Doctor's Orders-Part Two-The New Listening Room Of Steve Williams

[Steve Williams]

Steve
Have you considered posting and sharing your playlist to the “High Fi Audio Partners” section of Qobuz?
I love going there to find new music and to see what others are listening to.

TBH many of my streaming playlists are taken from Qobus Hi-Fi Audio partners play lists amongst so many other s which I have used for years to test any or all new equipment. With the new speakers I have had many in regular play. Im going back to exploring again as I am quite confidant that the speakers are settled as I not hearing any further changes

 

[Steve Williams]

There has been a lot of talk recently about subs and the lack thereof in my system.

I posted my thoughts in my Zellaton thread

The End Of A 35 Year Journey ---Zellaton -The Reference Ultra Final Frontier

I've posted so many times in this forum that the love of music and sharing have, for me, produced a life time of long lasting friendships from all over the world. So it was yesterday when I hosted two great guys from Cincinnati who took time out of their vacation to pay a visit. It was to have...

whatsbestforum.com

 

[Steve Williams]

Steve
Have you considered posting and sharing your playlist to the “High Fi Audio Partners” section of Qobuz?
I love going there to find new music and to see what others are listening to.

With the recent debate about deep bass in my system and the need for subs as well as the request for me to post some of my playlists, I thought what I would do at the very least is to post a few of the files I have played for guests which outlined variations in deep bass

So here are but a few

1. The Sound of Silence. (acoustic version)-The Ghost of Johnny Cash

2. The Sound of Silence-Geoff Castellucci

3. Take Five -Joe Morello

4. Bass and Drum Intro- Nils Lofgren/Nils Lofgren Band

5. Sort of Revolution (Live from La Cigale, Paris Oct 25/2011) Fink

6. Duende -Black Light Syndrome (from 17 -32 seconds is all you need to how low your speakers can resolve the lowest octave)

7. Drum Solo - Manu Katche

8. Drum Solo -Gojira

9. Queen Mary- Francine Thirteen


I have many,, many more but these are great starters


I have used Duende for over 20 years (17-32 seconds) for deep bass resolution since introduced to me at CES by WBF member KeithR

 

[Holli82]

Thanks for posting Steve! Wishing you many hours of happy listening with your new speakers!

 

[exupgh12]

There has been a lot of talk recently about subs and the lack thereof in my system.

I posted my thoughts in my Zellaton thread

The End Of A 35 Year Journey ---Zellaton -The Reference Ultra Final Frontier

I've posted so many times in this forum that the love of music and sharing have, for me, produced a life time of long lasting friendships from all over the world. So it was yesterday when I hosted two great guys from Cincinnati who took time out of their vacation to pay a visit. It was to have...

whatsbestforum.com

How many of the people who have visited your room believe that subwoofers are 'missing'? I think advice from people who have not listened to the system in your room should be taken with considerable caution.

 

[Steve Williams]

How many of the people who have visited your room believe that subwoofers are 'missing'? I think advice from people who have not listened to the system in your room should be taken with considerable caution.

Greg visited last week from Cincinnati .....he posted this today in the Zelllaton forum

The End Of A 35 Year Journey ---Zellaton -The Reference Ultra Final Frontier

I would bet 100 % that subs would integrate much better with the superior bass from the Zellatons. Yet since subs are not necessary with those speakers, as you say, the issue becomes moot. I’d have to agree with you that subs just aren’t necessary here. The bass from the Zellatons in Steve’s...

whatsbestforum.com

 

[kswanson27]

Greg visited last week from Cincinnati .....he posted this today in the Zelllaton forum

The End Of A 35 Year Journey ---Zellaton -The Reference Ultra Final Frontier

I would bet 100 % that subs would integrate much better with the superior bass from the Zellatons. Yet since subs are not necessary with those speakers, as you say, the issue becomes moot. I’d have to agree with you that subs just aren’t necessary here. The bass from the Zellatons in Steve’s...

whatsbestforum.com

Yesterday I had the pleasure of visiting Steve again, my first since he received his Zellaton Ultras. I'd heard the Plural Evos at Steve's a few weeks ago and was truly impressed so I was really looking forward to hearing the Ultras which, as most of you know, is a big step up the Zellaton line. I remember telling Steve after hearing the Plurals that, given the huge price difference to the Ultras, I sure hoped he was getting his moneys worth. He got his moneys worth-- in spades.
We listened for a good two hours to many of Steve's favorite demo tracks as well as several of mine, all streamed. The sound was sublime, the best I've heard. There I said it. I remember listening to Steve's system back when he had his big Wilsons and an Extreme. It moved forward a bunch with the Olympus I/O but I still thought it was very good but not quite great. Then, with the PE's something special happened. It seemed like everything was there, great bass (which had been missing with the Wilsons ), total coherence top to bottom with a mid range that reminded me of my Quads. The Ultras were going to be better than this? They are. As I said, Steve's system in now the best I've heard and I've heard a few very good systems in very good rooms. The Zellaton Ultras just do everything right and they do it better than any speaker I've heard.
Steve is a great host and if any of you who haven't been can make your way to his place I really recommend you do so. Be aware though a visit may well lead to some large expenditures!

