I bought B6s for background music in my toddler grandson's basement rec room. Squeezebox Touch through autoformer passive through Pass Aleph clone amp. They are warmish, but very pleasant to listen to. Worth thec $227 I paid. For a $1000ish system they are a nice fit.
Elac B5 and B6??? Just another flash in the pan speaker?? or worth it
Has anyone bought or now own either the Elac B5 or B6 bookshelf speaker designed by Andrew Jones. I ask because I recall when the Wharfdale 10.1 speaker can on the market, there was a lot of good reviews and testimonials, The same occurred with arrival of Music Hall's "Marimba" speaker" and to a certain degree the Dali Sensor 3.
At the time, I was looking for a speaker to just play around with and compare to other speakers I familiar with their sound. However, I owned the firs two models , and though they were decent sounding speaker, they were not anything special or so called "keepers" I sold both at a lost. My Bad!! BTW, I did not expect a pair of Magico or Wilson's Duettes to emerge from these boxes
However, I think it unconscionable of reviewers to hype up a product to a level of it being able to take on the "big boys" ,or ".....speakers costing 10X as much...". Or in, the case of Elac bookshelf speakers to cite the designer as some type of genius who whipped up these babies in his spare time!!!
Therefore, I would like some feedback as to either how good to outstanding the Elac speakers are, or whether they are just another passing sky banner of springtime hype. Thanks
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I agree with JB0194. I bought the ELAC Debut B6 speakers and they are a VERY fun pleasant speaker to listen to. I'm powering mine with a Class D amp but I have a tube front end though. I wouldn't say they bested the Ohm Walsh Micro Short SE speakers I have as well in the same system but they are a nice warm change of pace. |
I have/had both the B5 and B6 and they are indeed an excellent speaker for the money. If you can wait for a few months and have around $500 to spend, the new ELAC Uni-Fi UB5 is even better. Got to hear these just a few weeks ago and WOW! http://www.cnet.com/products/elac-uni-fi-ub5/ |
Thank you to those who responded;..... MOFI,, you must live at CES. However, I hope you respond again to my comments about the CNET review link provided of the new Elac bookshelf speaker to be released in April. I generally respect your judgment on all things audio, BUT I don't know who this reviewer is or whether he has chronic earwax build-up .I don't have to be reminded that we all hear differently, or prize certain types of sound;, however, this reviewer candidly admits that the forthcoming Elac speaker has a "brightness" or bright side that made headbangers at CES show smile. So, unless this speaker does 99 things better, a brightness factor places it in the same category as about 90% percent of the other so-called uberkind.bookshelves. Case in point: Steven Guttenberg who is an occasional contributor to Stereophile gushed over the Wharfdale Jade 3 ($1500) which I later discovered has both a glacial break in period (1000 hours), but also has a hot or edgy top end. So much for reviews and reviewers!! I recall a new member who posted up and claimded the Jade 3's did not sound right, and was suicidal or suffered chronic buyers remorse. I responded as did about 37 other members about what he should do I advised him to return the new speakers to the dealer, and take the demoes home to see if they sounded better in his system\ as they did im the showroom Yes, he may have had a system compatibility problem which many of us hardened audiophiles think we have solved. Believe me I hope the Elac ( freakin model number needs decryption by Belchley Park) is as good as it gets for $500. With all due respect to MOFI and others, I fear that new Elac will suffer from the same post CES runaway overhype and enthusiasm. I wish the L.A. Forum (Metro) would have a hi-fi show like CES. We have just as good restaurants, hotels, escort services, acupuncture and tofu crystal practitioners as Las Vegas. As MOFI recommends, I will/might wait to April to hear the new Elac, or just buy a pair of well-refurbished of Dynaco A-25's (which I ask about in other threads related to vintage speakers that convey emotion ), and hope they don't explode from old age while playing Yes's "Close to the Edge". |
To Jedinite, Good to see you are back from your hiatus. Somewhat related to this thread, you mentioned several times before sbout the OHM Walsh Micro Short SE speakers. Can you elaborate somewhat as to what you like about them?? Also, are they subject to room placement problems because of the omnidirectional design?? Would like to know Thanks |
