Hand-built in France — usually ships in about 2 weeks.
Some components announce themselves. A great loudspeaker cable should do the opposite. Richard Cesari, who founded Esprit, puts it simply: a cable is not there to improve the music, it is there to let it through. When it is well made, you stop hearing it, and only the music remains.
The Esprit Eterna Speaker Cable is built around that idea. Every pair is made by hand in Esprit's workshop in Confolens, in the Charente region of France. It comes as a stereo pair in lengths from 2 to 5 meters, with banana or spade terminations.
“The overall presentation was smooth, refined, detailed, and tight, without being forward or coarse.”
— David Robson, Hifi Pig, reviewing the previous-generation Eterna loom (2021)
A reference since 1999
Eterna has been part of the Esprit collection since 1999, and this is its tenth generation. Esprit calls it a major turning point in its range, because Eterna is where dielectric polarization begins. A DC voltage is applied to the insulation to hold it in a stable, polarized state. Esprit uses it to stabilize the electrostatic environment around the signal, for what it describes as a more coherent, more stable and quieter transmission.
Made by hand in Confolens
Each Eterna starts as bare copper strand on a workbench. The insulation is applied by hand, the conductors are twisted by hand and the shield is fitted by hand. The person who builds each pair checks it before it moves on, and it is checked again in full before it is packed. Richard notes that some owners have used the same Esprit cables for more than twenty-five years.
What you hear
Esprit describes Eterna as a clear gain in silence, depth of image and precision, with a presentation that is more open, more nuanced and more immersive, while keeping the fluid, natural character the brand is known for.
Very fine strands of 0.08 mm, which Esprit uses to refine the high frequencies, are joined by thicker 0.30 mm strands that build up the total cross-section. A larger cross-section lowers resistance, which matters where speaker currents run high. Esprit says this is often heard as a quieter background, a firmer hold on the bass and freer dynamics. The insulation pairs rigid PVC, which Esprit associates with density and a solid foundation in the low end, with supple silicone, which it associates with a more fluid, open midrange and treble and an airier image.
Choosing your pair
Eterna sits fourth of Esprit's nine ranges, above Celesta and below Aura. Choose the length that reaches comfortably from amplifier to loudspeaker. Then choose banana or spade to suit your binding posts. If you would like help placing Eterna in your system, we are happy to talk it through, or explore the full Esprit collection.
Specifications
| Range |
Eterna, Generation 10 (GenX), level 4 of 9 |
| Type |
Loudspeaker cable, stereo pair |
| Lengths |
2 m (6.6 ft), 2.5 m (8.2 ft), 3 m (9.8 ft), 4 m (13.1 ft), 5 m (16.4 ft) |
| Terminations |
Banana or spade, by Esprit |
| Conductors |
Fine strands of 0.08 mm and thicker strands of 0.30 mm |
| Dielectric |
Asymmetrical, twisted |
| Dielectric polarization |
Yes, single process |
| Insulation |
Air + high-temperature PVC + silicone |
| Shielding |
Partial, silver-plated copper braid with 100% optical coverage |
| Spade plating |
Silver-plated copper, 40-micron copper/silver multilayer |
| Made in |
Confolens, France, assembled entirely by hand |
Questions
What does Eterna add over Esprit Celesta?
Eterna is the first Esprit range with dielectric polarization. Compared with the Celesta speaker cable, it also adds air insulation, which Esprit pairs with high-temperature PVC and silicone.
How does it compare with Esprit Aura?
Aura, the next range up, moves to a double polarization process and double air insulation, and adds full shielding on top of Eterna's silver-plated copper braid.
What is dielectric polarization?
Every insulator polarizes slightly when a signal passes, then releases that energy a fraction later, which Esprit calls dielectric relaxation and absorption. From Eterna upward, Esprit applies a DC voltage to the insulation to keep it in a stable polarized state and limit that effect.
Should I choose banana or spade?
Choose whichever suits your amplifier and loudspeaker binding posts. Bananas push straight in, and spades clamp beneath the binding-post nut. Both are made by Esprit and cost the same.
How much is the Esprit Eterna Speaker Cable?
Prices are per stereo pair: $2,599 for 2 m, $3,149 for 2.5 m, $3,699 for 3 m, $4,799 for 4 m and $5,899 for 5 m, with banana or spade at the same price.
Does the cable need running in?
Yes, a little. Richard Cesari has told reviewers that Esprit cables settle after about thirty hours of use and reach their best after 150 to 200 hours. After shipping, allow around ten hours of music for them to return to form.
Where is it made, and how soon will it ship?
Each pair is assembled by hand in Esprit's workshop in Confolens, France, and usually ships in about two weeks.
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.
