Floorstanding loudspeakers — Voxativ ZETH

The ZETH is a column loudspeaker from Voxativ, the German full-range driver specialist that started in Stuttgart in 2008 and has since settled in Zossen on the southern edge of Berlin. Voxativ also sells a larger ABSOLUT ZETH SYSTEM built on the same name, and the plain ZETH remains available on its own. Voxativ prices it from EUR 11,900 per pair. In the USA it costs USD 11,900 in black or oak, USD 12,900 for oak with AC-2B drivers and USD 13,900 for black with the same drivers.

Key specs that matter

Voxativ gives 40 Hz to 20 kHz, 95 dB at 1 W and 1 m and a rating of 50 W sine, with the AC-1.9 as the reference driver. Each column is 33 cm wide, 108 cm tall and 25 cm deep, at 32 kg. Impedance is 10.7 ohm. Customers choose among three drivers in the configurator, the AC-Zeth (1.8), the AC-Absolut and the AC-2B, the last being the wood-cone unit Voxativ also fits to the Ampeggio. Assembly takes around three weeks after payment.

Engineering and use context

Each column holds one full-range driver with a whizzer cone, developed for this model, with a cone of Japanese calligraphy paper as standard and wood as an option. There are no crossover parts, so the amplifier connects to the voice coil directly. The rear of the driver loads an internal horn laid out according to Voxativ's Acoustic Stealth Technology, which shapes the inner walls to break up reflections and standing waves. Unusually, the horn mouth points down at the floor, and a base plate below the column turns that low-frequency output outward into the room, where it complements the output of the front of the cone in the mid and upper range. Piano lacquer in black or white, several veneers and custom finishes made to order are available. For listeners who want more bass or use the speakers for film, a dipole woofer system that works alongside the columns.

Pairing

The benign load and high efficiency suit single-ended valve amplifiers, and owners have run the ZETH from designs of 12 to 15 W per channel, which also leaves headroom for solid-state amplifiers of modest power.

Alternatives

The Voxativ HAGEN² Tower is the slimmer and shorter column with a smaller driver and a bottom-vented back-loaded cabinet.