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

[Audiohertz2]

Steve, here’s what your upcoming listening room will look like
ZELLATON Reference Ultra with Schnerzinger at an event yesterday in Hong Kong.

So Halcro is still a thing …. ?

 

[HP_buddy]

Another update from my listening room with Zellaton Plural Evos in partnership with the new Soulution 331 integrated amplifier. On best quality LP and CD recordings, I continue to hear the uncanny skill of the Soulution 331 bringing each recording space into my room to an immersive degree. The Soulution partnered with the Plural Evos "set the table" beautifully. Player or section positioning is beautifully individualized and their dimensions so realistic. There is this unique and special way with layered air and space between each player or section of players. Microphone placement, diameters of the recording studio and stage- back and front walls - all are reveled on recordings that offer such cues. The dynamic open-window Plural Evos spring to life with the Soulution 331 driving them in irresistible flow and tactile action. This is all combined with a tonal beauty- in every range of color and register- that brings me very close to what I hear in live concerts.


Some examples: Pat Metheny strumming deep next to Joni Mitchell on her "Amelia" - into "Pat's Solo" - on Joni's superb live LP recording, "Shadows and Light" (offering huge air and space!). Their intertwining chemistry on stage - in surrounding air- is uncannily alive with this system. Jaco Pastorius' bass has that special new Soulution bass quality: deep, resonant, flowing and naturally coherent. Another example is Nina Simone performing in a large compartmentalized studio space on her LP, "I Put A Spell On You" (Acoustic Sounds Label reissue- fantastic!). She digs deep on her soulful "Feelin Good" in which she starts out solo (breathing slowly into the airy and quiet recording space) with strings entering deep and individualized. Also pulling out of the collection a Japanese pressing of a live concert held in Tokyo by the IceMan, Albert Collins, in which the stage is brought into my listening room (expansive in lateral and layered depth) with sax great AC Reed blowing strong in his airy space shared next to the dancing Collins. The Plural Evos and Soulution deliver all of Collins' leaping swagger and pinpoint highest guitar pricks (without glare, congestion or blur!) - his husky voice letting loose into the air of the hall.

More to come - and thanks as always to my friend and AudioArts mentor Gideon Schwartz for guiding me in my musical journey!

 

[Steve williams]

Another update from my listening room with Zellaton Plural Evos in partnership with the new Soulution 331 integrated amplifier. On best quality LP and CD recordings, I continue to hear the uncanny skill of the Soulution 331 bringing each recording space into my room to an immersive degree. The Soulution partnered with the Plural Evos "set the table" beautifully. Player or section positioning is beautifully individualized and their dimensions so realistic. There is this unique and special way with layered air and space between each player or section of players. Microphone placement, diameters of the recording studio and stage- back and front walls - all are reveled on recordings that offer such cues. The dynamic open-window Plural Evos spring to life with the Soulution 331 driving them in irresistible flow and tactile action. This is all combined with a tonal beauty- in every range of color and register- that brings me very close to what I hear in live concerts.


Some examples: Pat Metheny strumming deep next to Joni Mitchell on her "Amelia" - into "Pat's Solo" - on Joni's superb live LP recording, "Shadows and Light" (offering huge air and space!). Their intertwining chemistry on stage - in surrounding air- is uncannily alive with this system. Jaco Pastorius' bass has that special new Soulution bass quality: deep, resonant, flowing and naturally coherent. Another example is Nina Simone performing in a large compartmentalized studio space on her LP, "I Put A Spell On You" (Acoustic Sounds Label reissue- fantastic!). She digs deep on her soulful "Feelin Good" in which she starts out solo (breathing slowly into the airy and quiet recording space) with strings entering deep and individualized. Also pulling out of the collection a Japanese pressing of a live concert held in Tokyo by the IceMan, Albert Collins, in which the stage is brought into my listening room (expansive in lateral and layered depth) with sax great AC Reed blowing strong in his airy space shared next to the dancing Collins. The Plural Evos and Soulution deliver all of Collins' leaping swagger and pinpoint highest guitar pricks (without glare, congestion or blur!) - his husky voice letting loose into the air of the hall.

More to come - and thanks as always to my friend and AudioArts mentor Gideon Schwartz for guiding me in my musical journey!

I thought I had PE coming on loan until my Reference Ultras are ready but the PE became so popular that Gideon sold the ones supposedly coming to me. So the good news is, that on loan, I have coming a pair of STAGE. Very much looking forward to these. Thank you Gideon

 

[Lowlands]

I thought I had PE coming on loan until my Reference Ultras are ready but the PE became so popular that Gideon sold the ones supposedly coming to me. So the good news is, that on loan, I have coming a pair of STAGE. Very much looking forward to these. Thank you Gideon

A pair of Stage on loan...... How cool!
Classics or Ultra's?

