@mahughes Look for class A integrateds. The only SS amp I’ve used with DW and SS is the Schiit Aegir. Of course I used tubed preamps, Saga+ among others. I’m using the Aegir right now in fact. It’s only right after I switch back to my much more expensive tube amp that I find the Aegir lacking and then only by comparison. If you have the budget something like the Pass Int-25 would probably be great.
Zu Soul Supreme Recap -- Owners, what are your preferred system pairings with them?
I'll save a long backstory, but in short I've got the Zu Soul Supremes and I absolutely love them for what they do, at least in my relatively small (13x15x9) listening room. I've had them a couple years as a follow-on to previous Zu speakers (Unions and Cubes, which I still own). Those followed some vintage Altec horns (16 ohm Valencias and 19s)--which I love, but love the Zus more for daily listening. Sean recommended the Supremes over the Druids at the time for the size of my listening room, although I suspect the Druids would have been as good or better regardless.
My interest is to hear from other Zu Soul Supreme owners...not may posts in this forum from owners that I can find. I'd prefer to focus this discussion on the Soul Supremes, as there is a lot of great info already on the Druids and Definitions (which I assume are more prevalent in the wild), even though I'm sure have a ton of overlap in system synergy.
So...
What system components are you finding to be great/phenomenal matches to the Soul Supremes, what have you compared them to, and what hasn't worked as well? Anyone running them with what you consider to be really high-end gear? I'm super curious to see how far these speakers can go before a speaker upgrade makes way more sense.
Jay
My interest is to hear from other Zu Soul Supreme owners...not may posts in this forum from owners that I can find. I'd prefer to focus this discussion on the Soul Supremes, as there is a lot of great info already on the Druids and Definitions (which I assume are more prevalent in the wild), even though I'm sure have a ton of overlap in system synergy.
So...
What system components are you finding to be great/phenomenal matches to the Soul Supremes, what have you compared them to, and what hasn't worked as well? Anyone running them with what you consider to be really high-end gear? I'm super curious to see how far these speakers can go before a speaker upgrade makes way more sense.
Jay
Showing 7 responses by cat_doorman
@parsons what was it that had you keep the Soul Supremes over the Druid V? My current room is a little bigger than yours 22x19x10avg but opens into other spaces so it feels bigger. I might move to a smaller more symmetric space that is easier to treat eventually. I’m planning to upgrade from the Omen DW during the 100% trade up period. I keep going back and forth between Omen Def, Soul Supreme, and I even saw some used Druid V listed, all at around the same price to make it more difficult. Interested in what factored into your choice. I’m primarily using a Primaluna DPHP |
Thanks for the insight @parsons Maybe I'm not old enough to think "end game" yet. Even though I've had my previous main speakers for 20 years, I never for a moment thought of them as my last. I also can't quite bring myself to get rid of them yet either. I guess a little sentimentality is to be expected sometimes. It feels strange to even think about trading in the Omen DW after having them for less than a year, but everything I've read about the Soul Supreme tells me there is another level of Zu I need to experience, even if it's only the next step. Though if I keep averaging 10 years per step I may run out of time before I get much further. |
“It’s better to regret something you have done, than to regret something you haven’t” I finally pulled the trigger on Soul Supremes. Now I wait. I just have to find out for myself how much better they will be than the Omen DW. The one downside is that I’m already not getting enough sleep. Just one more album and then I’ll go to bed.... |
It took a while, but my Soul Supremes came in. Haven’t dialed them in yet, but I already know I’m going to lose a lot of sleep. Is it contradictory to acknowledge the law of diminishing returns but still say they’re worth the upgrade? I just put them right where the Omen DW had been, but it already seems like there is just more there there, more immediacy, better definition, more separation, more depth to the soundstage. “The reason it’s a cliche is because it’s true.” So insert your favorite audiophile platitude here. They’re keepers. |
@ladavid I played around with the gap quite a bit with the DW so I already had a pretty good idea where I wanted it when I upgraded to SS. Another surprising improvement was when I went to rubber feet on a platen. I don’t know if it was the decoupling or raising them a few inches off the floor. The gap with the feet is a little high for my taste, but that’s nothing a little cardboard couldn’t fix. |
I agree that the feet by themselves leave way too much gap, about 20mm (13/16”). I put cardboard shims between the floor and the bottom of the speaker to reduce the gap. Zu has a template in their DIY section, but it isn’t difficult to figure it out on your own. The gap under mine is about 8mm, but sometimes I second guess myself and use 2 shims instead of 3, opening the gap up to 12mm at least for a little bit. |