Mr P -

So you are getting the Omen Def's? The $3200.00 ones? Or just the Omens? I am pretty sure they share the same woofer but not too sure about the tweeter. Waiting for Zu's site to carry the specs.

So I've heard that the Omen Def's don't need any break in time - which - umm - IDK - they are speakers - they need some break in. I've heard that should be about 250hrs. So kind of conflicting sources - but I have a theory they will change with some break in.

Let me then assume they need no break in so I can tell you what they sound like out of the box. Just to review the associated equipment. I'm running them with the Sony PS1 - PrimaLuna ProLogue Premium (EL34 tubes) - Zu Mission speaker cable - Granite Audio #470 ICs and Granite Audio #560 power cables.

You'll probably wonder why I have a $20 PS1 source. With the $2400 Electrocompaniet CP-1 the high end was out of balance. Amazingly detailed - like you can hear a pin drop and all the echos in the room - or with the analog source I could hear the record fuzz and noise floor much clearer than on any other speakers I've had in before. Honestly the high end is very detailed and open and here, in the room. It reminded me of either the Axiom M3v3 or Magnepan 3.7s I've heard recently. (Yes I realize that one is a $350 box speaker and the other a $5000 planar - but it just had that similar type of open and slightly breathy high end)

But, at volume this sound can become fatiguing and metallic. Guitars strings and female vocals (thinking of Feist The Reminder) lost their naturalness and started to become metallic sounding. And this is with the PrimaLuna ProLogue Premium - that on all other speakers of mine had rolled off the highs a bit - was not fatiguing at all at loud volumes, with the PMC TB2i and other speakers (Something I love about it) - The PrimaLuna also thickened and slowed up the low end a bit on all other speakers I've used it to power.

Conversely - taking this detail on the good side - on that same Feist album - I could hear her and her microphone much more clearly and separated from the rest of the band. Back ground noise samples, little echos, and the slight wet smacking of lips - were all very clear. One some classical records it was much easier to hear the echoes of the hall it was recorded in and with saw wave type of noise sounds, it really sounded like a saw this time. It is all very impressive and captivating. But it still seems slightly out of balance.

So I put in the PS1 to smooth out the highs and round out the midrange. Which it has done. But at loud volumes the sound is still fatiguing. I am really hoping that with break in this will go away - since it has generally done that on all other speakers I've had in for review - or if I pair it with another amplifier - say the 300B from Melody or the Mystere pentode design. Heck I'm gonna bust out the old Van Alstine OmegaStar250EX soon to see how that thick bastard sounds.

Otherwise, the mid range and low end are very clear, detailed, and sound good. As a whole the mids and lows sound a bit more relaxed - more at the distances of the speakers, while the highs tend to come out a toward me a bit more.

I am a little sad there is only 1 set of speaker cable terminals. You can't bi-wire or bi-amp these.

Staging is good - the speakers do blend in very well - but I'm still playing with set up. I have them about 6ft apart and 8ft away from me. They have just a slight toe in at the moment.

I think I am going to try in the next couple weeks. A Melody 300B amplifier - 8W per channel. The AVA 100W OmegaStar - placement - and the PSAudio PerfectWave AC5 which boost mid range with the Electrocompaniet CP-1 CDP.

A final note on the detail of the high end. Though it is very detailed one must remember this is a $3200 floorstander. It obviously isn't a $70,000 Marten Coltrane 2.

So - please remember - this is all with about a weeks worth of air time. Final opinion is subject to change.

Oh yeah - and the low end goes low! Massive Attack sounds f'ing amazing!

Oh yeah again... the Zu Mission speaker cables are totally new as well - so they might need some break in time as well.... probably do.