I am sad. It’s true that I wear my heart on my sleeve, and that’s why I never play poker. So I walked into the Estelon room and saw the brand new Estelon X Diamond Signature Edition speakers. From a distance, they immediately evoked the XB Mk II speakers that spent several months in my listening room. That’s what made me sad, because I’ve never been so unhappy when a product left my house.
The XBs filled my house with music in a way that no speaker before it had ever done. Rich, warm sound that could bite into my heart when appropriate. They were so full of emotion that they made me cry on more than one occasion.
The X Diamond Signature Edition, which is limited to 20 pairs, retails for Є98,000/pair (including VAT). It’s a larger speaker than the XB, its 11″ woofer upping the quantity and quality of the low end compared to the smaller speaker’s 8.7″ woofer. There are several differences between the X Diamond and this new Signature Edition. Internal wiring is Level 3 Kubala-Sosna, and the connector system is new and made in-house. The crossover is massively upgraded, and the spikes are made by Stillpoints. From a visual perspective, the drivers are seamlessly mounted without screws, and the lacquer is now a stunning metallic blue finish. It’s so very subtle, this finish—like a galaxy of stars light-years deep. From a distance, it’s so dark that it appears black. Walk up to the speaker, though, and the finish opens up and makes you want to fall into it.
As with the standard X Diamond, the driver complement includes that 11” woofer I mentioned above and a 7″ ceramic-sandwich midrange, both from Accuton, and a diamond tweeter.
Off to the side were four Auras, Estelon’s smallest speaker. Until recently, the Aura was available only in matte white. Here, the Auras were displayed in other finishes. The juicy names—Horizon Blue, Starlight, Amber Elegance, and Iron Grey—were entirely appropriate. My choice would be Amber Elegance, which is similar to KTM Orange (my favorite color), but just a bit more ocher. Depending on your choice, the gloss colors add between €2500 and €4550 to the cost of a pair of Auras. Amber Elegance, my choice, is of course the most expensive.
Lots of cool music here. I got slamming but civilized techno followed by smooth jazz with a soundstage a mile deep. The music source was a curated hard drive, which was a bit of a theme here at High End 2024. Unfortunately, that meant I couldn’t hear any of my favorites. I guess that makes sense, as asking to hear the Tragically Hip on speakers that are pure distilled art would be like asking the Queen of England to slam down in a mosh pit.
Stop the presses! On day two, the Estelon folks had got Tidal up and running, so back we went. This Canadian boy did a naughty thing and got them to play “Courage” from Fully Completely, the Tragically Hip’s best album. It’s not an audiophile record, but I know it well. Via the Estelons and this kick-ass system, the music rang out with clarity and depth, especially when I moved to the sweetest spot right at the front. These speakers elicited the same emotions I felt at home through the XBs. But here, there was much deeper bass, and the top end was noticeably clearer and more extended.
Nobody likes to have music inflicted on them, so I kept my request to one song. Matt Bonaccio slid in a request also, a much more civilized track by Lyle Lovett. Here, the Estelons shone. Extremely deep, real-world bass filled the room, with silky highs and a rich, expressive midrange. These speakers exude power, grace, and peace.
There was a whole bunch of top-notch equipment in this room. A Pilium Audio Alexander preamp fed a pair of MSB M500 power amplifiers. The source was a dCS Vivaldi Apex DAC receiving signals from an Aurender N30SA streamer and Aurender MC20 clock. All cables were from Crystal Cable, the Dutch company bringing its pro game—Van Gogh speaker cables and interconnects featured prominently.
When I left the room, near the end of the first day of High End 2024, that feeling of sadness, of loss, had left me. Listening to the Estelon X Diamond Signature Edition speakers refreshed me.
Jason Thorpe
Senior Editor, SoundStage!
