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Zu Audio Dirty Weekend vs Tekton Lore Reference vs ELAC DBR62

stevenswall

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Edit: Disregard, I haven't heard that model. (Depending on which one you get, Tekton will be the loudest, but the Double Impact and Electra beam a ton so you will be working with a small sweet spot. If you value SPL above all else, go for it.)

Zu audio... There's a reason people make speakers with multiple drivers. Good luck with this one. Hopefully you like mids and not much else... and don't mind coloration.

Elac: Might be underpowered but I doubt it will have issues if the tiny RB42 doesn't bother you and distort.

Curious why these three were selected? An IN-8 V2 seems like it would perform better and Erin's Audio Corner has measurements if you care to compare them to a speaker you're familiar with.
 

richard12511

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1) What branch are you in...I'm catching some military vibes. If Japan, probably Marines? I know they're on Okinawa. I was in the Chair Force. Thank you for your service if I'm right.

2) I'll think about the speakers...I have research to do. The wife wanted the raw Hickory, but she'd probably go for a deal. I'll wait on the pictures. I'm in Seattle, BTW. You're right on the price of that finish. I probably don't want the NAD, but again, I'll look into it. I have my heart currently set on a whole bunch of Schiit.

If you do get the Zus, go drop one off at Amir's house(he's also in Seattle) so he can measure and review :).
 
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If you do get the Zus, go drop one off at Amir's house(he's also in Seattle) so he can measure and review :).
Anybody know if there's a hangout with him/other folks in Seattle? Probably not so much right now cause pandemic, but it would be nice in the (hopefully) near future.
 
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Edit: Disregard, I haven't heard that model. (Depending on which one you get, Tekton will be the loudest, but the Double Impact and Electra beam a ton so you will be working with a small sweet spot. If you value SPL above all else, go for it.)

Zu audio... There's a reason people make speakers with multiple drivers. Good luck with this one. Hopefully you like mids and not much else... and don't mind coloration.

Elac: Might be underpowered but I doubt it will have issues if the tiny RB42 doesn't bother you and distort.

Curious why these three were selected? An IN-8 V2 seems like it would perform better and Erin's Audio Corner has measurements if you care to compare them to a speaker you're familiar with.
Here's the thing about if the RB42 bothers me...I don't know better yet. The best sound system I e really heard was at Magnolia with their overpriced BW stuff. It sounded better than my Miccas obviously, but I was there for about 5 min with no serious intention of buying anything (I get sheepish wasting a salesman's time). None of my friends have this hobby and are generally happy with soundboard.

This means, as others have said, that I need to go do more listening.
 

Transmaniacon

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Polk R200 are worth a look, they measure incredibly well. HSU CCB-8 would be good as well.
 
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Polk R200 are worth a look, they measure incredibly well. HSU CCB-8 would be good as well.
The Polks look interesting. The HSU look sharp, but are apparently a little lazory.

Again the concern is filling the room and not sounding thin. Perhaps this shouldn't be as much of a concern. Apparently, the ELACs do this just fine (read amir's full review, duppy).
 

Trouble Maker

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If you do get the Zus, go drop one off at Amir's house(he's also in Seattle) so he can measure and review :).

They are packaged separately, so if he happens to get mine and I ship them, I can just ship one to him and one to Amirm... assuming Amirm wants to test them and Duppy wants them tested.

@duppy_conqueror I should have time to unpack and grab some pics this weekend. Maybe I'll just swap out the LS50s for a bit, or silently move them to to dining/kitchen while the wife is out of town. ;)
 

HeadDoc12

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I bought the Zus in Rustic Hickory with the Clarity Cap upgrade for the same reasons you are considering them: cool company, sounds like a bargain, good reviews, looks, etc. I was running them with an NAD C368 amp with the BluOS upgrade. Thought I was a smart audiophile getting lots of bang for my buck. Then I discovered this site. I now have the KEF LS50WII, with two KC62 subs. A lot more money, of course, but even the teenagers in the house noticed how much more detail could be heard in the sound (and the reduction of bass before the subs arrived). Zu IS a cool company, trying to do something very unusual in the audiophile world. However, the result is inferior sound, even for the money. They are great for cranking rock music at a party, but little else. I would look at KEF, Elac (why not their towers?), Or other brands with better FR measurements. Also, anyone wanna buy my old stuff? All in excellent condition!
 

