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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3. UNPACKING INSTRUCTIONS
Your Estelon loudspeakers come packaged individually in 2 separate
flight cases –we strongly recommend keeping these cases for
possible future use / transport. Due to the substantial weight and
slippery surface of the loudspeakers we suggest that two persons
assist in the unpacking and positioning of them for listening.
Contents of the two flight cases:
-2 loudspeakers
-2 sets of spikes (8 pieces)
-1 user’s manual
-2 pairs of gloves
-1 polishing cloth
-1 impregnated polishing cloth (supplied only with liquid
gloss finish)
For unpacking, please follow the instructions described below and
as shown in the drawings:
1. Unlock / Open all six locks on the flight case cover. This
should only be done with the speaker / flight case in a
horizontal position.
2. Carefully lift the cover off the flight case and put it aside.
3. Remove the foam plate from under the speaker bottom as
shown in drawing 3.
4. Gently, lift the flight case, with the speaker, as shown in
drawing 4 and elevating it to a vertical position as shown in
drawing 5.
5. Now in an upright position, please support the speaker,
open the safety belt and slowly roll the speaker out of the
case.
6. At this time, please put on the gloves that you find included
in the case. Now, with the speaker upright and out of the
flight case, carefully remove the cloth bag from the
speaker and roll it to the desired position in your room. We
recommend keeping the speakers on wheels during the

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initial set-up. Once the final position has been located, it is
time to replace the transport wheels with the enclosed
spikes. Doing one side at a time, carefully tilt the speaker
to one side and replace the wheels with the enclosed
spikes. Please retain the wheels, once removed, in the
event that repackaging is required.

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4. SET-UP
4.1. Initial positioning in the room
Model XA - Suggested room size 25-60 m2.
When positioning the speakers in your room, if possible, it is
desirable to allow for “free” space around the speakers so as to
assist in minimizing sound reflections from walls, furniture etc. This
will help in achieving correct tonality, realistic imaging, focus and
dynamics. The recommended minimum distance between the
speaker and the nearest reflection point is 1.2 m (3.6 ft).
A “smooth”back wall will minimize imaging distortions. The
distance between the back wall and the speaker should not be less
than 0.6 m (1.8 ft), the distance from the tweeter to the back and
side walls must not be too similar.
Listening point: the distance between your ears and the floor should
be approx. 1 m (3 ft), while the distance between the listener and
the speakers should be similar to the distance between the two
speakers.
The positioning of the speakers in the room must be symmetrical
for achieving a balanced sound stage –this is very important in a
narrow room. Expect the distance between the speakers to be
approximately 2.5 - 5 m, depending on the size of the room and its
reverberation characteristics.
The recommended speaker’s direction is approximately 7°, off axis,
towards the listening position.

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4.2. Wiring
When connecting the speaker to the amplifier please make sure
that the amplifier is in an off position.
Connect the speaker cable to the pole terminal on the back of the
speaker: speaker terminal „+“with the amplifier terminal „+“and „-
“with „-“.
For signal flow, please follow the direction marked on the cable or
in the cable manufacturer’s instruction. Typically, the signal flow
will be in the same direction as the labeling / writing on the cable.
4.3. Break-in period
Although your Estelon speakers had an initial break-in at the
factory, due to shipping conditions - pressure/temperature changes
that they may have incurred, the speakers will need to go through
an additional break-in process before their final set-up.
All the mechanical and electrical connections will stabilize naturally
after playing a continuous music signal for approx. 24 hrs –e.g. use
a digital source in the repeat mode. After the initial break-in period
you can start setting-up the sound according to the
recommendations from Alfred Vassilkov.
Please note that the speakers will have reached their optimum level
of performance after playing in your system for 300-400 hrs.
4.4. Recommendations from Alfred Vassilkov for the set-
up
The set-up of the sound consists of the balancing of many different
parameters: tonality, bass accuracy, focus, stage imaging, deepness
etc. This process is time consuming and depends on the listener’s

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experience or the qualification of the set-up specialist. Proper set-
up will maximize your Estelons’ performance.
During the final set-up small changes may be made to the initial
chosen position, e.g. moving the speakers 10 cm towards the front
wall, then maybe a little bit inward and outward. Please evaluate
the sound carefully every time you make a small change in the
positioning. Then continue, making smaller changes in the
positioning and evaluate again, until the proper position with a
balanced, natural sound is found. We suggest that you test, listen,
with different music styles so as to avoid specific accents.
When changing the position of your speakers please keep in mind
that:
-Close proximity to the back wall and corners will reinforce,
enhance, the bass performance.
-A shorter distance between the two speakers, will create a
better focus and deeper imaging, but will at the same time
reduce the sound width.
-Pointing the speakers inward minimizes reflections from
the side walls but has an impact on the imaging.
Once you have located the proper position replace the wheels with
the spikes included in the case. You can adjust the angle, phase of
the speaker to the listening point by changing the height of the
spikes –rear.
For critical listening, please allow 30-60 minutes for the system to
stabilize, each time you play the speakers.
When played at excessive volume, you stand the risk of doing
damage to the drivers.

