Besides the information listed on Zu’s website. What is the actual difference between the Omen Mk.II’s and the Dirty Weekend’s?
Sonic signatures and comparisons would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
The only real way to answer your very specific questions is to speak to Zu Audio.
Gerrit is excellent to talk to and sometimes Sean answers the phone.
I had the Dirty Weekend Mk 2’s and they are amazing speakers, especially at $1K for a pair.
Before I gave them to a friend, I compared them to my Soul Supremes and at 25% the SS price, the DW’s really hold their own. I’ve heard very few speakers in the $1000. price range that even come close.
And don’t let anybody tell you that they’re only good for loud music. That’s just gibberish.
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Earlier I intended to say, ask RonP and call Sean. I bet the DW are a steal at $1k.
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Quick follow up question for you.
How was their low frequency response? (i.e bass response) Was it supple and full or do they really need a sub woofer?
Thanks @RonP for the response.
I thought the bass was fine without a sub–in my system—in my listening room. If you need a sub, then you add a sub. I didn’t. Neither has the new owner.
And my counterpoint, I think every speaker needs at least one, preferably, two subs. Primarily so the speakers can be where they image best and away from walls, and the sub(s) be in locations best for their frequencies. The two are rarely the same place.
Much less to do with the output of the main speakers rather the acoustics of the space and managing its impact on lower frequencies.
I don’t disagree with you. But when I had Maggies (.7’s), I couldn’t get a sub in there fast enough.
Same room, gear with my Zu Soul Supremes and I don’t use a sub. It depends…
@brett66 You make a very good point about keeping the bass drivers disjoined from the main speakers in order to facilitate best placement of the mains. However, subwoofer integration presents is own challenges. The new challenge becomes the seamless integration of the bass frequencies with those of the mains, which can be extremely difficult if not impossible in some rooms. This separation also presents another new challenge of time alignment with the mains drivers. So, while separation helps in one regard, it may not be the best solution for all speakers and all room setups.
True. I find that driving subs via high-level signal that is the same as the mains helps tremendously with integration. I also prefer sealed, servo subs to anything ported (for music). The subs MUST have a phase adjustment dial, not a 180 switch, to be effectively blended.
It does take time and tuning. Every few months, I turned off my subs and while I can’t hear them when on I do miss then when they are off. The foundation is missing when they are off.
I reached out to Zu Audio and here is the official answer I got from Gerrit.
"Thank you for your message and interest.
The sonic characteristics are similar between the two but the Omen Mk.II will be a little smoother/sweeter sounding on the top end.
The Omen Mk.II and Omen Dirty Weekend Mk.II both use the same 10” driver and tweeter.
The tweeters high pass filter network used in the Mk.II Omen is the ClarityCap MR based unit. The Dirty Weekend uses an Erse based network.
Omen Mk.II also has the upgrade full Mission wire harness along with the dual binding post setup (5 way posts and ZuB3/SpeakOn). We are also using stainless steel mounting hardware and inserts on the Mk.II Omen.
Both are fun, musical and have a nice warmth and texture.
Omen Dirty Weekend offers a lot of performance for the money. It’s a great way to get in to our product line and you can save the cash and put it towards a new amplifier or more music."
They used to have a great trial period, followed by a full price trade-up policy. Check if that’s still the case.
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They still do. Also I like that they have a five year warranty.
What an incredibly pragmatic perspective from a manufacturer that could otherwise be coercing you into spending more money on their more expensive line-ups. Bravo Gerrit from Zu!
Having dealt with them for a few years, I have the highest opinion of those guys. They’re a small company of genuinely nice enthusiasts.
I bought an original pair of Omen MkI’s ~10 years ago. While they were good out of the box, over time I could hear and became aware of their short comings and wanted more. Through discussions with Sean I made a list of upgrades he and I felt I could tackle and slowly began work. I wouldn’t trade them for anything at this moment. They are super efficient and sound amazing being driven with only 3 watts. They are not bass shy nor treble fatiguing. They are lively and present a ‘real’ sound that in my room easily places me in the studio or venue.
If your DIY inclined at all, there are some pretty easy mods you can make to the cabinet/speakers that will really help the area’s that they currently fall short in. Namely cabinet resonance. Sean is awesome to work with on these mods and always seems genuinely excited to help people willing to experiment. Even when it means he isn’t selling something new!
Some mods I have made with Sean’s guidance over the years include:
bracing (Oak Dowell) between back wall and driver bridge (area between the 2 drivers)
QuietQuote dampening to the inside walls
Internal wiring
Replacing drivers to those used in the Druid V (FRD103ND)
Rigidly attaching a base (maple butcher block using Bolts/Nuts as spacers)
Glassing 4 hardwood dowels into the vertical corners
Just know that if you get the speakers, there still room to take them up a lot more in scale and pretty inexpensively too!
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