Напольная акустика — Zellaton STATEMENT ULTRA

The STATEMENT ULTRA is the uppermost of three floorstanders in the ULTRA Series, placed above the STAGE ULTRA and REFERENCE ULTRA. Zellaton was formed in Munich in 1931 after Dr. Emil Podszus patented his sandwich cone driver in 1930, and his grandson Manuel Podszus runs the firm today, still making its own drivers based on those original patents. The US retail price was quoted at USD 738,000 per pair in January 2026, when only one pair had been completed.

Key specs that matter

Each tower is a passive 3-way design carrying five full-cone drivers - one 33 mm tweeter, two 180 mm mid woofers and two 280 mm woofers. Zellaton gives a frequency range of 20 Hz to 40 kHz, a sensitivity of 93 dB/1W/m and a nominal impedance of 4 ohms. The cabinet stands 180 cm high, 60 cm wide and 90 cm deep, and the net weight per speaker is roughly 335 kg.

Engineering and use context

The drivers are built around the ZELLATON ULTRA diaphragm. This is a 3-layer sandwich in which a core of shock-absorbing foam with high breaking strength is backed by specially coated paper made by hand. Its front surface has a texture derived from bionics that, according to the maker, blocks sound from spreading along the diaphragm and adds stiffness, giving a rigid full-cone with low partial vibration and strong internal damping, so the sound is radiated directly along the axis. Remaining partial vibrations in the midrange cones are damped by hand once assembly is complete. The cabinet narrows toward its middle and has faceted sides, and its base, trim rings and supports are produced by Rolls Royce. Buyers can choose a white gloss lacquer or a satin surface that is brushed by hand by a watchmaker. Building one pair can take up to a year. All ULTRA models share the full-cone principle, in which each driver works as a single rigid radiating surface, and Zellaton tunes response through the drivers themselves rather than by correcting the crossover, which the maker says avoids phase shifts.

Pairing

The 4 ohm rating calls for amplification that remains stable into low loads and can deliver high current, and the pair of large woofers adds to that demand. Given the cabinet mass, the floor structure should be checked before installation. The speaker suits a large dedicated listening room rather than a 20 m2 space.

Alternatives

Below it in the ULTRA Series, the Zellaton REFERENCE ULTRA is a smaller tower, using a single mid woofer and three smaller woofers.