ESTELON X Diamond MkII

Like their predecessors, Estelon X Diamond that Audiodrom reviewed 5 years ago, the X Damond MkII uses the high-density curved die-cast cabinets made of marble powder and resin composite. The silhouettes, as well as internal shapes and chambers of the X Diamond MkII, were designed to give the speaker excellent acoustic properties and rock-steady stability, and to provide a solid foundation for the explosive acceleration of the driver membranes, as the manufacturer puts it.

This all, however, is not new. So, in which details the MkII differs from the predecessor? Apart from the different color of drivers that turned white into black (Estelon continues using German Accuton), the MkII features four improvements. One, there is a new ultra-hard inverted dome diamond tweeter, optimized for clean and mode-free extension to 60,000Hz. Two, the crossover was redesigned with improved components for a wider dynamic range and transparency. The crossover filters are in their own isolated chamber to reduce the microphonic effects and vibration influence. The crossover filter slopes between woofer and mid-woofer are 3^rd order, and 2^nd order between mid-woofer and tweeter. Three, the Diamond Mk II uses Kubala-Sosna cabling throughout. Four, the large bass-reflex port is now equipped with a partition. The partition is a heavy flat-shaped object made from what looks like tar-like granulate; it should be inserted into the reflex vent, while you can choose its orientation to adjust the direction of the air flow according to the speaker placement.

Like the original X Diamond, the MkII come in beautiful finishes that include “Violet Night”, “Red Rocket”, and “Blue Cobalt”, all these – although for extra money - look particularly attractive in the Estelon’s ‘liquid gloss’.

Sensitivity remains 88dB, and although the MkII is specified as a 6-ohm speaker, its minimum of 3.5 ohms at 50Hz should – in theory - be quite challenging for amplifiers. On the other hand, I auditioned the X Diamond also with Audio Research Reference 80S tube power amplifier that delivers 70 watts per channel of continuous power, and although the amp was short of breath at high listening levels, it delivered much better sound through its 8-ohm taps with the X Diamond.