I was looking it up and there are no good review on it. Usually, if a product has a lot of good review, then I would consider it. It does not mean it's good if it has a lot of good review but it is worth a look. DId you find any good reviews on the QX-2?
well not exactly. they just released like 2 months ago. the only review which is reasonable is in german. you might wanna check it out. they put my kef ls50 to leave is all i can say, because they sound better overall and i got the qx-2 for 381€ on release, even the qx-1 would have sufficed for the job to put my previous ls50 to shame. sound signaturewise: bold dynamic bass that rivals towerspeakers, extended relaxed highs, big natural soundstage, excellent price/performance. nice finish. only thing that is missing for me is vocal and trumpet/saxophone presentation that you get with kefs or q acoustics and here a smaller translated review translate.google.de/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lite-magazin.de%2F2018%2F03%2Ftest-regallautsprecher-mission-qx-1-eleganz-und-stil-von-morgen-schon-heute%2F&edit-text=
Hello Thomas how does the kef ls 50 compare to the elac max spl reference volume wise?. I have a good front end, and will the kef ls50's sound good with rock, pop, reggae, using a subwoofer?.
This is one of the most comprehensive and informative speaker reviews I have watched. Very well done. You have offered a good perspective of what is available to a wide range of listeners.
I liked this review even it was clearly emphasized that its just for fun. The review still become very objective in my view, when actual testing are being made and explore on positive and negative plus some hint to work around on some weaknesses, it helps. Thanks for sharing!
underrated video review...especially with the associated sound demos...this definitely helps the novices like myself interpret the impacts of "synergy" across systems....
This is a decision that needs to be made after you actually listen to them live in person. There are quite literally tens of millions of boxes with one inch dome tweeters in this world. Some are indeed demonstrably better sounding than others but it’s essentially the same technology. An awful lot of people who end up buying Klipsch speakers like the fun and dynamics that a Tractrix loaded tweeter puts into listening.
I'm glad that you mentioned briefly the effects of the front end on speaker sound. I have heard speakers that sounded very bright and harsh with solid state which sounded fabulous with tube amplification. This is not just imagination but quite real and obvious when doing critical side by side comparisons.
Hey Thomas, thanks for your video! I bought the Elac and Man what a great speaker! I compared the Elac with my Kef Q350 and it truly was hard for me to pick the better of the two. The Elac had better bass and the Kef had better highs. So for the money the Elac won. The kef is such a cheery bright performer...When i hook up my sub...watch out!! Anyone can create great performance with not a ton of money. Keep up your great work!!! Tube Amps forever!!!
With the audio market as with any other market, price and quality are not expressed in a linear or even relative fashion. In all reality, enjoyment is far more important that quality, but unfortunately the public has been conditioned to believe that paying more will play a huge roll in their enjoyment. That's not to say a well sorted high end system doesn't sound better than a well sorted cheap system, only that one man's trash is another man's treasure. It's refreshing to hear an online "opinion" regarding audio equipment that respects the intelligence of their audience and recognizes their own subjective taste. In the ego driven smoke and mirrors world of audiophile fantasy, it's hard to find an honest and informative explanation of things like how the front end effects the sound quality of a speaker. I must say, I'm sick of massive generalizations that rationalize up-selling in order to get quality sound. One of the most ridiculous things I've heard is that you should spend at least 3X the cost of your stereo system's front end on your speakers. Thank you Thomas for demystifying and myth busting some of these assumptions. GREAT comparison in all respects.
Thanks again for a great comparison video! thank you for your style, "spelling it right out" and, "speaking between the lines for us", as to for us having to "read btw the lines" ourselves! Very refreshing. Each speaker does bring so much of its own flavour to the sound, it's very hard to pick just one (even if the wife said so)! I have 5 pairs now and, the Harbeth P3ESRs is my "daily driver". It's a nice all-rounder that excels on vocals or speech. My others speakers vary on abilities such as soundstage (Magepans), efficiency/SPL (Audio Note) or, different iterations on my "daily driver" theme (Rogers LS3/5a, Toku & Gawa 3" full range)...... Lastly, I liked what you said about the Elacs that they may not be the most sophisticated but it's a lot of fun to listen to. Don't stop having fun! Thumbs Up!
Thanks Simon. I like the Harbeth and was really impressed with the vocals. I actually did make a video on the P3ESR a while ago and hopefully, one day I get to try a pair of Rogers LS3. Like you have a few speakers and all have it's strength. It's hard to have one speaker that does it all. Thanks for the comment.
