The HD650 of Speakers | Elac UB5 Review
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- Опубликовано: 10 сен 2024
- UB5 ON SALE for $374 Right Now - amzn.to/2AJPwxE
Go Thank Ron for sending these - / newrecordday
Also Mentioned Q150 - amzn.to/339oJXO
Stands Used - Floor Standing - amzn.to/2LQ6kcp
- Desk Standing - amzn.to/35dSmbY
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1. Massdrop THX 789 - massdrop.7eer....
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#Elac #UB5 #REVIEW
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Hey Guys! So, in the video I say these are $500, which they normally are. But they are on sale for $374 a pair, and it's the perfect time to pick them up! - amzn.to/2AJPwxE
Or just wait for the Slims to go on sale then you don't have to worry about the wrap peeling and bubbling.
Joe n Tell mentioned Sunday. Took delivery Tuesday. Sweet!!!
@@dicmccoy They're $483/pr right now, as long as you want black.
@@slidetek I already have the Slims in black. I picked them up for $600 CAD on Amazon.
Surprised I missed this review. I went all in on the tower version so that I could have good stereo bass without adding two subs. I'll definitely add them later, though.
I had plenty of soundstage, but then again, I had a giant room at the time. They were about 7 feet apart.
He's not exaggerating about the vocals. In many tracks, I can pinpoint the singer's mouth. Literally scary, like a ghost is singing in the room. ♥️♥️♥️
My wife was only firm on "no harsh treble". When auditioning these, I wondered how she'd respond. I played the worst tracks I could for her, and she said, "It's a bit bright, but OK". She now wants something like this for her car, especially the bass.
I've had mine almost a year, now, and I'm definitely still happy. $1000 was a lot for us to spend, but we both really enjoy music.
Picked up my UB5's less than a year ago for a $350 on Amazon I'm getting really satisfying results with the basx A- 100 flex amp by emotiva and the modi multi-bit from schiit Audio! great video keep it up.
I know what you mean about the forwardness of the UB5... When I measure the response using Dirac room correction I can see an obvious boost in the midrange. But after the application of room correction, this boost is flattened out, and wow! You should hear what room correction can do for this speaker. With the boosted midrange pulled back down the balance, air and detail of this speaker is nothing short of phenomenal! - It's like all the good things about the UB5 are retained and the midrange is brought back to balance revealing what this speaker is actually capable of... Truly audiophile and shooting waaaay above it's price-point.
For anyone wondering, it's Yosi Horikawa
legend
Wow. just wow.
I own the same speakers, I have a stereophile test cd, the cd has a dog barking left, right & center, when the dog barks the sound of the dog is 3” from the speaker side & 3” fwd of the speaker. There is also a piano track & at the end of the performance someone say well done, that person is also more then 3” outside the speaker & well fwd of the speaker. I have extremely high ceilings & the speakers are 6” center to center, & I sit 6” from the speakers. The center image is amazing with pin point imaging.
Hey Josh, not as many people have these as you think. The Elac B6.2 is more of a "reference" it seems like. From what I can tell on Reddit, most people have the B6.2 instead of the UB5
CLAGMAN1000 the UB5 is one of very few speakers that I haven't heard. I wonder how they compete with the Q150
The only major disagreement I have with your opinion/observation is that I didn't find that they lacked bass. In fact I found them to be pretty impressive. Consider that I own a pair of SVS 13 Ultra's do I'm kinda in that love bass category. Perhaps the amp you used wasn't either 4 ohm friendly or powerful enough. I'm currently using a Meridian G55 in bridged mode @ 300 watts per. Otherwise I liked your review 👍🏼
Josh,
Really love your reviews!!
Amazing job and in comparing to your RUclips comrades or rival’s I think your hitting it out of the ball park..
I almost pulled the trigger to buy a pair of Q150’s and I’m an old Kef supporter 103’s and owned the 105.2’s amazing. During your review of the Q150’s at the end pulled out the Elac UB5’s OK I’m in!!!
I was searching for a used pair and found a set for 150.00..
I figured this was a sign.
Really glad looking to see what your favorite pairing will be as far as integrated or combo.