Trouble Maker

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1) What branch are you in...I'm catching some military vibes. If Japan, probably Marines? I know they're on Okinawa. I was in the Chair Force. Thank you for your service if I'm right.

Not in the armed forces, I've always been in the private sector. Just went over for 'training/experience'. The mothership is in Japan and they send some people over to live and work, knowledge transfer, etc. There are always people from there working here too.

But thank you for your service in the Airforce!

We did visit Okinawa while there, really interesting place, very different from mainland Japan, which makes sense given the history and distance. It really is like Hawaii to the US in a lot of ways.
 

Mart68

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Interesting turn around of the "significant other approval factor". What! You're trading them out for THOSE??? These look so much better.

I don't know how much I care about bass, as even the positive reviews say you might need one. And the poster that suggested the 10" driver also said that I'd probably want one.

What do you consider a good three way tower? I've also thought Wharfdale Lintons which seem like an in between.
personally I like and use Focal/'JM Labs but there are so many options of which I've only heard a handful.
My room is about half the size of yours (29x12x9.5), I found smaller speakers did not develop 'satisfying' bass in so large a space, but it's personal preference of course.

I think the Linton's are worth checking out, the designer has a good pedigree.
 

Goodman

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zu audio have awful FR, even worse polarrespons, no bottom end and lots of high freq distortion from the woofer. dont ever buy this crap.

frequency_on1530.gif

1009Zuefig05.jpg
This like is from a Zu owner. Very incoherent speaker with no bass.
 

USER

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Anybody know if there's a hangout with him/other folks in Seattle? Probably not so much right now cause pandemic, but it would be nice in the (hopefully) near future.

If you get them, I think it would be totally worth it to have Amir review your Zu's. There's no doubt in my mind that he'd be willing to do it. You are in an especially good spot to send them in as everyone pretty much knows they will not be up to ASR standards. There will be no surprises, which is what usually keeps people from sending in expensive gear. This is the kind of speaker that will not take a hit on resale value as the crowd that likes them is not this one. The big--big--plus is that you will know so much about your particular set and there will be various EQ settings available catering specifically to them that will help you out should you want to "patch them up" as best you can. You would be, after all, getting a free professional, $1000+ analysis of your speakers. Plus, discussion will certainly be entertaining.
 
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stevenswall

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I bought the Zus in Rustic Hickory with the Clarity Cap upgrade for the same reasons you are considering them: cool company, sounds like a bargain, good reviews, looks, etc. I was running them with an NAD C368 amp with the BluOS upgrade. Thought I was a smart audiophile getting lots of bang for my buck. Then I discovered this site. I now have the KEF LS50WII, with two KC62 subs. A lot more money, of course, but even the teenagers in the house noticed how much more detail could be heard in the sound (and the reduction of bass before the subs arrived). Zu IS a cool company, trying to do something very unusual in the audiophile world. However, the result is inferior sound, even for the money. They are great for cranking rock music at a party, but little else. I would look at KEF, Elac (why not their towers?), Or other brands with better FR measurements. Also, anyone wanna buy my old stuff? All in excellent condition!

This is so rare! Glad you weren't dedicated to defending you purchase and found something even more satisfying!
 

Walter

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JBL Stage A170 or Wharfedale 12.3, but send them to Amirm first. ;)
I second these recommendations, and would also add the Infinity R263. For either the JBL or Infinity, check the Harman site daily until one of them goes on sale for at least 40% off.
 
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