Zu Soul Superfly


I just ordered a pair of the new Zu speakers on a whim. I was going to wait for information, but the fact that they threw in the free superfly upgrades to the first 30 people got me.

From a similar thread it sounds like some of you guys have heard the speaker despite information only being released today. I'm wondering what you can share about it?

Also, I am really hoping it works with a Firstwatt F1 amplifier. Can anyone comment as to that? I know the Druid's and Essences worked OK.
gopher
It may take a minute to get used to the OTL sound, honestly. I wasn't much of a fan at first but its RAPIDLY growing on me, especially after rolling 6sn7s.

I'm finding these speakers are so revealing of amplification and the amps I've tried are soooo different, that there is always an adjustment period (vintage tubes, to s.o.t.a. ss, to tripath to otl).

I'm very interested in hearing an 845 amplifier with these speakers as 213cobra recommends but I'm having a hard time conceptualizing an increase in enjoyment over the atma.
All other quality matters being equal, monoblocks are always worthwhile.

The Zu single FRD speakers have tremendous application elasticity for pure music uses. It's efficient and easy-to-drive and get good sound from a plethora of modest amplification options, beginning in the $$hundreds. But it has revelatory and tone density characteristics that can take good advantage of premium amplification many times the cost of Omen, Soul, Superfly, Druid or Essence. My Druids system has amps that are more expensive than what's in my Definition 2 system. Sure, somewhere there's a threshold where further expense in amps doesn't make sense for $2600/pr speakers like Superfly. But that threshold stretching credibility is much further out than most people would think, once you're committed to the holistic presentation of a single-FRD Zu system.

Essence is the problematic model in terms of pushing the amp/cost envelope, due to the mild loss of tonal intensity from the de-tuning of the FRD, and the discontinuity between the FRD and the chosen ribbon tweeter, but if your frame of reference is other speakers, rather than other Zu speakers, even that difficulty recedes. But the outer limit for amp cost to mate with Essence is nearer than it is for Superfly or Druid 4-08.

If you're not up for evolved 845 SET and their associated cost, a completely safe, tone-rich, beautiful choice for Zu speakers with 12-16ohms impedance is Quad II Classic (or rehabbed vintage) monoblocks. The Shuguang Treasure KT66z black bottle tube performs beautifully in them. The Quad II is the most SET-like push-pull tube amp I know, owing to its clever design simplicity and execution. And as hifi goes, cost is fairly modest. There are are others. I recently heard gorgeous sound from a Bob Hovland-modified Glow amp, its el84 5/5w easily trumping a number of megaprice amps, within the Glow's surprising dynamic range, on both Druid 4-08 & Definition 2. But $20,000 SET monoblocks don't sound like overkill either. Tremendous application range in amp options.

Phil
After a lot of shopping around and asking for opinions, I've decided to buy myself a set of Atma-Sphere M-60s that I found a great deal on locally. They would generally be way out of my price range, but discounted they seemed like a wonderful bargain for a set of Zu Superfly speakers. Even though they are 60 wpc, I feel that OTL amps will make very nicely with the 16 ohm impedance of the Superflys.

Now I'm just worried that I will probably need to buy a good pre-amp since both Zu speakers and M-60 will both be extremely revealing. I was hoping to use the pre-amp function in my Perfectwave Dac (+bridge), but the digital volume control might not do the system justice. Any opinions?
Well, since today was a federal holiday and I didn't have to work, I made it up to Ogden to pick up the Superflys. They've been unboxed and hooked up, and right now I'm working on placement. I should have pictures up in a day or two, after I get the room cleaned up.

I took my 6-year-old with me to pick them up and to let him see the Zu factory. He loves tools and enjoyed seeing how the speakers were made. Kristian gave us the tour and pointed out a lot of the new products that are set to be released in the near future. I can't give specifics, but there are some really cool products set to be released. I would definitely suggest that anyone interested in buying speakers before the end of the year keep a close eye on their website.
Monsieurguzel,

I had the Atma-sphere S-30 for awhile, and I didn't like it direct from source. I was auditioning the W4S DAC-2 with the digital volume control at the time.The highs were a bit clunky, a bit harsh and unrefined. I tried it both balanced and single ended, didn't make a difference.

With the Red Wine Audio Isabella preamp in the mix things got a lot better.

As I understand, the W4S DAC-2 has a very good output stage, likely comparable to the Perfectwave DAC.

As in most things, no doubt your mileage will vary.

Wilson