Elac Debut Reference DBR-62 Speaker Review

[Iluzun]

I guess I’m trying to say that the overall tonal balance of the floorstanders is such, there is no boom, that some have. They can go low quickly but overall they won’t overpower a smaller room like a speaker with a pair of 8“ or really a couple 6” drivers. The 5” have a lighter touch...

It may be the crossover points down to 90Hz in a three way config, the mid covers the ground up to 2200Hz and down to the pr. of 5”. Most other 3ways I’ve heard have a ‘fatter‘ tone, crossing over higher up...

 

[muad]

It may be the crossover points down to 90Hz in a three way config, the mid covers the ground up to 2200Hz and down to the pr. of 5”. Most other 3ways I’ve heard have a ‘fatter‘ tone, crossing over higher up...

I think we need to send one to amir

 

[thewas]

Thanks interesting info myself heard one or two tracks on S400 few years ago picking up some raw SBA transducer at their head quater and remember it as probably being nice sounding but its unfair say more because i was really too much in a hurry that day, but if we talk hardware then think the PP cone on S300 is nice and clean in i have that driver and its little brother as trial transducers for my amateur guitar system.
Sure you welcome but i had to make it animated so it can toggle between S300 on axis and listening window because else the standard or watermark light colours that is used for overlay feature will clutter those two close curves together, also calender today tells it has become April ...

View attachment 56685

Thank you again, interesting how close both are now.

 

[Haint]

Where a market hosts speakers easily into the 6 figures, comparatively $600 is inexpensive. My cell phone has a $0.02 speaker. Not sure what your point is.

I get it that some class of people want 100% of the features at 0% of the price.

By market I mean market at large, the broader buying public. You are speaking from the perspective of the "audiophile" bubble, I am speaking from the perspective of the guy walking into Best Buy to buy an audio solution. This is not a boutique speaker, it's a mass market big box speaker. You are wildly out of touch with reality if you think presenting that guy with a $1600+ 2 channel system is "budget". The existence of grossly overpriced alternatives and the 1% who buys it says nothing of what the other 99% considers affordable. The $300,000 speaker market is so infinitesimally small it doesn't even exist statistically speaking. Using it as a meter for affordability is incredibly foolish to put it nicely.

 

[hardisj]

Price is so subjective... let's all just agree that what's cheap to one person isn't to another and end all this foolish debate over how one deems "budget".

 

[Absolute]

Semantics. It's all relative. People buy phones for 1000$+ once a year almost regardless of where they live/income. In that sense 600$ for speakers to last for 20 years is cheap even if you think the amount itself is not.

 

[Jon AA]

I've had this conversation with people before, who wouldn't dream of spending $200 or more per speaker. When they spend $100-200 per month on Cable, DirecTV, Netflix, Tidal, etc, that's where all the money is. Add that up over 10 years and it's a pretty giant pile of money they're spending. A $2000 pair of speakers seems like a lot, but it's only $16 a month if you're happy with them for 10 years. And makes all that expensive content much more enjoyable....

 

[Jinjuku]

Semantics. It's all relative. People buy phones for 1000$+ once a year almost regardless of where they live/income. In that sense 600$ for speakers to last for 20 years is cheap even if you think the amount itself is not.

As prices get closer to $0.00 it's not as relative. My current phone cost $129, Given that the top end of the market is $1000-1400, it's on the cheaper end.

Sure you can get a $45 flip phone and it's great if all you want to do is text and make a phone call. Because that's all you'll get for $45.

 

[Jinjuku]

This is not a boutique speaker, it's a mass market big box speaker. You are wildly out of touch with reality if you think presenting that guy with a $1600+ 2 channel system is "budget".

Both my brothers are poor. EVERYTHING is expensive. Even a gallon of milk.

 

[Absolute]

In that case, they shouldn't buy speakers. Fix income first, then buy stuff

 

[Haint]

Both my brothers are poor. EVERYTHING is expensive. Even a gallon of milk.

