The Estelon speaker brand from Estonia has not been established for a long time, but it has conquered countless audio enthusiasts with its unique beauty and beautiful sound. In 2010, Alfred Vassilkov, a well-known speaker designer and father, proposed the idea of establishing his own brand, and then the birth of Estelon speakers attracted countless people (especially beautiful appearance and sound), and 3 years after the brand was established, Estelon's flagship model The Extreme was officially born, and the new speaker design concept that broke through the traditional model attracted worldwide attention and made Estelon a world-class innovator, winning the 2015 CES Best Innovation Award for its perfect appearance and adjustable mid-high range. . Later, the YB small floor-standing loudspeaker for small spaces won the red dot design award . At present, Estelon has become a world-renowned speaker manufacturer, providing Hi-End-level sound in nearly 30 countries/regions around the world. Speaker products and services. Despite the impact of the global epidemic in the past two years, the vitality of Estelon manufacturers and the pursuit of design and bel canto have not stopped.
2020 happens to be the tenth anniversary of the Estelon brand. To celebrate this milestone, the manufacturer released the Forza Anniversary Edition speaker as scheduled. At the same time, our agency conducted remote interviews with the principals and key personnel of Estelon at the invitation of the agent. Through this interview, I feel that this young brand is on the rise. This time, there is good news again from Estelon. It has upgraded its XB floor-standing speakers. It can be said that Estelon has undergone the accumulation of 10 years of technical experience and has revised the version. The upgraded model is XB MKII.Mr. Alfred Vassilkov, founder and designer of
Estelon, is considering improving and upgrading the Classic series that has been launched for some time. He applied the research and development results of the flagship series to the new classic series, so that the sound reproduction can reach a higher level and a more moderate level. Sexual, more natural, balanced and linear performance. As can be seen from the official website, Estelon's Classic series currently includes XDiamond, XB/XB Diamond, XC/XCDiamond and YB speakers, all of which have been upgraded to MKII version , and the above-mentioned XB MKII came into being. According to the introduction of the official website, the second generation XB is basically the same as the first generation in appearance, the difference is that newer technology is applied in it, all ceramic units are upgraded to black version, the internal frequency divider , connecting wire , foot pegs and terminal blocks have been improved, and these improvements are carried out with the principle of prudence and moderation, which will bring a new listening experience to the listener.
Before introducing the second-generation XB MKII, let's review the classic XB speaker. This acclaimed speaker is the first XA speaker from Estelon, which is designed to allow friends with limited listening space to get such a beautiful sound. The speaker product launched, some people think it is a scaled down version of the XA. Many friends will feel that the XB retains the broad sound field and imaging of the XA, while also showing a deep sound field depth and a sense of life. The unit is equipped with an 8.7-inch Accuton ceramic sandwich bass unit, a 6.25-inch Accuton ceramic diaphragm midrange, and a 1-inch Accuton ceramic tweeter. The internal wiring adopts Kubala-Sosna, and the exterior is treated with high-grade automotive paint. The manufacturer recommends that the XB match the listening environment of 20-50 square meters. Once it is launched, it has attracted the favor of many home players. The XB Diamond version upgrades the Accuton ceramic tweeter to an Accuton diamond tweeter on the basis of the XB.This time, the upgrade of the new XB MKII will be improved in the details, which can be described as a new breakthrough of the old series and products. The details of
are that the devil
compares it with the first generation through XB MKII. Many details have been upgraded. Let me introduce to you below. The
manufacturer said that the design of the second-generation XB MKII basically continued the architecture of the first-generation XB, not only the cabinet with exquisite curves and concave-convex shapes designed to avoid standing waves in the cabinet (and the visual appearance is very beautiful), but also Equipped with 220mm (8.7 inches) Accuton ceramic woofer and 158mm (6.25 inches) Accuton ceramic sandwich diaphragm woofer, the tweeter is 25mm (1 inch) Accuton ceramic tweeter. The second-generation MKII version of the XB uses a new black version of the Accuton ceramic unit, while the Accuton ceramic unit used in the first-generation XB is white, which can be used to identify the difference between the old and new versions. Thanks to the new Accuton black ceramic unit, the sound performance is even better. For those who are looking for it, XBMKII is also available in Diamond version, the treble is upgraded to Accuton Diamond, and the frequency response is doubled compared to the XB MKII high frequency extension.
Due to the upgrade of the unit, the original factory has redesigned the divider. For example, the use of better Mundorf gold and silver oil-immersed capacitors, Duelund graphite resistors, and oxygen-free copper coils makes the speaker's dynamics wider and the sound more transparent. The internal wire uses the pure copper wire newly developed by Kubala-Sosna, which shows more details of the sound, and the tone and will be better and richer. The speaker terminals are replaced by Furutech products, which are stable in connection and easy to operate. The bottom uses its own designed foot pegs, which can provide more matching adjustment and stability, and reduce the return of external vibration.
uses a full set of Audio Research to drive
, and is paired with the famous American Audio Research amplifier . This brand has a production history of 50 years, and it can be called the audio company with the longest continuous production time in the United States. The founder of the Audio Research brand is William Z. Johnson. Mr. Johnson designed electronic audio equipment by himself as early as the 1950s. When he founded the Audio Research brand, analog vinyl turntables were in full swing. Later, the audio industry turned to transistor amplification. After the method, he still insists on the tube enlargement method for decades. But no matter how the world changes, tube amplifiers still have many players and markets around the world, and the characteristics of tube simulation are accepted and affirmed by more and more friends. Today, Mr. Johnson is regarded by many in the audio industry as the founder of the entire "Hi-End" audio concept.
