Hand-built in France — usually ships in about 2 weeks.
Richard Cesari says the importance of the connectors on a phono cable is enormously underestimated. Fit a brass connector or a poorly chosen plating to a very good phono cable, he says, and it is as if you had soiled the signal.
The Esprit Beta Phono Tonearm Cable is a pair of tonearm cables from Esprit's Beta range. The Beta phono cable is assembled by hand at Esprit's workshop in Confolens, in 1.2 and 1.8 m pairs and three connection types.
The idea
Inside Esprit, the Beta range goes by a nickname, the "cable killer", and the Beta phono cable belongs to that family. Esprit builds Beta around fine-strand pure copper, optimized insulation and protection against high-frequency interference, the foundations of the Beta phono cable. Its dielectrics are controlled and its shielding is adapted to each use, so the Beta phono cable is protected in the way its own signal needs. The aim Esprit sets for the range is fluid, coherent transmission in analog and digital alike, and the Beta phono cable is built to that brief.
By hand, in Charente
In Confolens, Charente, the Beta phono cable is made the way Esprit has always worked, entirely by hand. Esprit says this hand method lets it control every step of making the Beta phono cable and keep each one consistent. Each Beta phono cable then passes two complete inspections, one by its assembler and one at final packing, before it leaves the workshop. It is unhurried work, and the Beta phono cable is made at its pace.
How it sounds
Esprit describes the sound of the range as balanced, dynamic and remarkably legible, and it presents the Beta phono cable as a foundation for a stable, musical system.
The Beta phono cable is insulated in high-temperature PVC, which Esprit associates with a dense presentation and a firm foundation in the bass. Its connectors are Esprit's own Eh 50 type, built around a copper body with a silver-plated copper center pin (5-micron silver), because Esprit designs a connector on the Beta phono cable as an extension of the conductor itself. Esprit specifies the shielding of the Beta phono cable as fully shielded. Each conductor of the Beta phono cable is made of 40 strands of 40 AWG.
Finding your place in the range
The Beta phono cable is level 2 of Esprit's nine and the first level in which Esprit offers a phono cable, below Celesta. Tell us what the Beta phono cable will connect and we will help you check the details. You can see the Beta phono cable beside the other Esprit ranges in our Esprit collection.
Specifications
| Range |
Beta, Generation 10 (GenX), level 2 of 9 |
| Type |
Phono Tonearm Cable |
| Sold as |
Pair |
| Lengths |
1.2 m (3.9 ft), 1.8 m (5.9 ft) |
| Connection |
RCA, DIN or XLR |
| Connectors |
Esprit Eh 50 connectors: copper body with a silver-plated copper center pin (5-micron silver) |
| Conductors |
40 strands of 40 AWG |
| Dielectric |
Asymmetrical dielectric |
| Dielectric polarization |
No |
| Insulation |
High-Temperature polyvinyl chloride (PVC) |
| Shielding |
Fully shielded |
| Plating |
5 micron copper/silver multilayer plating |
| Made in |
Confolens, France, assembled entirely by hand |
Questions
How does the Celesta phono cable compare with the Beta phono cable?
The Celesta phono cable is the next level up from the Beta phono cable. Where it differs from the Beta phono cable, the Celesta phono cable uses high-temperature PVC plus silicone insulation.
Which connectors does the Beta phono cable use?
The Beta phono cable uses Esprit Eh 50 connectors, which have a copper body with a silver-plated copper center pin (5-micron silver). Esprit has developed several connector generations so that each range, the Beta phono cable included, has an interface matched to it.
Which connection should I order for the Beta phono cable?
The Beta phono cable is made RCA to RCA, DIN to RCA, or DIN to XLR. Look at the socket on your tonearm base and the input on your phono stage, or send us both model names and we will confirm the right Beta phono cable for them.
What does the Beta phono cable cost?
The Beta phono cable ranges from $479 to $799 per pair, depending on the options you choose. Sales tax is included in the price of the Beta phono cable, and we deliver it free anywhere in the USA.
Where is the Beta phono cable made, and when will it ship?
Esprit builds every Beta phono cable by hand in its workshop in Confolens, France. The Beta phono cable usually ships in about 2 weeks, with free delivery anywhere in the USA and sales tax included in the price.
From our boutique to your listening room
HiFi Boutique is an authorized Esprit dealer. Delivery is free anywhere in the USA, and sales tax is included in the price. Hand-built in France — usually ships in about 2 weeks.
