Stenheim Reference Ultime two vs Zellaton Reference
- Thread starter orenatt
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Do your due diligence. Go listen to several loudspeakers and once you have a shortlist, get them demoed at your place. You'll then be in a position to take an informed decision. That's how I ended up acquiring a pair of Stenheim Reference Ultime Two.
Would you purchase a 200,000 USD car without a test drive?
Would you purchase a 200,000 USD car without a test drive?
Unfortunately it's not that easy, the dealers don't have all the high end models in their showroom and in most cases I can't hear the speakers in my living room / Home.
I had been impressed with the sound of Zellaton Evo during Pacific Audiofest 2024.
It was one of the best sound over there.
I recommend you to listen to it by attending audio show.
But If you are not comfortable with travelling, you can go for the below lising.
www.audiogon.com
I have nothing to do with the above listing.
It was one of the best sound over there.
I recommend you to listen to it by attending audio show.
But If you are not comfortable with travelling, you can go for the below lising.
Zellaton Plural Evo For Sale | Audiogon
Zellaton Plural Evo Full-Range for sale. Greetings, For sale are my Zellaton Plural Evo speakers which were purchased in March 2024 from a Zellaton...
www.audiogon.com
I have nothing to do with the above listing.
I get that people are dogmatic about the need to audition, and to home audition high end audio gear. But so often that just isnt practical....these aren't mass market white goods, there might not be an example in one's home country. Worse, some manufacturers may not keep their halo products on demonstration due to the amount of money that ties up.
I bought my Stellas without ever hearing them. Focal were taking over distribution and were not going to be discounting their speakers. I slipped under the wire in the last batch of orders before they did so, it was never a possibility to hear them first, let alone in my system at home. I had to rely on my broker's advice, depending on his familiarity with myself, my room, my ancillary equipment and the musical genres i enjoy.
I have no regrets, that was an excellent upgrade, and surpassed my expectations.
Ditto my Boulder 2060 power amp. And Wavac pre amp. Not only did i not audition them, i had never listened to any other components that they offer. All i had were some reviews from trusted outlets- Positive Feedback Online, aih.
Trying high end gear before you buy (in the UK at least) can be impossible, so sometimes your due diligence can be the advice of folk you trust, either in person or online. That's where forums like WBF come in.
I bought my Stellas without ever hearing them. Focal were taking over distribution and were not going to be discounting their speakers. I slipped under the wire in the last batch of orders before they did so, it was never a possibility to hear them first, let alone in my system at home. I had to rely on my broker's advice, depending on his familiarity with myself, my room, my ancillary equipment and the musical genres i enjoy.
I have no regrets, that was an excellent upgrade, and surpassed my expectations.
Ditto my Boulder 2060 power amp. And Wavac pre amp. Not only did i not audition them, i had never listened to any other components that they offer. All i had were some reviews from trusted outlets- Positive Feedback Online, aih.
Trying high end gear before you buy (in the UK at least) can be impossible, so sometimes your due diligence can be the advice of folk you trust, either in person or online. That's where forums like WBF come in.
I hear you in terms of the challenges in getting home dems of high end stuff, esp in markets like the UK. I'd take a punt on certain components based on reviews, shows, hearing other people's systems, but much less likely on speakers. My experience of the last few months is that room interactions and amp / system matching have so much impact and are virtually impossible to predict, that would make me very wary of buying speakers without hearing them in my room and system even if on paper they should be awesome.
Yes indeed, all excellent points.
Part of the appeal of Boulder amplifiers is they use Focal Grande Utopias in their listening suite. So they're badically made for each other, i could be confident they would play nice together.
More of a punt was the Wavac pre. I just had no way to be certain how it would match the other links in my chain. Despite adoring it, i still feel there's room for improvement in the way it interacts with components up and downstream. My solution is to build a separate, all Wavac system and consider other valve pre amps. If Boulder made a valve or hybrid pre I'd be the first in line, audition or no☺
Part of the appeal of Boulder amplifiers is they use Focal Grande Utopias in their listening suite. So they're badically made for each other, i could be confident they would play nice together.
More of a punt was the Wavac pre. I just had no way to be certain how it would match the other links in my chain. Despite adoring it, i still feel there's room for improvement in the way it interacts with components up and downstream. My solution is to build a separate, all Wavac system and consider other valve pre amps. If Boulder made a valve or hybrid pre I'd be the first in line, audition or no☺
Indeed! To actually do so would be the rare exception, esp as the shortlisted speakers weigh over 100kg each!
However, by auditioning the Z and the Gobel etc, even in an alien environment, one can get the feel of how these products are voiced, what design compromises were made & where... and decide whether the end result is to your liking.
And you might enlist the help of friends to carry your amplification to the dealer and get a somewhat better picture...
If a retailer doesn’t have speakers in stock and cannot provide an in-home demo, they shouldn’t charge full retail price. If they expect you to decide without a demo for non-stocked speakers, they should offer a significant discount. Remember, they typically pay only a third of the retail price, with only a few exceptions for certain brands.
Are you saying that a typical dealer margin is close to 70%?
35-40% is closer to the truth. More than that is the exception (not the other way around):
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