Keep up the great work!!
Joshua, I just wanted to say that your review of these speakers is spot on and when you said they are forward, unlike any reviewer this is what I hear. You gave gained a subscriber.
Nice review. I just picked these up on sale and right out of the box they sound amazing! Running an older NAD C720BEE receiver 50 watts - more than enough power. I also find the bass very satisfying - not sure a sub is needed for me. Just my opinion:)
My amplifier is Nad d 3020. Can it have elac ub5 perform well?
Absolutely. It's been the same experience here. It has it's flaws but something always draws me back to it. Been a benchmark for me to evaluate other speakers in and out of my setups. And I even sold a pair of ls50's before these...Go figure. Think these will be around for a while
really appreciate the quality of your mic.
Great review Joshua! I have these speakers and also the Kef Q100. I have not tried the Q150 but was surprised by your comments on the bass. I find that in my small room with a good amount of power behind them they have great bass. In fact I would list the bass as a strength on these speakers for their size. My only complaint with them is they sound flat to me, as in they are not dynamic. The more power you give them the better they sound, but still I think the low efficiency hurts them. However they are a great overall speaker that sounds good with just about any type of music.
agreed. i run mine with an old Krell which gives up to 300 watts into 4 ohms and the bass is great.
awesome speakers.. I power mine with SMSL ad-18 and they work just fine !
I have those speakers plugged to a 300w x channel amp and the bass they provide also at low volume is like having a sub. These speakers are very much AMP dependent.
agreed. i run mine with an old Krell which gives up to 300 watts into 4 ohms and the bass is great.
that intro B-roll... I went "woah" when it turned out to be the top of the speaker!
I pre-ordered them when they launched 2 years ago and still have them today, but they've moved to my 2 channel HT setup, out from my primary stereo system. Well balanced presentation, apart from the unconvincing lower bass and good resolution for the price. I never reached the point where I needed to further annoy my neighbours with a sub though.
I also agree with you on the HD650 analogy. They're both fully audiophile worthy, are extremely good value for money and provide a good reference but they're not quite the last word in refinement and subtlety.
On the flip side, the UB5s didn't quite quench my thirst for that hifi sound I'd been craving - the most memorable sound came from a pair of Harbeth Super HL5+ which blew me away with what must be their supernatural ability to conjure up a singer and have them sing to you right there and then in the room. They were too expensive for me though, so I got the P3ESR which are almost as special as the Super HL5+ and are a significant step up in refinement, subtlety and clarity (and of course price) from the UB5s.
Looking forward to see your speaker reviews go up the range from the Buchardt S400s.
I bought them for $200 new to upgrade my $60 Dayton B652 Air bookshelves. I gave the Elacs to my kid and kept the Daytons. The Daytons with a sub are better than the Elacs with its very dull boring sounding soft dome tweeter. My main system speakers are B&W 802s
Bought a used one yesterday for $250. Currently running the speakers with an old Technics amplifier. 😀
No mention of what amplifier you used to power them??? How can you review a speaker and not mention it? That's reviewing 101.
How they compare to the Kefs Q100?
The UB5's have more bass extension, and very clean bass. Both are forward sounding speakers, both have fantastic mid-ranges. The biggest differences will be in the treble, the UB5's are more relaxed, while still providing an almost overwhelming amount of detail, while the Q100's are brighter, with still quite a bit of detail and clarity, but not as much. Personally I think the Q100's have a nicer phantom center image, but the UB5's have better imaging and soundstage, and texture of instruments. The UB5's are somewhat difficult to place, as they need quite a bit of space, the Q100's and be put pretty much anywhere. They're both very enjoyable speakers, and you can't go wrong with either choice.
I have these paired with the matching center channel (UC5) and it's a wonderful experience. I would HIGHLY recommend these if you want incredible sound on a small/smart hifi budget.
You right I'm running mines sitting on two ten inch sub's , Loving It ✌️💯👍 💯
Oh boy, what an intro. Very interesting speakers, at least they don't break my wallet, too much.
