AXPONA 2026: Estelon & Vitus $1.5M Audio System

[Karmacoma]

I stand firmly by my statement. I know what technical went into those cables and how they measured. Think what you will. Life is a journey and some of us pursue things with relentless passion, always searching, testing, experiencing, and getting more and more educated along the way. Standing on my education, experiences, exposure, and quest to test, learn, and know, the Crystal Cable Infinite Dream cables are unlike anything else currently available anywhere. Using infinite Crystal Silver, which is not only hyper pure but has the lowest number of crystal bonds per meter than any other metal that conducts electricity with high efficiency. The topology of the design being solid core surrounded by true DuPont teflon, then Kapton, then the same silver used for a wire braid mesh, then Teflon, then another silver wire braid mesh for a single coaxial conductor. Now add 5 more of the same in a woven braid and you get the lowest measurable internal resistance over long runs with ultra low inductance measured up to 1mHz, and ultra low capacitance. Add to this that the materials in the design topology and configuration will reject at an extremely high effective rate EMI and RFI noise. Just measuring EMI and RFI around the cable verses other cables in the same environment you can see these figures actually drop.

My first truly in-depth experience with these in a full system was at a house of a client of one of my dealers. He had a ton of money invested in the most expensive cables from a particular well known brand. These cables also used special technologies to reduce noise. The system was with Estelon Extreme MkII, Vitus mono amps, and other products I was familiar with. We swapped the cables, went to have lunch, and came back to listen. It was jaw dropping and not subtle. Every criteria of sound quality improved and by a wide margin. We then swapped back to his own cables and the system was nearly unlistenable after what we just heard. We then tried swapping power cords first, then interconnect, then speaker wires. It was so extremely audible what was happening. The best way I can describe the main differences is the noise floor dropped so much that silent passages in music sounded like the system was completely shutdown, then microdynamics and dynamics were so explosive and textured in waves of energy from the music. Transients had faster decay with greater peaks, and zero ringing at any frequency. The overall sound was so much cleaner top to bottom that every song sounded different, better, much more music flowing is maybe the best way to describe it. Vocals and pianos were a massive difference and so much more natural and organic. Highs had more detail and energy but completely lacked ANY traces of hardness, grain, or distortion. It sounded sweet yet smooth, hyper detailed but relaxed. The craziest thing was the imaging and sound staging. You could clearly tell the environment in each recording and dimensions of the sound space, but also with immersive 3 dimensional presence and almost a spooky life like presence in better recordings. Bad recordings didn’t sound as bad as with the other cable (owner’s cables) in the system.

We did similar experiments at AXPONA on Wednesday and Thursday during setup. Yes, we paid extra to move into the room early morning Wednesday. We do that every year. We had all Crystal Cable DaVinci cables and then swapped to Infinite Dream, component by component. It was truly striking what each of us heard. 7 people together in the room doing this and taking the evaluation seriously. Needless to say, it made believers out of each of us, even the cable naysayer in the room.

Just saying, but there's a brand that went a notch further, it gets it's crystal bounds perfectly aligned by forging them on the equator, therefore canceling the disturbance of the magnetic field, you're lagging way behind.

Home | Equatorial Audio

Premium audiophile products engineered for true magnetic neutrality. Equatorial Audio — where north meets south.

equatorialaudio.com

They also went great lenghts to simply eliminate any resistance with their zéro kelvin cables. It gives exceptional transients clarity, like never heard before, trust me.

Sorry but I'd rather put my money on this.

 

[napfkuchen]

How did they measure? And are you open to sending one to me to measure?

According to the brochure these cables go beyond specifications. Your test equipment is inadequate.

 

[Karmacoma]

According to the brochure these cables go beyond specifications. Your test equipment is inadequate.

I'd go further, you are inadequate, science itself is inadequate.

 

[delta76]

Haa...The eternal sentence: " The room had very bad accoustic, it was a disaster..." Meaning by it: Buy it, it can only sound better at your home
I think I have heard this sentence everytime I visited a HiFi show, especially in Münich. A very very poor argument imho

They are not trying to sell here, that is for sure. The targeted market is simply not here.
You sell 100k+ speakers by making the potential customers feel special, feel privileged.
With that said, he was being polite and friendly. And it is known fact that exhibitions are acoustically terrible, so he was stating facts . No need to make snide comments

 

[Keith_W]

We did similar experiments at AXPONA on Wednesday and Thursday during setup. Yes, we paid extra to move into the room early morning Wednesday. We do that every year. We had all Crystal Cable DaVinci cables and then swapped to Infinite Dream, component by component. It was truly striking what each of us heard. 7 people together in the room doing this and taking the evaluation seriously. Needless to say, it made believers out of each of us, even the cable naysayer in the room.

