AVReviews

This time, we visited Freak Control in Be’er Sheva to evaluate the Estelon AURA, the most “accessible” floorstanding speakers from the prestigious Estonian boutique brand.

After hearing them twice at Munich shows and during short visits at Freak Control, it was time to give the AURA the proper attention and review it thoroughly and up close.

Bottom Line

About Estelon

Estelon is an ultra-high-end speaker company founded in 2010 in Estonia by Alfred Vassilkov and his daughter Alissa Vassilkova. Alfred, with over 30 years of speaker design experience, created Estelon as an expression of his engineering passion and creativity.

While the unique and captivating aesthetics are often the first thing noticed, Alfred explains that these designs are a natural "byproduct" of his acoustic design philosophy. We heard this directly from him during an interview at the Munich 2025 show, celebrating Estelon’s 15th anniversary:

Under Test: Estelon AURA

Launched in 2023, the Estelon AURA marks the brand’s entry into a slightly more approachable price bracket within its high-end lineup. Estelon developed a unique mineral composite—rigid, acoustically optimized yet moldable—to form the AURA’s beautifully curved, non-parallel cabinet walls, reducing internal standing waves.

Internally, the cabinet is compartmentalized into distinct chambers for the tweeter, midrange, crossover, and woofer. This layout improves acoustic separation, internal bracing, and minimizes resonance. The AURA uses a sealed (non-ported) design.

Although it is a 3‑way speaker, only two mid‑drivers and a tweeter are visible at first glance. The tweeter is a 1‑inch soft‑dome from Scan‑Speak with a symmetric motor, housed within a custom waveguide for wide dispersion and perfect alignment.

The midrange consists of two 5‑inch units from Satori, made of Egyptian Papyrus paper, mounted on aluminum frames with neodymium magnets.

So where's the woofer, you ask? It's actually located at the bottom of the cabinet, facing downward. This design allows for a high degree of mechanical separation between the woofer and the midrange/tweeter units, while also maintaining the cabinet's slim profile—all without compromising on low-frequency performance. The woofer, made by Faital, features a generously sized 10-inch semi-pressed paper cone. The speaker’s base plate and integrated spikes create optimal clearance and acoustic space, enabling the woofer to deliver bass that is clean, transparent, and precise.

Internal wiring is by Kubala‑Sosna.

Technical Specs:

Sensitivity: 90 dB
Nominal Impedance: 4 Ω
Min Impedance: 2 Ω at 58 Hz
Frequency Response: 35 Hz – 25 kHz
Dimensions (mm): H 1366 × W 384 × D 367
Weight: 34 kg
Room Size: 15–60 m²

Another perspective on the company—as well as specific insights about the AURA loudspeaker—came from our interview with Mr. Ilias Koutromanos, Chief Commercial Officer at Estelon. The interview took place this past February here in Israel, during the official launch event of the Estelon brand at their local distributor, Freak Control.

Following the success of the AURA model, Estelon chose to expand their A Series, and at the Munich 2025 show, they unveiled a new bookshelf speaker, a center speaker, and a subwoofer.

Design & Build Quality

Estelon speakers present a distinct and unmistakable design language—far removed from the boxy, conservative look of traditional speakers. The brand’s signature elegant curves give the speakers the appearance of modern art pieces—like contemporary sculptures infused with advanced technology. Materials such as marble, or the custom mineral composite used in the A Series, not only add rigidity and excellent damping, but also a sense of luxury and meticulous craftsmanship.

Many manufacturers struggle to retain the high-end design DNA of their flagship models in their more accessible offerings. Estelon, however, maintains conceptual consistency across all product lines. Even the more affordable A Series showcases the same flowing, seamless design language—for example, the gracefully curved base of the bookshelf model dedicated stands is a clear demonstration of the brand’s commitment to detail and its zero-compromise approach to aesthetics.

The AURA doesn’t just preserve Estelon's signature look—it reinterprets it in a way that suits modern interiors and smaller listening spaces. By placing the woofer at the base of the cabinet and using two compact midrange drivers, Estelon achieves a slim, elegant profile that integrates beautifully into a living space—without appearing overbearing. In fact, it enhances the room’s visual appeal. To me, it’s one of the most striking examples of how high-end acoustic engineering and modern design can coexist in perfect harmony.

One of the most eye-catching design elements is the AURA’s grill—shaped like an elongated leaf. In my opinion, it’s not only the most beautiful grill design on the market, but one of the rare examples where a speaker actually looks even better with the grill attached.

