Zu made a slight splash at January's Consumer Electronics Show with its Essence loudspeaker. The company camped out at the Venetian, which means they managed to avoid the thousands of square feet at the convention center, which is basically a giant cesspool of larger than life sonic and visual spectacles.

Alone time with speakers is always a good thing. However, even before CES 2009, Zu was already known for its Druid speaker, which nabbed awards from CNET, Audiotechnique and 6moons.com.

Still, they more than managed to impress those jaded journalists and bloggers again at CES with the Essnce, and they soon began teasing customers with a limited run. This latest loudspeaker effort combines the company's fourth-generation 10-inch full-ranger driver and a new Zu/TB high-power NiB transformer coupled ribbon tweeter. All of that should cover a very wide range of your favorite audio – and beyond. Measuring 49 x 12 x 12 inches, the Essence also features Zu's new Zu/Griewe acoustic loading technology.

"To say we are excited and happy with our Essence loudspeaker is a huge understatement," the company said in a statement. "Technically it's solid and very well rounded; visually it's timeless and elegant, with the highest level of fit and finish; sonically... throw whatever you like at it. Essence will play it back without hesitation, without disconnect, without reservation, complete with real emotion and color."

Even better, it's now in full production. Maybe they were just giving you time to save up. The Zu Essence is available now through select dealers and distributors for $5,000 per pair. In case you don't have the bankroll just yet, the Druid is still available for $3,600 per pair.

For More Information:

• Zu Essence Product Page