Zu incorporated in 2000 with an overarching objective of re-establishing the relevance of ‘made in the USA’ to high-value, affordable music systems for regular consumers without bottomless wallets. As a brand, Zu personifies this approach by stripping back orthodox distribution channels to the bare minimum and so more closely engaging the consumer. “Because the closer you are to Zu, the closer you are to the music.”
Zu is an engineering-driven research, development and manufacturing company selling innovative and compelling audio products at prices that reflect cross-industry value-visible relationships. This positions Zu to directly compete for discretionary dollars from non-audio products and moves Zu much closer to the mainstream consumer economies, as well as participating in reflating and expanding the hi-fi market. Zu was and still is an American brand manufacturing its products in the United States of America.
Zu products perform, offer sincere value and are priced to reflect genuine economics and not arbitrary whims—and they look as good as they sound. With Zu, voices sound human, instruments are genuine, impact and resolution of musical details are consistent from extended treble through deep bass. Zu is about maximal tone, texture, stereo, and dynamic realism. Performers and sounds are as recorded, and captured color and shading is unmasked and recordings becomes alive and compelling. How? We design by ear first, using tests and measure to assist not govern our sensation of tone. Against the grain? surprisingly. And to keep our creative edge and quality of build Zu products are designed and manufactured in our home town of Ogden, Utah.
Boiled down Zu designs are based on experience, applied physics, common sense, and attentive listening to all forms of music and sounds—real and sometimes recorded. Our efforts to make playback fun and accessible are achieved in our loudspeaker, cable, turntable and other hi-fi home audio products, which use original concepts and engineering to restore aliveness and realistic fidelity to playback.
Based on understanding and integrity—our course of action determined by placing the customer first. This simple rule guides nearly all that we do outside of product creation, from business to our old-school word of mouth marketing. We believe that if we create the best products possible, back them up, and price them honestly that the market will see it and success will follow. Zu’s business model is based on servicing the end-user as closely as possible.
In the late ‘90s the founders of Zu wondered, “Why had high fidelity audio become so clinical and dead, so widely unmoored from its pioneering past and the music and physics that had set it off?” The founders of Zu believed they had the passion and experience to create products that would exceed expectations, loudspeakers, cables and other products that would return realism to the music and continually satisfy the listener. So building upon the foundation their innovative audio forefathers established, Zu set out on making performance centered products music lovers want and could afford. Today you can see the influence of the early giants in Zu’s products: the manufacturing attitudes of Western Electric, RCA, Lansing... the invention and detail of Tesla, and hard work of Edison. Combining the past with Zu’s comprehensive design approach and modern U.S. manufacturing, Zu is busy creating the next American classics and is dedicated to bring back the stereo as the most important and rewarding furnishing in the home.
Quite simple—the lunatics have taken over the asylum. Because more and more 'stuff' can be measured, people measure more and more stuff, and frequently, the stuff they measure takes on such import for measurement's sake that all kinds of bad things are done to a design to ensure a good measured result, but at the expense of a raft of musically important stuff that doesn't feature on the measurement guru's agenda. In a nutshell—it's chucking the baby out with the bath water. On top of all that, the majority of people's exposure to music is through the TV, iPod, radio and the internet, all of which offer a pale pastiche of the real live event—the populace is losing touch with the only real reference worth having—real 'live' music. Once the 'live' reference has gone, we lose sight of the core essence of live music—the dynamics and scale of a living, breathing performance—funnily enough, the very virtues of Zu that differentiate them from every other speaker on the planet. So the bottom line becomes 'what's your reference—live music or an oscilloscope?' For people who love listening to their hi-fi, scrutinizing every aspect of the recording and forensically dissecting the performance, there's a raft of speakers out there for those lost souls. For people who are still in love with the music, who just want to be at that gig, who really don't care about 'audiophile' recordings and all the attendant crap—for all those enlightened souls, there's Zu.
Zu products do the following or they don’t get released: voices will sound human, instruments genuine, impact and resolution of musical details will be consistent from deep base through extended treble, and dynamic scale will not be hindered. Zu is about tone, texture, stereophonic and dynamic realism. Performers will be located where intended in the recreated stereophonic event, so long as the detail is in the recording. Zu products will allow the color and fidelity of other components in the system to come through, especially amplification. Full-spectrum color and shading will be unmasked and music will sound alive and compelling.
