And stayed that way during most of the three week audition stretch. Listening intently for gaffes. 1, Vilde Frang plays Korngold and Britten Concertos, Audiophilia's Recordings of the Year 2017, The Bowers & Wilkins Audio System for the Volvo XC90, Focal Powered by Naim: Scottsdale, AZ Grand Opening, In the Trenches: Angie’s Audio Corner, Toronto, In the Trenches: Audio and Music in New York City, In the Trenches: Sound Hounds, Victoria BC, Philadelphia Orchestra plays Carnegie Hall, 2017 New Year's Concert with Gustavo Dudamel, André Cluytens—The Complete Orchestral and Concerto Recordings, Barenboim conducts Bruckner Symphonies [complete], Brahms Symphonies from the Detroit Symphony, Bruckner: Symphony No. Elac Debut 2.0 B5-2 Bookshelf Speakers Review The B5.2 is an upgrade on the original B5 series, and it is easy to see that there are significant differences. BA1 1UA. Why did the Elac's capture that ever so slight crescendo in a tertiary string line and the bass clarinet reed squawk at rehearsal Letter A on my Naxos CD of The Happy Forest by Bax? The original bookshelf speaker, the B6, is also the brainchild of Andrew Jones who previously worked as a designer at Pioneer. Not effulgent and all enveloping, but balanced. They are taller and slenderer than the previous versions. Elac Debut B5.2 Review - These are very talented speakers for the money. In a rare convergence of enthusiasms, it won the hearts of high-enders and mainstreamers alike. Ordinarily, speakers that sound as small-scale as this are physically pretty small too – which brings advantages of its own. To be fair to Elac, the Debut B5s are, in terms of their showroom appeal, build quality and finish, entirely competitive. All well designed electronics need some break in. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. The perfect trifecta of sound, design, and value. ELAC's Uni-fi series features two other speaker models—UC5 (center channel model) and UF5 (floor-standing model). is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. The dust cap is now convex rather than concave, benefitting the top end of the driver’s operating range and helping integration with the tweeter. This speaker plays louder and without audible compression than any $229.99 speaker has any right to play. To be fair, stars like these don't appear all that often. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, A little scrutiny -- and a little YouTube research -- led me to believe the magic was in the drivers. If you want the speakers to drive some, throw on The Clash. However, I did forget them for a while. Unnervingly so. Unlike many more expensive speakers that mix parts-bin drivers, bare-bones crossovers and generic cabinets—every ELAC speaker is built from a clean-sheet design.”. Please refresh the page and try again. But, with my standby NAD C356BEE Integrated Amplifier and Kimber PBJ, Bluetooth, Tidal and a MacBookPro, the ELACs sunny nature remained, albeit less of everything that audiophiles crave. Or plain Jane as the center of my computer desktop setup. Switch to Kedrick Lamar’s altogether heftier King Kunta and the B5s’ powers of focus and integration come to the fore. The cabinet is taller, narrower and deeper, which makes them look more modern and less obtrusive. King Kunta also exposes the B5s’ relative lack of scale, and a rather pedestrian lack of drive. Rich and detailed. The cabinet dimensions are … The new ELAC line had a good start in life, the product of ex KEF, Pioneer and TAD designer, Andrew Jones. ELAC Debut 2.0 B6.2 is an upgraded version of a speaker that was released back in 2015. The new B5.2 is the smallest speaker in the lineup, yet it packs an amazing amount of sound into a cabinet that can disappear on most shelves. There was a sweetness, an honesty about them that was inviting, natural. 