ELAC DF63 Floor standing Speaker Review

[Bleib]

What say you ELAC ?

Are they here at the this forum?

 

[tw 2022]

Are they here at the this forum?

I'm sure somebody at elac is aware of any legit review... that might include monitoring this thread...

 

[Power Pop 23]

Are they here at the this forum?

I have no idea. I may be wrong but I assume someone at ELAC would at least 'lurk' to monitor conversations on ASR.

 

[Bwaslo]

Loose things in or outside cabinet can give rattling noise and distortion. But it should show up in measurements. What is evident is that distortion is higher order around 200 Hz and is quite narrow Q. There are stronger peaks in the ”fading sun” song around 200 Hz but it is not the cowbells doing that but the special percussion (ice?).

There may be (and likely is) a threshold level for when rattling starts, so it might not show up in measurement. Rattling is going to be a very non-linear phenomenon, like a wire laying against a cabinet wall or a broken glue joint.

 

[daniboun]

Why is that track hard to play? Maybe it's not valid what I did, but I listened to the Youtube version on Harman tuned headphones and I couldn't hear anything that was an issue in the headphone for instance. I mean it seems pretty simple music, not busy.

EDIT: mind you didn't notice anything weird with same headphones on Amir's track he used, I'll try it on my own speakers.

EDIT#2: tried listening to Amir's track all the way up at 92dB at 4 metres with my x2 JBL308p speakers & sub. Well 92dB at 4 metres if you were to play a 0dBFS sine wave, so I don't know how loud that is actually on the Youtube track, but I didn't notice any problems with the bells coming in at 30seconds and later. I'm not sure if the 300Hz'ish area was clean though, but that wouldn't be the tweeter. Converting 4m to 1m and accounting for 2 speakers vs one then that would 92dB +12dB -3dB = 101dB at 1 metre per speaker if a 0dBFS sine wave was played, so it was those type of volume settings on the system, but I don't know how loud Amir's Youtube video is recorded. Maybe most speakers don't exhibit this problem. Just wanted to test it on my system.

Any complex tracks to share from your end ?
Try maybe Joel Grare "unusual bells"

 

[Bwaslo]

If you want an album that will push any speaker to its most extreme limits, listen to this album "Des Pas Sous La Neige" by Joël Grare. (HD version)
These are complex percussions / strings and ultra-stressful bells for the speakers. And it's absolutely sublime to listen to.


View attachment 474743

sadly, Tidal doesn't seem to have that album

 

[Billy Budapest]

There may be (and likely is) a threshold level for when rattling starts, so it might not show up in measurement. Rattling is going to be a very non-linear phenomenon, like a wire laying against a cabinet wall or a broken glue joint.

Right. Had a speaker that rattled just once during a loud helicopter transport scene in Deepwater Horizon. Loud knocking, non-linear in fashion, coming from the cabinet. Could have been the voice coil bottoming out too. In any case, never happened again.

 

[Thomas_A]

I am sure you meant 86-96db but also I notice the appearance of huge amounts of 4th and 5th order distortion, meaning what in particular?? ((200hz range))

higher amounts of 5th order than almost any normal working speaker would exhibit. (As mentioned by Amir also)

No I meant total THD plot with 86-91-96-101 dB.

 

[Salt]

Is it HD, noise, or both??

 

[DanielT]

Why is that track hard to play? Maybe it's not valid what I did, but I listened to the Youtube version on Harman tuned headphones and I couldn't hear anything that was an issue in the headphone for instance. I mean it seems pretty simple music, not busy.

EDIT: mind you didn't notice anything weird with same headphones on Amir's track he used, I'll try it on my own speakers.

EDIT#2: tried listening to Amir's track all the way up at 92dB at 4 metres with my x2 JBL308p speakers & sub. Well 92dB at 4 metres if you were to play a 0dBFS sine wave, so I don't know how loud that is actually on the Youtube track, but I didn't notice any problems with the bells coming in at 30seconds and later. I'm not sure if the 300Hz'ish area was clean though, but that wouldn't be the tweeter. Converting 4m to 1m and accounting for 2 speakers vs one then that would 92dB +12dB -3dB = 101dB at 1 metre per speaker if a 0dBFS sine wave was played, so it was those type of volume settings on the system, but I don't know how loud Amir's Youtube video is recorded. Maybe most speakers don't exhibit this problem. Just wanted to test it on my system.

Is this hard to play:

I will use the track Michael Ruff - Speaking in Melodies - Wishing Well (well-recorded fusion) as an example, as there are several high-frequency peaks that require a lot of power from the amplifier. First, the voltage, current and power for the entire signal are shown:

J

'Making sense of power requirements, decibels and sensitivity'

Apr 12, 2025

Hi there!

I'm creating this little thread to ask a question for what is probably a very dumb question, but I can't for the life of me figure it out.

Let's say you have speakers rated for 88 dB sensitivity (2.83 V @ 1m).
The speakers' maximum SPL is 112 dB.
Their power rating is 40 to 120 W.

Now, adding 3 dB means doubling the volume. Going (112 - 88) / 3 = 8, so going from 88 dB to 112 dB is multiplying the volume by 2^8, which is 256. Am I correct on that one?

If that's true, then I don't get the numbers in the spec sheet. 1W gives you 88 dB, so to get 112 dB you should need 256W...