 

[Audiohertz2]

With the recent debate about deep bass in my system and the need for subs as well as the request for me to post some of my playlists, I thought what I would do at the very least is to post a few of the files I have played for guests which outlined variations in deep bass

So here are but a few

1. The Sound of Silence. (acoustic version)-The Ghost of Johnny Cash

2. The Sound of Silence-Geoff Castellucci

3. Take Five -Joe Morello

4. Bass and Drum Intro- Nils Lofgren/Nils Lofgren Band

5. Sort of Revolution (Live from La Cigale, Paris Oct 25/2011) Fink

6. Duende -Black Light Syndrome (from 17 -32 seconds is all you need to how low your speakers can resolve the lowest octave)

7. Drum Solo - Manu Katche

8. Drum Solo -Gojira

9. Queen Mary- Francine Thirteen


I have many,, many more but these are great starters


I have used Duende for over 20 years (17-32 seconds) for deep bass resolution since introduced to me at CES by WBF member KeithR

Joe Morello - Take five ..!
Fantastic drum work , powerful with a lot of texture ..!

 

[Steve Williams]

Joe Morello - Take five ..!
Fantastic drum work , powerful with a lot of texture ..!

I agree. That's why I use it

 

[VinylPoke97]

Joe Morello - Take five ..!
Fantastic drum work , powerful with a lot of texture ..!

Joe Morello on Castilian Drums from album: The Dave Brubeck Quartet at Carnegie Hall. One of the best drum solos I have ever heard.

 

[Steve Williams]

a fun day to day as fellow members from afar paid me a visit. @Al M. and @jeff1225 . Al is in from Boston and spending a few days with Jeffrey in Long Beach. Al was here a year ago and Jeff has been here twice before, the last however, well over 5 years ago
Both have heard prior iterations of my system but neither have heard the new speakers in my room and it was a fun afternoon. Both Jeff and Al have very keen ears and I appreciated their comments. We spent a half hour streaming to demonstrate some of the strengths of the new speakers after which Jeff brought many wonderful albums on vinyl, many of which were Blue Note pressings and the music was IMO not only new but wonderful to audition. Al finished off the afternoon with streaming 2 songs which he knew very well one of which was by Billie Eilish and he commented how good they sounded on my system. I learned a whole lot of new music today. Jeff's vinyl were all superb pressings and the three of us really enjoyed what we heard

 

[Steve Williams]

 

[jeff1225]

a fun day to day as fellow members from afar paid me a visit. @Al M. and @jeff1225 . Al is in from Boston and spending a few days with Jeffrey in Long Beach. Al was here a year ago and Jeff has been here twice before, the last however, well over 5 years ago
Both have heard prior iterations of my system but neither have heard the new speakers in my room and it was a fun afternoon. Both Jeff and Al have very keen ears and I appreciated their comments. We spent a half hour streaming to demonstrate some of the strengths of the new speakers after which Jeff brought many wonderful albums on vinyl, many of which were Blue Note pressings and the music was IMO not only new but wonderful to audition. Al finished off the afternoon with streaming 2 songs which he knew very well one of which was by Billie Eilish and he commented how good they sounded on my system. I learned a whole lot of new music today. Jeff's vinyl were all superb pressings and the three of us really enjoyed what we heard

Steve,
Thank you so much for having us over. I’m going to compose my thoughts and write a more comprehensive review but here are my immediate take aways from the session today:

-Zellaton speakers are an absolute success. Great fit and finish, cohesive blending of the drivers, and amazing sound stage. Huge step up from the Wilson’s.
-Lamm SET’s had no issues driving the speakers, no softness, no bloat.
-Your vinyl playback was much improved vs the last visit, with the 3012R and VDH making beautiful sounds.
-Selected audiophile tracks sounds great with your digital.

Congrats on the new speakers. Well worth the efforts for the upgrade.

 

[J007B]

With the recent debate about deep bass in my system and the need for subs as well as the request for me to post some of my playlists, I thought what I would do at the very least is to post a few of the files I have played for guests which outlined variations in deep bass

So here are but a few

1. The Sound of Silence. (acoustic version)-The Ghost of Johnny Cash

2. The Sound of Silence-Geoff Castellucci

3. Take Five -Joe Morello

4. Bass and Drum Intro- Nils Lofgren/Nils Lofgren Band

5. Sort of Revolution (Live from La Cigale, Paris Oct 25/2011) Fink

6. Duende -Black Light Syndrome (from 17 -32 seconds is all you need to how low your speakers can resolve the lowest octave)

7. Drum Solo - Manu Katche

8. Drum Solo -Gojira

9. Queen Mary- Francine Thirteen


I have many,, many more but these are great starters


I have used Duende for over 20 years (17-32 seconds) for deep bass resolution since introduced to me at CES by WBF member KeithR

I just saw this, spent the morning listening to your list. Great list Steve, thank you for posting......