In searching for fundamental understanding in audio systems, Zu has realized the profound interplay of each element, device and discipline, and so approaches performance solutions as a whole. For a loudspeaker to recreate a sonic event with all the intimacy and glory possible requires the highest dynamic range potential and the lowest possible distortion—a basic statement, but one that presents an incredibly complex set of problems. To approach dynamics as the main design element is not overwhelming, likewise for broad-band amplitude response (frequency response) but a balancing of the two can overwhelm even the most experienced designers; and that is to say nothing of the complexity generated when time and three-dimensional space are factored. The loudspeaker system’s complexity and the current design environment which is saturated with assumptions have resulted in a market full of unsatisfying products. These less than rewarding objects reflect the single-minded approach of a designer’s particular belief. Zu’s design philosophy is a comprehensive view of the dynamic system. This panoptic vision, with a focus on fundamental development and understanding allows Zu to find and implement real and satisfying solutions.
Zu designs and builds loudspeakers that are true to the music, only using tests and measures to qualify and control quality. While this seems like a given, the state of the market when Zu launched in 2000 was contrary to this natural idea and was a stark departure to the trend which had been building since the 1970s—which was to use tests and measures as the design and sign-off of performance.
Zu designs and builds full-range drive units that cover the widest bandwidth possible and weighted for bass, and loudspeakers that are as dynamic and efficient as possible with bias on the critical human voice. This was also very contrary to the trends which had been building, in this case since the 1960s. Even famous high efficiency brands like Klipsch had all but turned their back on this concept for the home audio market. Why? Solid state amplification had made high power cheap and plentiful, and it allowed loudspeaker engineers to make flat and extended frequency response graphs with the simple manipulation of passive filter components and cheap targeted bandwidth drivers—and all the while shrinking the size of the loudspeaker cabinet, a design trend the furniture and domestic architectural company Herman Miller helped to fashion back in the day.
History on Zu Loudspeaker Philosophies
The searching and experimentation of Sean Casey from 1980—2000. Sean was drawn to high efficiency sounds at an early age. In his twenties however, he fell into the “engineering superiority” of the smooth and even frequency response graphs offered by the new European speaker-driver offerings. Of course only specific to the home audio designs, but after a decade of experimentation and listening with hundreds of the drivers Sean reached three points of resolution: (1) that high efficiency from a full-range speaker-driver centered on the human voice is the prime requirement for a home audio loudspeaker to sound real and compelling (2) use as few parts as possible, and preserve phase coherence and time integrity (3) couple the room with acoustic area and acoustic impedance matching rather than leaning on cone excursion for bass. These three points cut across the grain for home audio, with other companies using dozens of electronic components to shape and manipulate the response, but at the expense of dynamic range, intimacy, timing, and in the end an enjoyable product.
After two decades two critical apparatuses were refined to the point of commercialization. The first was the ZuGriewe acoustic loading technology developed by Sean Casey and Ron Griewe in the ‘90s. The second was a new/old full-range driver platform—much of it based on very early work from the ‘30s and the majority by the RCA company, and their newly hired and soon to be legend Harry Olson—that when mated with ZuGriewe loading facilitated elegant solutions to Sean’s goals and aspirations. In 2001 Zu launched the first loudspeaker to incorporate these ideals, the Druid loudspeaker. Zu Druid allowed direct coupling to the amplifier without the need for crossover, expressed high efficiency and dynamics, and produced a natural frequency balance in normal quarters. All rolled up in a product that looks awesome and occupies a modest footprint.
The Two Camps In Loudspeaker Design
Decades ago, Loudspeaker development had fractured into two basic camps: the “dynamics or bust” camp and the “measure flat or don’t bother me” camp. To realize that these camps are married to the overall dynamic behavior of a loudspeaker system is essential for the progress of loudspeakers. Further, to know that dynamic range is a fundamental characteristic, one that cannot be improved through signal manipulation will result in a loudspeaker that better serves music. While signal manipulation can correct for loudspeaker dynamic behavior errors in both time and bandwidth, it is at the expense of overall dynamic range and in varying degrees, resolution, stereophonic recreation and intimacy. Many other parameters must be considered but truly emotional playback is best accomplished through very high efficiency loudspeakers—with a capacity for the broadest dynamic range, wide-band linear dynamic behavior and capable of digging down to at least the second octave. Engineering of a fundamentally correct transducer, combined with an enclosure that will not hinder its performance, provides many benefits.
