With the Plutonium-SQ components, Ground Zero wants to enter an area that can be described as “affordable
high-end.” With pair prices of 300 to 600 EUR for the speakers, you end up with 1,500 EUR in the case
of our three-way combo – perhaps unattainably expensive for average consumers but well within reach for
ambitious high-end buyers.
After Ground Zero went over the top with the ULTRA components (the two-way system costs about EUR 4,000) last year, they launched the „pursuer system“ under the Plutonium label. The Reference series doesn‘t count since it currently only features tweeters. The previous Plutonium-SQ system is now also almost ten years old, so action was needed. The result is an ensemble of speakers with a high-quality appearance. In our test, we have a three-way system with a 6.5″ woofer, an 8″ midrange speaker, and a tweeter. There are currently no passive crossovers, and we don‘t miss them because, in the digital age, a DSP takes over this job.
The three drivers are new developments and have nothing in common with their predecessors. Baskets, cones, motors, everything is new. The GZPT 28SQ tweeter is the most recognizable as a typical relative of other Ground Zero tweeters. This is simply because the people from Egmating have their distinctive style of tweeter construction. The GZPT 28SQ also relies on a large 28mm silk dome tweeter with a hand-applied coating. The tweeter is also the only one of the trio to be manufactured in Germany. The grille is held in place magnetically, making it easy to remove. The body is made of polished stainless steel and is very heavy and solid. The mounting depth is 35 millimeters, nine due to the terminal alone. The terminal is exceedingly stable and offers plenty of space for a shortcircuit-proof connection. Of course, the case houses a rear chamber connected to the volume under the dome via holes and fi lled with damping material.