Anyone have thoughts on the Peak Consult Zoltans?

I believe another issue is the cost of manufacture,where each "local area" will determine pricing.Does the manufacturer offer med insurance/work conditions/vacation/general wages etc!We have all heard sad stories regarding the salaries of some far eastern laborers.I hope this is not the case with companies like Usher,where I'm sure it's corporate owners CAN drive pricey autos,but how about the folks actually making the products?This ALL makes a difference,to me, when making a buying decision.Also,I DO like to think about my satisfaction level,about five to ten years out!My Ascents are fifteen years old(I have maintained them to a "flawless" museum quality standard,as they look absolutely new)yet a consideration important to me,when buying,and pointed out by my dealer,was the "HEIRLOOM" factor.This has held true,fortunately, for me.

Audiooracle means well,and has an understandable agenda.The speakers are probably just fine.
Stereovox was invited,by me,to respond to some questions a month ago,and has been nothing but professional.That too lends an aura to the products he represents.Even if Martin Colloms did not care for the Zoltans,it means nothing!!I simply must hearit for myself!!HMM
Best!

Boy Stereovox, I'm glad you believe in your products, but your condescending line that Chinesse made products can no way compete with the European or American products is the stuff of the uninformed and xenophobic.

The world has changed, remember that some thirty years ago "made in Japan" was a euphomisim for the shotty and cheap? Now made in Japan is synonomous with superior quality!

I judge a product by its' technical merits and by its' build and enginnering quality, not by where it is made and its snob appeal.

Usher has not been well known outside of Asia due to poor represenation, not becuause the products they build aren't world class. The reason Usher can build the products they do is that Usher is a $70,000,000.00! company!

Usher is the Asian version of B&W! Usher builds the only beryillium midrange driver currently available and they make their own beryillium tweeter as well.

The humility of Usher is evidenced by the fact that if they can find a better driver than what they themselves can build they will buy it, even when the driver is quite expensive. The BE series uses the same Eaton of Germany woofers that Kharma and Marten design use!
Usher also hired one of the most talented crossover designers around, Dr. Joseph D'Appolito.

You may be misunderstanding my position, I am leading audio's next generation. I am finding companies whose products are as good as anything currently available for less money because of what they produce and how they produce it.

For both American and European manufacters the time to laze about in the sun is over! For audio as well as for most industries. The quality of Chinese made goods will force many European and American companies into smaller and smaller production runs for more and more money!

You can't fight the future but to join with the inevitable, Chinese goods will continue to either directly or indirectly take over many industries.

I carry products from all over the globe: Denmark, France, Japan, England, Scottland, Israel, New Zealand, and of course the United States, and China both main land and Taiwan which has for many years produced extremely high quality goods. Usher is Taiwanese, not Chinese by the way!

My view is to bring the cost of great audio down to more and more people, so I will champion great products where ever they are made.

So how about this I will bring my cheapie, 300lb hand made beryillium and Eaton drivered $16,800.00 a pair BE 20 to compete with your $35,000.00 Peak audio Zoltan's any day of the week. Lets do the shoot out and see how many people will buy which product.

I will and have to side in some way with sirspeedy, about working conditions in China but how does one know what the working conditions are in any other countries factories. and etc.

Yes sir speedy Sterovox is passionate and he believes in his products, and I believe in mine. You as an educated consumer need to listen and hear the merits of a particular product and make the best decision you can/ Don't be swayed just by the press or by price, let the music be your guide.

At the risk of invoking more of sirspeedy's wrath for obstinance, I have to pipe in here a touch.

The Ushers are indeed good, I don't think anyone can argue that fact, as a friend of Bruce Jacobs and having sold several Ushers to my own friends, I would be hard pressed to say otherwise but they are not the Peaks, no insult intended but raising cows don't make you the best cook, the Ushers lack something, to me anyway, there is a texture, a finesse, a artistic balance type presentation that the Peaks do, that the Ushers just don't, another thing I've found, is the Ushers are somewhat tough to drive, making what some would say are the better sounding amps, like SET's or OTL's unusable to a certain extent, with them.

So the Ushers may have gotten some things right but they lack the "sophisticated" texture, presentation and even the easy load of the Peaks and some other speakers as well.

