Estelon XA User manual
from Alfred & Partners
Designed
by Alfred Vassilkov
___________________
Model: Estelon XA Serial Number _________________
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Your ESTELON loudspeakers have passed our quality control:
-Technical test passed.
Harry Jürgenson
Engineer,
Alfred & Partners
-Listening test passed.
Alfred Vassilkov
Head of Research and Development,
Alfred & Partners
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Table of Contents
1. Intoduction.......................................................................4
1.1. Alfred & Partners......................................................4
1.2. Estelon XA.................................................................6
2. Specifications....................................................................9
3. Unpacking Instructions.......................................................11
4. Set-up .............................................................................14
4.1. Initial positioning in the room................................14
4.2. Wiring .....................................................................15
4.3. Break-in period.......................................................15
4.4. Recommendations from Alfred Vassilkov ..............15
5. Taking care of your Estelon speakers.............................17
6. Warranty - Technical Services ........................................18
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1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. Alfred & Partners
Alfred & Partners, the Tallinn based design studio and think tank, is
not simply a business but a dedication, a dedication to a single,
heartfelt idea - the production of Instruments, Sound Diffusers,
Sculptures - capable of unveiling the rich, emotional tapestry of
music in a personally involving way.
For more than 25 years, the designer and founder, Alfred Vassilkov,
has been designing loudspeakers - achieving success both in design
and patents - with developed products, in Europe. A decision was
made - that to establish his own brand based on his gathered
experience and knowledge.
The designer and founder, Alfred Vassilkov
Such dedication carries with it the implicit responsibility of a wholly
uncompromising approach to audio design. Pride of craftsmanship
shares equal footing with sonic innovation. Their visionary
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achievements, their quest for musical truth, continuously pushing
the envelope - the result is a product line that offers unrivalled
musical revelation packaged in designs of unparalleled beauty.
More importantly, we hope that their efforts can, in some small
way, offer a key that assists listeners in unlocking the vast structure
of emotion that is - music.
-- -
For Estelon, the new brand, the visionary development started in
2006 when Alfred started to analyze materials and technologies for
producing cabinets with streamlined shapes that could not only
reproduce the best sound but also assimilate into an interior, with
their elegant “sculpture” look. Years of work had led him to a
proprietary, crushed marble based composite. The material having
excellent stiffness and damping factors, as well as technical features
that allowed for the creation of cabinets with a design that
enhances the sound reproduction capability of the system as a
whole.
The special E-lon shape of the loudspeaker creates ideal conditions
for sound reproduction. Its rounded form excludes corner
reflections. A narrowing of the tweeter area - the front panel
sculpted - to achieve 0 phase at the listening point, while its larger
radiuses maintain their excellent influences on the direction
diagram. The cabinet becomes wider and deeper at its base for
both stability and to allow for the volume required for effective low
frequency reproduction.
Finally, every loudspeaker produced must pass Alfred & Partners
extreme level of quality control - each pair of loudspeakers is
assembled, tuned and then listened to individually. AND lastly, all
the products are handmade in Estonia, to their exacting standards.
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1.2. Estelon XA
The Estelon XA is both Alfred Vassilkov’s first tribute to the Estelon
brand and the birth of a new approach to loudspeaker design. Chief
among the physical design elements is the use of the E-lon cabinet
form, having been developed and honed over a five year period - its
design and construction allow it to easily couple with even difficult
room acoustics.
The XA is far more than simply speaker drivers in a cabinet. It is a
genuine musical instrument in its own right. One that, when
carefully integrated into system and room, is capable of connecting
the listener to music in a most profound way. Everything expressed
naturally and simply with balance, order and measure. It possessed
an eminently musical temperament that is immediately evident
upon your first and each subsequent listening experience.
Many years have passed since the genesis of the Estelon project and
much has been learned during this visionary period - embodying all
the visionary achievements - the roots and the choices that have
evolved into the Estelon sound. With the XA, the most beloved
element of Estelon products has been reaffirmed: Simplicity. The
“minimal” electrical second order crossovers, the raffinated mix of
other elements as drivers and acoustic enclosure, has allowed
Estelon to find again, trusted and confirmed qualities, a
rediscovering and refinement of old but never obsolete design
principles, technological principles that are the true expression of
Estelon’s sonic esthetics.
