Hand-built in France — usually ships in about 2 weeks.
Richard Cesari says the assembly of a speaker cable counts as much as its materials. You can have the finest conductors in the world, he says, but if a speaker cable is assembled approximately, you lose everything.
The Esprit Gaia Speaker Cable is a pair of loudspeaker cables from level 8 of Esprit's nine ranges. The Gaia speaker cable is assembled by hand at Esprit's workshop in Confolens, in 2, 2.5, 3, 4 and 5 m pairs with banana or spade terminations.
“The soundstage is wide, deep and high, with a ‘just-right’ sense of scale to instruments within that image.”
— Alan Sircom, Hi-Fi+, reviewing the previous-generation Gaia cables (2021)
Heritage
Esprit calls Gaia the culmination of the technologies it has developed, its most advanced architectures at their highest maturity, and the Gaia speaker cable is made in that spirit. Conductor density in the range is very high, built from pure copper strands of differentiated sections and, on some links, solid silver, and the Gaia speaker cable draws on that work. Dielectric polarization is exploited to the full, and soft and hard insulators are combined for what Esprit calls a rare balance of bass hold, fluid mids and harmonic coherence in the Gaia speaker cable.
By hand, in Charente
Esprit's team designs and assembles the Gaia speaker cable by hand in its workshop in Confolens, Charente. Richard Cesari insists that assembly counts as much as materials, so each Gaia speaker cable is checked at every stage of the work. The first complete check of the Gaia speaker cable is made by the person who built it, and nothing moves on until it has been validated.
What you hear
Esprit speaks of extreme transparency, a three-dimensional stage and impressive stability from the Gaia speaker cable. Its own summary of the Gaia sound is the finesse of the studio joined to the organic intensity of live music, an aim the Gaia speaker cable is built to serve.
Esprit explains that a larger conductor section lowers resistance, which matters in a Gaia speaker cable because speaker links carry significant current. In listening, the company says, that lower resistance tends to bring a quieter background, firmer bass and freer dynamics from the Gaia speaker cable. The Gaia speaker cable combines PVC and silicone insulation: Esprit associates the firmer PVC with density and bass weight, and the softer silicone with a more fluid, open midrange and treble.
Finding your place in the range
The Gaia speaker cable is level 8 of Esprit's nine, above Eureka and below L'Esprit. Pairs of the Gaia speaker cable come in 2, 2.5, 3, 4 and 5 m, with banana or spade terminations, so measure the run from amplifier to speaker and allow a little slack. You can see the Gaia speaker cable beside the other Esprit ranges in our Esprit collection.
Specifications
| Range |
Gaia, Generation 10 (GenX), level 8 of 9 |
| Type |
Speaker Cable |
| Sold as |
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) |
| Connectors |
Banana or spade, by Esprit |
| Dielectric |
Asymmetrical twisted dielectric |
| Dielectric polarization |
Integral polarization on the anode and cathode in air |
| Insulation |
Quadruple Air insulation + High-Temperature polyvinyl chloride (PVC) + Silicone |
| Shielding |
Partial shielding with a silver-plated copper braid providing 100% optical coverage + Full shielding on air |
| Plating |
40 micron copper/silver multilayer plating |
| Made in |
Confolens, France, assembled entirely by hand |
Questions
How does the Gaia speaker cable differ from the Eureka speaker cable?
The Gaia speaker cable sits one level above the Eureka speaker cable. Compared with the Eureka speaker cable, the Gaia speaker cable uses quadruple air insulation plus high-temperature PVC plus silicone insulation and shielding specified as partial shielding with a silver-plated copper braid providing 100% optical coverage plus full shielding on air.
Does the Gaia speaker cable use dielectric polarization?
Yes. Esprit lists the polarization of the Gaia speaker cable as "Integral polarization on the anode and cathode in air". On the Gaia speaker cable, a continuous voltage keeps the insulators in a stable state, which Esprit says limits dielectric relaxation and absorption for more coherent, quieter transmission.
What does the Gaia speaker cable cost?
The Gaia speaker cable is $25,999 for 2 m, $28,999 for 2.5 m, $31,999 for 3 m, $37,999 for 4 m and $43,999 for 5 m per pair. Sales tax is included in the price of the Gaia speaker cable, and we deliver it free anywhere in the USA.
Where is the Gaia speaker cable made, and when will it ship?
Esprit builds every Gaia speaker cable by hand in its workshop in Confolens, France. The Gaia speaker 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.