Not to say I would not own a pair but I wouldn't try to fool myself into believing they were Peaks, Sonus Fabers, or Verity's.

WOW,what did I do,to allude to anyone feeling they could irk me,into feeling "one" was obstinant?? -:)

I simply initiated this thread to gain info on some products that interest me.There are loads of audio "toys" that are just fine,as far as I'm concerned.The Peaks,and Ushers clearly fall into that category.You guys can battle it out for world supremacy.I just want to hear my beloved music collection reproduced with my own set of priorities considered!
I must admit that ALL arguements made here are well thought out,and understandable.The last post by Audiooracle is well written,and quite plausable.That being said,I for one never make a buying decision based upon price,or some reviewer(they are simply hobbyists,ya know)applause.Others may differ,when it comes time to buy something.That's fine by me.
I can make a STRONG argument for "anyone"(including myself)keeping,or trying to procure the "classic"(I own it,and know)Avalon Ascent "series two"(later upgrade)speaker system.It seems clear to me that these were discontinued(four "hard to talk wife into" cabinets) for policy reasons,concerning "selling more product".I have no doubt here,and really do understand WAF,as well as sales volume DO impact corporate decisions.With regards to the Ascent,I make this claim,not to further my own rationalization,but in lieu of design parameters set forth by some "weighty" posters,here!!Massive construction(six inch thick front cabinet)/very easy load to drive/massive external crossover/sealed design,with a "Q" factor of .5(accuracy in bass/midbass,beyond a ported design)/incredible hand made(four cabinetmakers taking two weeks to finish "one" pair)cabinetry,in beautiful "tropical olivewood"(no longer available due to deforestation(the "rarity factor")/SOTA clarity and timbral purity/first rate internal componentry and wiring/and I have NEVER heard ANY design that can match it's soundstage ability etc.What's not to like?Yet,and yet......
My point being,that "any" well versed design can find a wide audience,with proper marketing,and a good design base.That STILL does not stop someone like myself from continuing to seek information on "appealing" designs."YOU" never know when something "else" will stand out,in your mind,and force a change!It has happened to me alot.Though(thankfully) not as much now,as in my foolish youth.I've learned a bit,in my old age.The "thinking" hobbyist has a decided edge over the "fickle"!It's the "fickle" hobbyist who is most impressed with "price cache".Alot simply want something special.Something that can stand the test of time.Reliably!
Sorry for the rant.

Best!

Audiooracle, you are indeed indefatigable.

For me: The fact remains that Chinese HiFi is not about cutting-edge, it is about cutting costs, cutting wages, and cutting corners.

My focus is solely on the highest of the high end performers, the best of the best, and so I am in a somewhat unenviable position: It's not that I mean to be condescending, and I'm sorry if you feel that I am. It's that I must be extremely critical because my clients demand it, and as such I have to call it as I see it.

I have yet to see a Chinese, Taiwanese, Thai, Indonesian, or Malaysian product that can compete at the performance level of true world-class hi-fi references from Europe, North America or Japan.

The Chinese HAVE been able to do something wholly remarkable otherwise: They have been able to fiercely and unapologetically compete for price in the mid-fi market. Many of these companies seem simply to copy or emulate established European, North American, or Japanese designs. In fact, Usher has "shown it's appreciation" for established loudspeaker designs within its own catalog:

Usher Model S-520 seems to be a copy of an Acoustic Energy AE-1, Mk.II

Usher Models X-708, X-718 and X-719 are clearly "tributes" to Sonus Faber's old Concerto speakers.

Usher's D2 is quite the "homage" to JBL's legendary K2

Usher RW 729 is as close to a Sonus Faber Electa Amator copy as I have ever seen! Not only is the cabinet and driver compliment copied, even the wooden and stone-base stand is copied!

The Usher R 1.5 and 6.0 amplifiers seem almost dead copies for the old Threshold amps, while the P-307A preamp seems like it took a page from Cello's old playbook.

If Usher wants to be taken seriously as a competitor in the Reference department, they first have to come up with their own ideas. Instead, their catalog seems abundant with imitations and copies. Not that there isn't room for a Speaker-Clone company, but one cannot simultaneously be a speaker-clone company AND have a reasonable hope to be counted among the legends and references, as well.

