An audiophile's speaker zoo that's all about Zu
Show Us Yours: How a man and a woman found bliss with 11 pairs of Zu Audio speakers in a small New York City apartment.
Meet Adrianne and Eel. They're going to give us a tour of their sound setup for CNET's Show Us Yours series. This tour has been put together by Steve Guttenberg, CNET's Audiophiliac columnist.
Adrianne is a musician and Eel is an audiophile and an avid collector of Zu Audio speakers. That's an understatement, he currently has 11 pairs of Zus! Eel's audiophile journey started with a single pair of Zu Druid MKIV speakers back in 2008, which he still has. His small New York City apartment in Chinatown is packed with really interesting audio (and non-audio) gear.
The system
Here's a wide shot of the main system, which dominates the small apartment. The red speakers are Zu Druid Vs.
A few Zus
Hey, some guys collect Corvettes or guns, Eel collects Zu speakers because he really likes the sound and the company!
The small gray ones on the upper left are the Druid Credenzas. The one on the right is the Omen Def. The matte red one on the lower left is the Soul Mk II.
Eel made this one
Here's Eel's homemade speaker, because every true audiophile should try building at least one.
High stakes
These chrome stakes are replicas of the silver stakes Wesley Snipes used to kill vampires in the original "Blade" movies.
Eel's 'coffee table'
Eel's glass top "coffee table" holding remote controls is made from a racing car tire and wheel.
A stack of electronics
From the top to the bottom, a Bent Audio Tap X preamp, a Musical Fidelity A1 integrated amp from around 2008, Modwright SWL 9.0 SE preamp and Wyred 4 Sound amps -- one is a ST-250 and the other is a ST-500. At the bottom of the stack is a Musical Fidelity A5 CD player.
Adrianne and a bottle of booze
Adrianne's definitely not the shy type. She's in a band, Annie Activator.
Made in New Jersey
This is an original VPI Scout turntable, manufactured in the Garden State.
Zu phono cartridge
A Zu modified Denon 103 moving-coil phono cartridge.
MHDT Havana DAC
Eels says, "That's my MHDT Havana DAC [digital audio converter] with a glowing WE 396a [tubes]. Most of my tubes are older than me, haha."
Red Zu next to an Eel speaker
The speaker on the right is an open baffle speaker, once again made by Eel himself.
Tasty gear
Eel's PS Audio BHK Signature stereo preamplifier, sitting on an Ambrosia 2000 sound processor.
Adrianne on the job
Adrianne's a singer, one who has spent time mixing sound for live shows. She's seen Eel's collection grow over the years.
Japanese tube amplifier
This is an Asano 45 amplifier. It's made in Japan. Eel loves the quest, striving for better and better sound.
Old school digital converter
This is the BorderPatrol digital audio converter.
Active electronics
This stack has a pair of First Watt active speaker crossover networks sitting on a PS Audio NuWave phono preamplifier. Asking Eel why he has so much audio, he says, "That's just the kind of guy I am, I was the same way with cars."
Zu Essence speakers
The Zu Essence speakers looked a little lonely sitting over there, away from the other Zus. Eel didn't have all 11 pairs in the apartment, some are loaned out to his sisters.
Close-up of Zu speaker drivers
This 10-inch driver and the tweeter below it are both made in the US.
More stuff
Here's a Mac mini external drive for music storage sitting atop a First Watt SIT 2 power amp.
Sleek amplifier
This is a made-in-France Devialet 120 stereo integrated amplifier.
Headphone/preamp
The Linear Tube Audio MicroZOTL tube headphone amp can also be used as a stereo preamplifier. Eel also has the a ZOLT power amp. He has a lot of gear, but he goes though long periods without buying anything, and then in one month he'll splurge.
10 years ago
Adrianne with Eel's very first Zu speakers, which he still has. That's it for this installment of "Show Us Yours," click here to see more!