I am impressed by how confident you are that you can pick these differences. Can we arrange a blind test, since you are so confident?

 

[Soniclife]

Many years ago I conducted an informal two-alternatives forced-choice single-blind test of balanced interconnects. The purpose was to pick a winner out of seven different interconnects I happened to have on hand. The first part was a round-robin style "tournament", with a second such "tournament" for the final four. The winner had won every single comparison. It was a cable that had been loaned to me by another dealer because he thought it sounded good.

Sounds like a perfect test to prove the necessity of double blind tests.
It must be at least zero days since clever Hans was posted here.

 

[Sal1950]

I am impressed by how confident you are that you can pick these differences. Can we arrange a blind test, since you are so confident?

BTW, Thanks again for all the work you put into the REW eBook thread.
Informative in the extreme!

There are times like this thread I can't help but post the words of J. Gordon Holt in the 1992 Stereophile interview by John Atkinson once more.

"Do you see any signs of future vitality in high-end audio? JA"

"Vitality? Don't make me laugh. Audio as a hobby is dying, largely by its own hand. As far as the real world is concerned, high-end audio lost its credibility during the 1980s, when it flatly refused to submit to the kind of basic honesty controls (double-blind testing, for example) that had legitimized every other serious scientific endeavor since Pascal. [This refusal] is a source of endless derisive amusement among rational people and of perpetual embarrassment for me, because I am associated by so many people with the mess my disciples made of spreading my gospel. For the record: I never, ever claimed that measurements don't matter. What I said (and very often, at that) was, they don't always tell the whole story. Not quite the same thing. JGH"

45 Years of Stereophile | Stereophile.com

It was 45 years ago this month that the first issue of Stereophile, just 20 pages in length, went in the mail. It had been founded by one J. Gordon Holt. Gordon had been technical editor of High Fidelity magazine in the 1950s, and was tired of being asked to pander to the demands of advertisers.

www.stereophile.com

RIP Gordon, we miss you.

 

[Duke]

Sounds like a perfect test to prove the necessity of double blind tests.

Double-blind testing was impractical because manual signal routing was necessary. If you have specific questions about the test that might shed light on it for you, feel free to ask.

 

[aldolovesmusic]

All, when it comes to cables it’s more than just passing electrons. The resistance, capacitance, and inductance are the three keys when designing cables. Each alters the sound in certain aspects and in certain frequencies. Then when combined with dielectrics like teflon, air, cotton, etc these also affect sound of cables. Anything that carries a signal can alter the signal. The same goes for digital or light. You can literally alter the intensity and kelvin rating of light by altering the resistance, which inductance, and mass of the cable as long as it’s more than 5 meters.

We need to understand this because audio cable manufacturers all play with these basic rules and then come up with shielding types and braiding that further alters capacitance while reducing the sensitivity to EMI/RFI.

When talking about crystal bonds (actually are called grain boundaries) these too alter efficiency and electron flow. While the differences in sound are subtle, in ultra high end systems with low distortion, high resolution products AND in a properly designed acoustical environment, they will be audible. Just not as audible as the intentional recipes of cables that play with these basic rules three principles I’ve previously mentioned.

One thing we all need to understand, consider, and agree on is that the acoustical environment is super critical to the end result sound you attain. If you have not properly addressed acoustics with an acoustical engineer that specializes in HiFi applications, and the room is properly treated, they you are experiencing multitudes of phase distortion, comb filtering, temporal smearing, edge distractions, Haas effects (negatively), and various bass modes. ALL of these will mask fine details as well as can greatly compromise an otherwise wonderful system. In these cases, swapping cables might make little or no difference.