The soundstage extending beyond the speakers can be achieved as you go up the electronics food chain, particularly the preamp
Neil K i just listened to them in an electronic store with a highend Onkyo receiver and it was simply astonishing how „natural“ and „free“ and „open“ and „airy“ and „spacial“ they sound. Really crazy. And yet center is still center, very precise and exactly in the middle of the imagining. These things are crazy!
May I recommend including a link for a recommended artist. Especially a foreign name.
Really liked this review. What stands are you using on your desk at 2:45?
www.amazon.com/Soundrise-Professional-Desktop-Speaker-Stands/dp/B00U78XJCG/ref=sr_1_4?crid=TESKAX7MGYW3&keywords=soundrise+speaker+stands&qid=1570728067&sprefix=soundrise%2Caps%2C241&sr=8-4
Just listened to Yosi. He's awesome! Any chance you'd do some sort of Music discovery segment of videos.. Once a week, month??
These are theatrical speakers. I agree with pretty much everything you say. I like the bass of these but it will probably be better when I put my sub with them but they don't really have to have it. Sometimes I don't think they sound good but mostly they're great.
Nice review. Listing the type of equipment you used would have been great e.g. class a/b or d. But overall 👍🏽
Wish the build quality matched the sound quality. Had these for a year now and the pealing of the vinyl is horrendous
I don't find the UB5 to be forward at all. I find it the least fatiguing speakers I've used in a while
should i buy this for 300$ new or kef q150 for 300$ new? any idea?
Joshua, thank you for this review. I would appreciate your thoughts on the ELAC 2.0 UB52. Thank you!
I hope you will review the new Elac Reference!
My amplifier is Nad d 3020. Can it have elac ub5 perform well?
Thank you. Any comments on comparison between these and monolith encore b6?
i have elac speakers with no sub i enjoy how they sound but what am i missing not using a sub?
Put in good earphones and listen to something with bass under 50hz. That's most of what you're missing.
You are missing full range sound without sub. Get a REL....and connect high level. Thank me later:)
Ryan Schipp dude those are insanely expensive subs lmao
Lows are a limitation to any bookshelf speaker. The good news is that an audio system is modular. So you can always add a sub down the line if you think you need it.
The last AV system I had took me a year to complete. I had my speakers sitting in my closet for two months before I got the amp. You don't have to be rich to have a nice system, it just takes poor folks like me a bit longer to put it all together.
What do you think of the UB5 used for near-field? I am talking about placing a pair on both sides of a computer monitor, and sitting 2-3 feet from them?
I think that would be too close. I have them 7 feet apart and sit back about 6 feet.
Excellent review! How about reviews of Edifier S1000db and Klipsch R51pm? R51pm is also around 500$ so it could be a good comparison with UB5. S1000db is a cheaper option which has a fun, fun sound!
Which amplifier did you use for driving em? I'm asking since many people keep saying, that while these are really affordable, they're kinda not as you really need very high quality amplification to make them shine in every regard. And a really high end amp might fix the bass issue you describe.
I just bought a pair of ELAC BS U5. Do you know any difference between these and the UB5 besides the little size variations?
CLAGMAN1000 there is. It is for the european market. It does have a concentric driver just as the UB5. The only difference is the dimensions. Its 2cm slimmer and 2cm taller
@CLAGMAN1000 Actually there is a BSU5. I own a set. They are the Slim version with Satin paint. 🤦🏼♂️
How do these compare to Klipsch RP-600M?
Brendan ruclips.net/video/56Ywy_s1ZK4/видео.html
What subwoofer would you recommend with these speakers?
I'm running two with mines for a 5.2👍
Great job bro but out of all those speakers watch one would work best for movies? 😎👍🏻 & yes I have a subwoofer
The Elacs are fantastic for placement and clarity in movies, Kefs are good for scale and soundstaging. Between the two, since you already have a sub, the Elacs are going to be a “more complete” sound. :)
Joshua Valour
What about Vanatoo Transparent One Encore?
@@HPMIKE55 That depends more on room size. Small to medium, the T1 is great, but don't hold up to the bigger speakers in a large room.