There may come a day when Chinese products come in to their own and stand on their own and are not simply just "budget alternatives" to and clones of established references. So I suppose that it might be nice that a 300lb speaker from China is only $16,800/pair ... if we were buying speakers by the pound, that just might be a bargain by some measures. But we don't buy speakers by the pound. We hope for a high level of quality, creativity, originality, and technical achievement.

I understand your mission. You feel that there is a level of snobism in high end audio coincident with higher pricing, and you seem to feel that you can represent products that would bring a good measure of high performance to more people at lower prices, and your primary medium is right here in the internet. Nothing wrong with that. Internet sales and transshipping are the most productive ways to do business in this section of the market because it is hotly contested-for with predatory discounting being the most oft used temptation to attract the potential buyer. So while I do not market directly but rather sell only through authorized dealers, I seem nevertheless to have wandered into your pond and thus represent - if not a threat - at least a distraction. I apologize, but keep in mind that we are not necessarily cultivating the same client.

Where you imagine there to be "audio snobism" there is rather a client that is a connoisseur. This is someone who appreciates the advanced performance, the heirloom build quality, the heritage and provenance, the peerless musicality, and the notion that they will own something that is the Real Thing and not the budget-alternative or the clone. This isn't snobbery, it's a deep appreciation for the whole picture.

There is a neatness, a meticulously considered philosophy that is as simple as it is profound, and when one finally comes to terms with its uncomplicated beauty - there is a tranquility that it imbues upon the decision making process:

In reaction to my rude inquiry about how my friend (on a small wage) could afford to have purchased something very expensive, he simply commented, "I am not so rich that I can afford to buy cheap things."

And while the beauty of that sentiment is meaningful to audiophiles on a budget, the fact remains that *nobody* is so rich that they can afford to buy cheap things. Cheap things break. Cheap things deteriorate. Cheap things discolor and crack. Companies that make cheap things disappear and their promises, guarantees and warranties vaporize.

**That means, taken to lengths, that cheap things are more expensive than the more expensive things they are positioned to displace.**

As for a "shootout" with Zoltan - that would be silly. Any comparison should be as close to a dollar-for-dollar comparison between products as possible. As such, I would say the only appropriate speaker to compare the $16.8k Ushers to would be the $16.5k Peak InCognito-X. That leaves a simple $300 deficit between them to the favor of the Peaks, which are also about half as heavy as the Be20 (good news for people with stairs).

InCognito-X's run fairly loud on my 10 watt OTLs, although they'll handle up to 500 watts of solid-state if need be. I'm not certain that the Be 20 could get appreciable sound pressure at 10 watts, nor could it handle 500 watts of program - so I'm not sure if the comparison would be fair.

That very flat impedance and phase response of the InCognito-X really helps any amplifier perform at its most linear, and the excellent sensitivity means that you can throw low power tubes in the mix without apologies. Again - with abilities and peerless measurements like these, it's not necessarily fair to the Usher to compare.

That InCognito-X is a full-range 2-way design means that the acoustic output of the drivers will converge at a shorter distance with less wave interference, making the InCognito-X an excellent choice for even nearfield listening. I imagine that Usher won't do well in small spaces for nearfield listening, so we best not compare in these circumstances in order to level the playing field.

InCognito-X won't hit the 22 Hz mark of the Be 20, but they will come within a gnat's hair of 25 Hz in an average-sized room and will be extremely dynamic, with holographic imaging and midrange to weep for. So while it would work well in the nearfield, it will also (of course) work extremely well at standard listening distances.

Sound by Singer will soon have a pair of InCognito-X on the floor (they begin shipping from Denmark early next month) - go have a listen. You'll be shocked and amazed at what one can buy for just $16,500/pair: A full-range world-class loudspeaker handcrafted with real hardwoods by Danish fine carpenters, some of the best loudspeaker drivers in the world, with music reproduction so fine that - as one HE 2006 showgoer put it (when commenting about the sound of the InCognito-X in our demo room) - "If you weren't touched by the sonics in this room, you're made of ice!"