Amplitude nonlinearity must also be resolved in the transducer as crossover and filter networks impinge significantly on the intelligence of the signal. The loudspeaker engineer must consider every element and design to resolve the smallest transient; preserve phase coherence and time integrity for convincing presentation of sound-spaces; strive for natural frequency balance in typical living rooms; propagate bass impact with surface area and efficiency rather than excursion; and package all these qualities beautifully in products that can be used and appreciated in normal homes.
Like Zu loudspeakers, Zu cable products do the following or they don’t get released: voices will sound human, instruments genuine, impact and resolution of musical details will be consistent from extended treble through deep bass, and dynamic scale will not be hindered. Zu is about tone, texture, stereophonic and dynamic realism. Performers will be located where intended in the recreated stereophonic event, so long as the detail is in the recording. Zu products will allow the color and fidelity of other components in the system to come through, especially amplification. Full-spectrum color and shading will be unmasked and music will sound alive and compelling.
Correct cable design is rooted in electrodynamics and not special sauces, fancy secret boxes or conductors that have been hand assembled atom by atom. Approaching a design comprehensively results in Zu products that perform, offer sincere value, and are priced to reflect genuine economics and not arbitrary whims. Zu cable products are engineered and then refined with materials selection. Simply throwing exotic and bling on something is not a solution for performance. Zu cables provide industry leading performance in every category, and for less than their next closest competitor.
Zu is an ambitious bunch, believing innovation and quality are only realized when those most passionate about the product are the same people actually making it. Zu products are conceived, engineered, and made in Ogden, Utah—the community that raised us, gave us opportunity, education, and encouraged us to fully explore all the great sports the mountains of Utah provide. Giving back through building a strong company that makes cool stuff, and individually participating in our local community is important to all of us at Zu.
“When a tangible products company loses its hands-on connection with the objects it makes, maximizing margin instead of product performance, originality is usually lost and the product is debased. Consider Western Electric, Edison, RCA, Tesla, Altec and so many others once well known for ground breaking creativity. When innovation and quality cease to be a company’s motivating force, sayonara to inspiration and personal satisfaction.” —Sean
Currently, Zu manufactures hundreds of thousands of feet of wholly original audio-specific cable a year, on machines that are also of our own design (original cable design demands original cable manufacturing equipment); terminates hundreds of specialty connectors each day; and ships hundreds of products a month to customers all over the world. In loudspeakers, Zu has manufactured and sold well over a thousand pair, and has continually expanded production capacity and efficiency to facilitate continued growth and quality improvements.
Zu manufactures the following in-house or next door: cabling, including all of our B3 geometries, cable harness assembly, connector fabrication and termination, loudspeaker driver assembly, machining of driver components, mill work, precision CNC cabinet work, composites application and layup, loudspeaker finishing, machining of turntable accessories and pickups, and assembly and QC of all our products.
In-house manufacturing capabilities: servo controlled cable manufacturing, cable harness assembly , copper connector fabrication, cable / connector termination, cable testing & research lab, electronics testing & batching workstations, loudspeaker assembly production line, loudspeaker driver assembly, loudspeaker composites facility, loudspeaker finishing booths, loudspeaker burn-in & testing, loudspeaker batching & network workstations, loudspeaker testing & research lab.
Next door in the machine shop: precision CNC milling , precision CNC turning, precision waterjet work, hard anodizing.
And so there’s no questions about Zu’s environmental conservation and awareness—Zu believes in real environmentally friendly manufacturing, no need for bullshit, just the real deal. Not because of some great googly moogly “climate change” geopolitical power play nonsense. It’s simple isn’t it, people like being healthy, and enjoying blue skies, green hills, healthy rivers, lakes and wildlife. We keep our impact to a minimum because we get out and enjoy nature, we love the earth and don’t want to screw it up. Zu makes good stuff, stuff that will last and that you can pass down to your kids, stuff that isn’t going to end up in landfills. U.S. based manufacturing is pretty damn clean and very efficient. Its simply the result of technology advancements and neighbors and workers that care.
The lack of manufacturing integrity by some U.S. companies is not exclusively their bag to hold, it’s the consumer’s fault as well. The majority of U.S. consumers it seems have grown numb to their responsibility; always trying to get the most for less, looking for the quick high instead of the lasting satisfaction in a product that is innovative, reliable, and well build. Zu thinks that manufacturers and users have equal responsibility, and an obligation to their respective local communities. Users and producers must search for real solutions and maximize their positive impact on family, community, nature, product, and technology.
