ELAC Debut 6.2 - For Desktop (Nearfield) or Small Room (20 sqm)

[sound67]

Well, that didn't take much time.

I connected the ELAC Debut 6.2's in my bedroom yesterday and let them play for about 8 hours, then used them last night for TV and DVD.

I put them on stands, at least 2 feet away from any wall.

On the plus side, I immediately noticed the airy sound and great imaging; the sound didn't seem to come from the speakers at all, it came from within the room.

I was pleasantly surprised that the tiny Loxjie A30 amplifier could easily drive the comparatively inefficient Elacs (86db at 6 Ohms).

Also, the bright sound guaranteed excellent clarity of the dialogue on my DVDs (currently re-binging The Closer).

However ...

This morning, after a break-in of about 15 hours total, I put on music through my Wiim Mini streamer. And then I reconnected my old Klipsch speakers for comparison.

It was no comparison. My (admittedly six times more expensive in 2003 money) old Klipsch Reference RB-75's roundly and completely outclassed the Elacs in everything but imaging. There is a depth in the music produced by the Klipschs that after no break-in period, no matter how long, the Elacs could hope to emulate. Classical music was virtually unlistenable on the Elacs.

In retrospect (to last Thursday, when I ordered the Elacs) I realized that even with the progress budget bookshelf speakers have made in recent years, it was foolhardy of me to think the Debut 6.2 could even come close to my old Klipschs, which were considered near reference class at the time. Nor will I try to compare them to my ADAM A5 active monitors on the desktop, as the Elacs wouldn't stand a chance against those either. Which I should have known ...

That pretty much rules out the higher-priced Debut Reference and Uni-Fi's from Elac, too - because the difference in quality to the Klipschs was so huge.

I guess I either have to wait until I can spend substantially more money for new bookshelves, or be happy with my 20 year-old Klipschs and ADAMs. If anything, the comparison reinvigorated my lost appreciation of just how good the Klipschs still are.

The Elacs might be a good option for TV/DVD/BD watching because of their great clarity, much better than any sound bar. But for music, they won't cut it.

 

[mhardy6647]

See? Told ya.

In fairness, the presentation of those Klipsches is... idiosyncratic, and if you prefer them, there won't be many, if any, non-Klipsch loudspeakers that you'll prefer. My own preferences run essentially contrary, but -- of course -- de gustibus non est disputandum (which is why the Klipsch brand persists).

 

[sound67]

I'm not looking for a sound profile exactly like the one of the Klipschs. I would actually appreciate more clarity in the treble and a more open sound. But not at the expense of depth. But I guess that can't be had at that price, or evven twice the price of the Debut 6.2's.

 

[mhardy6647]

I've been listening entirely too much to a pair of ads L470 lately.
Entirely too much -- because they sound so darned good.
I am sure (OK -- I am pretty sure) there would have been an equivalent Braun model that should be neither hard to find nor particularly expensive in Europe.
Just a thought.




(Sorry this one is so grubby)

 

[Timcognito]

ELAC B5.2 Debut 2.0 Series Speakers

noaudiophile.com

You need a sub

 

[sound67]

After the Elacs, and probably against sound judgement, I decided to give another pair of standmount speakers a try: the Q Acoustics 3030i.

 

[ZolaIII]

After the Elacs, and probably against sound judgement, I decided to give another pair of standmount speakers a try: the Q Acoustics 3030i.

With foam corks and crossed to a sub/sub's at 100 or 80 Hz high/low pass they are very good. They can pass without it but nead deacent space behind them (60 cm or more) for large back port's which fire like cannons. They need deacent amount of time for their suspension to settle in and they are easy to drive.
Edit: not really suitable for near field, wide dispersion up to 7 KHz.

Q Acoustics 3030i Quasi-anechoic Spinorama and other measurements

Hello! I recently published my review of the new Q Acoustics 3030i. You can look that up if you want more text, but I'm here for measurements! The 3030i were recently announced, and retail for $400. So we have the quasi-anechoic spin, with nearfield bass spliced to the listening window at 385...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Not talking only based on measurements as I have those.

 

[sound67]

Mine are placed on stands two feet each from any wall, and about 2.5 meters from each other. I'll give the foam plugs a try though just to hear the difference.

 

[Talisman]

Are you only considering bookshelf speakers?
For around your budget you can buy a pair of 1002 or 802 magnat monitors, although they are very cheap products they sound surprisingly good and obviously have the presentation of a pair of towers, which in classical music makes a big difference

 

[sound67]

I've had floorstanders and "bookshelves" over the years (the largest were a pair of KEF Reference RF-7's), but, in smallish rooms, in my experience bookshelves produce a more open sound with better soundstaging. I'm using a sub for the low frequences anyway.

 

[ZolaIII]

Mine are placed on stands two feet each from any wall, and about 2.5 meters from each other. I'll give the foam plugs a try though just to hear the difference.

Put them under 12~15° horizontal angle to listening position.

 

[sound67]

Now that the 3030i's have been playing for 12, 13 hours I'm quite impressed with them. Watching DVDs all night and listening to pop music this morning, I can safely claim them to be substantially superior to the ELAC Debut's in depth of field and tonal substance, also the highs are better integrated. They don't soundstage as crazily good as the ELAC's do vertically, you need to keep your ears at the tweeter level or very slightly above them. Voices have good presence and clarity, they work nicely with my ELAC sub, too.

I'll give them a longer break-in period (a few days), and I'll try them as desktop speakers on the weekend, too. Unlike the Debut 6.2's I can't dismiss them out of hand.

The one thing I'm not a fan of are the magnetic speaker grills. They are too loose and might cause unwanted vibrations at higher volumes. So I took them off.

 

[Teeter]

Comparing Klipsch R-51 to Elac B6.2, which I have both for 6 foot distance listening, the R-51 is my preferred. The Elacs are collecting dust. Let me explain, I am a DD movie and TV listener and like the punch and clarity from the Klipsch, compared to the B6.2's, in my small HT room. The R-51M is better for near field listening, IMO, comparing the two.

 

[Teeter]

Comparing Klipsch R-51 to Elac B6.2, which I have both for 6 foot distance listening, the R-51 is my preferred. The Elacs are collecting dust. Let me explain, I am a DD movie and TV listener and like the punch and clarity from the Klipsch, compared to the B6.2's, in my small HT room. The R-51M is better for near field listening, IMO, comparing the two.

Well..........I went back to the ELAC B6.2's as was wrong about the Klipsch R-51M for my ears for Movies and TV. I made some audio adjustments in the DENON AVR. The Klipsch R-51M's are now my side surrounds. Internet Music sounds great too. The ELACS were in my budget range at the time. I jumped the gun on the Klipisch R-51M.