ELITE Aesthet 1 Mk II - Chinese speakers 'done right'

The 520's are great speakers for that price; if I wasn't such an audio nut/perfectionist I could of lived well with them and a little sub. I actually gifted them to a non-audiophile friend at one point, but then he went to a mini I-Pod Dock system and so gave them back. It was good to have them home again...even if I did eventually put them out in the garage like a bad pet lol. (I'd never actually banish a non-human animal to the garage or outside, bad or not).

It seems great speakers have really come down in price; the 520's were lauded as something you could simply not get (sound and build wise) for the price even 5 or 10 years earlier; now we have things for under $1k like the Aesthet's which look (and probably sound) like speakers in the $3k range did not long ago (and speakers in the $3k range sound more like they are in the $6k range and so on).

Great times for audio enthusiasts of all budgets. :yes:

Indeed... we're living in a golden age of speakers IMHO. So much performance can be had for relatively little dollars if you shop wisely.

Beautiful speakers. Which Sansui are you currently using with them?

cubdog

I'm currently using my restored AU-X701 which is the best-sounding Sansui that I've personally had the pleasure of laying ears on ;)

However... there's a big BA/CA-F1 combo hovering nearby which is itching to unleash itself upon these poor unsuspecting speakers... :thmbsp:
 
Chinese speakers --at least within the domestic market, not the selected ones that get exported, fall into a few categories.

First, there is a SLEW of fancy-looking speakers with exotic (usually faux) finishes and superficially sophisticated-looking designs. The drivers in them are usually mass-produced mid-fi mediocrity. They aren't as bad as White Van speakers, but they wouldn't satisfy any real audiophiles. These are sold to upwardly-mobile Chinese who want to look like they have expensive tastes and money to spend on speakers, but who really can't or don't want to distinguish between sonic mediocrity and truly good sound. More brands and variations like that than you'd imagine.

Then there is a layer of quite decent speakers, usually with solid cabinets and real exotic veneers (often over-sprayed with lacquer-like poly finishes), and decent drivers. Usually not quite audiophile, but close to it. I bought a set of that type at a steep discount (display units bought at the end of an exhibition from a dealer who was happy not to have to ship them back), and listened to them for a while. They really were not bad at all, although not quite up to the level of real "audiophile" brands. Close, though.

Unfortunately they've been sitting for quite a while in the consignment shop, precisely because they are made in China. While audiophile types here are quite happy to buy and use some brands of Chinese-made tube gear, that acceptance does not (yet) extend to speakers. Based on the vast majority of speakers I've seen and heard, I don't blame them.

Of course, there can always be a few brands started by knowledgeable and enthusiastic audiophiles that might change that paradigm. Maybe these Elites are like that? I don't know, not having heard them.

Another area where the Chinese can do very well is in the digital realm. They do make the Apple stuff, even if they don't design it. That said, Oppo and Fiio are very well-respected in their digital niches, and deservedly so. I have a Fiio high-res (24/192) portable player (like an upgraded iPod), and it sounds truly superb, looks and feels like high quality, and sells for about half of what comparable models from other (non-Chinese) brands do. Their customer service, like Oppo's, is also exemplary.

Speakers truly seem to be one of the weaker spots in the Chinese audio market. Mostly flashy appearance and slightly (or greatly) disappointing sound. Nice to hear that there may be at least one brand that is an exception to that rule. I'll try to check them out when I get a chance.
 
Am I the only one to see those ugly screws there?
:sigh:
Can you open up those speakers, just to see the crossovers,
it doesn't say much, but at least gives an idea on the quality..
 
The pictures look fantastic - how good is the maple burl veneer?

Absolutely immaculate! :)


Chinese speakers --at least within the domestic market, not the selected ones that get exported, fall into a few categories.

First, there is a SLEW of fancy-looking speakers with exotic (usually faux) finishes and superficially sophisticated-looking designs. The drivers in them are usually mass-produced mid-fi mediocrity. They aren't as bad as White Van speakers, but they wouldn't satisfy any real audiophiles. These are sold to upwardly-mobile Chinese who want to look like they have expensive tastes and money to spend on speakers, but who really can't or don't want to distinguish between sonic mediocrity and truly good sound. More brands and variations like that than you'd imagine.

Then there is a layer of quite decent speakers, usually with solid cabinets and real exotic veneers (often over-sprayed with lacquer-like poly finishes), and decent drivers. Usually not quite audiophile, but close to it. I bought a set of that type at a steep discount (display units bought at the end of an exhibition from a dealer who was happy not to have to ship them back), and listened to them for a while. They really were not bad at all, although not quite up to the level of real "audiophile" brands. Close, though.

Unfortunately they've been sitting for quite a while in the consignment shop, precisely because they are made in China. While audiophile types here are quite happy to buy and use some brands of Chinese-made tube gear, that acceptance does not (yet) extend to speakers. Based on the vast majority of speakers I've seen and heard, I don't blame them.

Of course, there can always be a few brands started by knowledgeable and enthusiastic audiophiles that might change that paradigm. Maybe these Elites are like that? I don't know, not having heard them.