Hi Tom, when do you listen to bookshelf and floorstand speakers? Also do you have multiple tastes in sound? I want to own one more pair of speakers to have some variety but not sure what i want. Thx.
I prefer floorstanding. I am listening to bookshelf mostly for reviewing them. Well, if you want variety, just look at the tweeter. Look at my video what speaker to buy.
Thomas, you made some excellent point comparisons. In fact, I've been arguing this with some diehard _'audiophiles'_ for over 30 years! This is what makes High End audio so subjective, too. I find that some reviewers are stuck in the same gear; and fail to appreciate the variety of new sounds and recordings. I love all sorts of music... a much wider range than anyone else I know; and because of this, I like an extremely versatile system; however, I don't believe in equalizers. They tend to distort the recorded music. Instead, I prefer a very neutral system, which provides an accurate reflection of what the artists recorded in the studio. This makes it difficult to find components and speakers, which allow me to reproduce a truly neutral reproduction of the source material. Some speakers, although they are more expensive, will colour the music unnecessarily. Often, this is because they should be matched with components that counter the warmth, or brightness that they reproduce. Another thing that creates issues with speaker reproduction is the environment... the room setup and layout. People never think of this, until it's too late. With bookshelf speakers, placement of the speak can be crucial. Too close to the wall for a rear-ported speaker; and the bass is all muddled. Too far... and the bass seems inadequate. How much to toe the speakers in... if at all! These are all things that people need to play around with, in order to tune their speakers in. The most important thing, though... is to get proper speaker cable. I think that braided cable offers the best sound; and people should really max out their cable to just beyond the limits of the speakers' capability. I've been using my Numen Model II bookshelf speakers, for over two decades; and I wouldn't trade them in for anything. Not at this point. Maybe, if I move to a place where the room configuration warrants more expensive speakers, but not now.
I went to a high end HiFi store yesterday to check out the Klipsch RP-600M speakers, they didn’t have any in stock, but the salesman highly suggested the Dynaudio Emit 20 bookshelf speakers over the Klipsch. I haven’t heard them yet, but they are a few hundred dollars cheaper than the Klipsch speakers, and are very well made. The salesman said the Dynaudio Emit’s are much less fatiguing and easy on the ears than the Klipsch too! Looks like I have another speaker on my list! 🙂
Sure, give the Emit 20 a try. Its true that the klipsch can be less fatiguing but people who look for klipsch are looking for something different that the EMT cannot give. It's different and it's a question of taste.
Loved ur review! Very detailed& honest!! Plz do as many as u can, and if u take requests, I would like to see more in th mod range with equal price 2 performance ratio. I think brand vs. brand is what sound consumers really want 2 see! Thanx again, I jus subscribed.
@Thomas&Stereo Thank you for your review. I downgraded from my LS50W to the Debut 6.2, but I am not quite liking it. I have the feeling that the soundstage is less "defined" for the Elac, and what really drives me crazy, I imagine most vocals/center music a bit to the left - even in your sound demo listening with headphones (which is weirding me out, am I that biased?)! How would you compare the soundstage between the Elac and the KEF?
That is a major downgrade. The LS50w is already significantly better than the LS50. The soundstage? I don't really remember, meaning nothing really stands out that I hit me. I have to do a comparison buy my KEF are at my friend's place. What about you, how would you compare the both soundstage?
Sorry for my late reply. My main issue with the Elac soundstage is, that it depends heavily on where you are: as soon as I move out of the imaginary center the closest speaker seems to be the more dominant one for e.g. vocals. This is not really surprising, but the sweetspot is (in my room) very very narrow. As far as I can remember, the LS50 were more forgiving if one sits off-center. This is especially worrying me as the speakers double as TV Speakers.
I listened to hi end audio in a very good audio store. Sonos Faber, Spendor, PMC, Dynaudio.... all with expensive amps. When I came home I didn’t feel something missing with my ls50 and MJ Acoustics sub. The Kef combined with a good amp can compete with much more expensive speakers.
Hi Thomas. Wished I’ve seen this video a few months earlier. Stumbled upon your channel after watching hundreds of vids for my research. One can’t go wrong with what you showcased. What do you recommend to drive the ELAC speakers to 80% or 90%, considering your high end gear drives them to max? Budget is USD 2000.
Thanks! At $2k USD, you can choose anything at it will drive it to 100% Having said that, it would be an unbalance system which the frontend taking 80% of the system budget.
