I'm thinking of upgrading my speakers - Stenheim Alumine Five SE and wanted to ask if anyone has heard the Zellaton Reference speakers and compared them to the Steinheim Reference Ultime two?
Stenheim Reference Ultime two vs Zellaton Reference
- Thread starter orenatt
- Start date
Elliot G.
Industry Expert
May I suggest that you check out the Gobel Divin Noblesse speakers. I would love to play them for you, alas I am in the US ,but I think that if you can you should take a listen. I dont think you will be disappointed. They are active in the Gobel showroom in Landshut 
Elliot
Elliot
Gobel are great but unfortunately they are too big for my space in my living room.
my room size is: 6.90m * 5.5m (37.95sqm), my celling height is 2.70m, my listening position is 3.5m from the main loudspeakers and the distance between the speakers is 2.40m
my main problem is the distance from the rear wall, currently I have only 30cm of distance so I need a speaker with sealed box like Magico or with front port like my Stenheim A5SE.
my room size is: 6.90m * 5.5m (37.95sqm), my celling height is 2.70m, my listening position is 3.5m from the main loudspeakers and the distance between the speakers is 2.40m
my main problem is the distance from the rear wall, currently I have only 30cm of distance so I need a speaker with sealed box like Magico or with front port like my Stenheim A5SE.
Elliot G.
Industry Expert
my room is 16 by 23 by 9+ and they work great. FYI . thats a old shot but we also make smaller speakers FYI
Attachments
I’ve heard both speakers. I listened to the Stenheim Reference 2 in a friend’s room with a 2.4m ceiling and didn’t like it, but I loved it in a different room with a 4m ceiling. Personally, I prefer the Zellaton Reference with three woofers; the version with two woofers doesn’t sound as balanced. The issue with Zellaton is its tweeter—it can sometimes sound harsh and forward, depending on the electronics. I’m also very familiar with CH electronics, and they tend to be on the bright side. That’s why I recommend you:
• Stick with the Alumine 5,
• Insist on hearing the Zellaton Reference in your own room,
• Or consider other speakers.
• Stick with the Alumine 5,
• Insist on hearing the Zellaton Reference in your own room,
• Or consider other speakers.
I’m still thinking that Gobel are overkill for my room.my room is 16 by 23 by 9+ and they work great. FYI . thats a old shot but we also make smaller speakers FYI
my speakers located at my living room and I have no a dedicated audio room.
Elliot G.
Industry Expert
its your room and you need to do what you like however If you can take a listen and maybe you will change your mind. We do make them in any color you like as well . Look at a Marquis its damn good too
I also own the Stenheim 5se's. Prior to owning these I owned the Zellaton Concerts. I loved my Zellatons but 5se was a major step up. A good friend of mine owns the Ultime 2's- in fact I was very close to buying a pair myself. I just felt like they would overwhelm my room- in his room they are spectacular. The Zellaton Ref's are also a terrific speaker. I don't think you can wrong with either one- if your room can support it. I find the 5se's to have almost an identical sound signature to the Ultime 2's but they seem to be a little more delicate. Jonathan Valin did a review of the Zellaton Ref's about five years ago. He visited Audio Arts in NY. Loved the speakers. The interesting caveat was that he also listened to 5se's and made surprising comparisons to the two speakers at the time. Later, JV reviewed the 5se's and I believe may have "purchased" them as his reference speakers. Again, you shouldn't be disappointed either way- but you also may be better off just keeping what you have.
I'm not sure how any speaker would be overkill in a room that big! 7m by 5.9m is pretty large. Plus, I don't think there's much relationship between how big a room is and how large the speaker is, unless you're going to the other way, in which case a speaker can be too small for the room. Just not the other way around. I base that opinion on the simple fact that my 3.5m by 3.6m room has standmounts with a 15" woofer in a cabinet that measure 550mm by 790mm by 220mm siting on stands that raise the overal height to 1.2m. Like you after I installed them for the demo, I thought 'no way will these work, just too big', but nope, they worked better, significantly better in terms of acoustic behaviour, than the speakers they replaced, which were literally half the size.
BTW I'm sure it's just a typo but the Alumine 5s and the Reference 2s are rear ported, not front ported.
I've heard the Divin Marquis in a friend's room with a huge system in front of it and they just didn't work; either it was the room (which is 13m by 5m by about 2.5m) interaction that was off, or those speakers were just not happy with the power amps (Audionet Heisenbergs). Five of us listening and all five of us agreed something was off. And yet, them being off was in a very large room.
The room will always play a part, I just don't think you can make any assumptions about size.
Hi,
My room is not big, my listening area is only 3m * 5.5m so most of the big loudspeakers such as Gobel Divin Noblesse or Wilson Alexx are overkill and too big for my room.
Stenheim Alumine Five SE = Front port
Stenheim Reference Ultime = Rear Port
My room is not big, my listening area is only 3m * 5.5m so most of the big loudspeakers such as Gobel Divin Noblesse or Wilson Alexx are overkill and too big for my room.
Stenheim Alumine Five SE = Front port
Stenheim Reference Ultime = Rear Port
Ah, ok that makes more sense. Apologies, my mistake. Im guessing that whilst it might improve the sound, changing the room layout would be less conducive to domestic relations?
My room is somehow in similar size and dimensions to yours, just a bit slightly longer at over 7m and taller at around 2.9m and I am using the Sigma Acoustic Maat Vector Xac speakers.
The Ultime Ref 2 really impressed me anytime I listened to them and actually they were in my shortlist alongside the Maat but I ended up with the Maat in the end.
Aldo, the designer and owner of Sigma Acoustic, is a big believer in near field listening. When coming here last year to setup the speakers in my room, he did recommend to keep the distance between the sweet spot and the speakers at around 3.5m only, fully toed-in to get the optimum holographic soundstage.
However I decided to keep them at where they are, 4.6m from my listening position so I don’t feel that they’re dominating the room.
Actually you can consider the smaller version Orchestra 2.9 which I believe can be perfect to what you’re after.
The Ultime Ref 2 really impressed me anytime I listened to them and actually they were in my shortlist alongside the Maat but I ended up with the Maat in the end.
Aldo, the designer and owner of Sigma Acoustic, is a big believer in near field listening. When coming here last year to setup the speakers in my room, he did recommend to keep the distance between the sweet spot and the speakers at around 3.5m only, fully toed-in to get the optimum holographic soundstage.
However I decided to keep them at where they are, 4.6m from my listening position so I don’t feel that they’re dominating the room.
Actually you can consider the smaller version Orchestra 2.9 which I believe can be perfect to what you’re after.
Similar threads
- Sticky
 | Steve Williams Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator |  | Ron Resnick Site Owner | Administrator |  | Julian (The Fixer) Website Build | Marketing Managersing |