In terms of build quality, the AURA exudes refinement. Every touchpoint conveys precision, luxury, and attention to detail. The painting process uses techniques borrowed from the high-end automotive industry, and—at an additional cost—you can choose virtually any color to match your listening room perfectly.

To conclude, the Estelon AURA is, in my view, a true breakthrough in loudspeaker design. The combination of a slim profile with a powerful woofer, along with a clear design language and refined form – is a brilliant achievement that proves a high-end speaker can also be a striking design object, without compromising on performance.

The Listening Test

For the listening test of the Estelon AURA, we used the reference system at Freak Control, which we’re already very familiar with. The amplification chain consisted of the Karan Acoustics LINEa & POWERa, the source was the Kalista Audio Dreamplay Stream digital player, with cabling from Cardas Audio. Power was supplied through a Torus Power RM series conditioner. Music was streamed via Tidal using the mConnect app into the Dreamplay Stream. Naturally, I came prepared with a playlist, divided by the specific sonic traits I wanted to evaluate.

The first track served as a “warm-up” and an initial introduction to the full system in front of me. I chose Let This Remain by British singer, songwriter, and cellist Alana Henderson. Before diving into individual traits, this track contains many elements at once: vocal evaluation, dynamic electronic layers, microdynamics, and depth reproduction.

The vocal separation was excellent, with a level of detail so high that you could clearly hear the subtle moisture in Alana’s voice. The microdynamics—both in her voice and in the cello—were also striking. Another standout characteristic was bass separation; the physical distance between the woofer and the mid-high drivers works wonders here, allowing the midrange and highs to remain clean and unaffected by the low-end energy. The electronic effects are spread across the stage, often emanating almost from behind the speakers, creating a soundstage with easily perceptible depth. Effects that sweep across the stereo field from right to left helped confirm both the coherence of the stage and that the speakers were ideally positioned for the room.

As you can tell, I learned a great deal about both the system and the AURA from just this opening track—and the rest of the playlist helped sharpen those impressions even further.

Modern Music, Bass, and Dynamics Evaluation

used three tracks to explore how the AURA handles modern music, bass performance, and dynamics. The first was "Paradis Perdus" by Christine and the Queens. This track likely features the deepest bass of the entire session — the low end was tight, deep, and powerful. The singer’s soft, airy vocal was incredibly clean and detailed, creating a strong contrast with the deep bass and showing off the AURA’s excellent ability to separate different elements in the mix. Even at higher volumes, the speaker stayed balanced and clear. One more highlight was the AURA’s ability to create a rich, three-dimensional soundstage and seem to disappear in the room.

Next came "My Boat" by Mélissa Laveaux, from the album Camphor & Copper. This track highlighted the AURA’s superb dynamic handling. The guitar’s broken, percussive phrasing was delivered with stunning accuracy, and the speaker handled its energy shifts with total confidence. The detail in both the guitar and Mélissa’s uniquely expressive voice was exceptional. The room filled with sound, while again the gear itself seemed to vanish, leaving only the music.

The third piece was "Sad Dance" by the group Oi Va Voi. This track features a layered production that the AURA conveyed with impressive separation. The quiet vocal opening was clean and precisely focused, and as the chorus arrived, the vocals expanded to fill the entire stage with striking microdynamic nuance. The overall delivery remained consistently clean and natural throughout.

The combination of clarity, dynamic finesse, and balance in these modern tracks made me feel as though I were sitting inside a recording studio.

Jazz and Balance Evaluation

In this part, I used two jazz pieces to evaluate the balance and natural character of the Estelon AURA. The first track was “Slims” by the Neil Cowley Trio (a group I really enjoyed seeing live in Munich this year). The first thing that stood out was the remarkable detail and separation in the drums. The AURA doesn’t just deliver deep bass — it’s clean, textured, and full of emotion. And emotion is the key word here: while earlier I felt like I was sitting in a recording studio, this track placed me in an intimate live performance, conveyed with warmth and realism. I was especially impressed by the AURA’s ability to be both precise and emotionally engaging.

The second track also features the piano as the lead instrument: “Odd Times” by the German trio Triosence, from their excellent album Giulia. Here, the piano is even more delicate — it rings with airiness and lightness, while the bass remains well-separated and full of nuance.

In both pieces, the Estelon AURA showcased impressive naturalness, clarity, and detail retrieval — all while preserving the emotional essence of the music.