I have the DBR62. Even after i upgraded the crossover to shore up the treble dropoff, the DBR62 just can't touch the KEF in terms of treble detail or clarity. The KEF has better definition and resolve on top. The kef, however isn't my cup of Earl Grey. Something about concentric driver and cheap metal tweeter. Origami folding a tweeter like JBL did in the 80's does not smooth it out. The kef does have a bit of a metallic edge to the sound. The dynaudio makes a more sophisticated tweeter IMO. I prefer the dynaudio too- it's more of a natural and refined sound.
I just wanted to say I appreciate and enjoy all your videos. I have an Onkyo rz820, not high-end but good enough I'm struggling to find the perfect speakers. For basement man cave , I buy ,then don't like then sell , and repeat. Would I be disappointed with elac? Or the kef? Or klipsch 600? And please let me know when you have a garage sale 😁
Lol. Look, all those 3 speakers have been well reviewed so you know they are very good for their category. Category meaning , kef with hard dome, Rp600m with horn and elac with soft dome. So performance is not in question, just is it to your taste that is the question and sadly, only you can answer that after you try it at your place.
@@ThomasAndStereo Since you're not trying to sell me anything I trust your opinion you are the audio Jedi. Since my receiver is considered bright, would purchasing speakers that are mid-range dominant counteract the brightness of the AVR? Reven purchasing a good quality preamp to counteract the brightness of my current AVR?
Hi Thomas, really enjoy your videos, learning a lot. In doing these comparisons have you ever tried the Apple HomePod speakers paired in stereo? There seems to be mixed opinions on them and I have found some people saying they sounded better then the LS50's. I'm currently looking at a more budget option and when adding up something like the Elac, amp and source you quickly pass the price of the two HomePods. In my particular case I'm very interested in the built in DSP provided it sounds natural as I don't have a great sounding room and can't treat it, but am looking for a musical experience. I would appreciate your insight/ thoughts on achieving musical sound though some DSP trickery when room acoustics are not ideal (ie. you mentioned you found an improvement in the LS50 wireless when the room corrections were on). Appreciate your time.
No I have not tried apple home pod. I understand DSP is great but it cannot replace a good pair of speakers. Although I never heard apple home pod, my understanding is that it;s strength is convenience as priority. Everything is a question of budget, based on budget, you can then look at what is available for you. For sure, dsp is not everything, you don't need much to 'treat' a room. Treating room is important but it all depends what level of listening you want to get into. Don't over think it.
Very nice review. And it makes sense! I've heard the LS50s and a Dynaudio bookshelf model in Japan (a while back) but I don't remember the model! The Dynaudios can sound very nice depending on what is attached to them. They can also sound bright with the wrong equipment. I've always seen Dynaudio as a next level speaker for those of us at the bottom of the audio food chain! I doubt I would ever purchase a KEF. Actually, I have some VINTAGE KEF I like a lot better because they are warmer and use a soft dome! As, I mentioned, I have a pair of the Elacs and am finding that amplification is an IMPORTANT factor with them. You can't just hook them up to whatever. They'll sound OK, but they won't wow! This is particularly true concerning their dynamics and bass performance. They just don't sound that dynamic and the bass is less weighty on an average amp of lower power. Eventually I'll hook them up to my tube integrated and see what they sound like. I expect, tubes might be good with these?
I am not an expert on tubes by any means. I just know what I like to hear. I had an interesting experience when I was on sabbatical in Beijing for a year. I had the chance to visit a couple of Chinese tube manufacturers in the central and southern areas. And was allowed to hear some of their best mono-blocks and pres along with their CD tube players on a pair of vintage, MONSTER sized Tannoys! I really don't remember the model. But they were HUGE! And, boy, the dynamic sound that came from them was nothing short of amazing! Plenty of low end, nice smooth highs, good sound stage, and fantastic dynamics. Orchestras filled the demo room with sound! I believe the system was pushing 150 watts per mono block into each Tannoy. And a 150 watts of continuous RMS tube power is something to behold! I can only imagine what a Hi-End tube manufacturer's gear sounds like! I can't afford it, of course! A lot of the better Chinese manufacturers: Shuguang, Jolida, YaQin, etc. With perhaps Shuguang at the top? Use, I believe, German windings on their transformers, as well as German and other European designs to emulate in their own products. Hence, pretty decent, affordable value for those of us down stream. (To be honest, I'm not sure if Shuguang is still making gear, they are the major manufacturer of Chinese tubes). Of course, if you have the money and can step up some there are many options out there. An affordable step up would be Prima Luna gear, bang for your buck. But a little too much for me! And, of course, vintage McIntosh tube gear is wonderful if up to spec! KEF 105s, those are nice. Never heard them. A bit big for my office! Also not that easy to find! I've had the Reference Model 104s with the race-track passive radiator, and a lesser pair of Coda III bookshelves that were very smooth and musical, non-fatiguing, but lacked low end! The 104s had more, of course!
