Zu Omen Dirty Weekend Sale

I'm tempted with this most recent sale and preorder for Zu Omen Dirty Weekend speakers, and I know they have them quite often. However, I have had a used pair of Vandersteen 1c speakers that I bought off of craigslist last June 2017 for $350 that are pairing well with my system. The only issue I had with them is that my cats discovered it makes an excellent scratching post. I put an end to that by sewing felt socks lined on the outside with tin foil. They don't scratch them anymore.

I'm tempted to get the Zu Omen's for $999, since I probably won't have to cover them up with protection socks like I do with the Vandersteens every night. Also, not sure if they will compare much with the Vandersteens. Different sound? The Zu's look nicer than the Vandies and they're appealing to the eye (to me) aesthetically. At the same time, I wouldn't be too unhappy if I had the Vandersteens for many years.

 

I own a pair of Dirty Weekend's. I love them. The sound will be different from the Vandie's, which I have also heard. I prefer the Zu. YMMV.

 

I have some cables from Zu but have never heard their speakers which receive excellent reviews. I have to say I love the "Dirty Weekend" name .

 

Good to know. I see that in your profile you own or have owned Wharfedale Diamond 10.7 speakers, which is what I had before the Vandersteens. Could you compare the Wharfedales to the Zu Omen's?

 

I'd think that the Zu and the Vandersteen would be two completely different sounding speakers. Vandersteens have a reputation of being warm while Zu is the opposite. If you do get them, I'd love to see you post a comparison between the two. I actually jumped on the Dirty Weekend sale myself. I don't need them at all and I'm more than happy with my Omega Alnico speakers, but I've always been intrigued by the Zu's so it's a good opportunity to check them out.

 

I do like warm sounding speakers. When I think warm, I think of any of my Jackson Browne recordings or Asylum record stuff. That to me sounds warm. I'm thinking there will be another sale going on, and maybe I should get more use of the Vandersteens. I could possibly be into the next thing a year from now...

 

I too am thinking about getting a pair of the dirty weekends. Been using Magnepan MMG's for about 10 years now and have completely happy with the sound in my system just thinking about a change. Can anyone compare the Zu's to Maggie sound and imaging.

 

That's what sent my MMGs to the basement, the tweeter of one a clawed victim.

Would like to hear more about the DW. I've mostly had high power/low efficiency, but am intrigued by the opposite approach.

 

F.Y.I.

Zu Omen Dirty Weekends with the MK II upgrades are available for pre-order, with a shipping date, starting on Saint Patrick's Day, March 17th.



I have the Omen Definitions and I love them. I have the original series. This year I plan on upgrading them to the MK II version drivers and crossovers.

These have to be some excellent sounding speakers and these are excellent prices, for speakers that are custom built to order for you.

You have optional colors and other things to select from, to personalize your Zu's.

And shipping is FREE.

In the standard Rustic Maple, they start at $999.

Other custom colors and finishes are available for a modest $100-$300 up-charge.

Order early, get your own pair early.

 

What's the bass like on the Omens? I am pleased with it on the Vandersteen 1c's, but I think I could do better. On some recordings it sounds very full and others not so much. Overall the Vandersteen 1c's are a decent speaker for me and they fit well with the music that I listen to, the size of my room, and the other components that I use.

 

Also - I don't need earth shattering bass, and I also don't want to add a subwoofer.

 

would definitely be interested in hearing your comparison Vandersteen vs Zu. Im a warm speaker fan myself ... (Vandies, Harbeth..)

are those 1ci Vandies ? for sale if you go under the Zu spell?

 

They are Vandersteen 1c, and I am the second owner. I am assuming they are about 10 years old? If I did get the Zu's, I would definitely sell the Vandies for pick up only.

 

looking for 1ci ( sorry back on topic)

 

My buddy and I both have Omen MKII's. Bass definitely sounds different in each of our rooms.

He powers them with my old Onkyo A9070 and I use a tube EL34 amp now.

Mine are way closer to the corners of the room, I think that part matters with these. Also, how much room you leave for the bottom port makes a difference (not necessarily on the amount of bass though, but aspects of it).

I guess what I'm saying is you won't know till they are in your room, I personally think it's enough although if I lived in his room I might get a sub.

 

What a timely post. I have been debating on new speakers for a while. I currently have some JBL LX55 that I use with a 32 wpc HH Scott 299c. I have been thinking about the Vandersteen 1Ci for quite some time but then heard about Zu Audio and have been intrigued with the DW. I really wish dealers carried them so I could give them a listen. I like well rounded speakers with enough bass to sound full. I loved how live the Vandersteens sounded but I haven’t heard them through my amp. Choosing speakers is tough. So many options.