 

[Al M.]

Steve,
Thank you so much for having us over. I’m going to compose my thoughts and write a more comprehensive review but here are my immediate take aways from the session today:

-Zellaton speakers are an absolute success. Great fit and finish, cohesive blending of the drivers, and amazing sound stage. Huge step up from the Wilson’s.
-Lamm SET’s had no issues driving the speakers, no softness, no bloat.
-Your vinyl playback was much improved vs the last visit, with the 3012R and VDH making beautiful sounds.
-Selected audiophile tracks sounds great with your digital.

Congrats on the new speakers. Well worth the efforts for the upgrade.

Great summary, Jeff.

Having heard Steve's system with the Wilsons last year, I also find the Zellatons a big step forward. Even though the speakers are smaller than the Wilsons, the soundstage may actually be larger, and there is good soundstage height as well. The sound has improved, it is also livelier and more open. The most obvious improvement is in the bass.

We listened to digital and to several of Jeff's LPs from his amazing jazz collection, as well as his original pressing of Black Sabbath's "Paranoid" album.

There were three things that stood out the most for me.

On “Liberty” by Anette Askvik (from digital) her voice sounded convincing and was incredibly palpable as if she was standing right in front of you. It was actually spooky. On Black Sabbath's "War Pigs" (from vinyl) the drums were fantastic sounding, with great tone and weight, but no bloat (that's hard to get right). The whole rendition of the song was great, and you also could follow the bass lines easily. Finally, on Joe Henderson's "Our Thing" (from vinyl) the sax had a great, harmonically rich tone and was just exploding out of the speakers with its dynamics. It was superb to my ears. Also the trumpet sounded excellent.

The bass really goes remarkably deep, much deeper than with the Wilsons. I agree with Steve and others that subwoofers are not needed. I did think the deep bass was not entirely without issues, there was some lingering of notes. But this seems to be more of a room problem. Overall, there is much more bass control than with the Wilsons.

I asked for two test tracks (from digital) where I know that the bass is hard to get right. One was "Meeting of the Spirits" from John McLaughlin Live at Ronnie Scott's, and the other was Billie Eilish "You Should See Me in a Crown". In both cases, the bass was just superbly controlled. The Wilsons could not have done that on those amps.

Congratulations, Steve, this was a big step up!

 

[Steve Williams]

Al I appreciate your comments and Jeff's as well, Both of you have keen ears and are are great at pointing out issues which I always appreciate. It was so good to see the both of you again. The visit was all too short but fun nonetheless

It was great listening to the vinyl Jeff brought as they were all new to my ears and such excellent pressings

Enjoy the Bruckner as I know you and Jeff have that on the agenda

 

[Steve Williams]

Steve,
Thank you so much for having us over. I’m going to compose my thoughts and write a more comprehensive review but here are my immediate take aways from the session today:

-Zellaton speakers are an absolute success. Great fit and finish, cohesive blending of the drivers, and amazing sound stage. Huge step up from the Wilson’s.
-Lamm SET’s had no issues driving the speakers, no softness, no bloat.
-Your vinyl playback was much improved vs the last visit, with the 3012R and VDH making beautiful sounds.
-Selected audiophile tracks sounds great with your digital.

Congrats on the new speakers. Well worth the efforts for the upgrade.

Jeff as I write this I am now in FortLauderdale where my wife and I finally got to meet out newest grand son and we had the listening session arranged for at least 4-5 months, Yesterday was supposed to be my visit to your house other your new room. I had to cancel that at the last minute with the new of the safe arrival of our newest grandson. We are here until Thursday but once I return home I will be in touch for a visit which I look fondly for

Thanks again for a great day. It was good to see you and your new "do". I felt I wanted to run my fingers all down it ..It suits you ....

 

[Al M.]

Al I appreciate your comments and Jeff's as well, Both of you have keen ears and are are great at pointing out issues which I always appreciate. It was so good to see the both of you again. The visit was all too short but fun nonetheless

It was great listening to the vinyl Jeff brought as they were all new to my ears and such excellent pressings

Enjoy the Bruckner as I know you and Jeff have that on the agenda

Thank you, Steve, for having had us over. It was so good to see you again and it was a fun time indeed.

 

[bonzo75]

Great summary, Jeff.

Having heard Steve's system with the Wilsons last year, I also find the Zellatons a big step forward. Even though the speakers are smaller than the Wilsons, the soundstage may actually be larger, and there is good soundstage height as well.

Please explain this to Ron. He argued multiple times and even started a thread saying
Bigger speakers are required for bigger stage, while Devore too do bigger stage than XVX

 

[jeff1225]

Please explain this to Ron. He argued multiple times and even started a thread saying
Bigger speakers are required for bigger stage, while Devore too do bigger stage than XVX

Only way to win is not to play.