A question for those who have heard Zellaton speakers

infinitely baffled · Jun 8, 2017

Do they play electronica and hip hop to the same standard they play the usual easy listening stalwarts?

And do they go chest - thumpingly loud as convincingly as, say, Focal Grande Utopia or Magico Q7.?

Which would you choose?

I've read with great interest members' accounts of hearing these German masterpieces. The appeal of a semi open baffle is immense, but ime the achilles' heel of open baffle designs is their inability to play demanding material loud without working too hard, this leading to drive units needing to be replaced on a regular basis.

Do Zellaton fall into the same category?
Can they effortlessly load a difficult room into the sub bass frequencies?

The audition reports I have read seem to dwell on acoustic guitar and jazz. So far I haven't read any accounts of their playing bass - driven dance music.
Are the bigger models capable of doing rap justice?

Taiko Audio · Jun 9, 2017

I have visited Zellaton's showroom in Munich and auditioned their Statement model. I also listened to their Stage model at this year's Munich show. For me it was one of the best sounding rooms on the show. They are very dynamic, have a very high level of purity and low coloration. Tastes are highly personal but I would take these in a heartbeat over any Focal or Magico model and personally rate them on a higher absolute level. The Statements were playing at a higher level then I'm comfortable with without any detectable strain nor any hint of distortion. I've heard them playing Kraftwerk if that meets your bass/dance music criteria? As for SUB bass extension, I didn't focus on that. If you were to add subs they would need to be very fast/clean to keep up.

infinitely baffled · Jun 9, 2017

Taiko Audio said:
I have visited Zellaton's showroom in Munich and auditioned their Statement model. I also listened to their Stage model at this year's Munich show. For me it was one of the best sounding rooms on the show. They are very dynamic, have a very high level of purity and low coloration. Tastes are highly personal but I would take these in a heartbeat over any Focal or Magico model and personally rate them on a higher absolute level. The Statements were playing at a higher level then I'm comfortable with without any detectable strain nor any hint of distortion. I've heard them playing Kraftwerk if that meets your bass/dance music criteria? As for SUB bass extension, I didn't focus on that. If you were to add subs they would need to be very fast/clean to keep up.

Thank you very much for your reply.
I'm getting the distinct impression that few potential Zellaton buyers listen to bass - driven electronica...

JackD201 · Jun 9, 2017

I think not many of us here at WBF listen to bass driven electronica. I count maybe KeithR, myself, Lloyd, yourself and maybe just a few more. I heard the Z statements in HK and I concur with Taiko. They can rock without strain.

tunes · Jun 11, 2017

As per Jack's post, i agree that there are not alot of discussion posts about electronic music on WBF.
Re Zellaton's, yes, they are capable of deep, tight bass and will pressurize large rooms when set up right.
Not sure if you are a fan of Dave DK from Berlin, but I brought a bunch of tracks from his Val Maira LP to AudioArts when i heard the Zellaton statements a few months ago. Completely immersive and chest pounding

They were powered with FM and i don't know what the amp specs are but there was absolutely no strain or distortion when playing very loud in a large room. Though captured on my iphone, i have a video of the Statements playing driving beats and would be happy to forward it if you send me a PM with your email. It's a large file.
Ralph has a pair of Stage's and would be able to describe their performance on electronics.
Chris

infinitely baffled · Jun 11, 2017

JackD201 said:
I think not many of us here at WBF listen to bass driven electronica. I count maybe KeithR, myself, Lloyd, yourself and maybe just a few more. I heard the Z statements in HK and I concur with Taiko. They can rock without strain.

Thank you Jack.
Now that I can provide my own sub - bass, in theory that opens up a whole host of options previously ruled out.
But they do have to be able to rock...

infinitely baffled · Jun 11, 2017

tunes said:
As per Jack's post, i agree that there are not alot of discussion posts about electronic music on WBF.
Re Zellaton's, yes, they are capable of deep, tight bass and will pressurize large rooms when set up right.
Not sure if you are a fan of Dave DK from Berlin, but I brought a bunch of tracks from his Val Maira LP to AudioArts when i heard the Zellaton statements a few months ago. Completely immersive and chest pounding They were powered with FM and i don't know what the amp specs are but there was absolutely no strain or distortion when playing very loud in a large room. Though captured on my iphone, i have a video of the Statements playing driving beats and would be happy to forward it if you send me a PM with your email. It's a large file.
Ralph has a pair of Stage's and would be able to describe their performance on electronics.
Chris