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5. Taking care of your Estelon speakers
The multicoated finishes applied to Estelon speakers are considered
to be amongst the most advanced automotive finishes available.
They are extremely strong and durable. In order to assist you in
maintaining their stunning appearance, your Estelon loudspeakers
come supplied, from the factory, with special cleaning / polishing
cloths. Please take note - only dry cleaning is allowed - do not wash
the speakers.
When the nature of a smudge / spot so necessitates, a soft moist
cloth may be used to gently liquefy / remove smudges prior to a
final finishing with the special cloths which accompany the
speakers.
For the Liquid Gloss finish, please use only the polishing cloth
included in the flight case. Be careful not to apply the polish to the
loudspeaker drivers. The use of other materials can damage, scratch
or destroy the finish.
More detailed information regarding the polishing clothes and
information for obtaining additional product:
For the Liquid Gloss finish only:
DuPont™ Sontara® Polish Cloth impregnated with Krytox®
Silicone-free
Impregnated with DuPont™ Krytox®, a high performance polish that
gives a long-lasting shine and extra protection to paintwork
No additional wax or polish required.
For all finishes:
3M Perfect-it™ III High Performance Polishing Cloth
Item # 50486
Or other 3M Microfiber cloths
For additional information and guidance regarding cleaning /
polishing materials, please contact your dealer or distributor.

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6. ESTELON / ALFRED & PARTNERS - Technical
Services
Alfred & Partners OÜ Five Year Limited Warranty
Terms and Conditions
1. Limited Warranty - All ESTELON products purchased from
authorized ESTELON dealers are covered by a limited 5-year non-
transferrable warranty granted by Alfred & Partners OÜ. This
warranty includes all parts and labour charges as well as return-
shipping charges (product owner is responsible for all shipping and
insurance charges one-way to the ESTELON repair facility or
ESTELON factory approved repair facility).
Upon receipt of an online registration Alfred & Partners OÜ
warrants the purchased product to be free from manufacturing,
materials, and workmanship defects for five years from the date of
original purchase, subject to the following conditions. Failure to
register the ESTELON product within 30 days from original
purchase will result in a warranty period of 90 days from the date
of purchase.
Customers should consult with their original ESTELON dealer or
distributor for possible alternate repair instructions prior to
contacting the ESTELON factory. Other ESTELON dealers or
distributors may refuse from assisting the Customer under the
limited warranty. BUT under any and all circumstances customers
are welcome to contact our sales department, listed on our web site
www.estelon.com, for service assistance.
This limited warranty is valid only in the country where the product
was originally purchased. If the repair request that is covered under
this warranty comes from another country then Alfred & Partners
OÜ may request the Customer to compensate to Alfred & Partners
OÜ additional costs arising from providing this limited warranty in
another country than the country of original purchase.

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This limited warranty shall not affect the statutory rights of the
Customer.
2. Limited to Original Purchaser - This warranty is for the sole
benefit of the original purchaser of the covered product, and may
not be transferred to a subsequent purchaser of the product.
3. Conditions and Limitations - This warranty is subject to
certain conditions and limitations, as follows. This warranty is void
and inapplicable if the product has not been used in accordance
with the instructions found elsewhere in the owner’s manual, or if it
has been misused or abused, damaged by accident or neglect, or in
transport once in possession of the purchaser. The warranty is also
deemed void if the product has been repaired, modified, or
tampered with by anyone other than Alfred & Partners OÜ or its
specifically authorized agents. Please Note –if the fasteners to the
cover of the crossover area, those covered with multi coloured
specialty epoxy seal, have been tampered with / the epoxy removed
–the warranty will considered to be void.
This warranty does not cover defects due to accidents or similar
causes arising after the risk for the product has passed to Customer,
or normal deterioration, wear and tear.
4. Remedy - If this product contains a materials,
manufacturing, or workmanship defect that cannot be repaired at
the dealership where the product was purchased, it must be packed
in original packaging and returned to Alfred & Partners OÜ via
insured freight, at the owner’s expense. If replacement packaging
materials are required, they may be purchased from the factory at a
charge. Returned products must be accompanied by a written
description of the defect, and a return authorization number
(available from the factory via phone or email).

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Upon receipt of defective product, Alfred & Partners OÜ agrees to
repair the product without charge for parts or labour. The product
will then be returned via prepaid, insured freight, with carrier at the
sole determination of Alfred & Partners OÜ. This constitutes the
purchasers sole remedy.
Alfred & Partners OÜ undertakes during the warranty period to the
exclusion of any other remedy to repair or replace the part of the
product, which the examination by Alfred & Partners OÜ shows to
have been defective. Warranty period for repaired or replaced parts
shall not exceed the original warranty period and shall terminate
along with the original warranty. The term of the original warranty
shall not be extended by the duration of any warranty repairs.
5. Design Changes - ESTELON reserves the right to modify its
products or change specifications at any time without obligation or
liability to previous purchasers.
6. Miscellaneous - This warranty does not extend to any
incidental or consequential costs or damages to the purchaser. This
warranty gives you specific legal rights. You may also have other
rights which vary from country to country.
Instructions for Obtaining Repair Service
1. Complete the Return Authorization Request Form –available
online at estelon.com/support.
2. Upon clicking the 'Submit' button on the Return Authorization
Form, the ESTELON factory will review it for completeness and
return an e-mail to you with an RA number when required (please
allow 2-5 days for a return e-mail).
3. Crate and / or package the product in its ORIGINAL FLIGHT CASE
CONTAINERS ONLY, according to the instructions included in the
return e-mail, and ship the product to the shipping address included
in the e-mail. The owner is responsible for paying the shipping and