Floor Loudspeaker Reviews

Estelon XB Diamond Mk.2 loudspeaker Associated Equipment

Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment

Analog sources: SME 30/12 turntable with V-12 tonearm and Ortofon Windfeld Ti cartridge.
Digital sources: Roon Nucleus +; Denafrips Avatar CD transport; CH Precision D1.5 transport, D1.2 DAC, T1 Clock, and X1 power supply; Synology DS918+ 4-bay Network Attached Storage device with 16TB; Melco S100 Network Switch.
Preamplification: Pass Labs XP-25 and Sutherland Big Loco prototype phono preamplifiers, Pass Labs XP-32 line preamplifier.
Power amplifiers: Pass Labs XA60.8 monoblocks.
Cables: Digital: AudioQuest Carbon & Cinnamon & Coffee, Comprehensive Connectivity DXLRP-DXLRJ-6EXF (all USB). Interconnect: Clarus Crimson (RCA, XLR). Speaker: Clarus Crimson.
Accessories: PS Audio Power Plant P10 power conditioner, Butcher Block Acoustics RigidRack equipment rack; HRS M2X2 isolation base and SXR amplifier stand; IsoAcoustics and Magico footers.—Jim Austin

COMPANY INFO
Alfred & Partners
US sales agent: Aldo Filippell
(630) 484-7577
estelon.com
ARTICLE CONTENTS

COMMENTS
MatthewT's picture
Submitted by MatthewT on October 20, 2022 - 12:25pm

Wish we had some locally to hear.

georgehifi's picture
Submitted by georgehifi on October 20, 2022 - 1:10pm

Then the severe roll-off of both Wilson and these in the upper treble after 10khz, like the tweeters have been zobel'ed as they did back in the bell rigger old days of tweeters

Cheers George

John Atkinson's picture
Submitted by John Atkinson on October 20, 2022 - 2:02pm
georgehifi wrote:
Then the severe roll-off of both Wilson and these in the upper treble after 10khz, like the tweeters have been zobel'ed as they did back in the bell rigger old days of tweeters

From the in-room measurements text: "The responses of [the Estelon and Wilson] speakers gently slope down above 5kHz due to their tweeters becoming more directional as the frequency increases and to the increased absorption by the room furnishings in the treble. (What you don't want to see with a spatially averaged in-room response is a flat treble output, which will sound excessively bright/shrill.)

John Atkinson
Technical Editor, Stereophile

Anton's picture
Submitted by Anton on October 20, 2022 - 3:12pm

I wonder if they have to send royalties to the KEF Muon?

They look like 60% of a Muon.

If these were in my budget, I'd lust after them, for sure.

georgehifi's picture
Submitted by georgehifi on October 20, 2022 - 3:58pm

Yet JA the $28k KEF Blade Two Meta you measured a couple of months back are almost flat out to 20khz. No mention of them being excessively bright/shill.
https://www.stereophile.com/images/822kef.KEFB2Mfig4.jpg

Cheers George

Kal Rubinson's picture
Submitted by Kal Rubinson on October 20, 2022 - 5:15pm

That graph for the Blade 2 Meta is a near-field "anechoic" measurement while that for the Estelon and Wilson is "a spatially averaged in-room response." The Blade will also show some of the same roll-off if measured under those conditions.

georgehifi's picture
Submitted by georgehifi on October 21, 2022 - 12:49am

"That graph for the Blade 2 Meta is a near-field "anechoic" measurement while that for the Estelon and Wilson is "a spatially"

We should have consistency in the way they are measured then, when these speakers are both measured just 2 months apart from each other but in different ways, all it serves to do is confuse matters to think there's something to hide or to confuse?

Cheers George

mieswall's picture
Submitted by mieswall on October 21, 2022 - 5:26am

I think measurements are consistent. In-room, spatially averaged measurements are done when loudspeakers are so big or heavy they can’t be measured in JA’s lab. Regarding the blades, you should compare them with the semi-anechoic measurements of these ones.

Anyway, it would be nice to have a detailed description about where in the room those averaged measurements were taken, distance to loudspeakers, room size, reflections and treatment, etc.

Kal Rubinson's picture
Submitted by Kal Rubinson on October 21, 2022 - 6:24am

There is consistency as the near-field "anechoic" measurement is always included and that appears as Fig.3 here for the Estelon.