I find these chinese product not bad, I had the Yaqin 10T integrated amp at one point and got it for about $400cdn used. Very good for the price. My friend has the prima luna and I am actually going to bring over the Elac and KEF to try them on the Prima luna, Most likely I will make a video on it. One of my friend has the Audio Research VT200, it generates 200W RMS and uses 26 tubes! That is one reason I moved away from tubes, so expensive when need its time to change the tubes!
You mentioned the Elac Unifi series might be to your taste if you don't prefer "brightness" but you specifically distinguished that from the slims. Can you explain why not the slims or how they differ? I was actually considering the slims in part because I was looking for white speakers.
I never heard the Slims version but a viewer mentioned that to me that he and the dealer he went to find it bright. So to be safe, I mentioned it incase it is voiced than the standard one.
Do you think my Sprout 100 would push the Keff well enough to justify hunting a pair down? Or would the sprout be better matched with the ELAC? Thank you!:)
I was looking into getting the Elacs as my first Stereo setup. I think your overall classification and viewpoints on real world ideas as well as audiophile ideas. It just makes sense to me to get something good for only $279. I doubt ill ever go much higher than that. These seems to be a great option for me. I have also been looking at the Polk Signature series, what is your view on those relative to the Elacs?
In my opinion Polk is good bang for the buck the signature series is vary attractive ive not heard them in person but I have no doubt they'd be a satisfying purchase. My first stereo setup was a Polk setup consisting of a pair of TSX 220bs, a 250c, and a polk PSW111 sub ran through a Denon E300...brought it all online without any listening test and enjoyed it a lot and planned to use them for much longer but when the KEF Q series we're on final clearance sales I took a chance and brought a couple sets of Q100s and stored one of the Q100s and use the other 3 as my 3 front channel speakers and then of course had to upgrade my sub to match the KEFS quality so paired them with a SVS SB1000 and its an amazing setup which I plan to only ever upgrade with higher end KEF speakers so I can move my Q100s to the rear channel surrounds. in my opinion look for sales on higher end speakers,... high end bookself speakers + high end sub is better then a mid low end towers or bookself speaker with or without a mid-low end sub and unless you have a really large room and no concerns of noise pollution then towers are usually a must have espacially if you plan on buying a good sub anyways then towers are less of a priority. overall I dont think you can go wrong with either the ELACS or Polk signatures series through i'd personally lean towards ELAC since there brand is a bit more well known for high end quality speakers at a friendly price range whereas Polk you really have to step up to there top of the line speakers before you could ever truly compete with the lower end KEF and ELAC speakers but bang for you buck you can build a vary nice home theatre at a vary affordable price with polk speakers but if your a true audiophile type of person then your 90% likely to want to eventually upgrade to something higher end then polks but for many people polks are just enough there surely better then a soundbar and before i experienced something better such as my kefs I truly thought you couldnt get much better then polks....all in all for a beginning setup polks are perfect and might be all you ever want and need, but for true sound junkies there not vary respected and there really just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the speakers available on the market today but there one of the most recognizable brands and flood the market everywhere.... other brands you have to dig and search for to obtain but in the end its always worth it going withover the standard off the self big box store brand speakers with polk has become over the years.
currently using the ls50s with a q200 center. considering upgrading to the r200 center, but i cant demo the r200 where i live. are you familiar on these speakers at all? curious if the r series is a big jump from the q series.
it sounds good, but it has a very neutral sound and the ls50s are just on another level of detail. its not a bad match, but iv had it for a long time now and im curious if stepping up to the r series would be a wow factor, or if it would be a disappointing subtle upgrade.
Hi Thomas, great video. I also got good results with the iTube2 in the chain with LS50’s, though for me the bass was still clean with just a +6db boost and overall still balanced, but became way too much with +12db. Looking forward to your review of the iTube, it’s an interesting little device, probably not for everyone or every system, but definitely makes a difference to those who want to tame a system that is a little lean and bright, something for the price that is worth trying before swapping out other more expensive components. Added a good dose of presence and solidity in the system I had it set up with.