I am also very interested in the new Uni-Fi Elac floorstanders. I live in NJ and there is a store that has the debut models and will hopefully soon have the UNi-Fi versions. I spoke with the guy and he reminded that I have a lot of options at the $1,000 cost level. I currently have a pair of MB-Quart QLS-830s that are incredibly accuracy with hard rock and all types of the more "percussive" types of music. I have had a hard time giving up this aspect of them but at same time I really want to get something that has more air and subtleness. |
I had the Pioneer cheapies and was very impressed with them. My ex-wife needed some speakers and she wound up with these. I listened to the Elac Uni-Fi bookshelves at the SHOW in Newport Beach this year and was stunned by the sound. So much so that I may pick up a pair (I really don't need another set of speakers), or potentially look at purchasing a powered pair (I heard Elac was releasing this type model of the Uni-Fi in the fall). Now, the speakers at the SHOW were paired with the new Audio Alchemy products and maybe the synergy accounted for the superb sound. And my audition was maybe 15 minutes long, so take my take with a grain of salt. But the sound was something... |
Everybody has their favorite speaker, and the problem with the internet is that fans tend to congregate and each be singing from the same songbook, so to speak. This is also true with Andrew Jones fans. Not to say that he can't make a good speaker, it's just that so can every other decent brand. What's more important than what Elac fans may have to say is, how will a particular speaker sound on YOUR gear. I just finished demoing the Totem Dreamcatcher and Tannoy Revolution DC4. Both have 4" drivers in compact cabinets, but each one has a completely different approach to the end result. Tested with an HK PM625 employing its A/B speaker switch, the Tannoys sounded colored on some songs and quite good on others from the same album(cd). The Dreamcatchers elevated the vocals better at times, and had superior bass. But when I connect the speakers to a Nad C326BEE, the Tannoys are always the winner because of the Nad house sound. Bottom line, you can't judge what someone may be saying about the Elac B5/B6 because A) one has no idea what a given poster may prefer, and B) his gear/cables most likely has a completely different sound than your system. Bottom line #2, any speaker with such a low price as the B5/B6 is going to have many compromises over a more expensive speaker. The question is, can you live with the weaknesses or not. |
jayctoy- We can't let you off that easy (-: I'm close to purchasing the Wharf 10.2 for a small 2nd system. Integrated if my plan comes together, will be a Heed Obelisk. So the 10.1/10.2's are more musical than the Elac. I will take that as a bit more laid back, less critical, perhaps more refined..... Please confirm the above, and elaborate on "they don't have that Elac quality sound." Cheers -Don |
...i heard Elac B5 numerous times and you can drive them with practically anything...they are very musical...full...have the sound that is "imitating" sound of high end speakers...to my ears they are more musical than Dali Zensor series and Bowers 600 series who need carefully matching and need more pricey equipment behind to sound proper...Elacs are less mechanical sounding...but the thing is when you heard the bunch of much more expensive speakers you can clearly hear the box talk which you cant blame at this price point...but damn good sound for my taste...their floorstanders are gorgeous sounding also... |
Thank you to all who responded to this thread. I had forgotten about it. I never bought either Elac B5 or B6. Though, I read several testimonials about the new Elac Uni-fi UB5. I decided to buy the Wharfdale Denton 80th Annaiversity bookshelf. I was lucky to find a pair of AG for $400 The speaker is outstanding and though it lacks a bit of midrange, and deep bass, it is dead eye accurate and enjoyable to listen to. A real keeper!! |
I have the F5 floorstanders in a very modest two-channel TV system, and they are pretty damn impressive for anything close to their price. I damp the top of the cabinets with shot, and that seems to help a little bit. My best friend just got the UF5s, and while I haven't gotten over to hear them yet, he says that they're a step up sonically from the Debut series, but not nearly as big a step as he thought they might be. But the Debuts (B5, F5) are very good speakers--not only for the price, but very good, period. |