Audio Research's classic Reference (reference series) CD9 SE CD player/digital-analog decoder (top) and Reference 6SE tube preamp (bottom)
The audio source used this time is the classic Reference (reference series) CD9 SE CD player / digital-analog decoder, the biggest selling point is that traditional CD players have advanced digital input and output interfaces, so it has independent decoding and digital turntable functions. The front stage is the Reference 6SE tube pre-amplifier, which is upgraded from the internationally renowned Reference 6. By improving the internal components and lines, the signal transmission can achieve higher resolution, greater transparency and more delicate Natural sound quality .The final matched power stage is the Reference 160M tube mono power amplifier, the driver tube uses two 6H30, the amplifier output tube uses four KT150, and the output power reaches 140W per channel. Speakers are enough!
Beautiful sound and broad sound field
The electronic tube amplifier has always been the dream of many enthusiasts, largely because the electronic tube can create a unique rich analog sound quality, the sound is warm and durable, the sound quality is full and rich, and the music lines are smooth and dense, especially in the This unique sense of facsimile can be best expressed when listening to vocal tracks. For example, Liu Jiajia's "Water Flows All Beings" played on the scene, although the original song is singer Li Jian , but Liu Jiajia's interpretation can easily show a kind of ink painting depicting the beautiful scenery of mountains and rivers under the restoration of this collocation system. The vocals presented by the Estelon XB MKII are delicate, transparent and without diaphragms. The XBMKII benefits from the combination of a full set of Audio Research, which makes the sound full and smooth, which matches Liu Jiajia's sound very well, making it durable and durable. Liu Jiajia's singing conveys the sigh of life, the memory of first love and the perception of life, every trace of emotional expression is fully presented in this set of system collocation.
In terms of vocal positioning, because the listening room is relatively large, Estelon XB MKII can increase the horizontal distance of the placement. As long as the Toein is appropriate, a good vocal cohesion effect can be achieved. And because of the large space, the sound energy of XB MKII can fill the whole space at a relatively low level, and can easily create a broad stage effect, which is illustrated in the jazz and cello recordings.
uses Audio Research Reference 160M
jazz full-fledged, full of low-frequency tension.
matched with Reference 160M tube mono output power is only 140W, but it is not difficult to drive XB MKII, at least in such a large space "The Most Beautiful Violin. "Spread", XB MKII fully displayed the aftertaste of the cello resonance and the toughness of the low frequency.
"The Sound of Three Blind Mice", this album has high praise in the hearts of fans and music fans. The recording used a high level of professionalism. There are still many players and professional users as the test album. In XB MKII Under the interpretation of jazz has a strong sense of fusion and coherence. The timbre of the instruments feels real and natural, the quality of the mid-low frequency is solid, the overall musicality and diving are pleasing, and the performance of each instrument is full of energy. The sound field and separation are also excellent, and the image is clear. Basically all aspects are considered and thoughtful, and the overall quality is quite high.
Crystal clear, full and weighty
Finally, the "Lang Lang Beethoven Piano Concerto" is playing. During the replay, although the volume is not high, the crystal clear texture of the piano can still be clearly tasted in the XB MKII. Turn up the volume slightly, Rich details are displayed, the aftertaste of the piano is curled, and the texture is charming. When Audio Research drives the XB MKII speakers, the sense of hearing is familiar and easy to control, which is enough for small space home players. The sound of the whole system is excellent even when playing classical music categories, and the orchestral category music shows a golden luster and enthusiasm.
Summary
The second-generation XB MKII has been upgraded to a certain extent in the beautiful form of XB's success, and replaced the previous old products. Even in the face of the epidemic situation, Estelon still continues to develop. For those who want to continue to improve in terms of analysis and penetration, players can also choose the diamond version of the XB Diamond MKII, which may be your pursuit. If there is a chance to compare the two, then I will introduce the difference in hearing to you.
Technical parameters:
Type: 3-way passive bass reflex speaker
Unit: 220mm (8.7 inches) Accuton ceramic sandwich soft bass unit Response: 22-30000Hz
Rated power: 150W
Minimum driving power: 30W
Impedance : 6Ω
Sensitivity: 87dB/2,83V
Cabinet material: Marble-based composite material
Internal wiring: Kubala-Sosna pure copper wire
Dimensions (HWD): 1260 ×420×590mm
Weight: 69kg/pcs
Matching room area: 25-50㎡
Thank you for reading!
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