A question for those who have heard Zellaton speakers

joaovieira · Jun 15, 2017

I've been in touch with Michael Schwab, the 3rd generation of the family who ows Zellaton. Talked to him in Munich also last month.
He represents Schnerzinger cables, the cables I use.
You can get in touch with him using
ms@schnerzinger.com

He always answer my emails.

infinitely baffled · Jun 16, 2017

Hyperion said:
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

Cheers Marcus, that's very helpful ?
May I ask, what do you drive them with?
From reports on here I have no doubt that CH Precision and FM Acoustics make for a sublime combination.
I wonder if anyone has tried them with Boulder?

Thanks again
Gav

infinitely baffled · Jun 16, 2017

joaovieira said:
I've been in touch with Michael Schwab, the 3rd generation of the family who ows Zellaton. Talked to him in Munich also last month.
He represents Schnerzinger cables, the cables I use.
You can get in touch with him using
ms@schnerzinger.com

He always answer my emails.

Yes he seems like the man to guide me, we're now in touch.
He was in Beijing when I made my first attempts at contact but now we're fully caught up.
I feel much happier dealing with him than Flamingo, who no one seems to have heard of.
'Website under construction' is not the most reassuring thing to find when you do your research on any components at this price point!

infinitely baffled · Jul 25, 2017

Post script:
Negotiations broke down over price

My regular dealer offered me a new pair of Grande Utopias for a certain price. They retail at £180k GBP.
The Zellatons retail for $140k.

I offered the price my dealer would do me the Grandes for, plus 25%.

I got no response.

So now looking at an ex dem pair of Evolution Acoustic MM3 Exact speakers through forum member Asiufy

Hyperion · Jul 25, 2017

infinitely baffled said:
Cheers Marcus, that's very helpful ?
May I ask, what do you drive them with?
From reports on here I have no doubt that CH Precision and FM Acoustics make for a sublime combination.
I wonder if anyone has tried them with Boulder?

Thanks again
Gav

Sorry for a rather late reply

I'm using Ypsilon, CH Precision and Absolare - all with different but all together SOTA results. CH + Zellaton is a proven combo.

/ Marcus

Hyperion · Jul 25, 2017

infinitely baffled said:
Post script:
Negotiations broke down over price

My regular dealer offered me a new pair of Grande Utopias for a certain price. They retail at £180k GBP.
The Zellatons retail for $140k.

I offered the price my dealer would do me the Grandes for, plus 25%.

I got no response.

So now looking at an ex dem pair of Evolution Acoustic MM3 Exact speakers through forum member Asiufy

With all due respect, buy the speakers that you enjoy and respect the most... Anything else is shortsighted.

/ Marcus

infinitely baffled · Jul 25, 2017

I'll be honest Marcus, I felt offended not to even get a reply to what I felt was a reasonable offer.

And since I haven't actually auditioned any Zellaton speakers it's no loss.

Hyperion · Jul 25, 2017

infinitely baffled said:
I'll be honest Marcus, I felt insulted not to even get a reply to what I felt was a reasonable offer.
I'm not in the habit of giving money to people who insult me.

And since I haven't actually auditioned any Zellaton speakers it's no loss.

Well, first of all, you should audition Zellaton. They're an eye and ear opener to what hi-fi can really be.

Perhaps the counterpart didn't feel it was that reasonable...? Things like this can easily get irritated, especially over e-mail etc. It's often better to talk over the phone when the topic becomes more sensitive.

All the best.

/ Marcus

garylkoh · Jul 25, 2017

The Zellaton loudspeakers can definitely do electronica, hip-hop and any other genre of bass-heavy music you can imagine. I spent a very pleasant few hours with Michael Schwab where most of the conversation revolved around the kind of music that we both like. We both commiserated that we must be the only two lonely loudspeaker designers who use Infected Mushroom and Kraftwerk as our reference music to design with. If you can't trust the word of a competitor, who can you trust?

infinitely baffled · Jul 26, 2017

Hyperion said:
Well, first of all, you should audition Zellaton. They're an eye and ear opener to what hi-fi can really be.

Perhaps the counterpart didn't feel it was that reasonable...? Things like this can easily get irritated, especially over e-mail etc. It's often better to talk over the phone when the topic becomes more sensitive.

