terryforsythe
Major Contributor
I have removed the passive crossovers from my Elac Uni-Fi Reference UBR62 Bookshelf Speakers and gone all active. In doing so, I moved the woofer/midrange crossover frequency from 200 Hz to 450 Hz.
Side Note: Elac specifies the woofer/midrange crossover point as being 260 Hz, but my pair measured 200 Hz, which coincidentally is the specified crossover frequency for the Uni-Fi Reference towers. I don't know whether the published specification for UBR62 is wrong or the factory put the wrong crossovers in my speakers. It is water under the bridge now.
I only have a short time listening to them, and I have not yet tuned with Dirac Live. I'll do that after I get the extra cables I need for the individual woofers, midranges and tweeters ran through the wall. Hopefully this week.
Nonetheless, yesterday I did a quick comparison of one all active speaker to the other speaker in stock form (level matched, but not performed as a scientific experiment - just a quick comparison only to give me a quick sense of whether I was proceeding in the right direction). The improvement in the upper bass/lower midrange dynamics is significant. The changes took the modified speaker to the next level. This morning I modified the other speaker and spent some time listening to them. Wow, what an improvement!
I think Elac crossing the midrange at 200 Hz was pushing it a little hard, which can be seen in the harmonic distortion and linear response data Erin posted in his review of these speakers at Erin's Audio Corner. Also, eliminating the passive filter components probably helped with the dynamics.
I'm sure the question will be asked as to why I modified the Elacs instead of just getting better speakers. Long story short is that after our home renovations the boss (a.k.a. my wife) insisted on NO speakers in the family room. I wanted my stereo system operational, so a compromise was needed. The Elac UBR62 speakers in oak/white with the gray grills were the best fit I could find to match the aesthetics of our family room, and the reviews generally were favorable. I purchased them, having never heard them, and a pair of nice looking stands. I set them up while the boss was away. She came home, saw them, and stated “those look OK, I could live with them.” Mission accomplished, at least so I thought. The sound staging and imaging of the UBR62s was impressive, and initially I was pleased. But after spending some time with them, and turning up the volume a bit when the boss was away, the dynamics of the speakers were underwhelming and left me wanting something better. Now I have it, and the boss still is happy.
Side Note: Elac specifies the woofer/midrange crossover point as being 260 Hz, but my pair measured 200 Hz, which coincidentally is the specified crossover frequency for the Uni-Fi Reference towers. I don't know whether the published specification for UBR62 is wrong or the factory put the wrong crossovers in my speakers. It is water under the bridge now.
I only have a short time listening to them, and I have not yet tuned with Dirac Live. I'll do that after I get the extra cables I need for the individual woofers, midranges and tweeters ran through the wall. Hopefully this week.
Nonetheless, yesterday I did a quick comparison of one all active speaker to the other speaker in stock form (level matched, but not performed as a scientific experiment - just a quick comparison only to give me a quick sense of whether I was proceeding in the right direction). The improvement in the upper bass/lower midrange dynamics is significant. The changes took the modified speaker to the next level. This morning I modified the other speaker and spent some time listening to them. Wow, what an improvement!
I think Elac crossing the midrange at 200 Hz was pushing it a little hard, which can be seen in the harmonic distortion and linear response data Erin posted in his review of these speakers at Erin's Audio Corner. Also, eliminating the passive filter components probably helped with the dynamics.
I'm sure the question will be asked as to why I modified the Elacs instead of just getting better speakers. Long story short is that after our home renovations the boss (a.k.a. my wife) insisted on NO speakers in the family room. I wanted my stereo system operational, so a compromise was needed. The Elac UBR62 speakers in oak/white with the gray grills were the best fit I could find to match the aesthetics of our family room, and the reviews generally were favorable. I purchased them, having never heard them, and a pair of nice looking stands. I set them up while the boss was away. She came home, saw them, and stated “those look OK, I could live with them.” Mission accomplished, at least so I thought. The sound staging and imaging of the UBR62s was impressive, and initially I was pleased. But after spending some time with them, and turning up the volume a bit when the boss was away, the dynamics of the speakers were underwhelming and left me wanting something better. Now I have it, and the boss still is happy.