Zellaton: The End of My Speaker Journey

[Audioarts]

As my first entry here on the forum, I would like to thank the members for a warm Zellaton welcome and of course to Mike for sharing his passion and beautiful system. Over the next few days, I will address the excellent inquiries above regarding the design impetus behind Zellaton's unique open baffle and driver methodology.

For now, I just wanted to share with you that I've actually been representing Zellaton in North America for 13 years, owing this enduring loyalty to a natural sound reproduction which keeps me playing record after record with the same excitement I had when introduced to high end audio at Lyric HiFi in NYC years ago; thanks to Mike Kay, knowing I was a penniless college student..., yet spending an (unreimbursed) generous hour with me, playing a pair of Infinity RS1B's powered by Futterman OTL's for the ribbons and Levinson's for the bass columns, not to mention a Goldmund Studio/T3F/Supex and Sequerra tuner contributing to the overall seduction. Years later, I still have goose bumps from that experience

More to come!

Gideon Schwartz
www.audioartsnyc.com

Author of
HiFi: The History of High End Audio Design &
REVOLUTION: The History of Turntable Design
PHAIDON publications.

 

[ashandger]

Very nice to have to have you here Gideon and looking forward to your posts. Very interested to know more about the new Ultra drivers as well and what sonic benefits they offer over the already excellent Classic range.

 

[AudioLibertarian]

Why is the Plural Evo drivers black and all the rest of the Zellaton speakers are silver color ?
They use different drivers ?
View attachment 121178

different driver material for each

 

[ashandger]

As my first entry here on the forum, I would like to thank the members for a warm Zellaton welcome and of course to Mike for sharing his passion and beautiful system. Over the next few days, I will address the excellent inquiries above regarding the design impetus behind Zellaton's unique open baffle and driver methodology.

For now, I just wanted to share with you that I've actually been representing Zellaton in North America for 13 years, owing this enduring loyalty to a natural sound reproduction which keeps me playing record after record with the same excitement I had when introduced to high end audio at Lyric HiFi in NYC years ago; thanks to Mike Kay, knowing I was a penniless college student..., yet spending an (unreimbursed) generous hour with me, playing a pair of Infinity RS1B's powered by Futterman OTL's for the ribbons and Levinson's for the bass columns, not to mention a Goldmund Studio/T3F/Supex and Sequerra tuner contributing to the overall seduction. Years later, I still have goose bumps from that experience

More to come!

Gideon Schwartz
www.audioartsnyc.com

Author of
HiFi: The History of High End Audio Design &
REVOLUTION: The History of Turntable Design
PHAIDON publications.

Hi Gideon, do you have any info, pricing etc on the new Reference Ultra you can share? Not finding anything online about their launch in Netherlands yesterday! Many thanks

 

[gleeds]

As my first entry here on the forum, I would like to thank the members for a warm Zellaton welcome and of course to Mike for sharing his passion and beautiful system. Over the next few days, I will address the excellent inquiries above regarding the design impetus behind Zellaton's unique open baffle and driver methodology.

For now, I just wanted to share with you that I've actually been representing Zellaton in North America for 13 years, owing this enduring loyalty to a natural sound reproduction which keeps me playing record after record with the same excitement I had when introduced to high end audio at Lyric HiFi in NYC years ago; thanks to Mike Kay, knowing I was a penniless college student..., yet spending an (unreimbursed) generous hour with me, playing a pair of Infinity RS1B's powered by Futterman OTL's for the ribbons and Levinson's for the bass columns, not to mention a Goldmund Studio/T3F/Supex and Sequerra tuner contributing to the overall seduction. Years later, I still have goose bumps from that experience

More to come!

Gideon Schwartz
www.audioartsnyc.com

Author of
HiFi: The History of High End Audio Design &
REVOLUTION: The History of Turntable Design
PHAIDON publications.

Gideon, welcome!
I appreciate you taking time to pay homage to Mike Kaye, who to my mind was the Godfather of the modern Hi-End. As many of us know Mike generously shared his passion for music and sound a treasure trove of knowledge, many of whom like you carry on his legacy today.

 

[JeromeFrancis]

Absolute dream setup, congratulations. It is reassuring that there is an end to the journey of seeking absolute bliss where one can enjoy the music without any urge to modify the system. I feel like I am edging closer to that point and everything from here is very marginal even though my setup is hardly comparable to what you've got with the dedicated room and stellar reference equipment.

 

[Audioarts]

Very nice to have to have you here Gideon and looking forward to your posts. Very interested to know more about the new Ultra drivers as well and what sonic benefits they offer over the already excellent Classic range.