Joshua Valour ok cool thanks & when you have time send me a link where I could get that coffee that you drink? 😎👍🏻☕️
@@HPMIKE55 Here you go my man! store.cutterspoint.com/coffee/cutters-point-original
What's the anme of the artist and album? "Spaces" by who? I don't get a result by googling.
Yosi Horikawa 👍
@@swayback04 thanks, mate
Did you mention how those binding posts are super meaty?
Subscribed
Could you review the Klipsch RP-600M
See Steve’s comparo: ruclips.net/video/56Ywy_s1ZK4/видео.html
Reference? But i have the B6 and B6.2.
Nobody has ever described these as forward
4:30 what is the title ?
Hey Josh (this is the second time I am commenting this so hopefully I can get a response)
I was just wondering what you think of the site audiosciencereview and the person who runs it
I found out about them because of their Audio-gd R2R-11 review in which the device performed very poorly along with other popular audio equipment from companies like schitt
Half of people seem to love it saying it is what you should go by to buy audio gear and the other half of people seem to hate it saying either the person's testing equipment and methods are very flawed or the person rigs the tests to go one way or the other
I tried to ask zeos on his recent videos but he hasn't responded and am playing on asking DMS
Hopefully I'm not too late to the video and you see this or others in the comments already know the answer
The thing to remember when looking at the results of testing audio gear with highly sensitive equipment like they do at audiosciencereview, is that gear can look really bad on those tests, but those distortions are still below the threshold of what you will realistically hear. Plus, sometimes those distortions are what make the sound more pleasing to the ears. Tubes (valves) are a great example of that. Tubes distort the audio signal but people love that "tube sound" aka distortion. I'm not saying that there's no reason to pay attention to the the THD or SINAD, but just to understand that sometimes gear can look disastrously bad on some of those tests, but yet somehow still have a pleasing sound. The Darkvoice 336se is a great example.
Those are objective tests for a subjective experience.
@@Vincent-lw2sp Thanks for the response, still I would like to know what people like Zeos, Josh, and DMS think though.
I find it weird that neither Zeos or Josh responded to my comments made at a reasonable time after the videos were uploaded.
I guess whenever DMS uploads his next video I'll try to ask him.
Again, thanks for responding
This speaker never seems to .... *R-Elac-s*
Ahhhhhhhh
woah!! genius!!
@@net_news Took me years to get there :)
The UB5 reveals less than stellar equipment, which is a great way to tell speaker quality. Muddy bloated base is not better base. There's a muffled haze in most music from normal audio or audio / video systems. You mostly don't notice it until it's gone. What we actually want, and seldom achieve, is a sense of "you are there" aliveness and reality. Our criteria for "assessing" equipment doesn't quite work. If it sounds like a stereo, it probably is.
$374 a pair to me is a great price for book shelf speakers. I am worried that I don't have enough power to drive them. is it wrong to want them because I like the way they look?
I mean you want your couch to look nice as well right?
The 500€ price point has become very interesting with speakers like UB5, Debut Reference, RP600M and Magnepans LRS
500€ for a set of Magnapan LRS? Where do you see Magnapan's for that price in Europe? The LRS is only $699 USD domeatically as far as I am aware.
@@Ilost11 700 is closer to 500 than $1000 so for me it’s in the same price region as the others
@@juliangst You cannot buy the Magnapan's in Europe in retail (non-sale) for less than 1000€. The importers take a nice and fat cut. Some are even charging upwards of 1400€ - 1500€ with VAT.
@@Ilost11 I know, but there are plenty other good options at this price
and... as boring as the hd650 xD (sorry i don't like elac or senn sound)
Very nice little speaker and a great price ! However, you are showing there is still some wetness behind the ears, as there are other speakers closer in tone to the 650 then the UB5 !
Very nice and in depth review, Josh! But I would like more information about other equipment you used during testing the speakers. I think every speaker is part of a ecosystem, which means it is important to take into consideration speaker cables, amplifier, room dimension, quality of the CD player or even PC sound card (if being used). 300 or 3000 $ integrated amplifier is not the same, and sound output on this UB5 will not be the same on each of these.
interesting speaker, i like to hear them in my system one day, but for owning them i would never get a ported speaker(for sound quality and subwoofer integration), and i don't like the look of tweeter mesh. often the mesh hurt the sound also.
