1938

From Multimoteur to Elipson

1951

1973

1990

2010

The history of Elipson is inextricably linked to its general manager, Joseph Léon. Formed at the Arts et Métiers, his ingenuity and the simplicity of the solutions he brings will make him one of the pioneers in the world of sound reproduction and audiophilia.

Joseph Léon joined the Multimoteur company in 1946, which was at that time a small company specializing in the production of electric motors for toys that had existed since 1938. The company also produced miniature electrical equipment used in the construction of transformers, generators and alternators.

The first audio research carried out by Mr Bazin and Mr Latour took place in 1940, research which later gave birth to the famous "BS50 Chambord" model: a sphere with an elliptical reflector. The arrival of Joseph Léon at the head of the company in 1948 brought a new wind, and the company began extensive research into reflectors and resonators. Finally, in 1951, Multimoteur became Elipson, a contraction of "ellipse" and "son" (and therefore to be pronounced "Elipson" and not "Elipsonne").

« Dans les années 50-60, un visiteur de l’atelier de Vitry non averti aurait pu croire visiter l’atelier d’un sculpteur moderne. Dans une poussière blanche et sous les verrières du classique atelier d’artiste, s’affairaient d’habiles mouleurs sous la direction de M. Nicolas, venu de Toscane spécialement. Un moule ne permettait que 150 exemplaires et une cinquantaine d’enceintes seulement sortaient chaque jour de l’atelier. (…) J’avais, il me souvient, remarqué un moule de quatre mètres de long n’ayant servi qu’une seule fois ! Au fond de l’atelier, une montagne de prototypes abandonnés, aux formes d'amphores antiques, d’oreilles de lapins, d’œufs et de sphères, autant d’objets dont la destinée devait de porter le son, mais qui gisaient là, beaux, inutiles, poétiquement blancs. »

Extrait d’un hommage à Joseph Léon, par Édouard Pastor.

Research in all directions.

Joseph Léon, thanks to his training as an engineer, integrates into Elipson's creations a whole research made of perfection and rigour. Starting from his personal observation that the loudspeaker is and will remain the weakest point in sound reproduction, he sets out to succeed in producing the truest and most vivid sound, with all the subjectivity that this includes.

The heart of Joseph Léon's research is to concentrate all the acoustic energy of the loudspeaker through the reflector, which will give Elipson loudspeakers a style never seen before, and at the time ultramodern. Its cone and reflector system now allows large spaces to be sounded with precision and quality.

The large number of models from this period reflects the profusion of ideas and the ever more perfectionist search for sound reproduction.

Elipson's revival

In 2008, a young entrepreneur in love with the brand took over the direction of Elipson with his partner, Eric James. Philippe Carré wanted to revive the avant-garde design and sound perfection that had made the brand so successful.

To achieve this, he repositioned the brand in the world of decoration and design. This atypical positioning allows Elipson to find a place apart in the hi-fi world today. To achieve this, it has surrounded itself with a new creative director in the person of Jean-Yves Le Porcher and the designer Jullien Thaler, well known in the audiophile world for his passion for Elipson speakers and his website dedicated to the brand's heritage.

One of the first creations of this new team is the 4260 loudspeaker, which re-inscribes Elipson in its history and its know-how in high fidelity. For the public, Elipson creates the Planet L and Planet M, spherical speakers which illustrate the will of the brand to invest the territory of the house, thanks to an object as beautiful as acoustically powerful. The wideband of the historical speakers is replaced by a coaxial loudspeaker, which focuses the sound in a precise way and contributes to create a deep and wide sound scene.

Elipson thus synthesizes the best of both eras.