Krell amp with Zu Essence speaker

Did you get a listen to the Essence yet? I bought a pair a little over a month ago. Will be another month before I receive them. My situation is quite a bit different- I have all tube gear and a MastersounD Compact 845 SET amp- about 30 wpc. I chose the Essence because I want to experiment with a high efficiency design, since I have a low power system. With that Krell, you may find yourself needing earplugs...that thing is gonna be ear splitting. You should easily be able to generate spl's in excess of 120 db with that rig. Ouch. It's gonna be like having the Concorde take off in front of your face. Have fun. An advance purchase of hearing aids may be in order, too. Zu says the Essence can handle up to 300 wpc, I believe....not that you'll ever get there without an incredible amount of pain, but having the reserve is always nice. And if you don't like the neighbors, well, you've just created the perfect weapon with which to attack them.

I have not listened to the Essence yet. I am new to this hobby. I have never even heard a tube amplifier. I would like your opinion when you get your Zu's.

Absolutely. I'll let you know. Should be here by mid-March. I imagine yours are on the manufacturing line right now, too. You may want to try a tube amp with the Essence. They're designed for that, and the 12 ohm load they present is right up a tube amp's alley. With Krell, you've got some of the best solid state stuff out there. Tubes are another ballgame. You will someday need to check it out. I have a Jeff Rowland amp sitting idle. After I got the MastersounD, there was just no going back to solid state. The Rowland is purely a backup now.

If you are committed to solid state and ZU, I'd recommend giving Pass Labs FirstWatt series of amplifiers serious consideration. Aleph J or the F1-F5 amps. They were designed with high efficiency speakers in mind.

I got to listen to the Essence during Ron's Zu House Party Tour and we pushed everything through them up to 250 watts and they really shined with the extra power. They try to package it with a Peachtree Nova but in the opinion of everyone who was listening we pulled it out and hooked up an old Classe amp and a Butler TDB2250 using a Modwright pre then a Bella Max from Response Audio and the sound just took off. The Essence is a speaker that I would consider if and when I decide to upgrade. Totally amazed at the sound reproduction from these speakers. Wait until you get them ,you will be amazed.