Sean Casey and Adam Decaria incorporated Zu in the state of Utah, in the fall of 2000. From inception their business model was clear: invent, engineer, manufacture and market the highest performance products at reasonable prices—and work as directly as possible with the user. Zu believes that applying innovation to products, marketing and customer service, while continuously improving efficiency, are the keys to Zu’s success.
The internet and electronic commerce were gaining real traction in the late 1990’s and it was apparent the new system allowed for a close, and responsive relationship between manufacture and user, one without all the middleman noise and heavy markup of the old audio distribution and retail channels. Adam and Sean knew that manufacturing in the States and not overseas was going to make competing on price difficult, but building stateside gave them an advantage in technology and performance—the big motivators for creating Zu in the first place. They also believed in the “local first” economic responsibility concept and wanted to keep fabrication at home. So, as the Japanese decades before, but this time via the internet, Zu believed they could build a better product and sell it direct to the user at a lower price.
“We knew the big audio dealers were not going to take a chance on a new unfunded startup. We knew winning these dealers took big advertising, rapid branding, excellent salesman, buy-in incentives, competing brand buyouts and none of it was in the cards for us. Zu was (and still is) hell bent on building the company on performance and service. Any money we scrapped together went back into product. Zu was an old school, punk rock band from the beginning."
Original designs that solve difficult problems in innovative and cost effective ways. Zu’s ingenuity enables it to create products that perform at the highest level but remain reasonably priced. Zu refuses to sacrifice quality, even in its entry level products. This ensures a lifetime of trouble free operation, pride in ownership and lasting customer value. This is how we have built the Zu brand.
Zu gives you choice. Zu’s in-house finishing system gives customers the option of selecting any color, effect, optical quality or foreground in finish of loudspeakers. And because Zu controls all aspects of build, including finish, Zu can ensure your original masterpiece is completed to perfection and shipped within a reasonable time.
By the end of 1999, the young, passionate team of audio engineers had been intimately involved with a fair number of companies in the audio industry. Zu's founders made significant contributions to those enterprises, but were never able to fully realize the ideas and innovations in their heads. It was the end of a millennium, people were planning for the biggest party of their life; or they were building bunkers in the desert because computers everywhere were going to simply stop working-except for these audio freaks in Ogden who were working long hard hours in Sean's garage. Three guys busy creating the technical foundation for what was shortly to become Zu.
Since incorporating in 2000, Zu has earned global critical acclaim, receiving top honors for phono pickups, loudspeakers, and cable designs from the most respected reviewers in audio. Praise however did not come early as most reviewers and audio insiders didn't understand or were simply unaware of them. Zu believed getting product into the hands of music-loving customers was the critical thing, that once people lived with it they would enthusiastically spread the word. This "let the product sell itself" was about as punk rock as anything the post transistor hi-fi industry had seen, and bucking the attitude and order of things was not received well by most audio insiders. But this punk attitude worked for Zu and allowed them to grow and realize many original technologies and products. Yeah, it was our customers that really "got what we were about" and they really generated the buzz that lifted Zu to market prominence.
In our fourth year, and fourth place of business (counting Sean's garage), Zu got a call from Srajan Ebean of 6moons.com. Srajan asking what our review policy was... "simple," Sean replied. "You buy a pair of speakers or cables like everybody else, with the option to return them for full refund, and say whatever the hell you want." Srajan quickly answered back "Sign me up." That pair of Druid loudspeakers that Srajan purchased set the ball in motion for a flood of press and reviewer honors. Srajan had not only "got it" but reviewed it in such a way that opened the minds of many inside the audio world to what "it" was that we were doing and cared about.
In the fall of 1998, Sean Casey, then General Manager at Kimber Kable and the guy in charge of Engineering and R&D, was approached by a Salt Lake City based loudspeaker startup, Talon Audio. The venture appeared very well funded and things looked promising... but in less than a year Sean was out and Talon was being reorganized. Looking back, the move was a key component in the creation of Zu.
Sean, Adam and Marty grew up together in Ogden, Utah and shared common passions in audio, music, motorcycles and a sick love of adventure. All three attended Weber State University—Marty graduating with a BS in technical sales; Adam, physics scholarship recipient (but taking some time out to build Zu); Sean also pursued physics but dropped out after a few years to take a chance on a motorcycle career. By the mid nineties, all three were professionals in the hi-fi audio industry and working for Kimber Kable. Sean fully enjoyed his time at Kimber, but when Mike Farnsworth (the money guy) and Tierry Budge (loudspeaker designer, former Wilson guy) approached him with an ownership offer, and a chance to get back into loudspeakers, Sean couldn’t pass it up.