Nice review Josh. How about adding speaker and DAC sections to your Hall of Fame list? Would be interested in your opinion of the floor standing version UF5 with two additional woofers re: bass performance. These are also on sale @ Amazon now if you buy them as singles vs pair.
I plan too, trying to get some other units under my belt first :)
🙂 Also a list of your testing reference tracks/albums would be nice
I own both the UB5 and the UF5s they are in different rooms on different systems but they are more the same than they are different if you know what I mean The UF5s of course have more bass. If you only wanted to buy one pair if you have the space and extra dollars I would choose the UF-5's in my opinion.
@@jikenj Good to know, I may have to check them out!
These speakers are very forward...
Tbh JBl Lsr305 beats these easy, they are literally #1 reference speakers since so many own them, and their response is flatter than a dead grandmas ecg. And they provide great bass unlike these. You really think jbl using 20k$ per speaker technology in 100$ speakers cant beat these? Btw no offense, my close relative works at a speaker manufacturer so Ive listened to my fair share of "pro" speakers, and jbls come out on top out until you break that around 300$ per speaker mark..
Maybe its just me but it is kind of ugly and 4 ohms kills it.
8 ohms is an obsolete, old timey impedance. 4ohm is where it's at.
Well the won't win any beauty contest. But would you rather they save money on performance or looks? Some people even hide their speakers and their components.
@@Audfile I remember when 4ohms was rare in a home speaker, reserved only for auto.
@@krane15 me too
Describe the room you were testing in and what kind of sound treatment on floors or walls. Exactly what amplifiers were you using to make your test comparisons. These are an excellent speaker for the price but if you don’t have the right amplifier you’ll get mediocre results or just good but not great.
By the sound of your explanation of results on your test it just sounds like you did not have the right amplifier and or somewhere in the chain of your source even though you made a had a great copy what is flawed. Your average big box store amplifier source Sony,, Onkyo, pioneer, etc, Will absolutely not drive the speakers to their full potential.
For friends or Associates I do not recommend these for beginners who are not willing to put out the money for a good amplifier. I let friends or family borrow my pair since I have many pairs of different speakers. After they have a listen to them for a week. Then I bring over one of my amplifiers so they can hear the difference and watch their jaws drop. LOL 😂
Buy the speakers if you’re thinking on upgrading your amp in the future and I mean upgrading in a big way not a Best Buy amplifier.
What amps do you think make these sing?
@@VinceM797 build your own don't buy a AMP.
www.firstwatt.com/pdf/art_f5_turbo.pdf
100W CASS A or in CLASS A/B mode 200W if you want more you just cascade more transistors up to 1000W but that would be insane in this CLASS topology.
this link brings you to diyaudio store for the circuit bords PCB. also help with a build guide and you can ask questions. but i would start small to learn and slowly work your way up to bigger more complicated AMPs. You may also build mono block PUS power supply outside the chassis
diyaudiostore.com/collections/power-amplifier/products/f-5t
for a pre-amp build the BA3
diyaudiostore.com/collections/pre-amplifier/products/burning-amplifier-gain-stage-for-ba-3
a AMP that will blow away anything sold in a big box store and you will probably keep it for life or catch the bug and never stop building AMPs. Your wife will hate you or you will end up devorced.
Late to the game, these speakers have been reviewed 1000 times
Love mines for about three years now still like hearing about them tho,🔈🔉🔊🎶💯
So????
dandruff much? hihihihii
Im so damn early there is only one comment lol
Unsubbing...
Measurements or at least frequency band descriptions would be more useful than saying things like "they sound forward" or "They sound controlled". Maybe those things mean it has a boosted midrange with a flat bass response. But I don't know what those descriptions mean because they are too subjective.
All I was able to take from this review is they're good speakers with no glaring issues.
@Mike Glavin my bad ha
Which is about all you get from any review. The rest is just as you say, subjective fill.
hello, what amplifier do you recommend for these, I have them and I'm looking for an amplifier that supports them, thanks