Years ago I was invited to Prince’s Paisley Park studios by an audio manufacturer and one of my college professors (late 80s). They were able to demonstrate the differences between speakers, amps, cables, etc and Prince instructed the engineers to find cables low in IR and capacitance for long runs and preferred silver conductors. They went as far as showing pulse/step response tests of about 12 different brands of cables and all the same length. I heard demos playing the same track from master tapes through the post production room system. We tried 4 different cables and each had similar technical specs, except one tested much lower in sensitivity to EMI/RFI. It turned out the cable we each selected for best overall sound was a silver conductor cable with teflon and dual shields. None of us knew which cable was being demonstrated. We all heard this occurring at the same time. The one we picked not only had a nice even tonal balance, but faster decay, more explosive transients, and a bigger sound stage. It was the lowest noise cable in the bunch. I will not mentioned any brand names. In these cases end it’s the topology that matters and the metals, not the brand. It was eye opening. Then we heard the system with the acoustic treatments removed from the room with the exception of bass traps and a cloud array. We couldn’t hear much difference between the cables except one did seem slightly more resolving and quieter. The rest all sounded the same even though in the post production room we could hear one had more bass, another had a slight upward tilt in highs, and another sounded dead or flat on transients. Without the acoustic treatments in the room we didn’t hear these things. The visit was actually about acoustics at the studio, which is why I was there and invited. However, what stuck with me was the experience I had regarding the cables and especially with and without room acoustic treatments. That made me want to get deeper involved in acoustics and what ultimately helped me in my current career path.

 

[PristineSound]

Wow, $1.5m.

Some people get insulted when they see other people spending few grand on a DAC. I hope they don't accidentally bump into this thread, you'll never hear the end of it.

 

[amirm]

All, when it comes to cables it’s more than just passing electrons. The resistance, capacitance, and inductance are the three keys when designing cables. Each alters the sound in certain aspects and in certain frequencies. Then when combined with dielectrics like teflon, air, cotton, etc these also affect sound of cables. Anything that carries a signal can alter the signal.

A power cable doesn't carry audio signal. Why do folks say that changes the sound?

 

[amirm]

We couldn’t hear much difference between the cables except one did seem slightly more resolving and quieter. The rest all sounded the same even though in the post production room we could hear one had more bass, another had a slight upward tilt in highs, and another sounded dead or flat on transients. Without the acoustic treatments in the room we didn’t hear these things.

Yet advocates of cable sound have all kinds of systems, from cheap to expensive, from blank room to elaborate ones. Further, no manufacturer of cables sets out minimum system requirement for the effects. They say things improve universally. Here is what Crystal cable says:

"Advanced conductor technology and ultra-stable insulation deliver exceptionally low distortion, preserving every musical detail with absolute clarity."

I see nothing there that says the room has to be this and that.

And about distortion, how was that measured? Where is that measurement?

 

[aldolovesmusic]

Have you ever tried one of the several room EQ solutions to tame this (or any other) room?

Yes, I have much experience with some pro grade DSP systems used for auditoriums, theaters, and studios. I’ve also used products from Lyngdorf and Trinnov. Even if only used in the digital signal chain, these are only bandaids to help cover up problems, not cures. In a system like a theater, these are essential tools. In a truly high end two channel system I will not use them as long as I can address real solutions in the physical realm. They will definitely alter phase and often cause increased comb filtering effects. If you want to have the ultimate in resolution in your system, even the best of the best DSP units will cause their own problems and will mask the details you want to hear. DSP is best served to use in lower frequencies where our ears are less sensitive to details and phase. That’s why nearly every active sub made today incorporates active DSP functions whether these are advertised or not.

 

[PristineSound]

Oh Lord . . . we're going there. Well, everybody buckle up, this is going to be a ride.

 

[aldolovesmusic]

Yet advocates of cable sound have all kinds of systems, from cheap to expensive, from blank room to elaborate ones. Further, no manufacturer of cables sets out minimum system requirement for the effects. They say things improve universally. Here is what Crystal cable says:

"Advanced conductor technology and ultra-stable insulation deliver exceptionally low distortion, preserving every musical detail with absolute clarity."

I see nothing there that says the room has to be this and that.

And about distortion, how was that measured? Where is that measurement?

Most cable manufacturers don’t share measurements. Some refuse as then they believe people will buy or not based on measurements but not their ears. Others won’t share because most cable companies buy cables from other manufacturers and simply dress up and terminate the cables for resale.

Of the measurements that will actually directly correlate to audible aspects are pulse response, group delay, spectral decay, and certain time domain measurements. However, the human ear/brain is so closely moles that there are still no tools for measurements that directly relate to perception of sound.

Are you aware that 70% of adults have one form or another of hearing damage, many starting in the teen years? It’s more than just frequency loss and amplitude shift. These issues can literally affect one’s perception of sound. One person can say this system has a perfect center image with layering the sound stage and dimensionality, while another person at the same time seated in the same seat can say there’s a hole in the center and the sound stage is low, while another can sense the imaging and staging of the first person but feels the sound is too bright or forward. Sometimes these differences are not based on one’s education or experience but the mechanical aspects of their ears combined with brain conductivity. I like to test my systems on children. They don’t have any predisposed beliefs or hearing damage (hopefully), and tell it like it is. With little guidance and coaching they can be more useful for design and engineering of systems than experienced audio enthusiasts.