9, Karl Böhm conducts Mozart Symphonies on Esoteric, Nelsons conducts Shostakovich Sym Nos. This speaker has to be one of the stone cold deals in high end audio. However, it's fairly safe to say that Elac Debut 2.0 B6.2 are more popular speakers, based on their 100+ reviews. They’re absolutely par for the course in terms of specification, too. The cabinet is a similar volume to before but its proportions are around 2cm different in all directions. They work individually, and in tandem. And so it began. 5, 8 & 9, Nelsons conducts Shostakovich Symphony No. This is a wide, busy and relatively dense recording, one that requires real midrange dexterity and detail to properly transmit the malevolence of the vocal. Bass was emphasized on the B5 in a fairly benign, mid bass way — no low bass at this size. 'Actually, the party's just winding down'. Pretty damn glorious. II All Valve Phono Stage, Jeff Rowland Continuum S2 Integrated Amplifier MM/MC Phono Board, The Musical Surroundings Nova Phonomena Phono Preamplifier, Sutherland Engineering DUO Phono Preamplifier, VPI Industries HW-40 Direct Drive Turntable, Anticables Level 5 Signature Speaker Wires, Anticables Level 6.2 and Level 4.1 Interconnects, Antipodes Audio ‘Reference’ Interconnects and Speaker, Audio Art Cable Statement Interconnect XLR, Harmonic Technology Melody Link MK III Interconnect Cable, High Fidelity Cables CT-1 Interconnects and Speaker Cables, Morrow Cable MA7 Grand Reference Interconnects, Nordost Frey 2 Speaker Cables, Interconnects and Power Cords, Wireworld Platinum Starlight 7 USB 2.0 Cable, Audioengine D2 24-bit Wireless Computer Interface, Astell&Kern AK120 Portable Digital Player, Lindemann 825 High Definition Disc Player, Mass Fidelity Relay Hi-Fi Wireless Receiver, Metronome Technologie Le Player 3 CD Transport, Mojo Audio Mystique EVO Pro D/A Converter, Oppo BDP-83 Special Edition Universal Player, PS Audio DirectStream (DS) DAC: Windom Update, Questyle Audio CMA400i DAC with Headphone AMP, Questyle Audio Engineering QP1R Portable Digital Audio, Bose QuietComfort 3 Acoustic Noise Canceling Headphones, The Bowers & Wilkins P5 Mobile Hi-Fi Headphones, Master & Dynamic MW07 True Wireless Earphones, Master & Dynamic MH40 Headphones — Follow up, Master & Dynamic MH40 Over-Ear Headphones: 5th Anniversary New Wireless Model, Master & Dynamic MW07 True Wireless Earphones: The new GO and PLUS models, Master & Dynamic MW60 Wireless Headphones, Puro Sound Labs BT-5200 Bluetooth Wireless Headphones, The Audia Flight Strumento n1 Stereo Pre Amplifier, The Classé Audio Delta CP-500 Preamplifier, Luminous Audio Axiom II Signature Passive Preamplifier, Marantz SC-7S2 – Stereo Control Amplifier, VPI Limted Edition 299D Vacuum Tube Integrated Amplifier, Batiashvili plays Tchaikovsky and Sibelius, Beethoven: The Complete Piano Sonatas—Igor Levit, Beethoven: The Symphonies—Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra/Steinberg, The Complete Unreleased Recording Sessions June 1955--GLENN GOULD: The Goldberg Variations, Emil Gilels -- The Seattle Recital (1964), Erica Morini—Milestones of a Legend (13 CD box set), Isabelle Faust plays Mozart Concertos [complete], Jörg Widmann plays Mozart Clarinet Quintet, Mahan Esfahani plays the Goldberg Variations, Mahler Symphony No. Few speakers have garnered such critical acclaim as the original Debut Series by ELAC. Think about the old Esotar or Focal’s superb Beryllium models. Frustration crept in and tried to dilute delight. Exposed pins on the speakers’ front panel for attaching the (black, cloth) grilles look a little prosaic, but the textured/brushed vinyl wrap (just one finish is available) adds a little more tactility than most rivals can muster. That why Elac’s Debut B5 standmounters look the way they do. Mozart: Piano Concerto No. All rights reserved. For our test we received from the Benelux importer Servi-Q an extensive ELAC Debut 2.0 system, consisting of