 

[Steve williams]

A pair of Stage on loan...... How cool!
Classics or Ultra's?

well as Paul Harvey used to say...."and now you know the rest of the story".......yes Stage Ultra were coming however they were to arrive late May and with new speakers arriving in June, Gideon and I went back to Plan A where Plural Evos are to arrive in the next 1-2 weeks and Gideon insists on flying out to set them up for me before he leaves for Munich. Zellaton does not move quickly as I am learning as their entire production is hand made and as I posted earlier it all depends on availability of parts. I came to learn that those shiny attachments on the bottom of the speakers are manufactured by Rolls Royce and their drivers are made in house to a very high specification ....hence many are rejected

 

[Big Dog RJ]

Have not heard with mine but Emile in Holland is driving his with tubes and I was told there are some users driving theirs with as little as 20 wpc tube amps

Yes! That I can confirm. Came across the big Zelatons on my last trip to Spore Aug 2024. Long lost dealer mate of ours had them set-up in his refurbed room. His other good mate had just taken delivery of the awesome Genesis Tributes but I didn't get a chance to audition the Tributes, even on my second trip, only to learn that they were shipped out to the chaps new place in HK. Perhaps on Another trip will do so. Until such time, those Zelatons were driven by a full array of Conrad Johnson ART amplifiers: ART27A (35W Class A stereo power amp KT88 version), ART88 preamp and the ART Phonostage, awe-inspiring! Possibly one of the best I've heard to date in terms of dynamic driver design. The Zelatons do something very unique to the presentation and most of all, you actually don't hear much of that typical box/cabinet character at all, compared to most other cabinet type speakers.

Also, the most important factor regarding Zelatons. is that chief designer / owner of CJ (Jeff Fischel) uses exclusively Zelaton speakers as his primary Reference speaker system when designing all of CJ's top of the line ART gear. Before JF took ownership, messers C & J used WIlson's exclusively... go figure!

Congrats Steve, you'll be supremely impressed with the Zelatons, also you'll wonder why you didn't get these much earlier!
The toons are fine! WOOF!
RJ

 

[Steve williams]

Yes! That I can confirm. Came across the big Zelatons on my last trip to Spore Aug 2024. Long lost dealer mate of ours had them set-up in his refurbed room. His other good mate had just taken delivery of the awesome Genesis Tributes but I didn't get a chance to audition the Tributes, even on my second trip, only to learn that they were shipped out to the chaps new place in HK. Perhaps on Another trip will do so. Until such time, those Zelatons were driven by a full array of Conrad Johnson ART amplifiers: ART27A (35W Class A stereo power amp KT88 version), ART88 preamp and the ART Phonostage, awe-inspiring! Possibly one of the best I've heard to date in terms of dynamic driver design. The Zelatons do something very unique to the presentation and most of all, you actually don't hear much of that typical box/cabinet character at all, compared to most other cabinet type speakers.

Also, the most important factor regarding Zelatons. is that chief designer / owner of CJ (Jeff Fischel) uses exclusively Zelaton speakers as his primary Reference speaker system when designing all of CJ's top of the line ART gear. Before JF took ownership, messers C & J used WIlson's exclusively... go figure!

Congrats Steve, you'll be supremely impressed with the Zelatons, also you'll wonder why you didn't get these much earlier!
The toons are fine! WOOF!
RJ

Patience is a virtue. I never thought I would make a speaker change but having heard the Zellaton I knew I had to. The Plural Evo loaners ship next week and Gideon willl be flying out to set them up. My speakers have an ETA of mid to late June. Not bad having ordered them mid January but as I came to learn, everything is handcrafted by Zellaton and the drivers are so unique and have such strict specifications that Im understanding many are rejected.

 

[Steve williams]

Yes! That I can confirm. Came across the big Zelatons on my last trip to Spore Aug 2024. Long lost dealer mate of ours had them set-up in his refurbed room. His other good mate had just taken delivery of the awesome Genesis Tributes but I didn't get a chance to audition the Tributes, even on my second trip, only to learn that they were shipped out to the chaps new place in HK. Perhaps on Another trip will do so. Until such time, those Zelatons were driven by a full array of Conrad Johnson ART amplifiers: ART27A (35W Class A stereo power amp KT88 version), ART88 preamp and the ART Phonostage, awe-inspiring! Possibly one of the best I've heard to date in terms of dynamic driver design. The Zelatons do something very unique to the presentation and most of all, you actually don't hear much of that typical box/cabinet character at all, compared to most other cabinet type speakers.

Also, the most important factor regarding Zelatons. is that chief designer / owner of CJ (Jeff Fischel) uses exclusively Zelaton speakers as his primary Reference speaker system when designing all of CJ's top of the line ART gear. Before JF took ownership, messers C & J used WIlson's exclusively... go figure!

Congrats Steve, you'll be supremely impressed with the Zelatons, also you'll wonder why you didn't get these much earlier!
The toons are fine! WOOF!
RJ

was that the Zellaton Statement that the ART27A was driving. Those are the big ones

 

[Steve williams]

I might be wrong but I think there will be an Ultra version of each speaker in the Klassik Line

 

[Big Dog RJ]

was that the Zellaton Statement that the ART27A was driving. Those are the big ones

Could well be, they were top of the line. Cannot recall the model, only the price tag knocked me off the seat... when I finally woke up, then I realised the CJ Art gear, and all was well. I'll check and confirm when I next chat to chappy.

Note* those "rejected" drivers from Zelatons end up in Wilson's...!!! Oopsie doopsie

 

[Steve williams]

Here’s a link to the Statement

https://www.zellaton.de/de/statement.html

 

[Steve williams]

I'm hoping for this Friday ETA---loaner Plural Evos....I cant remember when I have been so long without music.......