 

[aldolovesmusic]

A power cable doesn't carry audio signal. Why do folks say that changes the sound?

Have you asked ChatGTP? You might get an interesting answer. For me, it’s mostly about rejection of EMI/RFI and having an ultra low internal resistance in the cable. Some manufacturers even embed magnetic shielding in their power cables, which does really help.

 

[LTig]

Have you asked ChatGTP? You might get an interesting answer.

AI just repeats the nonsens it has been trained with.

For me, it’s mostly about rejection of EMI/RFI and having an ultra low internal resistance in the cable. Some manufacturers even embed magnetic shielding in their power cables, which does really help.

What about the much longer run of cheap standard cables between the power plant and the wall plug? Do you really think the last meter of super cable can undo what happens in those cables?

 

[Sal1950]

Most cable manufacturers don’t share measurements. Some refuse as then they believe people will buy or not based on measurements but not their ears. Others won’t share because most cable companies buy cables from other manufacturers and simply dress up and terminate the cables for resale.

Yep, can't have people believing in science instead of sighted bias listening, which is provably unreliable.

However, the human ear/brain is so closely moles that there are still no tools for measurements that directly relate to perception of sound.

Baloney, prove it

Are you aware that 70% of adults have one form or another of hearing damage, many starting in the teen years? It’s more than just frequency loss and amplitude shift. These issues can literally affect one’s perception of sound. One person can say this system has a perfect center image with layering the sound stage and dimensionality, while another person at the same time seated in the same seat can say there’s a hole in the center and the sound stage is low, while another can sense the imaging and staging of the first person but feels the sound is too bright or forward. Sometimes these differences are not based on one’s education or experience but the mechanical aspects of their ears combined with brain conductivity. I like to test my systems on children. They don’t have any predisposed beliefs or hearing damage (hopefully), and tell it like it is. With little guidance and coaching they can be more useful for design and engineering of systems than experienced audio enthusiasts.

All that just proves how unreliable sighted listening claims are no matter age or hearing quality.

 

[amirm]

Have you asked ChatGTP?

I don't ask it questions to which I know the answer of. But since you asked, i just tried it:

do power cables improve audio fidelity?

Short answer: no—at least not in the way people often claim.

From an engineering standpoint, once a power cable is adequately built (correct gauge, proper insulation, solid connections), it should deliver AC power to your audio equipment identically to any other compliant cable. The power then goes through the device’s internal power supply, which is specifically designed to regulate voltage, filter noise, and isolate the audio circuitry from imperfections in the incoming AC.

A few grounded points:

• Electrical reality: The last 3–6 feet of cable in your room isn’t magically fixing or transforming the hundreds of feet of standard wiring between your house and the power grid.
• Power supply design: Quality audio gear includes filtering and regulation stages that largely determine performance—not the external cord.
• Audible differences: Controlled, blind listening tests generally show no consistent, repeatable improvement from expensive “audiophile” power cables.
• Where it can matter: Poorly made or damaged cables can cause problems (noise, voltage drop, safety risks). In rare cases with very noisy electrical environments, better shielding or a power conditioner can help—but that’s about noise mitigation, not “enhancing fidelity.”

What does make a real difference:

• Speaker placement and room acoustics
• Quality of speakers/headphones
• Source quality and mastering
• Proper grounding and avoiding interference issues

If you’re chasing better sound, money is almost always better spent on those areas rather than premium power cables.

If you want, tell me your setup—I can suggest upgrades that will actually move the needle.

----

Now what?

 

[aldolovesmusic]

Absolutely it cannot undo whatever is “lost”. What’s lost upstream is forever lost, period. The same goes for the audio path, which all starts with the recording.

What happens when you use a power cable from your wall or conditioner to your component has everything to do about how it can reject or inject noise like EMI/RFI which absolutely ever audio system has from the wall power to the components and their power supplies to the speakers with moving coil drivers and inductors in the passive crossover.

If a power cable changes the sound by installing on one or a few components, and the power mains are cheap, noisy, old, and have forms of loss, then what you’re hearing is how that cable is combating the area EMI/RFI fields from the various components and to some extent how a given component power supply interacts with that cable’s capacitance and inductance properties. This is most common with what I would say are poorly engineered power supplies, in one aspect or another.