Another area where the Chinese can do very well is in the digital realm. They do make the Apple stuff, even if they don't design it. That said, Oppo and Fiio are very well-respected in their digital niches, and deservedly so. I have a Fiio high-res (24/192) portable player (like an upgraded iPod), and it sounds truly superb, looks and feels like high quality, and sells for about half of what comparable models from other (non-Chinese) brands do. Their customer service, like Oppo's, is also exemplary.

Speakers truly seem to be one of the weaker spots in the Chinese audio market. Mostly flashy appearance and slightly (or greatly) disappointing sound. Nice to hear that there may be at least one brand that is an exception to that rule. I'll try to check them out when I get a chance.

Thanks for sharing your insight and experiences Arkay!

Brands like audio-gd also hit the nail on the head with their DACs, amplifiers and preamps. Whilst they don't have the fanciest casework, the engineering that underpins their gear is astonishing.

The Aesthets are definitely a cut above the average Chinese speaker IMHO. I've previously owned some ProAc 1S clones from Hong Kong which used genuine Scanspeak drivers, a copied crossver and cabinets which sounded about 80% as good as the genuine 1SCs when compared side-by-side. This showed me that even when the Chinese make clones, they can't always replicate that certain 'magic' that goes into speaker design - its a black art which can't be taught. I think this is where the Aesthets are special vs the average Chinese speaker - they sound better than the sum of their parts.

I think that I have a fairly good frame of reference regarding what makes a great speaker, having heard speakers from $250 to $50,000 in a variety of systems.

Are the Aesthets world-beaters at any price? No, of course not. However, they are as good as (or better than) any speaker that I've personally heard in the sub $3k category, and given their sub $1k price, this makes them incredible value for money.


Am I the only one to see those ugly screws there?
:sigh:
Can you open up those speakers, just to see the crossovers,
it doesn't say much, but at least gives an idea on the quality..

Unfortunately these ScanSpeak drivers don't have recessed holes for the screws, so the screws sit proud as per the ProAc 2.5 speakers which use the same drivers. I may look at some button cap head screws with a more rounded, flatter profile to streamline the appearance.

I hope to remove the woofer in the near future to take some photos of the crossover. It weighs around 2kg in total so I'm expecting some nicely sized inductors! :)
 
I disrobed the Aesthets to have a look-see inside.

Those 7" ScanSpeak woofers are beastly buggers!

The crossover is relatively complex with a variety of brands and quality of components thrown in there. Better quality caps and resistors are used in the direct signal path, whilst the parallel filters have wirewound resistors and in one instance a lone electrolytic capacitor. There's room for improvement in future, but only after careful measurement of all of the original components with a quality LCR meter to ensure that there are no variations in critical parameters.

The construction is all point-to-point and takes up most of the rear panel of the speaker. It is constructed separately then screwed onto the rear panel of the speaker enclosure.

Importantly... these suckers sound better than any speaker that I've previously owned, so the designer has obviously achieved an excellent crossover design without needing to resort to expensive boutique capacitors. After all, the actual design of the crossover plays a MUUUUUUCH larger role than the perceived quality of the bits thrown into it. A rubbish design with Duelunds is still a rubbish design ;)



 
I think those are good parts, for a sub 1k speakers,
I was expecting some fake chinese caps, but those at least are genuine,
 
I think those are good parts, for a sub 1k speakers,
I was expecting some fake chinese caps, but those at least are genuine,

Very true.

The Solens, Bennics and Wimas are all good solid reputable capacitors.

I hate electrolytics in crossovers with a passion, but I've come to realise that when used in parallel filters circuits (rather than in series with drivers) it's not the end of the world.

I might plan some kind of upgrade strategy in future, but this will need to be accompanied by a raft of measurements to ensure that I don't deviate from the original parameters in any way. I'd hate to alter the basic sound of these speakers via tinkering (as they sound so damn good!!)

A good friend came to visit over the weekend and he was blown away by the sound, saying that it's the best he's heard my system sound. He's now saving up for a pair of Aesthet 1s :)
 
Wow, I'm very impressed with the cost and construction of these speakers. I'd be curious to know how much shipping would set me back for a pair of these though. Being in the market for another pr of speakers this definitely peaks my interest. Thank you for sharing this neat find.
 
Just checked. Shipping seems to add about $400 on top of the $798 price. Kind of a stinker about buying from outside the U.S. Still, even at the total cost of $1184 you'll be hard pressed to find a speaker within this price range that uses these parts and especially with a cabinet made like that and wrapped in real maple burl veneer.

Might have to start saving up over here.
 
Wow! A local used hifi dealer had the larger Aesthet 6 for sale used for under $1200. Didn't really heed it but now I'm kicking myself. Looks like serious stuff with each speaker weighing in excess of 100lbs. Would have been a great entry point into the house of Scanspeak. Looks like someone else agrees because it has been sold, now that I went back to his site to check for availability.

Did you get pricing for the rest of the range? The large floorstanders may be an even better value if shipping cost can be kept low.
 
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