I think that 3D setting will be very speaker dependent and more useful for nearfield use. I didn’t find it made much difference to the soundstage with the LS50’s, maybe it’s because they already have a very wide dispersion. But it does something like boosting the higher frequencies making a little bit more airy at the expense of balance, but I’m not sure if it is better or worse. A lot of it comes down to the recording
Hi Thomas. Firstly, you have, what I perceive, the most pleasant personality. With that said, I really like your reviews: they are plain spoken and very informative. I am in the process of purchasing new floor speakers. At this juncture I am inclined to purchase either Pioneer Elite's SP-EFS73 Dolby Atmos or KEF Q950's. Which would you choose? Lastly, can you recommend a power amp for which ever speakers I select. Thanks Thomas
Well I think Pioneer are known to have lay back sound and Q950 forward sound. So you are looking at 2 different sound. If you look at my video on what speaker to buy, it really depends on your taste. For poweramp, it depends on budget and use. Do you plan to get a receiver so you can watch blurays movies with it? Or would it be strickly on a 2 channel setup. I think for hometheater and if you have the money, then high end arcam is probably one of your few choices. 2 channel, there are so many and it's important they have good synergy with the speaker you bought.
Hey Thomas thanks for the video. I feel like I've been waiting for ages for the Elac 2.0 to arrive in Australia (only a few weeks to go to now). Have you had the chance to compare the Elac 5.2 to the 6.2? I live in an apartment so worried the 6.2 will be a bit too much for the neighbours.
Sadly I never got a chance to but I do feel the bass is more stronger on the 6.2 over the Elac unifi 5.2. Having said that, I really doubt it's a big difference, in a few weeks, I might bring these Elac over to my friend to compare to his Elac unifi 5.2
I too am interested in knowing how the B5.2 and B6.2 compare. So far, I haven't heard from anyone who's listened to both. I'm curious about it because quite a few actually liked the first generation B5 better than the B6, so I'm curious if that will be the case with the B5.2 as well or if the overwhelming consensus will be the B6.2 is superior/both are about as good. Thomas, if it'd be at all possible for you to do at some point, I'd love for you to listen to the B5.2 and give us your thoughts on how it compares to its big brother!
Enjoyed your views on the three different speakers. My suggestion for a future review would be to throw in a playback of the same song just for a minute but through each of the different speakers. Let our ears do the judging too. Thanks once again.
Thanks for the feedback. I did it, not only with a high end setup but also with a budget setup, enjoy. ruclips.net/video/k5vSVCDDfww/видео.html ruclips.net/video/_uPqgEZ0Woo/видео.html
Do you think a tube preamp would help the elac or would you recommend a solid state im between a budget tube preamp im going to tube roll or the matching adcom preamp to go along with the older adcom 545 mkII My buddy recommended to me
@@sebizbir If he is sensitive to listening fatigue, then the Elac or maybe the new Elac. If he wants a lively presentation with a lot of energy on top, then RP600M.
Hi Thomas. Can I ask you a questions about the impedance selector switch? I have a 110W Yamaha RX-V2095 and Elac B6. The B6 are 6 ohms. The impedance selector on my stereo manual says either "4 ohms or higher" or "8 ohms or higher." It's currently set to 4 ohms. Would you set it to 8 ohms? Also, what if I had Elac Uni-Fi UB5? Those are 4 ohms. I've been looking online, but I can't figure it out one way or another.
I think I may have figured it out. My consumer grade receiver is expecting 6-8 ohm speakers. If I plug in 4 ohm speakers, the receiver will work harder to drive them. If I listen at high volumes I may overwork the receiver. If I set the receiver to the 4 ohm setting, it will somehow setup the receiver for 4 ohm speakers. From what I can see online, the only thing that switch is doing is reducing the power output but I'm not sure about that.
I sent the same question to Mcintosh because I have a 4 ohm and 8 ohm output. They told me to try both and use the one where bass sounds the most natural. With my Canton, they looked at the response graph, they told me 4 ohm is better. (The canton has 4-8ohm written at the back) Your best bet is to email Yamaha and ask them. If you put it at 8 ohm, just monitor the heat on your receiver to make sure it does not over heat.