Thanks so much for your questions. In terms of the Ultra range, Zellaton's attempt was to expand upon the Classic line's already excellent speed, electrostatic-like transparency and natural qualities. The new proprietary drivers employ their latest technology in creating an even lighter and stiffer membrane, going beyond the original sandwich foam substrate invented by Podsusz in the 1930s. The R&D that went into the new drivers took years and Zellaton is quite unique in manufacturing all of its drivers in house, including the tweeter which looks identical to the wideband midrange and woofers. This material consistency lends to a natural coherence which imo is quite unique to Zellaton and very engaging psycho-acoustically.
Supporting the new cones is a much more substantial chassis support frame using a heavy cast special alloy. Tesla and magnet sensitivity has also increased allowing for greater flexibility with low powered amps as well. Even the Plural line introduced greater sensitivity over the older Classic line.
Perhaps you may already know that Zellaton has worked very closely with Duelund in previous designs, sharing a room at the Munich High End show for many years now. For the Ultra series, Duelund collaborated very closely with Zellaton and provides the passive crossover components with tolerances <1%.
Both the cabinet material and construction has been reengineered, to maximize the potential of the new drivers.

Sadly, I was unable to attend the launch at Rhapsody in the Netherlands, so I have yet to hear the new Ultra series for myself. Although from what I understand, many Zellaton owners attended and reported that all the Classic line attributes have been preserved but noted much improved weight, dynamic pressure and tone color resulting in greater emotional and visceral engagement. My own sets are arriving in Spring but I plan on going to Munich soon to hear for myself and promise to report back!

Gideon Schwartz
www.audioartsnyc.com

Author of
HiFi: The History of High End Audio Design &
REVOLUTION: The History of Turntable Design
PHAIDON publications.

 

[joey_v]

Thanks so much for your questions. In terms of the Ultra range, Zellaton's attempt was to expand upon the Classic line's already excellent speed, electrostatic-like transparency and natural qualities. The new proprietary drivers employ their latest technology in creating an even lighter and stiffer membrane, going beyond the original sandwich foam substrate invented by Podsusz in the 1930s. The R&D that went into the new drivers took years and Zellaton is quite unique in manufacturing all of its drivers in house, including the tweeter which looks identical to the wideband midrange and woofers. This material consistency lends to a natural coherence which imo is quite unique to Zellaton and very engaging psycho-acoustically.
Supporting the new cones is a much more substantial chassis support frame using a heavy cast special alloy. Tesla and magnet sensitivity has also increased allowing for greater flexibility with low powered amps as well. Even the Plural line introduced greater sensitivity over the older Classic line.
Perhaps you may already know that Zellaton has worked very closely with Duelund in previous designs, sharing a room at the Munich High End show for many years now. For the Ultra series, Duelund collaborated very closely with Zellaton and provides the passive crossover components with tolerances <1%.
Both the cabinet material and construction has been reengineered, to maximize the potential of the new drivers.

Sadly, I was unable to attend the launch at Rhapsody in the Netherlands, so I have yet to hear the new Ultra series for myself. Although from what I understand, many Zellaton owners attended and reported that all the Classic line attributes have been preserved but noted much improved weight, dynamic pressure and tone color resulting in greater emotional and visceral engagement. My own sets are arriving in Spring but I plan on going to Munich soon to hear for myself and promise to report back!

Gideon Schwartz
www.audioartsnyc.com

Author of
HiFi: The History of High End Audio Design &
REVOLUTION: The History of Turntable Design
PHAIDON publications.

Hi Gideon
Are you saying there will be an Ultra version of the Statement?

 

[ashandger]

Thanks so much for your questions. In terms of the Ultra range, Zellaton's attempt was to expand upon the Classic line's already excellent speed, electrostatic-like transparency and natural qualities. The new proprietary drivers employ their latest technology in creating an even lighter and stiffer membrane, going beyond the original sandwich foam substrate invented by Podsusz in the 1930s. The R&D that went into the new drivers took years and Zellaton is quite unique in manufacturing all of its drivers in house, including the tweeter which looks identical to the wideband midrange and woofers. This material consistency lends to a natural coherence which imo is quite unique to Zellaton and very engaging psycho-acoustically.
Supporting the new cones is a much more substantial chassis support frame using a heavy cast special alloy. Tesla and magnet sensitivity has also increased allowing for greater flexibility with low powered amps as well. Even the Plural line introduced greater sensitivity over the older Classic line.
Perhaps you may already know that Zellaton has worked very closely with Duelund in previous designs, sharing a room at the Munich High End show for many years now. For the Ultra series, Duelund collaborated very closely with Zellaton and provides the passive crossover components with tolerances <1%.
Both the cabinet material and construction has been reengineered, to maximize the potential of the new drivers.