Talon Audio proved not only a poor match for Sean, but Adam and Marty as well. Then in strolled former Kimber Select, Ovox, and Theta Digital salesman Scott Devenport, pitching the idea of building a new cable company. To prideful to ask Ray Kimber for his old job back, and again tempted by ownership, Sean accepted Scott’s offer. So it was out with Talon and in with the Wasatch Cable Works. Scott handled sales and money, Sean did cable design, Adam and Randy worked on machines and fixtures, Marty was slingin’ solder, and all of us pulled together on all aspects of building the company and making it work—none of us wanted go through another Talon. This was essentially the proving ground for what was to be Zu as personality and direction differences with Scott and a lack of capital forced the design and production team to consider launching their own company. So in the fall of 1999 Sean Casey, Adam Decaria and Marty Petersen laid the foundation for products, processes, funding (sell our stuff, get second mortgages...), and business model that lead to the incorporation of Zu.
Early product offerings were sparse but highly refined in performance and finish quality. These products were, WarMouth and OxyFuel interconnects, Birth power cable, and Julian loudspeaker cable. Since the guys were bootstrapping Zu, only one product at a time could be completed and launched. Zu would continue to roll all available profit and resources generated from these initial offerings into production and R&D, including the what was to shortly be known as the Druid loudspeaker.
Zu begins commercialization work on several new models, including the Druid loudspeaker. The principles for what is marketed as B3 was discovered and modeled-a completely new architecture for the electrical transmission of power and signal. Wax, which featured B3 cable geometry, was introduced, as well as WarMouth XLR and Crux balanced interconnects, Merv AES3 digital interconnect, FireMine S/Pdif interconnect, and Disco interconnect. Zu moved from Sean's garage and into their first commercial space, Ogden's Kiesel building.
(Many of the Zu names have interesting stories behind them, B3 for example. Hong Kong was quick on the draw with getting Zu, and we were dealing with an independent importer named Wilmer. In his emails he would always end long paragraphs with "bra bra bra" which is translated bla bla bla in english. Every time we read it we thought of the movie The Christmas Story, and the Chinese restaurant / Christmas dinner segment... funny if you've seen the movie, and if you haven't put it on your to do list.)
Zu expanded its B3 cable manufacturing capacity and launched several new B3 based cables; Varial and Varial XLR interconnects, Mother power cable, and Ibis loudspeaker cable. Zu also introduced Gauge, an entry level loudspeaker cable. Zu continued to research and engineer a line of loudspeakers. Druid Studio made it to market, a high performance loudspeaker for desk tops and effects channels, as did a stripped down, wood veneer, Druid-based floor-standing speaker named Rune. These products were shelved later that year as production capacity and capital was lacking and profit margin could not support expansion. Zu also introduced a very large 15" sub named Retro. It was just way too big and was also shelved. Zu outgrows its space in the Kiesel Building and moves into a larger space next door, the historic Old Ogden Post Office building.
Expanding production was the focus for 2003. But as the Zu guys have a tough time sitting still, Zu launched the Bok power cable, Gede and Gede XLR interconnects, Pivot cable, Libtec loudspeaker cable, Mobius Sennheiser headphone cable. Zu outgrew the Old Post Office and moved into a new building in the Ogden Commercial Industrial Park. Here Zu built its own in-house loudspeaker finishing paint room, a bad attempt at a paint booth, and started having all loudspeaker cabinets CNC milled in the local Ogden / Salt Lake City area. Also the launch of Definition; a product that redefines just how much performance you can fit in a loudspeaker that only consumes one square foot of floor space.
The first four years were tough for Zu in the U.S., by contrast the Chinese markets were totally getting Zu, magazine covers, features.... Zu was busy filling orders, streamlining systems and introducing a few new models. Mother Mk2 power cable, Varial and Varial XLR Mk3 interconnects, Saint Julian loud-speaker cable, and Mobius AKG headphone cable. Zu employed five full time guys at this point and life was good.
Zu was getting some traction stateside thanks to the huge effort of satisfied users like Mike Smith, Todd & Amy, Phil Ressler, Ralph Karsten (Atma-Sphere)... willing to share their observations and Zu experiences. And it was that year Srajan of 6moons.com took a chance and purchased a pair of Druid’s from us, awarding it his most rare Lunar Eclipse Award. Word spread and praise and awards for Druid proliferated! Production capacity was again a bottle neck. Zu also realized that marketing must be a part of their business model and hired Dallas Casey to help get Zu’s feel and attitude communicated, as well as making some super cool art along the way. Website, communication, production capacity and systems; these were the items of focus for 2005.
