Stereo Times / CES 2007 / System Z F3

Key Kim

This room (Zanden Audio) produced absolutely wonderful sound: the best sound I have heard from the Ascendo System Z. The System Z sang like a canary, it was pure, natural and musical at the same time

Clement Perry

There's an unmistakable bond that tubes create when mated with the right planar ribbon loudspeaker or tweeter that many music lovers call magic. The Convergent Audio Technology JL2 stereo amplifier when paired with the Ascendo System Z, is no exception and in some ways pushed the limits (dynamically speaking) further. This combo floored me when I first heard them in Frankfurt, Germany back in '03.
Zanden Audio had their entire arsenal on hand and sounding better than I can remember from previous shows. Showing again with the Ascendo System Z, this loudspeaker is slowly becoming a favorite among tube designers such as Ken Stevens of CAT and Kazutoshi Yamada San of Zanden.

vacuumtubes.com / International  CES 2007/ Las Vegas

System Z F3

Best Sound Of Show

This was for me by far the best sound in the show. CAT was introducing a new, reference-level, full-function pre called the SL1 Legend. It was matched with their JL2 Triode Powerhouse stereo amp (100W), which uses sixteen KT88s. The source was an Ayre C-5xe universal player. Wires from Transparent Cable and ESP Essence power cords.

The sound on the Mozart "Mass in C" was magnificent--sweet, full, and clean with good harmonic tapestry and superb treble extension in the choiring voices and fine inner detail and resolution in soundstaging. A very pure sound without whiteness or haze that achieved real grandeur and pathos, a system that allowed the emotions of the soloist, choir, orchestra, and composer to come through. The speakers were the Ascendo System Z-F 3 --a German-made three-way about in the middle of their line. Whoever set them out knew what they were doing, as they sounded precise as well as gorgeously rich with a fine timbrel saturation without confusion in the trebles.

Müsste ich die Z-F3 mit nur einem Wort beschreiben, so würde ich sagen “Professorlautsprecher” Mag ja sein, dass sie neben manch schwungvoll anmachender Gigolo-Box zunächst etwas steif und emotional weniger einnehmend wirkt. Doch sie erscheint nicht nur wie ein kleiner Besserwisser, sie weiß es meist tatsächlich besser. Wie sie etwa die unteren Lagen akribisch seziert, mit größter Selbstverständlichkeit engbenachbarte Töne aus dem Spiel eines Kontrabasses auseinanderdiffidiert, ja sogar ausladenes Trommelgewitter fest im Griff behält und auf dieser Weise dessen Energie punktgenau konzentriert, dass hat große Klasse. ….
Die Musik fließt einfach; konturiert, unaffektiert aber keineswegs blutarm. Und der Magnetostat, dessen Pegel sich per Kippschalter um zwei dB anheben lässt, passt nicht nut optisch hervorragend obendrauf. Freilich zeigt auch er jene zarte Nonchalance, ansatzlose Unmittelbarkeit und perlende Frische, die diesem Wandlertyp mit seiner federleichten Membran eigen ist. Doch ist es einmal mehr die gebotene Perfektion, die besticht.  …
Die ZF 3 machte alles richtig. Mit souveräner Attitüde projizierte sie das Marimbaphon schlackenlos, aber mit fester Substanz in den Hörraum, lies seine Impulse wie aus dem nichts exakt in der Mitte des Hörraumes exakt in der Mitte des Spektrums explodieren. Beinahe überflüssig zu erwähnen dass sie auch die anderen Parameter der Raumabbildung beherrscht.

„Das Ergebnis aus Forschung und Technik bringt klare statt ernüchternde Ergebnisse. Hier wirkt die Aura der Perfektion"

Exakt auf den Punkt spielender, in jeder Hinsicht hochklassiger Lautsprecher mit der Präzision eines Eichmaßes.

The Audio Imports room featured Zanden electronics and Ascendo speakers (above). This room truly stood out at this year’s show. The Zanden Model 9500 monobloc amps, their Model 3000 preamp, the Model 2000 CD transport, and the award winning Model 5000 MK IV DAC drove the Ascendo System Zs to heavenly levels. This combination was marvelous. The sound was palpable and lifelike with excellent dimensionality.).

image hifi  / Heft 60 / Nov./Dez. 2004 / System Z-F3

…. selbstredend sind nur perfekt gematchte Paare – die, zusammen mit den ebenfalls eingespielten SASB-Treibern, vom hauseigenen Referenzmodell nicht mehr als ein halbes Dezibel abweichen – gerade gut genug, um in der System Z der laufenden Serie beim Kunden aufzuspielen.
Nur so ist ein extrem sauberes Time-Alignment – da individuell optimierbare Zusammenspiel der Module auf den Hörplatz -  im heimischen Wohnzimmer garantiert.