Yea that was my point, and your brothers are the rule, not the exception. Even within the top 20% of households many would balk at a $1600 stereo, nevermind the 80% under them. I spend a lot of time in circles that are only tangentially related to and concerned with audio. The overwhelming majority of people looking for suggestions have $500 - $1000 to spend on a full 5.1+ system, and in most cases that's genuinely all they have (they've saved or financed just to manage that). That really won't even build a Pioneer or Sony system. That should put into perspective the gap to a minimum $2600 5.1 Debut Reference system, and how out of touch it looks calling it "budget".

 

[Jinjuku]

Yea that was my point, and your brothers are the rule, not the exception. Even within the top 20% of households many would balk at a $1600 stereo, nevermind the 80% under them. I spend a lot of time in circles that are only tangentially related to and concerned with audio. The overwhelming majority of people looking for suggestions have $500 - $1000 to spend on a full 5.1+ system, and in most cases that's genuinely all they have (they've saved or financed just to manage that). That really won't even build a Pioneer or Sony system. That should put into perspective the gap to a minimum $2600 5.1 Debut Reference system, and how out of touch it looks calling it "budget".

I get it and I'm glad there are $1200 that people can save some spend for and enjoy movie night at home.

 

[Gatordaddy]

Does anyone with these have any experience comparing these to the Debut B6 or the JBL 305? I have a pair of the debut B6s and while they sound good in the listening position (if lacking a bit in the presence region), the timbre changes dramatically if I move throughout my room. I am pretty pleased with my 305s in the living room, but find I like their performance better closer to nearfield and will probably move them into my office so I'm not just tethered to headphones while working from home.

 

[SimpleTheater]

I've had this conversation with people before, who wouldn't dream of spending $200 or more per speaker. When they spend $100-200 per month on Cable, DirecTV, Netflix, Tidal, etc, that's where all the money is.

Couldn't agree more. Some of my wife's friends thought I was insane for building a home theater twenty years ago. $70,000 they said! One of those people was paying Verizon for all five of their phones (even though the youngest kid was only seven), Direct TV and router rental fees that totaled over $425/month. There bills haven't changed much, and over 20 years that's $102,000.

Me and my family are on Republic Wireless (and basic carriers before RW came into existence for $60 /month for five phones - grandfathered), cable ($55/mth) and just got Netflix four years ago (so say $5/month over 20 years). That's $28,800.

I'm up by $3,200 over them AND I have a home theater to show for it.

 

[Frank Dernie]

Ha but the price is not only for the components but also for the design.
If you want to pay only for the components, you have to go for your own design and buy components fitting your design.

Yes.
The manufacturing cost of the executive cars I know about is about 10% of the recommended price. The rest is design, R&D, amortising the tooling design and manufacture (that allows the pieces to be made so cheap) and marketing. In the USA more is spent on marketing this brand to the public than making the cars (this is common/normal)

 

[Putter]

That was my thinking. I didn't know some speakers are intended to be listened too with the grills on! I'm not sure if the Revel F35s are recommended to be used with grill on or off, but the white speakers look awful with the grills on so I listen with the grills off. With the quality of measurements here, one could get a good picture of what the grills actually do to the sound and whether it's worth worrying about or not.

My recollection was that Andrew Jones stated that he designed to be listened without the grill. This was in reference to the Pioneer budget line, but seemed to apply to all his designs likely including the Elacs.

 

[ferongr]

I took the plunge and ordered a pair for me, together with an Audiophonics NC252MP amp. In the end, I just couldn't stomach the price of the KEF R3s.

 

[amirm]

Does anyone with these have any experience comparing these to the Debut B6 or the JBL 305?

They play far louder than the 305. The 305 has dynamic compression that sets in as you turn them up.

 

[stren]

Any reason these wouldn't work for near field monitors on a desk?

 

[amirm]

They are kind large for that use unless you put them on a stand or something.