 

Yes. Wharfedale's are great with my SS integrated, but seem to be destined for a bigger room. I had them placed about 12 - 16 inches from the wall, and the bass was still boomy, same problems Vandie's will suffer from if not given plenty of room behind. Given enough juice, which my CA Azur 851 seems to have, the Wharfedale's provide good soundstage, all frequencies sound to be where they should be, and the bass extension is great (too good, for smallish rooms). A great bargain, if you ask me. Pity right now they're in semi-storage (just unhooked in a room), waiting for a bigger place to shine in. I did not try them with my tube amp for a) - the same reason of being too big; and b) they seem to have been voiced for a powerful SS amp, so I instinctively feel tubes are not meant for them, but I might be wrong.

Omen's are bottom ported, plus I give them about an extra half-inch of breathing room by having the front end raised on rubber spike basins. No issues with bass being boomy, and no complaints from downstairs neighbor, either.

As far as sufficient bass, the DW are rated to 35 Hz bass. True or not, I've never felt the bass lacking on them. I am not a bass junkie, and loath sub-woofers, the DW are certainly sufficient for my tastes in music - mostly jazz and fusion. I drive them with an EL-34 based PrimaLuna ProLogue Four. And yes, once again - you want breathing room under the speakers, as they're bottom-ported.

Sound of the two speakers is different. While Wharfedale's do seem to be a bit on the warm side, the DW were initially exactly the way a friend of mine described them: "in your face". But, after a good break-in period, and with a swap of preamp to Cary Audio SL-100, which is also warm sounding by design, the "in your face" quality is gone. It is very pleasant and natural. For lack of better vocabulary to describe it, I will give you the following analogy:

You know how people describe good speakers by saying they sound like the music is being played in your room? I will not claim that, but, when I listen to a local Jazz FM station, the music still sounds like it's radio (albeit very good), but in between songs, the DJ's conversations actually do sound like I'm in the broadcast room.

 

I hear the Zu have a particular sound. Can anyone explain what that sound is? I would love a good description or examples.

 

I have owned Zu Dirty Weekends and Magnepan 1.6s. The Magnepan's have a bit better resolution/refinement but I slighlty preferred the Zu's in all other areas. Like Magnepan, tremendous value and well worth an audition for the curious.

Don't know if I can adequately describe their "sound" but I will say that it's in part one that makes a lot of recordings sound 'live.' IMO it's like they very slighlty re-mixed my CDs and records to reveal a bit more of everything, hit '11' on the PRAT switch and make people & instruments sound like they're in the room. I suppose they are "forward." I used to view that in pejorative terms and overall I like a laid back sound but "forward" also has its charms for the right person and the right gear. The most important thing about the Dirty Weekends to me is that I was always excited to hear them and enjoyed the hell out of them. I think they're great speakers and only sold mine in order to spend 3x more for a different brand of speakers (Tekton) with a similar "live" voicing.

$999 a pair is stupid cheap and well worth the audition for anyone on the fence. The people at Zu are awesome btw.

 

This is about as accurate a description as any.

The other fun thing about Omen DW is you can try literally any kind of amp that you want with them... 2 to 200 watts. Some will be better than others (and Omens will reveal that), but they will match well with a lot of different types. You can't say that about Zu's 16 ohm models which are going to be much pickier.

 

This recent thread discusses Zu Audio speakers, including the Omens.

Shootout: Devore O/93 vs. Zu Soul Superfly

I bought my DW Omens about 6 years ago for the same price as today's offering. ZUs margins must be mighty slim at this price point, OTOH they're probably avoiding (seasonal?) layoffs, so why not support a group of American workers who want to sell you probably the best $999 pair of speakers, considering their bandwidth, efficiency, and wonderful sound?

Hope this helps,

Robert Martellaro

 

Great info. Thanks. I hear that Zu speakers beg to be played loud. How are they at a quieter late evening and the kids are in bed volume?

 

The bass and treble will roll off with any speaker below about 75dB. Call it a flaw in our auditory system.

Fletcher Munson Curve: The Equal Loudness Contour of Human Hearing

The good news is that the Omens don't need to be goosed to get going, dynamics and low end-wise. I listen between 75dB and 80dB (measured at the listening position), and hear plenty of impact and punch in the bottom, and is relatively balanced across the rest of the frequency spectrum.

Best regards,

Robert Martellaro

 

I owned the the zu souls mk2, ran them with a Weston acoustic 300b time machine, a wonderful amp, but even that could not tame them. If you like warm sounding speakers, Zu's are not for you, at least the model I had aren't. They have a very open sound and play loud, lots of detail. Try and hear them before buying.

 

Spot on as I hear things as well! My Dirty Weekend Mk.II's excel at detail, dynamics and balance. Get the Clarity Cap upgrade for $100. It makes a noticeable difference in detail retrieval. The super tweeter seems quieter with the Clarity caps allowing for more detail to be presented. Hope this makes sense!