All the best.

/ Marcus

Yes indeed, the dark art of high end price negotiation can leave many casualties.

Michael has got in touch with me today to say that his email server went down, and this was the reason for his non reply.
(Somebody thoughtfully got in touch with him after my post on this thread.)

I don't know if it's a coincidence but my regular dealer has also today heard back from Flamingo, Zellaton's UK distributor, saying they can supply him. They have the Stage available to audition.
So it appears the process is back on track......i will keep you all posted

And thank you to whoever prompted Michael to get in touch

infinitely baffled · Jul 26, 2017

garylkoh said:
The Zellaton loudspeakers can definitely do electronica, hip-hop and any other genre of bass-heavy music you can imagine. I spent a very pleasant few hours with Michael Schwab where most of the conversation revolved around the kind of music that we both like. We both commiserated that we must be the only two lonely loudspeaker designers who use Infected Mushroom and Kraftwerk as our reference music to design with. If you can't trust the word of a competitor, who can you trust?

Cheers Gary....as ever your advice is top drawer.
A recommendation from a competitor is high praise indeed

nrwatson · Jan 20, 2020

Did you get these speakers in the end

infinitely baffled · Jan 20, 2020

nrwatson said:
Did you get these speakers in the end

No, i didnt.
I was put off by Jonathon Valin's review in the Absolute Sound, below

https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/zellaton-reference-mkii-loudspeaker-1/

It was this part, that felt like it was written with me in my mind
(I listen predominately to bass driven electronica, deep house, drum and bass, and reggae music):

Before I tell that story, you should know that the Reference MkIIs are not for everyone, and I don’t just mean because of their incredibly high price tag ($150k per pair). Unlike several other truly great loudspeakers (e.g., the $129k Magico M Pros and the $70k Magico M3s), the Reference MkIIs are targeted quite specifically at one kind of listener and one only—the kind this magazine was dedicated to at its founding. If your taste runs to classical music, large-scale or small, or acoustic music from jazz to pop, then the Zellatons have certain virtues that other cone transducers—even other far more expensive cone transducers—don’t have (or don’t have to the same extent). If, on the other hand, you’re into rock, electronica, or other types of hard-driving amplified music and simply can’t live without the whip-crack transients and midbass slam that certain speakers deliver in abundance, you can do better (or, at least, substantially different) than the Reference MkIIs for a lot less money.

CKKeung · Jan 20, 2020

How about Zellaton's new series : the Plural EVO?
Any experience/commenta on it?
Thanks!

bonzo75 · Jan 20, 2020

Zellaton statement at audio arts is my favorite cone set up, but JV is fair as to the kind of audience it will appeal to, and it's restrictions.

nrwatson · Jan 20, 2020

infinitely baffled said:
No, i didnt.
I was put off by Jonathon Valin's review in the Absolute Sound, below

https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/zellaton-reference-mkii-loudspeaker-1/

It was this part, that felt like it was written with me in my mind
(I listen predominately to bass driven electronica, deep house, drum and bass, and reggae music):

Before I tell that story, you should know that the Reference MkIIs are not for everyone, and I don’t just mean because of their incredibly high price tag ($150k per pair). Unlike several other truly great loudspeakers (e.g., the $129k Magico M Pros and the $70k Magico M3s), the Reference MkIIs are targeted quite specifically at one kind of listener and one only—the kind this magazine was dedicated to at its founding. If your taste runs to classical music, large-scale or small, or acoustic music from jazz to pop, then the Zellatons have certain virtues that other cone transducers—even other far more expensive cone transducers—don’t have (or don’t have to the same extent). If, on the other hand, you’re into rock, electronica, or other types of hard-driving amplified music and simply can’t live without the whip-crack transients and midbass slam that certain speakers deliver in abundance, you can do better (or, at least, substantially different) than the Reference MkIIs for a lot less money.

What did you go for in the end

infinitely baffled · Jan 20, 2020

nrwatson said:
What did you go for in the end

I've stuck with my Focal Stella Utopias and concentrated on beefing up my vinyl front end(s), upgrading my power amp and gradually improving cables, grounding and isolation.

