compared with the Berendsen CDP-1 (think GaMut)I recently sold. To me the Meridian sounded kinda slow and dead while the Berendsen was alive and nimble. |
I'm not sure I did make your point. I would agree with you that toe tapping is a bad way to put it but certainly you would agree that timing is not equal for all gear and despite similar measurements, our ears can detect the difference between something resolving faster and something a little slower and more laid back--a recent examples I've had personal experience with would be like a Dynavector 17D2 vs a Koetsu Rosewood Sig.
Granted many people will prefer the Koetsu, but would you at least agree there is a difference in the Pace Rhythm and timing? |
Fair enough, Audiofeil.
I would add though that I wasn't so much trying to debate right vs. wrong as much as I wanted to effectively communicate my own (subjective) preferences to try and establish a point of reference for associated equipment recommendations. |
I've got a Virtue Audio TWO.2 with external battery pack in place and will offer some feedback on that with the Souls in the next couple days. Very interested to see how they respond to the extra power. |
Zanon,
I still don't fully subscribe to your belief that the Zus sound bad with low power, but I've gotta admit, I've now listened to them extensively with two amps with 35 tube watts and 85 ss and they do open things up a bit more than my Firstwatt.
It could just be the characteristics of the amps, but sound stage is a good bit more imersive and holographic with my Dynaco and borrowed Virtue TWO.2.
That said, the lower powered amp still offers the best bass performance of the three which is not something I associate with under powered amplification. |
I've used a few different amps at this point with my Souls and ironically, the lowest powered one has sounded the best. My 10wpc Firstwatt F1 sounds better to my ears than my Dynaco ST-70 (Zu recommended) and than a Virtue TWO.2 I have on loan (also briefly tried a borrowed Panasonic xr25 digital which I didn't care for).
All three amps sound great, but I plugged my F1 back in for the first time in a week today and its my preference. Better bass in terms of slam, texture and tightness. Its harmonically leaner than either of the other two but its simultaneously detailed and refined with a very live "raw" feeling. I wouldn't mind a little tube magic, but I'll have to keep searching for something that doesn't give up what the F1 does right to find it.
I've got a mid sized room and am not going to sweat over wattage. |
Sam7,
I'm keeping my eyes open for a used s-30 at a good price. It seems like some people have really loved it with Zu speakers in the past. How much heat do they realistically put off?
I'm experimenting now with a Virtue Audio TWO.2 amplifier with Sonicaps and battery power. I was told it had 50-60 hours on it previously and I've put another 24 on. I don't want to criticize it just yet as there may be some additional burn in necessary, but I'm thinking twice about class d for the Souls. The sound is detailed but really lacking in dynamics, drive and delicacy. My F1 has 1/5th the power and exhibits far better control over the drivers.
The tables may change with burn in, but I greatly prefer my First Watt F1's presentation thus far. I'll be out of town for the weekend, so I'll log some major hours on them and actually leave my Zu's cranked for once (wife is home on maternity leave during days so my burn in has been mostly 'real time) and see how it sounds come Monday.
I purchased a Dynaco ST-70 on Gerrit's advice and Phil's el34 endorsement. I am hoping to see that by the middle of next week and will comment on the pairing shortly. |
I gave the Virtue Audio TWO.2 4 days straight to burn in with my speakers while I was away from home and things have improved greatly. Class D amplification may be a very legitimate option for these speakers.
Its a trade off of strong points between the two amplifiers.
The presentation of the Virtue is musical warm and relaxed with the Zus while the F1 is more neutral and aggressive leading to a more raw presentation.
The Virtue seems to throw a larger soundstage than the Firstwatt and may be a little more delicate and neuanced while the Firstwatt kicks the Virtues' tush in the bass impact department although the Virtue is still nice and extended in the low end.
I should mention this Virtue TWO.2 is using batteries rather than AC.
I'm getting the feeling that it will be difficult to make these speakers sound bad. |
Undertow,
Its my understanding the non-superflys aren't even being built/sold yet.
On a side note my Dynaco was delivered today (some really nice speaker cable too). I can't wait to give the Souls a listen with tubes, but I may have to hold up on that for a couple of days to get a handle on the cables as I need to offer feedback on them. |
Regiggey,
Thanks for the concern. I asked my dealer who in turn asked the designer of my preamp and he said the following:
"I do not have the spec. of this F1J machine, but I guess it should be some SS power amp. The MM Pre has a cathode follower output stage, it should push this F1J fine."
A lot of the tech talk is lost on me, but I am concerned now reading this rule of thumb as the published specs are of my pre are:
Input Impedance: 100K Ohm
Output Impedance: 700 Ohm
Hmm, I already bought the damn Semisouth R100s and got an audio buddy to agree to do the update for me... Is this likely to be a poor match? |
Paul,
From the emails we've exchanged and from reading a lot on the forums, I'd love to pick up an F3 when one comes available. The Pass built one is out of my budget at the moment, but hopefully a rawson built clone will come up soon... it seems like people are really holding on to them these days since Tim retired.
Phil,
I think you are absolutely right. The stock Dynaco is a good recommendation for someone wanting to get into tubes inexpensively with these speakers, but not really an 'advanced' piece.
