OK...ONE LAST SPEAKER QUESTION cash cash

If your going to plop down $10K for a speaker, you might wanna check the new Calypso from GMA:
http://greenmountainaudio.com/Speakers/Calypso/Welcome.htm

Tvad,
I still have Druids. I've tried repeatedly to convince myself to upgrade to the Defs and so far it's been a no go. Last week I took delivery of Zu's new Mini Method sub and I'm wondering if I even needed that. The Druid is pretty complete by itself. I'm going to keep the sub for my 2 channel movie watching but it is not so necessary with music.
Yes, I still use the SP-3 with my Druids but I alternate another combo that works rather well. Today I have a Pass Aleph 30 and an Eastern Electric Mini Max preamp driving them. I think the latter combo has somewhat higher resolution but there is something about the SP-3 that is very hard to abandon - and surprisingly the bass is pretty equal. That fact really surprised me.
As for waiting to see what else Zu will make in the future, why? Are you going to walk until you are convinced that Ford or Toyota or whoever has finalized the automobile.
You remind me of myself not buying a computer until fairly late in its development because I noticed that they got bigger and better and cheaper every year. While I was making up my mind, everybody else was benefitting from computer use and I was on the sidelines strategizing. Well, I've had a computer now for 7 years, in fact I've bought 5 of them now, and nothing has changed at all. They still get bigger and better and cheaper every year but at least now I can participate.
You all sound like kids at the candy counter with just one nickel. It ain't that hard to make up your mind. Furthermore I will say that I have bought probably 40 or 50 pairs of speakers in my time and never really regretted any of them.
The reason people rave about Zu is simple. Don't complicate it.

As for waiting to see what else Zu will make in
the future, why?

I am quite satisfied with my
present loudspeakers, and I am not in the market, but I will address your
question.

The Druids don't satisfy my requirement for full range loudspeakers. The
Definitions are beyond my budget, and they work best in larger rooms
according to comments made by reviewers and users. My room is fairly
small. I suspect there are plenty of potential customers who have similar
requirements.

There's nothing wrong with making an informed decision. You have
enjoyed your journey through 40-50 pairs of loudspeakers, but that
doesn't make your method best for everyone.

Macrojack: As for waiting to see what else Zu will make in the future, why? Are you going to walk until you are convinced that Ford or Toyota or whoever has finalized the automobile.

I can only explain how I feel, each person must decide for himself.

Your analogy would be on the mark if somebody was listening to a clock radio, and waiting for Zu or whoever to come with a perfect speaker. However, most of us already have a speaker that we love, that we found after much search. We know we will upgrade someday and are always looking at potential candidates but it is not like we don't have good or even great speakers.

To come to your analogy, I already have a Camry or Lexus or BMW or whatever each of us can afford. Prius is impressive new technology but I think it will mostly be a sideways move for me and anyway I hear Toyota and others are about to come out with new hybrid models. So I decide to wait and enjoy my present car a little more.

I don't know if this makes sense to others, but that is how I feel.

2bigears - I don't think there's a bad choice here. Of course you know where my vote falls, but I haven't heard the other. Owners of those would probably endorse theirs to the exclusion of all others too.

Have any Def. owners returned theirs because they weren't happy with them? Well, I had the Druids and traded them for the Def's. I really liked the Druids but suddenly had cash to burn. Then I traded the Def's for Def. Pros. Was I unhappy with the standard model? No, but I was looking for the last 5% of low bass which the standard Def's did not do in my room. They were flat to 30 hz in my biggish room, and dropped quickly from there. I haven't heard any other Def. owners complaining at all about bass and I suspect my highly perforated room is unusually hungry in the low frequencies.

Most people would be very happy with this, but my musical diet includes hip hop and electronica which contain significant energy below 30 hz. Unwilling to trade the strengths of the Def's for a whole, new direction the Pro upgrade was natural.

Zu's approach with the Pro's is to let the main drivers run to their natural rolloff at around 40 hz. This figure is actually around 50 hz in my room. So, I'm using the TacT 2.2XP to cross over between 50 hz and 65 hz, depending on material.

Going this route is a little more intensive, as the sub drivers in the Pro's are actually pro models with significantly more output potential, though their inherent response is uneven. Unequalized, they run to 1 khz, so EQ and XO for the subs are mandatory.

Why the longwinded story? To share the primary weakness I personally had with the stock Definitions. Again, most listeners wouldn't have this problem. But if you're like me, going straight to the Pro's, even with the start-up baggage, would be worthwhile.

The upside is that the system I've got going (shameless plug) can do anything, given sufficient space. Girl-with-guitar is portrayed with tearjerking beauty, Snoop Dogg will shake the entire house, Miles Davis will be brought back to life, Drum Planet will blow your freakin' mind, and 2 watts via 45 SET amplification is PLENTY to do any of this at any sane volume. No kidding.

This rig is without any meaningful limitation. If you don't need the last 5% of bass extension, the standard Def's will do the same.