Hand-built in France — usually ships in about 2 weeks.
Richard Cesari, who founded Esprit, thinks of a hi-fi system as a chain, and an S/PDIF cable is one of its links. A beautiful source and a fine amplifier can still lose the essential, he says, if the signal is harmed on its way through an S/PDIF cable.
The Esprit Celesta S/PDIF Coaxial Digital Cable is a coaxial digital cable from Esprit's Celesta range. Each Celesta S/PDIF cable is made by hand in Confolens, in France's Charente region, in 1 and 1.5 m and in 50 or 75 ohm.
A step up
Celesta marks a clear step up in the Esprit hierarchy, and the Celesta S/PDIF cable is built to make that step. Esprit's goal at this level is a quieter, more stable and more natural transmission, which the Celesta S/PDIF cable shares with every Celesta link. Esprit's own description of Celesta speaks of clearer micro-information, and the Celesta S/PDIF cable is where many listeners first meet that idea. Richard Cesari has been making cables since 1996, and the Celesta S/PDIF cable carries three decades of that work.
Made by hand in Confolens
Esprit's team designs and assembles the Celesta S/PDIF cable by hand in its workshop in Confolens, Charente. Richard Cesari insists that assembly counts as much as materials, so each Celesta S/PDIF cable is checked at every stage of the work. The first complete check of the Celesta S/PDIF cable is made by the person who built it, and nothing moves on until it has been validated.
Listening
Esprit describes Celesta's sound as refined, open and coherent, and it points to clearer micro-information and a more stable stage from the Celesta S/PDIF cable.
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 Celesta S/PDIF cable as an extension of the conductor itself. Inside, the Celesta S/PDIF cable uses a twinax construction, insulated in polyamide imide rated to thermal class 200°. Esprit specifies the shielding of the Celesta S/PDIF cable as double fully shielded. For Esprit, a cable such as the Celesta S/PDIF cable should simply let the system express what it can do.
Choosing your S/PDIF cable
The Celesta S/PDIF cable is level 3 of Esprit's nine, above Beta and below Eterna. Order the Celesta S/PDIF cable in 50 or 75 ohm, whichever your equipment specifies, and in 1 and 1.5 m. The full Esprit collection shows the Celesta S/PDIF cable alongside the rest of the family.
Specifications
| Range |
Celesta, Generation 10 (GenX), level 3 of 9 |
| Type |
S/PDIF Coaxial Digital Cable |
| Sold as |
Single cable |
| Lengths |
1 m (3.3 ft), 1.5 m (4.9 ft) |
| Connection |
Coaxial S/PDIF |
| Connectors |
Esprit Eh 50 connectors: copper body with a silver-plated copper center pin (5-micron silver) |
| Impedance |
50 ohm or 75 ohm |
| Geometry |
Twinax |
| Dielectric polarization |
No |
| Insulation |
Polyamide imide insulation thermal class 200° |
| Shielding |
Double fully shielded |
| Plating |
5 micron copper/silver multilayer plating |
| Made in |
Confolens, France, assembled entirely by hand |
Questions
How does the Celesta S/PDIF cable differ from the Beta S/PDIF cable?
The Celesta S/PDIF cable sits one level above the Beta S/PDIF cable. Compared with the Beta S/PDIF cable, the Celesta S/PDIF cable uses a twinax geometry and shielding specified as double fully shielded.
How does the Eterna S/PDIF cable compare with the Celesta S/PDIF cable?
The Eterna S/PDIF cable is the next level up from the Celesta S/PDIF cable. Where it differs from the Celesta S/PDIF cable, the Eterna S/PDIF cable uses Eh 100 connectors in place of Eh 50 and shielding specified as triple fully shielded.
Which connectors does the Celesta S/PDIF cable use?
The Celesta S/PDIF 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 Celesta S/PDIF cable included, has an interface matched to it.
Should I choose 50 or 75 ohm for the Celesta S/PDIF cable?
Choose the impedance your equipment specifies for that connection; the Celesta S/PDIF cable is made in both 50 and 75 ohm versions. If the manuals are unclear, send us the model names and we will help you check before you order the Celesta S/PDIF cable.
What does the Celesta S/PDIF cable cost?
The Celesta S/PDIF cable is $599 for 1 m and $749 for 1.5 m. Sales tax is included in the price of the Celesta S/PDIF cable, and we deliver it free anywhere in the USA.
Where is the Celesta S/PDIF cable made, and when will it ship?
Esprit builds every Celesta S/PDIF cable by hand in its workshop in Confolens, France. The Celesta S/PDIF 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.