Glotz's picture
Submitted by Glotz on October 20, 2022 - 10:26pm

The measurements parameters stated are oft-repeated throughout the decades of this publication.

MBMax's picture
Submitted by MBMax on October 20, 2022 - 11:27pm

they sound amazing. But just. So. Very. Ugly...

georgehifi's picture
Submitted by georgehifi on October 21, 2022 - 12:52am

Got that right, But I'll add butt before ugly.
They look like salt and pepper shakers maybe??

Cheers George

Anton's picture
Submitted by Anton on October 21, 2022 - 11:44am

https://dimg.dillards.com/is/image/DillardsZoom/zoom/nambe-kissing-salt--pepper-shaker-set/00466425_zi.jpg

I still like it, though!

David Harper's picture
Submitted by David Harper on October 21, 2022 - 4:35am

on the shortcomings of overpriced speakers. well done.

JHL's picture
Submitted by JHL on October 21, 2022 - 6:29am

...familiar with your drive-bys question if junior scientists could even begin to define over-priced in coherent terms. Of course, the same is probably true of coherent sound and probably even passable speakers, but we get the picture.

It's interesting - if numbingly boring - watching the junior scientist gang expel so much subjective, arbitrary, ignorant, and belief-based prose while at the same time exhibiting scant capacity for identifying better sound. You'd think that as a test of savviness and validity there'd be a linear relationship between walk and talk.

But there isn't. This being a bona fide high end publication, that latter at least should alert them. It won't either, but in a rational, civil world, it would. Listening with graph paper it is.

ChrisS's picture
Submitted by ChrisS on October 21, 2022 - 11:29am

https://www.parts-express.com/speaker-components/speaker-subwoofer-kits

Better now?

MhtLion's picture
Submitted by MhtLion on October 25, 2022 - 8:28am

Thanks for the effort and great writing technique. However, I personally do not find much value in this review. What's the point of any review without a proper comparison? Say you don't have a good basis to compare it to other speakers in the similar price range, then why don't you pass it to someone in your editorial team who has the right background? Sure, there are some value to be found on entirely subjective review. But, isn't that just as good as any review on Amazon. What makes this review 'professional'? You had or still have Alexe V. I understand Alexe is much more expensive, but only comparison you had is just casually mentioning a hotter mid-treble and that's it. The only other comparison you have is one sentence about quirky space things about Alta Audio and Audio Vector. My take on this review is either Estelon XB Diamond does not worth much if compared to other top players in the price range. Or, it was so good it put Alexe V to the shame.

JHL's picture
Submitted by JHL on October 21, 2022 - 12:15pm

...online buyer's guide not free enough for you? And if you were sorry for the offensive comment, why did you deposit it anyway?

MhtLion's picture
Submitted by MhtLion on October 21, 2022 - 12:52pm

I paid Stereophile magazine subscription for over 6 years. Does that give me a little more right to complain? When you like something enough, I think people are bound to make a criticism time to time. Like your favorite sports team. Do you pay for anything therefore you complain?

JHL's picture
Submitted by JHL on October 21, 2022 - 1:33pm

...will run comparison panel tests of all dozen and a half types of $50,000-$75,000 audio products for you.

And $10,000-$25,000 and $25,000-$50.000 and $75,000-$100,000, and...

ChrisS's picture
Submitted by ChrisS on October 25, 2022 - 9:07am

If you can afford the Alexe V or this Estelon, you don't need reviews.

Go listen for yourself.

georgehifi's picture
Submitted by georgehifi on October 21, 2022 - 4:32pm

https://dimg.dillards.com/is/image/DillardsZoom/zoom/nambe-kissing-salt-...

Cheers George

AnalogueFan's picture
Submitted by AnalogueFan on October 26, 2022 - 8:53pm

What great news!

hiendmmoe's picture
Submitted by hiendmmoe on January 16, 2023 - 5:35pm

Though they sound incredible and are visually stunning their cabinet material is prone to chipping.
I was helping a local dealer fit his with their spikes and when we tilted the speaker to the side the edge of one slightly nicked the floor causing a nice size chunk to chip off. I was alarmed more than he was that a $85,000. Speaker could be damaged so easily.

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