…. Der Begriff Monitor, oftmals leichtfertig vergeben, findet in der ASCENDO ZF 3 eine seltene physikalische Gestalt. Nichts drängt sich hier in den Vordergrund, ein eigener Sound ist schlichtweg nicht auszumachen, nur die jeweilige Musik zählt. Die ASCENDO spielt im ersten Moment derart unspektakulär, dass die Lautsprecher glatt hinter der Musik verschwinden. Gut Vorraussetzung für extremes Langzeithören also.
Die Z legt Soundmacherei und Effekthascherei dank vorbildlicher geringer Verzerrungen mühelos frei, sämtliche Schallergebnisse besitzen diesen losgelöste, gleichwohl unmittelbare Direktheit und messerscharfe Fokussierung, die nur mit frontstrahlenden Phasenperfektionisten möglich ist.
…. Dieser Lautsprecher sorgt sich um feinste Details wie um den ganz großen Zusammenhalt.
Und der Bass, ja dieser betonharte, praktisch durch nichts in Verlegenheit zu bringende Bass bildet ein Fundament das immer wieder verblüfft.
image x-trakt
Kompaktes, superstraffes, basskompetentes Understatement, punktgenaue Schnittmenge von Studio und High End, schallwandlerische Werkzeugqualität von Profis für Profis: ASCENDO Sytem Z lotet jeden Amp. exakt aus – zum professionellen Preis. Ein Traum für Kenner.

soundstage / Juli 2004 / USA / System Z-F3

Sid is always brutally honest about whatever system I happen to have hooked up, which often doesn’t meet his criteria for what he considers good sound in at least one significant way. After his predictable initial reaction to the Ascendos’ price tag wore off and he found that he wasn’t blown away in the manner of the old Maxell commercials, he sat quietly with his eyes closed for an entire album. Then he said, "Those are the best speakers I’ve ever heard." While it would be presumptuous of me to declare that the Ascendo Z-f3s are indeed the best speakers in the world (I haven’t heard every one, after all), these German speakers are at the very least a serious assault on the state of the art.

stereotimes / April 2004 / USA

Rewiever’s Choice! Award ASCENDO System Z (MKII) "Most Wanted" Component 2004

stereotimes / April 2004 / USA / System Z (MKII) Follow UP

The System Z loudspeaker is the most musical loudspeaker I’ve ever heard. The musical connection via zeros and ones to this audiophile’s heart proved revelatory. As I listened to one of my favorite discs, Dvorak’s Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in B minor, op. 104 [DG 413 819-2] performed by the master, Mstislav Rostropovich and the maestro, Herbert Von Karajan conducting Berliner Philharmoniker, I experienced a sound unlike anything I’ve heard before in my quaint listening space. It was natural, closer to life because the Ascendos created a huge, seamless soundstage, removing their physical locale. This loudspeaker's reproduction of the cello and the full orchestra were among the best I’ve heard and certainly are for their price. Rostropovich took center stage, well in the front of the orchestra. The orchestra itself remained behind Rostropovich in a deep and wide soundstage. This wasn’t possible with my previous reference, the Aerial Acoustics 10T. The 10T’s presentation was smaller and had less space between the instruments. With the System Z, the stage’s outer reaches were better reproduced as well, painted with sharper, more vivid lines and textures.
The System Z’s ribbon tweeter was sweet, natural, fast and transparent. Female voices had an ethereal clarity and transparency, but they also had weight and solidity. Grieg’s Peer Gynt [Philips 411 038-2] sounded so incredibly lifelike it was spooky and the presentation was transparent. Elly Ameling’s voice floated in a realistic space within the soundstage as if she were present. Her voice had a rich, natural, holographic sense of realism and body, without any coloration. The system Z’s speed was able to transport her voice from soft to high notes instantaneously and naturally with plenty of air and a total absence of grain. As good as the Talon Khorus Xs are, they simply can’t compare. This doesn’t mean that the Talon isn’t a fine speaker. It’s just that the System Z is a superb loudspeaker. The Talons projected the sound, making it almost intrusive by comparison. I agree with Clement, when in his review, he states, “It’s not that I find the Talon’s presentation offensive by comparison-that’s just the way Talon voices their sound".  In my setup the Ascendo System Z reveals enormous amounts of information on every disc, extracting more music from the recording while drawing the listener in and allowing him or her to be more emotionally involved
Living with the System Z for several months has brought me closer to live music than ever before. It’s a first-class loudspeaker with innovative design and built-in quality that is second to none, in my opinion. This is the most musical loudspeaker I’ve heard to date. The System Z’s magic exists from top to bottom, throughout its musical range. By any measure, the Ascendo System Z is a keeper. My yearning for a breakthrough loudspeaker has finally been realized. If you’re looking for a truly natural-sounding, musical loudspeaker, the Ascendo System Z should be your top priority list.