Sadly, I was unable to attend the launch at Rhapsody in the Netherlands, so I have yet to hear the new Ultra series for myself. Although from what I understand, many Zellaton owners attended and reported that all the Classic line attributes have been preserved but noted much improved weight, dynamic pressure and tone color resulting in greater emotional and visceral engagement. My own sets are arriving in Spring but I plan on going to Munich soon to hear for myself and promise to report back!

Gideon Schwartz
www.audioartsnyc.com

Author of
HiFi: The History of High End Audio Design &
REVOLUTION: The History of Turntable Design
PHAIDON publications.

Hi Gideon,
Many thanks for taking the time to provide such detailed and informative feedback. Seems like Michael and his team have come up something truly special that improves on the already excellent Classic drivers. The listening impressions from the launch indicate that the new speaker is going to be Ultra special!!!!! For me, Zellaton speakers have extraordinary coherence and naturalness that I haven't heard in any other dynamic speaker (and I have only heard them in Munich several years ago). I suspect all Zellaton speakers share these characteristics, including the Plural Evo. I am really looking forward to your listening impressions when you get to hear the new Ref Ultra at Zellaton with YS Sound amps. I am planning to hear them myself in the new year. Very exciting new speaker indeed!

Thanks again for the feedback.

 

[LL21]

Thanks so much for your questions. In terms of the Ultra range, Zellaton's attempt was to expand upon the Classic line's already excellent speed, electrostatic-like transparency and natural qualities. The new proprietary drivers employ their latest technology in creating an even lighter and stiffer membrane, going beyond the original sandwich foam substrate invented by Podsusz in the 1930s. The R&D that went into the new drivers took years and Zellaton is quite unique in manufacturing all of its drivers in house, including the tweeter which looks identical to the wideband midrange and woofers. This material consistency lends to a natural coherence which imo is quite unique to Zellaton and very engaging psycho-acoustically.
Supporting the new cones is a much more substantial chassis support frame using a heavy cast special alloy. Tesla and magnet sensitivity has also increased allowing for greater flexibility with low powered amps as well. Even the Plural line introduced greater sensitivity over the older Classic line.
Perhaps you may already know that Zellaton has worked very closely with Duelund in previous designs, sharing a room at the Munich High End show for many years now. For the Ultra series, Duelund collaborated very closely with Zellaton and provides the passive crossover components with tolerances <1%.
Both the cabinet material and construction has been reengineered, to maximize the potential of the new drivers.

Sadly, I was unable to attend the launch at Rhapsody in the Netherlands, so I have yet to hear the new Ultra series for myself. Although from what I understand, many Zellaton owners attended and reported that all the Classic line attributes have been preserved but noted much improved weight, dynamic pressure and tone color resulting in greater emotional and visceral engagement. My own sets are arriving in Spring but I plan on going to Munich soon to hear for myself and promise to report back!

Gideon Schwartz
www.audioartsnyc.com

Author of
HiFi: The History of High End Audio Design &
REVOLUTION: The History of Turntable Design
PHAIDON publications.

Fascinating...will all the Classic Models be Ultra going forward?

 

[joey_v]

Hi Mike
How’s the system coming along?
Enjoyment abound? Hope you’re enjoying as much music as possible since we last talked.

 

[Geardaddy]

In addition to the Goldmund amps, and the previously mentioned Tenor monoblocs, I also tried my small darTZeel NHB-108 stereo amp. An amazing amp but certainly not a powerhouse, yet it acquitted itself surprisingly well. Several experienced audiophiles heard the Statements with the darTZeel amp, and all were surprised at its ability to drive the Statements to rock'n'roll levels. Only a handful of times did its “eyes” flicker as the amp approached clipping. Downside? The ultimate low-end depth, slam, and visceral impact was missing, and it did not have the extension compared the large Tenors and certainly the Goldmunds. While the 108 works, I would assume that anyone with the Statements who love darTZeel would mate them with the NHB-468s to achieve the full potential of the speakers.

Beautiful speakers and system. I understand your speaker journey has ended. Has the amp rolling?

 

[vinyl_mike]

Hi Mike
How’s the system coming along?
Enjoyment abound? Hope you’re enjoying as much music as possible since we last talked.

