Can one find realism in box speakers that cost less than $150K after experiencing dynamics of horns and horn-type speakers?

[bonzo75]

So Ked, when does your Zu Grand World Tour start? I mean, youve opened yself up to Devores and Tannoys that you would not have been that sympathetic to when I first met up w you. Zu is not a million miles away from Devores and maybe Tannoys. And our friend here w MBLs and a very loud voice loves them.
Don't you fancy reappraising your lukewarm opinion of Zu. I remain unbiased in the matter LOL.

Sure. If you can arrange for 4 to 5 amps to be heard on them. Then one day I might visit Phil.

 

[bonzo75]

On the opera point above, The best opera I heard was actually at Pietro's on the Montagna, same speaker that Gian has. With very low priced goldmund amps. So much clarity, separation on choral, and rise and dynamics.

Stats do opera very well because they have high separation and great vocals and decay.

 

[Audiophile Bill]

On the opera point above, The best opera I heard was actually at Pietro's on the Montagna, same speaker that Gian has. With very low priced goldmund amps. So much clarity, separation on choral, and rise and dynamics.

Stats do opera very well because they have high separation and great vocals and decay.

Yeah but stats don’t do the dynamics of real opera unfortunately.

 

[caesar]

Devores are great, as are vintage tannoys, and shame many big cones. Zellaton, Stenheim and YG are quite good but at that price point you do what Tang did. If you own one, sell it off, consider a Zellaton, and buy a horn. Well set up Avalon can be quite good as well. While the occasional cone can sound very good in a great room, the amount of people with unsuitable rooms buying them surprises me.

Thanks. Yes, I heard the small Zellatons at RMAF and they were superb. The TAS reviewer who has long loved the old Quads and hasn't switched from them until now, now has lived with the Zellatons for a long time thinks they are the greatest.

 

[spiritofmusic]

Sure. If you can arrange for 4 to 5 amps to be heard on them. Then one day I might visit Phil.

Phil's yr man for all that. He can prob do you 10+.

 

[caesar]

I think you are overstating what is otherwise, especially in the context of jazz or jazz and classical, a valid point about horns. And I think you are painting with way too broad a brush.

Especially for diversified musical genre preferences, when properly driven, I don’t hear the Rockport Lyra or the Magico M6 or the YG Sonja 2.3 or the Evolution Acoustics MM7 or the Gryphon Kodo, or the Wilson Master Chronosonic, among other box speakers, sounding at all slow dynamically or being a poor, counterfeit imitation of anything.

Many of them are not to my tastes. And they are all over $150K!

 

[bonzo75]

Yeah but stats don’t do the dynamics of real opera unfortunately.

every trip of mine to royal opera house (last one was this Monday for Verdi La forza del Destiny) the best system I can think of is stats on valves. It will need a preamp like Soulution to create the separation and dynamics.

When dynamics can't be recreated, I can't think of any hifi system recreating it. Also the most dynamic vocal/choral I have heard is the Aladdin that has been on for years. Closest will be the apogee grands

If someone wanted vocal alone, Zellaton also sound great like a pure ribbon apogee.

 

[microstrip]

(...) If my primary musical interest were jazz I would have chosen Cessaro Zetas or Tune Audio Avatons. (...)

If my primary musical interest was jazz I would have kept the Redheko 175's, the preferred speaker of Herve Deltraz of DartZeel. Very colored, but this 105 dB/W played jazz like no other speaker I have listened.

 

[bonzo75]

Many of them are not to my tastes. And they are all over $150K!

Boxes have random pricing. They cost a lot to minimize problems due to their cabinet. Then those cabinets weigh so much, and they have to be shipped back and forth to so many distribution centres and hifi shows. These boxes are at each show. You have to make up for all that cost somewhere does not mean it translates to sonics. Of course their street price is much lower and they sell off easier

 

[bonzo75]

If my primary musical interest was jazz I would have kept the Redheko 175's, the preferred speaker of Herve Deltraz of DartZeel. Very colored, but this 105 dB/W played jazz like no other speaker I have listened.