Complex Music

For this segment, I chose a performance of “Via Dolorosa” by Fred Hammond, featuring Marcus Miller and several other artists. This piece is packed with dynamic shifts, emotional depth, and constant changes — including operatic vocals, choir segments, and a rich blend of instruments. It’s a true stress test, and the AURA delivers it with impressive strength: punchy bass, a massive three-dimensional soundstage, and a natural sense of energy and flow throughout.

The transitions, layers, and scale are conveyed without effort. If I’m being extremely picky, when the choir enters, I would’ve liked just a bit more separation between the voices — but to be fair, the AURA has to leave something for its larger siblings in the Estelon lineup.

Male and Female Vocals – A Test of Emotion

In the final part of the evaluation, I focused on more intimate folk-rock pieces to test the AURA’s ability to reproduce vocals with emotional precision. I began with “Sara” by one of the greatest of all time, Bob Dylan — a track I have a deep personal connection to. Right from the opening, the harmonica’s high frequencies were powerful yet clean. Dylan’s voice took center stage, and the AURA’s ability to create a pinpoint center image was nothing short of phenomenal — it truly felt like there was a third speaker right in front of me. The presentation gave full attention to the vocals, yet I couldn’t ignore the crispness and detail in the accompanying strings and guitar. The AURA managed to convey the “simplicity” of the track while still delivering outstanding instrumental detail.

Next came “Little Sadness” by New Zealand singer-songwriter Mel Parsons, from her album Sabotage. Her smoky, distinctive voice was reproduced with exceptional clarity and nuance. The guitar, too, was rich with detail and emotional weight. I also tested this track at very low listening levels — the soundstage did contract, and the bass was more subdued, placing more focus on the midrange. It made for a relaxed, evening-appropriate listening experience, but there’s no doubt the AURA truly opens up and shines at moderate volume and above.

For the final track, I chose one of my all-time favorite vocal performances — “Ain’t No Sunshine” by the late Eva Cassidy, from her Time After Time album. The guitar picking was delicate yet rich in detail, while dynamic swells — in both guitar and vocals — were conveyed with beautiful immediacy. Listening to Eva’s voice through this system was deeply moving. The vocal image was perfectly centered, pure and separated. During the brief a cappella passage, I was genuinely close to tears from the sheer clarity and precision of her voice. A truly powerful and fitting way to close out the listening session.

Amplification Matching

The Estelon AURA was tested here with an amplification system that might seem disproportionate to its price point — yet I strongly feel these speakers have far more potential than their price tag might suggest. The AURA can reveal the quality and nuance of even very high-end amplifiers, well beyond what’s typically expected in this range.

From a technical perspective, this is a speaker that requires thoughtful amplifier pairing: its impedance drops to a minimum of 2 ohms – a figure that demands an amplifier with strong current delivery and stable performance under demanding loads. Without that, you simply won’t be getting the best it has to offer.

In most international demonstrations of Estelon speakers, solid-state (transistor-based) amplifiers are used instead of tube amps – and that’s no coincidence. In a conversation we had with Ilias Koutromanos, he noted that most of Estelon’s in-house testing and development is done using powerful solid-state amplifiers, which naturally complement the speakers’ characteristics.

In short, to unlock the full potential of the Estelon AURA, a high-quality solid-state amplifier with excellent low-impedance control and dynamic capability is likely your best bet.

Summary

The listening experience to the Estelon AURA was both inspiring and enlightening — a true high-fidelity moment. As I looked for the right way to summarize this review, I remembered a short conversation we had with Alfred Vassilkov just before our interview at the 2025 High End Munich show. We asked him about the inspiration behind Estelon's speaker design, and his answer was simple: "Everything must have harmony — that's where beauty lies."

The deeper I got into writing this review — from the design and build quality to the critical listening session — the more that sentence echoed in my mind. Every element of the AURA, from its beautifully sculpted cabinet to the way it recreates music, feels like a pursuit of that harmony: between precision and emotion, power and elegance, engineering and beauty.

To me, the Estelon AURA represents a rare kind of product — one that achieves near-perfect balance between modern design, acoustic brilliance, and exceptional sound quality. It’s not just a speaker; it’s a complete aesthetic expression of the company’s vision — a vision rooted in harmony.

Price: starting from 84,900 NIS (depends on the finish)
Warranty: 5 Years
Importer: Freak Control

The system I used for the review:
Pre-Amplifier: Karan Acoustics LINEa
Power Amplifier: Karan Acoustics POWERa
Network Player-Streamer: Kalista Audio Dreamplay Stream
Cables: Cardas Audio Clear Beyond
Power Conditioner: Torus Power, from the RM series