Joey,
Since the last time we talked, the system has been moving significantly forward. I added the Schnerzinger protectors and posted some comments. As with Steve, I noted a significant improvement.

After years of visits and discussions with Gideon, he is completely “tuned in to” the musical qualities that are important to me. My 7-year-old Clearaudio cartridge wore out, and Gideon recommended a Fuuga. Frankly, I never heard of it. Apparently, it is the much-improved present-day descendant of the Miyabi and Levinson Cello cartridges. I am still getting a full grasp on its virtues, but at this point it has exceeded my expectations - I am thrilled.

As I mentioned in a September post, I am transitioning to Soulution electronics. The 727 pre is in, the 757 phono on the way, and hopefully by the end of February, delivery of one of the first pairs of the new 717 amps. As with Steve Williams and his Zellaton/Lamm system - this is my absolute end-game!

 

[microstrip]

In addition to the Goldmund amps, and the previously mentioned Tenor monoblocs, I also tried my small darTZeel NHB-108 stereo amp. An amazing amp but certainly not a powerhouse, yet it acquitted itself surprisingly well. Several experienced audiophiles heard the Statements with the darTZeel amp, and all were surprised at its ability to drive the Statements to rock'n'roll levels. Only a handful of times did its “eyes” flicker as the amp approached clipping. Downside? The ultimate low-end depth, slam, and visceral impact was missing, and it did not have the extension compared the large Tenors and certainly the Goldmunds. While the 108 works, I would assume that anyone with the Statements who love darTZeel would mate them with the NHB-468s to achieve the full potential of the speakers.

Just noticed this post. Was it the original NHB-108 or the version II?

I had such issue with Soundlab's with the original, the NHB-108 version II is much better in this aspect.

 

[vinyl_mike]

Just noticed this post. Was it the original NHB-108 or the version II?

I had such issue with Soundlab's with the original, the NHB-108 is much better in this aspect.

I have the original version I

 

[gds7368]

Joey,
Since the last time we talked, the system has been moving significantly forward. I added the Schnerzinger protectors and posted some comments. As with Steve, I noted a significant improvement.

After years of visits and discussions with Gideon, he is completely “tuned in to” the musical qualities that are important to me. My 7-year-old Clearaudio cartridge wore out, and Gideon recommended a Fuuga. Frankly, I never heard of it. Apparently, it is the much-improved present-day descendant of the Miyabi and Levinson Cello cartridges. I am still getting a full grasp on its virtues, but at this point it has exceeded my expectations - I am thrilled.

As I mentioned in a September post, I am transitioning to Soulution electronics. The 727 pre is in, the 757 phono on the way, and hopefully by the end of February, delivery of one of the first pairs of the new 717 amps. As with Steve Williams and his Zellaton/Lamm system - this is my absolute end-game!

I thought the 757 could function as a stand-alone preamplifier?

 

[vinyl_mike]

I thought the 757 could function as a stand-alone preamplifier?

Yes, but only with phono cartridges. I also have a RTR deck and DAC. I need the 727’s additional inputs.

 

[Geardaddy]

Joey,
Since the last time we talked, the system has been moving significantly forward. I added the Schnerzinger protectors and posted some comments. As with Steve, I noted a significant improvement.

After years of visits and discussions with Gideon, he is completely “tuned in to” the musical qualities that are important to me. My 7-year-old Clearaudio cartridge wore out, and Gideon recommended a Fuuga. Frankly, I never heard of it. Apparently, it is the much-improved present-day descendant of the Miyabi and Levinson Cello cartridges. I am still getting a full grasp on its virtues, but at this point it has exceeded my expectations - I am thrilled.

As I mentioned in a September post, I am transitioning to Soulution electronics. The 727 pre is in, the 757 phono on the way, and hopefully by the end of February, delivery of one of the first pairs of the new 717 amps. As with Steve Williams and his Zellaton/Lamm system - this is my absolute end-game!

I assume you heard them at Gideon’s. What are the sonic characteristics that differentiate them from Goldmund? I had some high band width designs by Dale Pitcher, who was inspired by Goldmund and they were fantastic but somewhat fickle.

 

[Rotatoubib]

Maybe it's a stupid question, but I see that Soulution 757 can't connect to a DAC, only to a tape or to a MC/MM. So you need another pre for the DAC?

 

[Audioarts]

Mike has also acquired Soulution’s latest 727 preamplifier which has an analog input for his digital from end. The 757 will accommodate his phono and tape sources.