Thanks so much for making this video Thomas. I'm on a quest to find the best affordable combo for stereo and surround sound/tv speakers. I'm currently running a Yamaha RX-V681 with an Oppo UHD-203 disc player and a pair of Paradigm 9seMkII and a Paradigm center channel and 10" Paradigm powered sub. It's great, but I need height speakers for a ATMOS set up. Can my system use more power? It's been said that my Paradigm 9se Mk II's need lots of power. I've never felt this new Yamaha matched my old RX-V 850 with high current amps ability, but the old 850 blew a channel after 31 years! lol.... Thanks again for your video!
On paper, you should have enough as it is a very standard setup. If you don't feel enough, you can by a separate amp just for the 2 stereo channel assuming your receiver has the output. That way, you get better sound and you solve the power issue. Just incase you are not aware you can do that, read up on it. Glad you enjoy my video, much appreciated.
Thank you, Thomas, for your review. I'm an audiophile beginner. please tell me what you think of the Bowers and Wilkins 685 S2 speakers I bought. I'm planning to replace them with the Kef LS50s. Would you recommend them for an opera buff like me? If you listen to opera, is there a bookshelf that you would love to play it with?
I never heard the 685 but someone I know had the 600 series and he found them bright. I don't listen to Opera, maybe only person I heard is Sarah B, and if I remember, Opera has a really big dynamic range. What do you find missing in your current setup? Do you find it too bright sometimes when the female vocal kicks in?
Thank you for writing, Thomas. It's good to hear from you partly because you're an expert. I'd speakers with better dynamics and the ability to make instruments easier to identify. My closest friend is an audio consultant who recommends the KEF LS50s.
Thomas, since you've heard Sarah B., let me share two Ave Marias with you because I wonder whether you'll enjoy them if you hear them through LS50s. Kathleen Battle singing Mascagni's Ave Maria ruclips.net/video/voij0540vWk/видео.html Elina Garanca's version of William Gomez's Ave Maria ruclips.net/video/ypMv_vKtGuk/видео.html
Very nice. Yeah, it's that high pitch female vocal that I am wondering. If you are ok on the 683 aluminium tweeter (although I never heard it) then you should be ok with it on the LS50. If you are looking at the 683, that is a full size tower so bass should be more stronger than the Ls50, you sure you are ok to lose a bit of bass. I personally, although would enjoy it on the LS50, am not too sure I can listen to it long. I personally would go for the Buchardt S300 for my taste especially with a 30 day return policy. LS50, you will be impressed right away, just not sure for long listening for Opera.
Thank you. Miss Battle and Miss Garanca are two of my favorite singers. You doubt that you could listen long to the music I suggested, Thomas. Is that because of the way the LS50s would make it sound or because you don't listen to opera? Since I trust your expert judgment, I would love to at least audition the Buchardt S300 to compare its sound to the LS50's sound. I don't need much bass when I listen to my favorite music. So even during Bach's Tocatta and Fugue in D minor, no one will get to feel my bedroom window vibrate. And contrary to popular opinion, I'm not mean enough to torture my neighbors with the cannon fire from the 1812 Overture. :)
Hi Thomas. Have you ever listened to the KEF Q 150? I bought the q350 a while ago and I was getting pretty bad headaches. I thought this was due to the metal tweeter so I changed them for Dali Zensor 3. Again I started to get headaches even though the Dalis are soft dome tweeter. So again I decided to change but this time for kef q 150. Even though the q150 has metal tweeter I noticed that I was not getting headaches anymore. So im wondering if the headaches I were receiving were more to do with the low end rather than high end fatigue? Have you ever experienced anything like this? Thank you for the video's.
I have the KEF Q150's too. The bass is really good it can match the older Elac B6 but with better sounding vocals. My stereo shop will lend me some KEF LS50's next week. What I want to listen to are Dynaudio Emit M20.
@@Blake_Painter Why use "idiot" word? I have the LS50 and a top end sansui alpha or a yamaha as2000 is very bright in my setup, I have better results with a CXA80 which is a bit relaxed in top and have a nice punch, is a nice combo
Thomas thanks for your great/honest reviews. I have decided to get Debut 6.2, and based on your advice and Audiophiliac, i need about 150w/ch amp @ 4 Ohm and a proper preamp. What front end setups you suggest for say $200, $300, $400. ( What did your mysterious friend with 2 phd's in use to drive this). Im from Montreal and would be happy to look for used setups as well on Kijiji or ebay. Thanks again
Thanks. My Vintage friend never took that Elac home from what I remember. I don't really know at $400 because I never have experience with amps at the specific price bracket new. Sorry.