the F5.2 floorstander (349 euro / piece), B5.2 bookshelf speaker (159 euro / piece), the C5.2 center (249 euro) and the SUB 3010 (559 euro). Having listened to the Debut’s for months using the PS Audio Sprout (see review ), Quad VA-One (see review ), NAD D 3020 V2 (see review ), and my Leben CS600, I can tell you that the ELACs adapt to their mate extremely well. The need to bring a worthwhile speaker to the masses at an affordable price means there’s no point (or profit) in going off-piste. That's the short view. BA1 1UA. When some oomph was required, the B5s complied. They established a new value proposition, with build quality and performance never before attainable at such an affordable price. IT was back in August 2016 that ELAC’s first-generation Debut B6 made its “debut” here in audioFi.net; in 2018, the company revised the range with the Debut 2.0 series.. No one can deliver that much musical promise on so few dimes. There’s a time and a place for innovation in the hi-fi industry, for tearing up the rulebook, for blank-sheet thinking and all the other exciting-sounding initiatives that indicate a break from the norm. It features a 1" Soft-dome Tweeter and 1 x 5.25" Woven Aramid-Fiber Woofer. Time for Audiophilia to have a listen. Sign up below to get the latest from What Hi-Fi?, plus exclusive special offers, direct to your inbox! On initial assessment, pretty wonderful. 1, Perahia plays Beethoven (Moonlight & Hammerklavier), SEI SOLO: Bach’s Six Sonatas & Partitas for Violin Alone—Thomas Bowes, violin, Seong-Jin Cho plays Chopin Concerto No. More on these magical beans of drivers later. Not these. It was designed by Andrew Jones for ELAC's Uni-fi series as an upgrade to the ELAC Debut B5. Visit our corporate site. Akin to the 2nd Coming. Three weeks earlier, it felt as though I was knocking on the door of a very cool house party location. Not as good, of course, but trending that way. So with configuration and build well up to the norm, all the Debut B5s need do is show the competition a clean pair of sonic heels and the job’s done. 7; Speakers Corner LP, Schubert 3 & 8 (Unfinished); Vienna Phil; Carlos Kleiber; DG 180g Vinyl Reissue, Strauss: Tod und Verklärung & Vier letzte Lieder, Ticciati conducts Haydn; LP (45rpm Supercut), Vinyl you may not know that should be in your collection, Vinyl you may not know that should be in your collection Vol. 5; Speakers Corner [LP], Easy to find Classical Mono LPs that should be in your collection, Franz Schubert—Trout Quintet (Speakers Corner 180g vinyl reissue), Karajan conducts Debussy and Ravel/DG 180g Vinyl Reissue, Kleiber conducts Beethoven Symphony No. Cheap drivers act like slugs. My choice was sitting out a few feet from each wall on my stands firing straight out. In the past six months, a lot of praise has been directed his way. You never get a second chance to make a first impression, that is unless you are Doc Jones. And, yes, listening this weekend was of a bit of a shock. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our ... For $130.00 these are a investment you won't regret. Photo credit: ELAC. 20—Seong-Jin Cho, Murray Perahia plays Bach's French Suites, Paganini: 24 Caprices, Op. 10, Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. Rare, and found In the time domain of much more expensive tweeters. 5; Wiener Philharmoniker; Carlos Kleiber; DG 180g Vinyl Reissue, Bernard Haitink conducts Bruckner’s Seventh on Direct-to-disc vinyl, Brahms 4; Vienna Phil; Carlos Kleiber; DG 180g Vinyl Reissue, Brahms: The Four Symphonies—DG Limited Edition 180g vinyl reissue, Classical Vinyl Box Sets you may not know that should be in your collection, Curzon plays Beethoven Concerto No. How do you follow an act like the Elac Debut B5? I was excited to hear how these sounded more than any high end kit in a while. 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