stereotimes 2004 CES Show Report Las Vegas / System Z–F3

Best Sound at Show!
My favorite sound at the show came from the Ascendo Audio room. Clement Perry has written at length about the virtues of this German loudspeaker company and now I know why. The System Z–F3 is outfitted with an 8'' midrange/woofer and a ribbon tweeter that simply dazzles. I asked designer Jürgen Scheuring (above) to play »Can't Help Lovin' That Man« from the Ray Brown Trio's »Live at the Loa«. This was as close as I´ve come to calling something "sonically holographic". Airy, spacious, and detailed were just a few of the words that popped into my head while listening.

Soundstage (AV Tour /2003 / High End Frankfurt / Standout Room ASCENDO)

........ In Frankfurt they were mated with Ascendo's System Z loudspeakers. Known as a company that is keen to play most any type of music that showgoers want, the folks at Orpheus Labs slipped Ani DiFranco's new Evolve CD into their Zero transport. When we were seated dead-center in the sweet spot, the system produced a wall-to-wall soundstage, pinpoint imaging, and crystal-clear sound. Flawless? Pretty darn close.

stereotimes / April 2003 / USA

Publisher’s Choice! Award ASCENDO System Z (MKII) "Most Wanted" Component 2003

stereotimes / April 2003 / USA / Test System Z (MKII)

The ASCENDO System Z speaks the seldom-heard and often-misunderstood language that needs no interpreter. It is the language of the heart simply known as musicality.
A new reference

Greg Petan Testifies
"I'm in love, I'm all shook up!…" - Elvis Presley
A few months ago, Clement began singing the praises of the Ascendo System Z, like he was trying to reach the finals of "American Idol." While Clement has sounded the alarm on many other products in the past, there was a seriousness in his tone this time around, that let me know it was time to venture across the state border, from Manhattan to New Jersey, and put my ears to this new find that has been keeping him up nights.
Armed with a cache of reference CD's, we went to work. We began by listening to nearly the entire Cowboy Junkies' disc, "Lay It Down." Now, I have listened to this disc a thousand times and felt pretty confident that there were few, if any surprises left in this sonic and musical masterpiece. But never have I heard it like this. The System Z revealed such an enormous amount of spatial, textural and dynamic information, that it was as if hearing this music for the first time. The collective effect is one of slowing down the musical event in a way that allows the listener, at any given moment, to immerse one's self in the event on an intimate level. The System Z reveals information on a microscopic level, yet does so with a completely musical foundation. Disc after disc only served to confirmed my initial impression

Audio 11/2002 Die besten 25 Lautsprecher / System Z-S (MKI)

" Ein ungewöhnlicher Lautsprecher mit ungewöhnlich gutem Klang."

"ASCENDO System Z - Der Klangfarben-König: Die Truppe von ASCENDO geht mit ihrem System Z eigene und erfolgreiche Wege, wie der Audio-Test belegte. Dort hinterließ die ungewöhnliche Dreiwege-Bandpass-Konstruktion aus stabilem Holz und solidem Metallgerüst einen durch und durch glänzenden Eindruck. Insbesondere in der Mittenwiedergabe konnte das System locker mit den bekannten Platzhirschen konkurrieren, ja sie oft übertreffen. In den Basskeller stob die Box tief und mit gebührendem Nachdruck hinab. Hightech mit perfektem Klang."

Audio 7/00 Test: System Z (MKI)

"Unterschiede zwischen CD- und SACD-Spur brachte die Ascendo genauso deutlich ans Licht wie die Vor- und Nachteile von deutlich aufwendigeren gebauten CD-Spielern. Ein derart gutes Auflösungsvermögen....."