For a while I was investigating some US made open baffle speakers, Spatial, i believe, along with the Lotus Group Granada. But hearing either was a challenge, as neither have uk distribution.
So for the time being i have stuck with my Stellas, and will probably do so until i hear some dipoles that blow me away

gds7368 · Jan 20, 2020

infinitely baffled said:
No, i didnt.
I was put off by Jonathon Valin's review in the Absolute Sound, below

https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/zellaton-reference-mkii-loudspeaker-1/

It was this part, that felt like it was written with me in my mind
(I listen predominately to bass driven electronica, deep house, drum and bass, and reggae music):

Before I tell that story, you should know that the Reference MkIIs are not for everyone, and I don’t just mean because of their incredibly high price tag ($150k per pair). Unlike several other truly great loudspeakers (e.g., the $129k Magico M Pros and the $70k Magico M3s), the Reference MkIIs are targeted quite specifically at one kind of listener and one only—the kind this magazine was dedicated to at its founding. If your taste runs to classical music, large-scale or small, or acoustic music from jazz to pop, then the Zellatons have certain virtues that other cone transducers—even other far more expensive cone transducers—don’t have (or don’t have to the same extent). If, on the other hand, you’re into rock, electronica, or other types of hard-driving amplified music and simply can’t live without the whip-crack transients and midbass slam that certain speakers deliver in abundance, you can do better (or, at least, substantially different) than the Reference MkIIs for a lot less money.

So this thread started by comments that rock/electronica on Zellaton speakers sound very good, with multiple people commenting positively, but then a magazine reviewer saying that Zellaton speakers really don't do rock/electronica well (or cost-effectively).

I think JV meant to say that Zellaton Reference do not produce the artificial mid-bass hump of ported speakers.

Have people who own Zellaton speakers found their bass to be full for rock and electronica? I read this threat curiously because rock/electronica make up a significant portion of my listening, and a speaker that does that well would be particularly interesting to me.

infinitely baffled · Jan 20, 2020

gds7368 said:
So this thread started by comments that rock/electronica on Zellaton speakers sound very good, with multiple people commenting positively, but then a magazine reviewer saying that Zellaton speakers really don't do rock/electronica well (or cost-effectively).

I think JV meant to say that Zellaton Reference do not produce the artificial mid-bass hump of ported speakers.

Have people who own Zellaton speakers found their bass to be full for rock and electronica? I read this threat curiously because rock/electronica make up a significant portion of my listening, and a speaker that does that well would be particularly interesting to me.

I also received pm's from people whose opinions i respect that confirmed the knock on Zellaton, which is that if you are predominately listening to bass driven electronica, which in my case would be drum and bass and deep house, these are not the speakers for you.

If you are looking for speakers that excell in this area, i would recommend whichever Focal Utopias fit your room and budget. My quest for a dipole that pounds and slams like my Stellas continues....thus far the only ones i have personally heard that manage this trick are Alon - Nola, and from personal experience of replacing multiple blown drive units i know they lack the sustained power handling i need.

As for the review, Zellaton had a single demo pair of Reference II's that would have been available to audition, but as it was the same pair that JV had to review and he was next in line, i thought i would read his impressions before continuing any further

I would also observe that in the course of this thread, rock and electronica were perhaps lumped together in a way that isn't helpful, since what i mean by electronica is considerably more demanding in the bass region than any rock i have encountered, as is the latest wave of hip hop and trap that I'm really enjoying right now

infinitely baffled · Jan 20, 2020

gds7368 said:
So this thread started by comments that rock/electronica on Zellaton speakers sound very good, with multiple people commenting positively, but then a magazine reviewer saying that Zellaton speakers really don't do rock/electronica well (or cost-effectively).

I think JV meant to say that Zellaton Reference do not produce the artificial mid-bass hump of ported speakers.

Have people who own Zellaton speakers found their bass to be full for rock and electronica? I read this threat curiously because rock/electronica make up a significant portion of my listening, and a speaker that does that well would be particularly interesting to me.

Actually, now I've reminded myself of you? amplification i would strengthen my Focal recommendation, given that you are a fellow Boulder-phile, and they use Grande Utopias at Boulder hq

A question for those who have heard Zellaton speakers

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