Reference Ultime Three
A gateway to sonic nirvana.

Invite a full symphony orchestra into your listening room, transform your house into a reverberating, organ-filled cathedral, or immerse yourself in the smoky atmosphere of a club with your favourite jazz singer just feet away.  The Reference Ultime Three supplies a musical experience of unrivalled power, clarity and intimacy.

The Reference Ultime Three first wowed audiophiles in 2014 where, surprisingly, it was the successor to the comparatively diminutive Alumine Two. This latter iconic speaker introduced a new concept in speaker design, that of marrying sonically inert aluminium cabinets with high-efficiency drivers and sophisticated crossovers. If this combination could revolutionise bookshelf speakers, could it do the same for the largest floorstanders? The answer was a resounding “yes”.

This is a speaker capable of producing a massive, cohesive soundstage and the full sonic spectrum of recorded music. Bass response goes down to an earth-tremoring 15 Hz providing the deepest lows whilst the 100 kHz top end provides bell-like clarity in the upper reaches of musical performance. As with all Stenheim speakers, the aim and the achieved result is to let the music speak for itself with all the immediacy, dynamism and excitement of the original performance. Despite their size, these are speakers that do not demand to be centre stage. They are simply the conduits to the most enthralling musical experience. Naturally, as a large floorstanding speaker, the Reference Ultime Three is designed for bigger spaces where it provides room-filling sound and where it can truly shine. But as a typical Stenheim product, it does not require massive power to drive it, being unnaturally efficient – all part of the Stenheim design brief. 

The Reference Ultime Three has a classic d’Appolito architecture with two bass drivers, two medium drivers, a tweeter and an offset ribbon super-tweeter. At the back of the speaker are two more rear-firing bass drivers and potentially, an optional rear-firing super-tweeter. The super-tweeters operate at an extremely high frequency which may be inaudible to the human ear, but they combine with the tweeter to produce a notably more detailed and authentic treble response.  

The purchaser of the Reference Ultime Three can decide between two versions, either a passive or an active crossover-equipped pair. The treble and midrange section of the crossover is housed within the speaker cabinet itself in a sealed enclosure behind those drivers, but the bass section is supplied in a separate external cabinet. Whilst the performance of both versions of the speaker is truly exceptional, the active crossover version releases a further 6dB in efficiency and adds a breathtaking clarity especially in the low frequencies. This version requires a second amplifier as bi-amping is a necessity, whilst the passive crossover option will make do with a single amp. The active crossover is housed in a CH Precision enclosure, though the electronic board is a Stenheim design. The passive crossover is supplied in two separate cabinets with a room control panel enabling several possible adjustments to fine tune the sound to a given room such as changing the MTM (Medium – Tweeter – Medium) gain by means of jumpers. 

Another option available is a motorised MTM section. Here the midrange drivers and tweeters are mounted in their own separate enclosure which can be remote controlled to orient itself through an arc of several degrees. The key advantage is that of set-up, where the Reference Ultime Threes can effectively be toed-in to provide the optimum sound. This is simpler than trying to move the imposing cabinets themselves for fine-tuning purposes.

These aluminium cabinets are works of art. Internally, they are heavily braced and contain six separate enclosures to isolate the various drivers from each other. They are also massively damped using three-layer damping pads that are also used in the award-winning Alumine Five. Externally they possess a classic elegance that derives in part from their Golden Ratio proportions.

The Reference Ultime Three is a truly remarkable speaker that draws on all the experience, expertise and craftsmanship of Stenheim to produce. It will allow the listener to completely re-experience his or her music collection, enabling hitherto hidden aspects of the original performance to come to light. It cannot fail to impress, enthral and delight. With a quality system behind it, this is a speaker that is truly a gateway to sonic nirvana.

Solid aluminium platform for
Reference Ultime Three 

Reference Platforms are designed to extract the very best from your Reference speakers, be they the Reference Ultime Two or the Reference Ultime Three. The platform provides additional height, adjustment and stability to Stenheim Reference speakers, with the end result being even better sound rendition.

Made from solid aluminium in a star configuration, the Platform creates a much larger footprint that provides greater stability to the loudspeakers. Each arm of the platform is supported by spike that can be height adjusted by means of a large knob on the top. These knobs require no tools to turn them and so it is very easy to adjust the spikes by hand in tiny increments to find the perfect set-up. Setting the precise height is very important to compensate for floor irregularities and the speakers can safely be adjusted for tilt fore and aft to obtain a perfect orientation and azimuth. The platform enables a significant range of adjustment, + or – 2.5cm (2 inches in total), ample for obtaining an optimum sound.

The Platform also makes it easy to switch from the wheels, which will allow an owner to find the best location for the speakers in the room, to the spikes which will provide the definitive coupling of the speakers to the ground. It is delivered with three different types of spike to accommodate different sorts of floor. In addition to standard spikes with their protective shoes, there are are long spikes which are designed to penetrate deep pile carpets, as well as steel domes to protect delicate floors. All provide excellent contact with the ground.

The Platform also provides increased mass which lowers the centre of gravity and improves the mechanical interface with the floor. This benefits the bass which is deeper and more detailed, as well as contributing to a bigger and more precise soundstage. The overall impression is that of an even more detailed sound where every nuance can be heard.

The Reference Platform is the perfect partner for Stenheim Reference loudspeakers and allows them to perform at their best.

Technical specifications

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