Thank you Chris.
You have pm

rsorren1 · Jun 11, 2017

Hi Infinitly Baffled. I own Zellaton Stage. I've heard the Statement several times, the Emotions, and the Legacy. I don't listen to electronica except when my 30 year old son visits. Before writing this response I fired up the Ultra Deep House CD and played Mr Probz "Waves". The Stage do play electronic music with adequate bass in our medium sized room. In fact, when the owner of AudioArts was here to set up my Stage, he played electronic music on them because he enjoys it. You can add a sub if you like but it needs to be a top quality FAST sub. I'm experimenting with a REL G1 presently and the results are exceptional. The Statement is a whole other animal. This is one of a VERY few finest speakers in the world! Mind blowing! It does it all and then some. The Emotions filled the large listening room at AudioArts nicely. I was surprised. The Legacy is the best small stand mounted speaker that I've ever heard. It had well defined bass. With any Zellaton you MUST use top tier electronics. I also recommend checking out the Schnerzinger speaker cables with any Zellaton.

infinitely baffled · Jun 12, 2017

rsorren1 said:
Hi Infinitly Baffled. I own Zellaton Stage. I've heard the Statement several times, the Emotions, and the Legacy. I don't listen to electronica except when my 30 year old son visits. Before writing this response I fired up the Ultra Deep House CD and played Mr Probz "Waves". The Stage do play electronic music with adequate bass in our medium sized room. In fact, when the owner of AudioArts was here to set up my Stage, he played electronic music on them because he enjoys it. You can add a sub if you like but it needs to be a top quality FAST sub. I'm experimenting with a REL G1 presently and the results are exceptional. The Statement is a whole other animal. This is one of a VERY few finest speakers in the world! Mind blowing! It does it all and then some. The Emotions filled the large listening room at AudioArts nicely. I was surprised. The Legacy is the best small stand mounted speaker that I've ever heard. It had well defined bass. With any Zellaton you MUST use top tier electronics. I also recommend checking out the Schnerzinger speaker cables with any Zellaton.

Thank you rsorren, that's exceptionally helpful.
I'm still trying to get a feel for the product hierarchy...am i right in thinking the Statements are the daddies, with the Stage the next in line at $80k?
Would you happen to know the retail for the Statements?

Now all I have to do is figure out who does their UK distribution. I emailed Zellaton gmbh last week but haven't received a reply so far.
Perhaps I should try out my school-level German...

rsorren1 · Jun 12, 2017

infinitely baffled said:
Thank you rsorren, that's exceptionally helpful.
I'm still trying to get a feel for the product hierarchy...am i right in thinking the Statements are the daddies, with the Stage the next in line at $80k?
Would you happen to know the retail for the Statements?

Now all I have to do is figure out who does their UK distribution. I emailed Zellaton gmbh last week but haven't received a reply so far.
Perhaps I should try out my school-level German...

Infinitely Baffeled, if you send me a private message I will give you some contact numbers at Zellaton. The product hierarchy is:
Statement - $350K usd
Reference II - $140K usd
Stage - $80k usd
Grand - ?
Emotion - ?
Legacy - $25K usd

Have a look at their website to see pictures. No specs just pictures. I think I'm close on pricing. No matter which Zellaton you chose, I can't believe that you will be disappointed. At this price level you should obviously travel to where you can hear them first. You clearly have the electronics to make any speaker sing beautifully. Let me know if I can answer any other questions for you re: Zellaton experience. Good luck

infinitely baffled · Jun 13, 2017

rsorren1 said:
Infinitely Baffeled, if you send me a private message I will give you some contact numbers at Zellaton. The product hierarchy is:
Statement - $350K usd
Reference II - $140K usd
Stage - $80k usd
Grand - ?
Emotion - ?
Legacy - $25K usd

Have a look at their website to see pictures. No specs just pictures. I think I'm close on pricing. No matter which Zellaton you chose, I can't believe that you will be disappointed. At this price level you should obviously travel to where you can hear them first. You clearly have the electronics to make any speaker sing beautifully. Let me know if I can answer any other questions for you re: Zellaton experience. Good luck

Thank you again for your help rsorren1

Ah yes that makes more sense. It did seem like quite a jump from Stage to Statement.
I should imagine that will put me in Reference II territory, depending on terms.
You have pm

SterlingReznor · Jun 13, 2017

Hey, baffled,

I echo everyone's sentiments on this thread. I own Grands ($45K) and listen to plenty of rock, some rap and hip-hop on occasion, sprinkled with some electronica. Admittedly, I have a small room (8 x 12), but I have never missed any bottom end, and I'm using the "finesse" version of the speaker that does not have the downward firing woofer. When I first got them, I had some friends over and put on Led Zeppelin and when it was over, one of my friends, who is not into high-end audio, gave me a look of amazement and said, "damn, I could feel that in my chest." If that gives you any indication… And I can only imagine that the dynamic range is improved upon by the additional woofer (it's just that I don't need it with such a small room).