• JustAnAudioLover
• Replies: 35
• Forum: General Audio Discussions

If that song requires a lot of amp power even for the higher frequencies, it also places demands on the speakers.

 

[Thomas_A]

Another question is if speaker is fastened correctly. 200 Hz may well be in the range of speaker to support resonance.

 

[JeremyFife]

Thanks for another interesting review Amirm. I always look forward to speaker reviews, especially reasonably priced ones.

Interesting review, disappointing and slightly confusing. The rise in distortion with SPL probably rules these out, irrespective of the (perhaps unresolved, certainly still under discussion) resonance issue.

One question. Measurements gave these a respectable preference score - 6. I realise that one metric can never describe speakers ( same with SINAD and electronics) but I found that strange.

I'm still new to interpreting measurements: could anyone help in understanding why the Pref score is highish while the distortion performance is off?

 

[daniboun]

I will use the track Michael Ruff - Speaking in Melodies - Wishing Well (well-recorded fusion) as an example, as there are several high-frequency peaks that require a lot of power from the amplifier. First, the voltage, current and power for the entire signal are shown:

Nice song , sounds incredible with my setup )
Added it to my playlist. Thx man

Try this and tell me, even more complex : Casino royale by Derivakat

 

[Power Pop 23]

I'm still new to interpreting measurements: could anyone help in understanding why the Pref score is highish while the distortion performance is off?

I am new to it too. I wonder if the measured bass extension of the sample is a reason for the relatively high score

 

[DanielT]

Nice song , sounds incredible with my setup )
Added it to my playlist. Thx man

Try this and tell me, even more complex : Casino royale by Derivakat

I liked Casino royale by Derivakat.Thanks for the tip.

I didn't come up with that Michael Ruff song, I'll just mention it. I found that tip from another forum.

Now we probably shouldn't be suggesting songs in this thread as it is OT, but I can't help then to suggest this one below, pretty good with dynamics:

 

[daniboun]

I liked Casino royale by Derivakat.Thanks for the tip.

I didn't come up with that Michael Ruff song, I'll just mention it. I found that tip from another forum.

Now we probably shouldn't be suggesting songs in this thread as it is OT, but I can't help then to suggest this one below, pretty good with dynamics:

If you like classical music, I have my absolute devotion to the Danish Symphony Orchestra, which has performed all the soundtracks from the films: Star Wars, Harry Potter, Alien, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, and hundreds of other masterpieces... very high-quality live recordings.

 

[Sokel]

Why is that track hard to play? Maybe it's not valid what I did, but I listened to the Youtube version on Harman tuned headphones and I couldn't hear anything that was an issue in the headphone for instance. I mean it seems pretty simple music, not busy.

EDIT: mind you didn't notice anything weird with same headphones on Amir's track he used, I'll try it on my own speakers.

EDIT#2: tried listening to Amir's track all the way up at 92dB at 4 metres with my x2 JBL308p speakers & sub. Well 92dB at 4 metres if you were to play a 0dBFS sine wave, so I don't know how loud that is actually on the Youtube track, but I didn't notice any problems with the bells coming in at 30seconds and later. I'm not sure if the 300Hz'ish area was clean though, but that wouldn't be the tweeter. Converting 4m to 1m and accounting for 2 speakers vs one then that would 92dB +12dB -3dB = 101dB at 1 metre per speaker if a 0dBFS sine wave was played, so it was those type of volume settings on the system, but I don't know how loud Amir's Youtube video is recorded. Maybe most speakers don't exhibit this problem. Just wanted to test it on my system.

If someone want to play "Fading Sun" in a way that highs are at 90dB SPL has to very well know that this 30-ish Hz low it has it may have to reach in excess of 110dB, you can see it in my chart.
Make sure that room and speaker can do it, although I very much doubt that anyone in the right mind would try that with the thread's speaker.

 

[Sokel]

If you like classical music, I have my absolute devotion to the Danish Symphony Orchestra, which has performed all the soundtracks from the films: Star Wars, Harry Potter, Alien, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, and hundreds of other masterpieces... very high-quality live recordings.

Whoever wants difficult stuff (warning, at its own expense) try this album.

https://www.discogs.com/release/965576-Pan-Sonic-Katodivaihe-Cathodephase?srsltid=AfmBOoqoBKYZvcccwgC0KNe_w9Ddd19uD9zDhuhNUavUBeoTV222WmPx

It's of course unlistenable at some points and can push gear at points they are not designed for (pretty sure square waves lurk at some points) and asks for every bit of power across the spectrum at same others.
Watching it at RTA is scary.

 

[dananski]

I haven't checked the Fourier spectrum or anything, but I think the higher, louder note at that time has a slightly flat G# fundamental. I wouldn't be surprised if it has a series of partials like a bell, including a minor third (tierce) a bit below B, so around 950Hz, in the spot where the biggest problems are visible on the charts. I would guess it's just hitting the resonance there and standing out in a very bad way as a result. Not too sure though, perhaps someone who plays the icicles would know more!

Whatever the cause, if the manufacturer doesn't expect this, let it be impetus to ensure the member gets a refund and offer Amir access to properly functioning ones. But I think bad QC would still put me off unless a representative one was truly great.

 

[escape2]

I was planning to get the bookshelf version of this speaker. Back to the drawing board, I guess...