Question about ZU speakers


Hi! I´m from Portugal.This is my first post here...
I´m considerind to take the risk and buying the Zu Definition MK1.5. But since there are no Zu delear here in Portugal I want to ear your opinion about them!
My interest on them started after read the review of Mr Ebaen from 6moons. I remember that he compared the Definition with the Avantgarde Duo that he owned...
I listen to the Acantgards (second hand opportunity) last month and I loved the sound. I didn´t bought them only for 2 reasons: the bottom end was not very tight and didn´t integrated very well with the rest of the bandwith and I think I would have space problem with them at my living room (4x7 meter).

So any of the owners here compared the Zu definition with the DUO's?
Do you think the Def Pro are fare better option than the Def MK1.5?
Anyone tested the Druids with 2 subwoofer againts the Definition's? What do you think it would be better?

I need also to buy 2 power amps to drive them. I notice that most Zu owners use yamamoto's and audiopax amps but this brand aren´t available here in Portugal. What you think about pairing them with Bel Canto M300 or Monarchy SM70pro(one Monarchy for each Zu)? My budget for the power amps is around 3000 usd and I´m open to other options...

My other options are B&W 802D and Pioneer S-1EX (with TAD drivers) both amplified with Bel Canto REF1000...Do you think they will beat the Zu's? Anyone eard the Pioner S-1EX?

The rest of my gear is Bel Canto PL-1A (universal player), Tag Mclaren AV32R DP (AV processor), speaker cable Audioquest Vulcano and IC are Acoustic Zen Matrix II.

This speakers/amps are for my AV/stereo system which i´m starting to built. But my primary goal is to have very good stereo reproduction!
Thank you for your help
Best regards
Miguel

PS: sorry if are any mistakes on the text
miguelcarvalho
I'm using my Pro's with a Yamamoto A-08s 45 SET amp currently. I have ordered Red Wine Audio Signature 70 monos also which will be here the week after next. I'm using an old Hafler 220 for the subs, to great effect.

The "brain" of my rig is a TacT 2.2XP. Playing around with it, I fully believe this combination (with a good DAC) would satisfy just about any audiophile on the planet.

There have been negative comments about the Definitions, though no direct problems I've heard from owners. Generally, these are attributed to "virgin ears" who don't "get" the non-XO'd sound. To some degree, I think this is correct. I had a fellow over who admitted after our session that it took him a half hour to adapt. Some people connect immediately, others never do. This is a primary concern in the "store audition", as well as a quick visit to an owner's home.

I've owned homebuilt single driver speakers, the Druids, the Definition 1.5's and Pro's. They're all excellent if you like their sound and get better up the ladder. The Definition 1.5's carry the tone of Druids even further while adding significant bass extension, though I was never able to get enough bass pressure out of them. Keep in mind I have rap, dance music, and metal in the rotation.

The plate amp in the 1.5's has been blamed for the difference between 1.5's and Pro's. I have no doubt this is a factor. For me, with the TacT, I set the crossover higher than the 1.5's, running the XO with shallow slopes at around 65 hz. This allows the mains to run lower and the subs to run higher, which permits incredible, unidentifiable blending between the main and sub arrays. With steeper slopes, bass presence was very strong, but with an easily identifiable handoff between the mains and subs.

Even with the Pro's I always thought there was a midrange-treble area that could get overstimulated with some music, maybe 1 khz-3 khz. Mostly, distorted guitar music would accentuate this area. I always thought it was an unaddressed byproduct of the wideband drivers with their whizzers. I was willing to live with it because the other 95% of the music I listen to is splendidly portrayed. Every speaker has its compromises, right?

This lively presence in the midband is also one of the reasons these speakers are so gripping in the midrange.

Recently, I was playing with the TacT and dialed down the response in the area I thought was to blame. The short story is these things sound great playing rock now. With this depression, they also sound closer to more-conventional speakers.

So, I think the Definitions' verve through the presence band is another reason some people don't love them.
I can definitely recommend the Red Wine Signature 30, and I'm sure the Signature 70 is even better. My speakers aren't the Zu's (I have Bastanis Prometheus MKI), but they're similar in design approach and they sound absolutely amazing driven by the Sig 30. It's a wonderfully involving sound that I'm absolutely thrilled with and my amp only has a few dozen hours on it so far.

Anyway I'd definitely suggest you go to Barcelona to check out the Zu's, it's easy to get to from Portugal and besides it's one of the best cities in the world :). I flew Vueling from Lisboa to Barcelona last year and I think the total round trip cost was less than a hundred euros. Much cheaper than shipping would be for a demo pair.

Gary
I heard both the Pioneer S-1EX with Bel Canto REF1000 and Zu Definitions at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest. The Zu's were run with low power tubes for the highs and a crown pro amp (if I remember correctly) for the bass. I can say that I preferred the Pioneer/Bel Canto combination. The high frequencies from the Zu's seemed unnaturally harsh and metallic for my tastes. 15-20 min was about all I could take at a time from the Zu's at the show and I went back several times to see if maybe the system just needed to break in a bit. Some of that may be attributed to show setup in a hotel room. The Pioneer setup sounded much more relaxed and musical. Two very different speakers with very different tweeter technologies. Your choice will depend on your individual musical tastes. I agree that you really need to listen to the Zu's before you buy. They sounded very different from what I expected.
I understand Zu has always had trouble with their setups at shows. I assure you this has no bearing on how they sound at my house. Multi-hour sessions are common, with no fatigue.
Hello! It wasn´t my intention to cause any dispute with this thread! I´ve seen in other threads that is very common to see certain type of posts related to Zu´s speakers.
Since I´ve been used to live on a democracy I cannot stop people to post here and this isn´t my intention. I want to gather all the info I can with this thread... So comments coming from people who really eard Zu´s and Pioneers are very welcome here. Hope you won´t misunderstood my words...

Said that... in fact is my intention to fly to Barcelona because I receive just now the quotes and if I don´t keep the Zu´s I´ve to pay around 1500 USD for the shiping and insurance costs of Zu Def Mk1.5, Zu Tone, 3 monarchy amps!So it would be more cheaper to catch the flight.( In fact like Gary said Vueling as a cheap flight from Lisbon to Barcelona. Thank you very much for your advice!)
I´ve also asked quotes for the ZU Tones. I´m thinking on using them as rear channel. Anyone with this set-up?
What you reccomend to use as central channel?

The DEF PRO it would be great but I think if I go with the MK1.5 I don´t need to spend more money on the amps and Rane EQ system only to earn more control on the bass and a more easy integration with the room. Don´t you agree that this are the main differences? Besides the dealer does´t have any DEF PRO to demo...

Regarding the amps I went to look the Red Wine Sig and they seem to have very good feedback! I also looked in the SIG 70 and I think I prefer this one but I would be happier with each one of those...I listen mainly pop rock, jazz and starting to buy some classic music. Do you think Zu´s are good performers for this type of music. Do you think with SET amps they will have the energy and the fast pace to play pop rock?
The dealer recommend the Monarchy SM70Pro power amps (one for each speaker) for the Zu´s. He said they will be enough and have plenty of power to deal easily with them. Any experiences with this powers and Zu´s or with the powers with other set-ups?
What is the price of the the yamamoto´s? They will be enough for the MK1.5?

Anymore experiences with Pioneer S-1EX?

Thank you very much for your comments about ZU and Pioneer Speakers
Kind Regards
Miguel