You definitely owe it to yourself to audition Zellatons. They are unlike anything you've ever heard that in a very, very good way.

P.S. There's a separate thread somewhere on this blog on which several of us have reviewed our speakers, including me. If you do a search for Zellaton, you should be able to find it if you haven't already.

Cheers!

SterlingReznor · Jun 13, 2017

The thread I referred to:

http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showt...YC-to-hear-CH-Precision-FM-Acoustics-Zellaton

infinitely baffled · Jun 14, 2017

SterlingReznor said:
Hey, baffled,

I echo everyone's sentiments on this thread. I own Grands ($45K) and listen to plenty of rock, some rap and hip-hop on occasion, sprinkled with some electronica. Admittedly, I have a small room (8 x 12), but I have never missed any bottom end, and I'm using the "finesse" version of the speaker that does not have the downward firing woofer. When I first got them, I had some friends over and put on Led Zeppelin and when it was over, one of my friends, who is not into high-end audio, gave me a look of amazement and said, "damn, I could feel that in my chest." If that gives you any indication… And I can only imagine that the dynamic range is improved upon by the additional woofer (it's just that I don't need it with such a small room).

You definitely owe it to yourself to audition Zellatons. They are unlike anything you've ever heard that in a very, very good way.

P.S. There's a separate thread somewhere on this blog on which several of us have reviewed our speakers, including me. If you do a search for Zellaton, you should be able to find it if you haven't already.

Cheers!

Cheers bud, that's exactly the info I was after

Do all models have this option of a down firing woofer?

Thank you again ?

infinitely baffled · Jun 14, 2017

SterlingReznor said:
The thread I referred to:

http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showt...YC-to-hear-CH-Precision-FM-Acoustics-Zellaton

You're a legend!

SterlingReznor · Jun 14, 2017

I can't answer your question about the woofer, but I will tell you who can: Gideon at AudioArts in NYC. He will take very good care of you. For contact information, here is his website: http://audioarts.co/

rsorren1 · Jun 14, 2017

infinitely baffled said:
Cheers bud, that's exactly the info I was after

Do all models have this option of a down firing woofer?

Thank you again ?

Infinitely Baffled, I recall discussing this topic with Gideon at AudioArts. I don't think that any of the current Zellatons have the down firing woofer. I recall Gideon telling me that Zellaton had removed this from the design. Best to check with Gideon at AudioArts.

infinitely baffled · Jun 14, 2017

Apparently they do have a UK distributor, it's an outfit called Flamingo Audio. Their website is under construction
I've not heard of them but I've put out a feeler.
I should imagine they have the sort of deal that would exclude AudioArts from selling into the uk....and it might make more sense for me to deal with Zellaton in Germany if Flamingo aren't up to the task

I sense that Gideon has some very satisfied and loyal clients ?

rsorren1 · Jun 14, 2017

infinitely baffled said:
Apparently they do have a UK distributor, it's an outfit called Flamingo Audio. Their website is under construction
I've not heard of them but I've put out a feeler.
I should imagine they have the sort of deal that would exclude AudioArts from selling into the uk....and it might make more sense for me to deal with Zellaton in Germany if Flamingo aren't up to the task

I sense that Gideon has some very satisfied and loyal clients ?

That's true. Keep us posted on your progress

Hyperion · Jun 15, 2017

We've got the Zellaton Stage for permanent demonstration here in Stockholm, Sweden since a while back. We've had and heard most of the usual suspects, where these stands out as unique and exceptional. The current line up consists of the LEGACY monitor, STAGE, REFERENCE and STATEMENT btw.

/ Marcus, www.perfect-sense.se

A question for those who have heard Zellaton speakers

VIP/Donor

Industry Expert

VIP/Donor

WBF Founding Member

Member Sponsor

VIP/Donor

VIP/Donor

Well-Known Member

VIP/Donor

Well-Known Member

VIP/Donor

New Member

New Member

VIP/Donor

VIP/Donor

New Member

Well-Known Member

VIP/Donor

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member