Zu Audio DWX Supreme Loudspeakers
The DWX Supreme is a high-sensitivity, high-fun-factor speaker – in every way.
If you’ve ever been to a Zu Audio room at a hifi show, you know they always have one of the most engaging rooms in the house. Sean Casey, Zu’s founder, and his crew serve up great music and put together systems that engage and offer high value.
And for the current future, with all the tariff monkey business in place, they are an even better, shall we say, supreme value – being all American-made? Zu says the DWX has “the same driver and guts” as the DW-6 floor-standing speaker. Thanks to the small size and front port, they can take advantage of room gain because they can be placed closer to the walls and room corners.
Everything centers around Zu’s own 10-inch Zu260 full-range driver, which extends up to 12 kHz; the rest is handled by their super tweeter. Nothing else sounds like a Zu, and that’s a great thing. With a 95dB/1-watt sensitivity rating, you can easily make use of a 9wpc SET amplifier or your favorite low-powered tube amplifier! Pass Labs First Watt amps crush it with Zu speakers, and if you have a vintage, low-power solid-state receiver (like a Marantz 2215 or a Pioneer SX-424/434), you’ll be blown into the weeds at how great this combo is as well.
The DWX is dynamic and articulate, featuring a front-firing port that makes setup as easy as it gets. The sound is unique – nothing else sounds quite like a Zu. And that’s a great thing, by the way. Our old pal Art Dudley often talked about audio gear being able to get (and keep) the groove. While this is somewhat ambiguous, Zu speakers do an excellent job of capturing the tonal contrasts and variations within a performance. They offer up a slightly saturated presentation – and that’s a great thing without being slow or soft in response. Actually, it’s quite the opposite.
The highest compliment we can pay Zu Audio is that no one is ever having a bad time in one of their rooms, and rarely, if ever, will you hear people blathering on and on about specs and such. If you love music – you’ll love owning a pair of these.
The full review is almost done. However, we suggest pushing the buy button on a pair of these. The only remaining questions are what color, and what upgrades? (Again, we suggest the Supreme version!)
$1,500 – $2,700/pair (finish and upgrade dependent)