@@ThomasAndStereo appreciate it. Is there any budget front setup u would suggest that reveals the potential of Debut 6.2? Im also willing to look into used market.
To really bring out the potential of 6.2, you would need to go very high end. However, it's a good thing because it means your speaker is not your bottleneck. So you can get the best frontend you can and don't have to worry you speaker cannot keep up. I can't really give any advice because I only give advice if I have actual experience. I will be making some videos on some budget integrated amps as I am testing some now, stay tune.
Nice one Thomas. I really enjoy your reviews. The KEF LS50 is a great speaker for many, but they didn't work for me, it was way to forward. Never listened to the 160, but i enjoyed the earlier version focus 140. I just took delivery of Dynaudio s 1.4 today, and it's by far my favourite speaker i've heard. I know you had the contour 5.4 before but sold, but i can't remember if you have listened to the C1 (or larger)? Personally of the Elac, KEF and 160, i love the finish most on the 160.
Yup, those speaker are not for everyone. You know I am driving it right now as I type with the Mcintosh MC452 with Pathos Logos turbe preamp front end and it's 0% harsh...the mc452 is incredible. Congrats on the S1.4, it's really in my opinion for sophisticated audiophiles. I never heard the C1 and C4 are my dream speakers (although I never heard it before). The reason is because my friend who owns the $300k system told me those speaker left an impression on him and only 3 to 5 speakers left an impression on him in his life.
LS50 with mcintosh sounds like an incredible combo! It's interesting you like the Elac so much. Never listened to them, but at the price they're cheap enough that people who are not into hifi could buy them and get a taste of good music. Will keep my eye out for elacs!
I had the KEF LS50W actives for 2 months. Loved them on modern, well-mastered music. But kind of unforgiving for my crappier recordings, which still encompass songs and music I love. I prefer the smoother presentation of tubes and/or PSB speakers. I tried a lot of things with DSP via Roon, couldn’t get them to where I liked it, so I returned. But my experience tells me the KEFs sit in between the PSBs (sweet & smooth to me) and B&Ws, which I find very brash. So those of you who seek higher detail without becoming overly brash, LS50Ws might be for you. (I probably should have tried the iFi tube buffer!). Hope this helps!
I see. Well I own the slim version and they do sound thin and a bit bright for me too at most times. I do think its the fault of Sony Ta-515 amp which I run them through. Can it be? I keep using loudness to compensate that a bit, but it is still not enough for my taste. While Debut B6 in comparison - I do not have any issues with them, they sound way fuller without loudness turned on. Treble is softer too, bass fills the room nicely. The only way I prefer Uni-Fi Slims are all the accoustic/audiophile flac files which I run through Colorfly C4. They sound great somehow on that music. My advice would be to keep Debuts for louder, home theater and laid back music listening. While Uni-Fi's more for accoustic and detailed tracks/taste.
I was the one who found the Elac Unifi Slim UB5 bright and thin with vocals. For musical instruments they sound great but vocals come out as thin sounding. Sadly no local stores carry the "regular" Unifi speaker to be able to compare.
Nice comparison of these speakers and some great insights, Thomas...I noticed you really like "I'll Be Loving You Forever"...at the 3:18 mark...I believe you used it in at least one of your other videos...it's a great song...I should probably upload a vinyl rip for you, lol.
Hey just wanted to say I appreciate your reviews and wanted to recommend another budget speaker that punches waaay above its price point the JBL STAGE A130. I would love to hear your opinion they retail for $249. I own the Elac B6.2 and the JBL's are an entirely different animal.
Hi Thomas what do you think of the New Emotiva DR2 Audioquest type 4 speakers cable ps audio Dac Jr pair up with the Elac speakers ? Please let me know what is your opinion on it thank you
I think people who get a DR2 would look at speakers higher end than the Elac debut. Those Emotiva looks pretty good at 550w, I don't have experience with class H amps so really hard to say. I would gamble they can drive those Elac to their max potential but would you not be better off with the KEF LS50? (Assuming you are ok with bright speakers)
Hey Thomas. I saw the stereo microphone in position, did you record some demo audio from these speakers? I have the LS50s, so I'd be very interested to hear a tonal comparison with the Elac. I'm always looking for good gear to recommend to people (as I can't buy them all for myself)
Oh, yes, I recorded multiple track , with high end setup and cheap setup. My daughter has taken over my main computer so waiting for her to go to sleep so I can edit that video :)
Nice. Looking forward to it! Tannoy XT6f update: they are sounding so full and musical. I'm getting drawn to getting up and mildly moving around (when no one is looking!) to upbeat songs, which is something the Kefs don't seem to do (for me). Also, I'm not missing the very slight drop in detail (and perhaps some depth of soundstage) after moving to the Tannoys, they make up for it in every other way. I have to say they are a great all-rounder at the price range and have definitely put the life back into my stereo. Plus I would recommend Tom Jones gets some signature models made, because he sounds just great on them! :)
The XT Series in general are great. I love the XT6F & XT8F, but the XT mini's are some gems! Inspite of their diminutive drivers, they punch way over than they should. Highly recommend them!
