- Title: Estonian family business is in pursuit of the perfect speaker design
- Date: 20th June 2017
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Estonian) ESTELON FOUNDER AND CHIEF DESIGNER, ALFRED VASSILKOV, SAYING: "The thing is that sound is just acoustic waves, air pressure changing with specific frequency and amplitude, but that's not enough to make music. Because a person picks up signals with their ear and sends them to the brain and the brain processes them and eventually they turns into feelings - a person feels something and understands something. It brings out an emotion. That is the process that can't be replaced with physical measurements." OLD SPEAKERS MADE IN SOVIET ESTONIA VASSILKOV'S SPEAKER, WHICH HE DEVELOPED IN 1984 (SOUNDBITE) (Estonian) ESTELON FOUNDER AND CHIEF DESIGNER, ALFRED VASSILKOV, SAYING: "The key to good sound is buried very deep, it's very hard to even explain how it is done. It is even hard for specialists to explain. One example if we take this flagship speaker Extreme and someone asks how long did it take to create this speaker then I would say about 30 years. It means that all of the experience that has been gathered in that time has been put in to developing this model." ESTELON FACTORY WORKSHOP WITH SPEAKERS MADE FOR CAR MAKER FOR ROLLS-ROYCE BEING ASSEMBLED VASSILKOV WALKING IN TECHNICIAN INSTALLING CABLES VARIOUS OF VASSILKOV OBSERVING ASSEMBLY VARIOUS OF SPEAKERS (SOUNDBITE) (ESTONIAN) ESTELON FOUNDER AND CHIEF DESIGNER, ALFRED VASSILKOV, SAYING: "The difference is that we bring the concert to your home. For example, our demonstrations have ended in an applause, because people forget the sound is coming from speakers, they feel like they're at an actual concert and they get the same emotion." VARIOUS OF SPEAKER CABINETS IN WORKSHOP VARIOUS OF WORKSHOP TECHNICIANS PACKING ESTELON LYNX SPEAKER IN BOX SIGN READING "FRAGILE" ON BOX 25 (SOUNDBITE) (ESTONIAN) ESTELON CO-FOUNDER AND CEO, ALISSA VASSILKOVA, SAYING: "We decided to found Estelon in 2010. It was a joint decision made at the breakfast table. We decided that me and my sister Kristiina, we should support our father. Father of course has a degree in electro-acoustics and me and my sister both have a background and degrees in business management. Actually, let's be honest, when we started this company, we didn't really know what was ahead. We were young and bold and we believed that we can do this". VASSILKOV WALKING INTO FACTORY OFFICE VARIOUS OF VASSILKOV AND HIS DAUGHTERS ALISSA AND KRISTIINA IN OFFICE ESTELON LOGO IN VASSILKOV'S HAND
- Embargoed: 4th July 2017 21:59
- Keywords: loudspeaker sound engineer acustic waves Estelon
- Location: TALLIN, ESTONIA
- City: TALLIN, ESTONIA
- Country: Estonia
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment,Music
- Reuters ID: LVA0066M31D89
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Estonian sound engineer Alfred Vassilkov has worked more than 30 years to create the best sound system in the world and now he feels he fulfilled this ambition.
Loudspeakers created by his family-run company Estelon have gained wide acknowledgement in audiophile circles and have received a range of awards in international exhibitions.
Vassilkov researched sound for the best part of his life and still keeps his first speaker made in 1984 in Soviet Estonia in his workshop.
Working in the cellar of his house, he thrived to discover the ideal compatibility of material and form, and give sound the most natural pitch.
His daughters encouraged Vassilkov to start his own business which now has become one of Estonia's business success stories, selling speakers for as much as 250,000 euro a pair.
Alfred Vassilkov points out that it is not possible to objectively measure the quality of sound. Physics and mathematics can reveal certain qualities of a sound wave, but the ideal loudspeaker should also create an emotional experience which is not possible to measure.
"The thing is that sound is just acoustic waves, air pressure changing with specific frequency and amplitude, but that's not enough to make music," Vassilkov says.
"The key to good sound is buried very deep, it's very hard to even explain how it is done. It is even hard for specialists to explain."
The majority of Estelon speakers are made of marble based composite material.
Speakers are moulded and their special form and design have been created by Vassilkov himself. German Accuton drivers are mainly used in the speakers and for an even more distinguished sound quality it is possible to choose between beryllium or diamond tweeters in some models.
The company's flagship model is the Estelon Extreme speaker, weighing 250 kilograms and selling for around 170,000 Euro in Europe.
The company's latest product is a wireless speaker using DSD bitstream to transmit the highest quality audio.
Vassilkov's daughter Alissa Vassilkova said that it was hard to compete with much bigger global brands for an Estonian company, but by turning to high quality rather than powerful marketing, it was possible to capture the attention key international buyers.
Currently Estelon's key customers are mostly in Asia - China, Hong Kong, Taipei, Taiwan and Singapore. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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