View attachment 50768

I have heard these at his place, shouty like hell. Would like to hear them in another set up

 

[bonzo75]

Thanks. Yes, I heard the small Zellatons at RMAF and they were superb. The TAS reviewer who has long loved the old Quads and hasn't switched from them until now, now has lived with the Zellatons for a long time thinks they are the greatest.

Yeah excellent

 

[caesar]

Yeah excellent

Yes, indeed. If someone put a gun to my head and said get a box, I would get a Zellaton. The other well-marketed models Ron brings up just have too strong colorations/ sonic signatures I don't enjoy.

 

[Audiophile Bill]

every trip of mine to royal opera house (last one was this Monday for Verdi La forza del Destiny) the best system I can think of is stats on valves. It will need a preamp like Soulution to create the separation and dynamics.

When dynamics can't be recreated, I can't think of any hifi system recreating it. Also the most dynamic vocal/choral I have heard is the Aladdin that has been on for years. Closest will be the apogee grands

If someone wanted vocal alone, Zellaton also sound great like a pure ribbon apogee.

Which stats system is this, Ked? Intrigued.

“When dynamics can’t be recreated, I can’t think of...” - don’t know what you mean with this comment tbh. It is kind of a philosophical resignation to the inability of a hifi to recreate reality. If you follow this philosophy you might as well concede to all facets from tone to staging lol.

 

[spiritofmusic]

Ked still ascribes to "you are there", that's why he keeps travelling to systems. He can always rely on that LOL.

 

[bonzo75]

Which stats system is this, Ked? Intrigued.

“When dynamics can’t be recreated, I can’t think of...” - don’t know what you mean with this comment tbh. It is kind of a philosophical resignation to the inability of a hifi to recreate reality. If you follow this philosophy you might as well concede to all facets from tone to staging lol.

I mean I find stats good enough for the particular music you are addressing. I am talking about normal Logans, nothing fancy. I have also heard on multichannel quads (2905).

The Montana are like more dynamic stats in some aspects, on their top half, very open and transparent with more body and with higher separation. So they do opera extremely well.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

every trip of mine to royal opera house (last one was this Monday for Verdi La forza del Destiny) the best system I can think of is stats on valves. It will need a preamp like Soulution to create the separation and dynamics.

When dynamics can't be recreated, I can't think of any hifi system recreating it. Also the most dynamic vocal/choral I have heard is the Aladdin that has been on for years. Closest will be the apogee grands

If someone wanted vocal alone, Zellaton also sound great like a pure ribbon apogee.

Ked,

you need to hear separation and dynamics (+ leading edge definition) i'm now enjoying with the additional (5th) Taiko Tana shelf. several magnitudes beyond my previous experience.

in familiar recordings i tend to ask myself, how can it be so different?

time for another visit i think.

 

[bonzo75]

Ked,

you need to hear separation and dynamics (+ leading edge definition) i'm now enjoying with the additional (5th) Taiko Tana shelf. several magnitudes beyond my previous experience.

in familiar recordings i tend to ask myself, how can it be so different?

time for another visit i think.

Mike, I don't doubt your system keeps getting better. I will visit you again when you get something like Schroeder LT or so so that I can compare it to the best pivoted playback.

I keep your system out of my discussion points because it is an exception but it is not that I did not think of it while making the opera point

 

[Al M.]

Thanks. Yes, I heard the small Zellatons at RMAF and they were superb. The TAS reviewer who has long loved the old Quads and hasn't switched from them until now, now has lived with the Zellatons for a long time thinks they are the greatest.

Are you talking about the two-way monitors?

https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/new-zellaton-legacy-speaker/

 

[bonzo75]

Are you talking about the two-way monitors?

https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/new-zellaton-legacy-speaker/

I have heard only the 300k statements at audio arts in NY, but understand that the Zellaton stage is the sweet spot

 

[Al M.]

I have heard only the 300k statements at audio arts in NY, but understand that the Zellaton stage is the sweet spot

Ceasar was talking about "small" Zellatons.