Zu launched a new website with e-commerce and expanded content. Moved into a much larger building in the Ogden Commercial Industrial Park located right next door to its primary machine shop, and installed a modern high flow paint booth. Enthusiastic reviews continued. Added staff and management which afforded Sean and Adam to get back to R&D and engineering. Burn-in system finally went online for loudspeakers. Zu also begins to listen to outside voices and begins to vacillate on their direct to the consumer sales and marketing platform. Zu opens a few U.S. dealers to get a feel for the current state of dealer distribution and sales.
Zu expanded its cable line and introduced the Druid Credenza and Druid EFX loudspeakers. Zu / Denon DL-103 phono cartridge is launched and praised by consumers and reviewers alike. Cable production and workspace is reengineered and reset for greater efficiency and improved worker health. Improvements included daylight simulated lighting, and eight IAC Industries work stations. Burn-in system is expanded to over 20,000 watts, and the electric bill became a significant cost factor; as did kilo-watt amps and repair. Employment hit ten full time guys. On the marketing front Zu considers outside capital, Sean and Adam are slightly stunned with the offers and pitches coming in; marketing efforts take a back seat for a while Adam and Sean wrestle with the options....
Presence loudspeaker is finally launched, over budget but worth it. Production in loudspeakers hits another big bottleneck, Skylar and Nick are hired to run the loudspeaker composites and finish departments. Sean and Adam finally realize that venture does not fit with their goals and ideals and get back to serving the end user directly and providing, great design, excellent manufacturing, and world-class service. We're only here for the music site is launched with greatly expanded communications (like this here) and FAQ, the gallery, and product detail, and about everything. Plans are laid for yet another complete shop reset, and the addition of a second clean room paint booth dedicated for base and clearcoat, complete with air makeup, recycling heaters, and parts flow downdraft / positive pressure. Yeah, we're excited to get this thing online!
The recession, a dealer channel debacle reduced 2009 revenue by 50%, but Zu was able to manage loses. The decision to move Zu to a dealer model was a huge failure. Zu’s hard-earned customers, nearly 8,000 strong had also revolted at the move and were not driven into the dealers as anticipated. Zu switched back to the direct model out of necessity and got back to doing what they do best—product, sold direct. Adam was back in school, this time electronics. Zu Essence loudspeaker was launched during this dynamic time. Essence received critical acclaim by Srajan Ebaen and Frederic Beudot at 6moons.com, as well Steve Guttenberg of CNET, and Art Dudley of Stereophile. Essence even appearing on the cover of Stereophile magazine in the fall Recommended Components issue! Essence was also named a Stereophile Recommended Component. Despite a lot of good news, press and acclaim, 2009 was not a good year financially for Zu.
Soul Superfly loudspeaker was launched to excellent customer response, both its performance and its good looks, and sales were strong-and in the absence of any professional reviews. Zu decided not send out reviewer samples until after the initial wave of sales, choosing to handle the marketing of Soul more like they had done with Druid, were they let the market drive awareness. Adam continued his commitment and excellence in academia focusing on a Masters of EE attending WSU and UofU. Zu finishes up its Omen series and prepares for production and launch and is preparing for fourth quarter sales.
Zu hires “venture capitalist” Kristian Pettengill as CEO. He is terminated the first of January after nearly destroying the company.
Reeling from Q4 2010 debacle, Zu survives but is badly wounded. Adam Decaria leaves Zu, half the team is laid off, sales and marking efforts are all but terminated, all assets that can be capitalised for debt repayment are sold, including a lot of Sean's personal, and Zu begins the difficult process of digging out. The flip side, our new—though incomplete—website is taken live, the flagship Dominance loudspeaker is introduced at CES and the Event cables enter production. Definition Mk.IV is finally introduced in October at Rocky Mountain Audio Fest with fantastic response, and by the end of the year, the core of Zu (Sean, Stef, CD, Simon, Gerrit and James) have managed to get Zu back into the saddle. Yeah, 2011 was as one helluva ride!
So 2012 here we come—Definition Mk.IV is in full production, international dealers are coming back on-board and the response to our product line-up just gets better and better. We're showing at the Munich show in early May (room F218) and a pretty full schedule of events is coming together. Stay tuned....