It does sound nice--fat warm ans as you noted euphonic, but it was putting me to sleep... literally. I was falling asleep an hour and a half earlier than usual with that amp.
I will say this though--listening to a couple other good amplifiers reminds me of how good the Firstwatt is and makes me realize I'll really need to step up to something 'great' to better it... tubes would be nice, but the experimenting I've done has taken away some of my feeling of urgency to move to something else and the thinking that my pairing is less than optimal. |
Did you see the ones in my audigon system? I'm a crappy photographer, but I'll ask the wife to take some shortly if you want so more.
I'm keeping my F1 and upgrading it to an F1J. Hopefully this will be the ultimate for me.
I've resolved to sell the Dynaco-I don't prefer it to the Firstwatt or Virtue. Its very nice, but not what I want.
As for the Virtue TWO.2, I'm going to upgrade my enthusiasm over it. Until tonight I'd been using the integrated as a poweramp. Today I finally swapped the jumpers to bypass the volume pot (i.e. make it a power amp) and its REALLY kicking ass with the Soul Superflys. MUCH ballsier presentation--it finally SOUNDS more powerful to my ears. Very detailed, warm, engaging sound. I like what I'm hearing. This unit doesn't belong to me and is a loaner through another audio forum (but I'm tempted to make it mine depending on how the F1j fares).
Whether I buy it or not, for those out there with a tubed preamp, I'll give this an absolute recommendation for the Superflys. This thing is kicking some serious butt! |
I can understand what you're saying, but there are just so many accounts out there of people pationately disliking these speakers and I can't understand it.
I understand not every piece is for everyone, but I feel like this brand is far more polarizing than it should be. I mean, I've owned and heard a lot of things that don't do it for me and that I wouldn't recommend, but I'll readily acknowledge that every single high end speaker I've heard has had at least some redeeming values. These values seem to get overlooked by Zu naysayers.
I kind of expected them to sound very different and unique in signature to be so polarizing (like the Koetsu cartridge I used to own) but its presentation is very natural sounding to me... |
I changed a couple of variables in my system and gave the Dynaco another shot and I'm actually liking it a good bit more. I kept my reference ICs on my pre1 to F1/TWO.2 and threw on a "magwire" IC between my pre's second outs and the Dynaco and a pair silver speaker cables--(Grover SR, an old version I still have on hand) between the Dynaco and Souls and I've gotta say, its sounding great.
More balanced, lush and musical and very dramatic sound. I think I will keep this sucker as its matted to my extra cables anyway. Whether you believe some in cables or not or just consider them tone controls, this was a move towards what I was looking for in many respects. Interestingly I think I prefer how my digital sounds with my SS amps and analog with the tubes.
I'm very excited to have the option of switching between what I consider very good solid state and nice sounding tubes at will and without cluttering my living room.
As Phil stated in previous posts, the Superflys let you REALLY see the difference between different amplifier's presentations. That said, this will probably conclude my amp rolling for at least a little bit. I'll report back when I get the JFETs in my F1 though.
Time to go enjoy some music. |
OK, I think I mis-read you and was concerned about input impedance.
Nelson Pass was goodly enough to post step by step instructions for the conversion on diyaudio as he does with all the Firstwatt deigns.
Step by step:
1) You match up a pair of SemiSouth R100's or equivalent and
drop them in for Q1 and Q2
2) You eliminate the Zener diodes
3) Raise the input cap values to 10 uF
4) Replace R1 through R4 with 22 ohms
5) Replace R5-R8 with 47K ohms
6) Set the bias pot to +14V on the Drains
All Greek to me, but I sourced the R100s from a group buy on diyaudio and have a competent friend willing to do the update.
Off topic--or back on topic, rather. These Soul Superflys have been the single most meaningful upgrade to my system. I'm listening many hours daily virtually every day. I'm really confused as to why Zu speakers have been so controversial over the years. Based on what I read on forums, I really expected them to have a weird sound but they sound very right to me, making real music.
The other owners really need to chime in! I feel like I'm all alone here. |
Mahughes,
I'll try and get a few more snapped this weekend for you.
Undertow,
Interesting thoughts. Hopefully they'll be able to move past it once the Soul gets more exposure. It will be easier to hear it sound its best w/o the plinth gap and placement sensitivity (from what I've read, never heard druids).
Everyone else,
I think I've completely flip flopped on my preference of my F1 to my restored/slightly upgraded Dynaco ST-70. The Firstwatt, though more detailed, with better top to bottom extension and resolution just sounds a bit my mechanical than the Dynaco.
I half wish I hadn't bought the JFETs to update my F1 to an F1J, as I'm actually quite content with the Dynaco, but I may as well finish the project I suppose... I suspect Zu speakers just prefer tubes though. |
That brown doesn't look bad at all and I suspect my wife would have liked that better than the cosmic carbon.
I've got the same problem you appear to with a part of the sofa blocking a part of a speaker... I don't hear an obvious imbalance, but it drives me nuts knowing the interaction isn't ideal.
How does that Yamammoto drive your Souls? I've still gotta hear my Firstwatt with JFET update, but my limited experience tells me these speakers love tubes. |