Cabinet Design - The Estelon XA integrates many lessons learned
from Alfred Vassilkov’s more than 25 years designing loudspeakers.
The E-lon shape, choices of material and time-honored construction
techniques - a special casting process, the use of a proprietary
marble based composite and the extensive use of sub-structural
stiffening spars breaks up resonance nodes and creates an internal
acoustic chamber of non-parallel sidewalls that is all but immune to
unwanted standing waves that can cause a colored sound. During
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the final hand-assembly process each speaker is individually tuned
to maintain uniformity from unit to unit. Unusual in its defined
form, the results of this cabinet construction allows it to be easily
couple with even difficult room acoustics - allowing bass to roll
effortlessly into the listening space. Here, the form is more tightly
tailored and the reduction in overall scale works to its advantage
allowing it to be easily integrated into a variety of listening spaces.
Transducers - The drive units employed are the highest expression
of transducer design. The 280 mm German made Accuton bass
driver uses a special ultra stiff ceramic - sandwich dome, with an
FEA optimized underhung motor design with 55 mm titanium voice
coil the former guarantees very low energy storage and good heat
transfer. The mid-bass unit, from Accuton, is a sophisticated design
with particular attention paid to the titanium voice coil former and
the surrounding air gap to provide maximum freedom from
dynamic compression in conjunction the use of a special ultra stiff
ceramic dome - valued for its midrange neutrality, is mated to its
own acoustic enclosure. All moving elements of the driver are
ventilated for “resonance free” response. This unique technology
allows the Estelon XA to produce bass and dynamics that belie the
size of the loudspeaker enclosure. The 30 mm high frequency driver
has ultra hard ceramic dome. Anti-resonant cutout fills in the
ceramic dome provide for damping of the dome resonance. A
neodymium overhung motor design with vented aluminium voice
coil former guarantees low energy storage and excellent heat
transfer. The soft fabric surround and ferrofluid with high viscosity
center the moving parts with distinctive linearity. Each drive unit is
“broken in” by running signal through them for several hours before
being fitted into the cabinet, and finally the speakers’ individual
tuning.
Crossover - A “minimalist design” 2nd order crossover is used
mainly for the natural sound such a design affords. All component
parts used are of the highest quality and were chosen through
extensive listening tests based on subjective musicality - Mii Teflon
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hybrid capacitors and inductors, Kubala-Sosna internal wiring.
Often, seemingly minor changes greatly affected the final sound!
Such attention to detail is readily apparent upon first hearing - the
result - a totally coherent signal path, a claim proved out based
from extensive A/B listening.
Finish - Just as in the making of a great musical instrument, the
finish has a profound effect on the final sound! After casting, the
proprietary marble based composite is allowed to age, prior to the
application of a multi layer internal resonance compound. Only
after this time consuming process does the preparation of the
surface of the cabinet commence. Manual labor -hand sanding and
sealing, layer upon layer, applied using an elaborate and time-
consuming procedure. And finally the multiple coats of the lacquer
finish is applied - hand sanding accompanying each finishing coat.
Final polishing - to a mirror-like finish, again, is done by hand. The
Estelon XA is offered in a choice of liquid gloss or matte finishes.
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2. SPECIFICATIONS
Woofer: 11“Accuton, ceramic sandwich dome
Mid Woofer: 7“Accuton, ceramic sandwich dome
Tweeter: 1.2“Accuton, ceramic inverted dome
Internal Wiring: Kubala-Sosna
Frequency Response: 25-28 000 Hz
Power Rating: 200 W
Min. Amplification Power: 20 W
Nominal Impedance: 6 ohms (min 3.5 ohms at 60 Hz)
Sensitivity: 89 db/2.83 V
Height: 1370 mm (54”)
Width: 450 mm (18”)
Depth: 640 mm (25”)
Net Weight: 85 kg per piece (187 lbs)
Shipping Weight: 130 kg per piece (286 lbs)
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Dimensions in Millimeters:
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