- Title: Estonian family business is in pursuit of the perfect speaker design
- Date: 20th June 2017
- Summary: PHOTO OF ESTONIAN COMPOSTER, ARVO PART, AND VASSILKOV
- 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: LVA0056M31D89
- 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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