Thomas, how have you been doing, great prospective. I liked what you said about the ls50's because I did own them at one point and had to return them because I couldn't get them to sound right in my current space, so I'm sticking with the Vandersteens for now, but they were extremely bright, and you are right, they benefit from a good sub. I currently have a pair of last years version of the elacs that you are reviewing and they are good for what they are and had more bass than the ls50, but didn't sound as good overall.. The Dyna Audios, I have never owned. Im however currently breaking in a new cartridge, a Hana Eh as I type and it is quite good for its price and punches well above its weight. In another room, I'm burning in a pair of Audioquest Night Owl Carbons through my Simaudio 230hd. Good luck man and keep up the good work.
Hey Sid, so good to hear from you again. Yes, I remember you had the ls50 and it did not work for you. Btw, I finally did the video on the AR ref 40 and I had the unit open just for you, check it out and the music clip too. ruclips.net/video/VedRT3dCDnk/видео.html
Is there a measurement for speaker accuracy? Im thinking of the physical speaker being able to move fast enough to produce an accurate sound? I assume this is why bass on low end speakers sounds "Muddy" almost as if its similar to "Resolution"? Or do speakers not really work that way?
I don't think there is a way to measure speaker accuracy. Your question is one of the biggest question in stereo and you need an expert to answer this. Go to Paul Mcgowan channel and he tackles on these question but over many many videos. Perhaps you can submit him that question and I am sure he can handle that question better than anyone.
For a Desk with speakers about 20cm from the wall 1.5 mt apart and an Emotiva BASx A-100 Amp what speakers would you recommend? Do I need a front port speaker or a KEF LS50 would be ok and don't sound too boomy? What about the Elac 6.2? As my main in my lunchroom I have the ELAC Unify UB5 with a 300W per channel Pioneer Receiver Amp and love them but probably would prefer something a little more Dynamic and lively for my PC room... It is a small room probably 17 mq and has tiled floor and wooden walls.. Not insulation behind the speaker walls for now... Thank you!
I use my LS50s for my computer desk (near field) and have the speakers 10-15cm from the wall- no issues. However when I had them parked right in front of an absorbing acoustic panel sound was terrible as it over dampened. Unfortunately I didn't realize this until 2 yrs later when I decided to remove the panels completely to make for a nicer looking space- only to improve sound dispersion (in all frequencies), fyi my computer setup is in a very large living room.
Thomas, thank you very much for your valuable comments about speakers. I have been using, for almost 10 years, a Stereo system of the low priced items of the well known manufacturing brands: Yamaha receiver (RS 201), Teac Cd player (P 650), and Celestion Mk II 5 speakers. But I am very satisfied with these, and maybe I am the layman in this field. Would you give me your personal opinion about the comparison of Celestion Mk 5 and Elac Debut 6.2?
If you don't feel like you are missing bass, then I would say, don't worry about it. These days, I actually have been listening to my bookshelf speakers without sub because my new preamp does not have an extra output for my sub. In your case, getting a sub with output is a solution but expensive. If you have preout on your amp, it will do the same as sub out.
Thanks, I don't use anything because I am assuming my dacs are good enough to deal with jitter. I use an Exasound E28 with Femto clock and sometimes a PS audio perfectwave dac.
So aré u saying that a run of the mill integrated amp producing 50 wpc will not drive the elac to its full potential and that buyers should go with a more efficient speaker?
Well, not exactly, a 50wpc will not drive a lot of speakers to it's full potential but it does not mean you should not buy them. Let's say you go buy a high efficient speaker and your 50w will bring out it's bass to the max but you hate the sound signature on those speakers, then it would not be the right choice. The point is the Elac has a lot of potential and it's ok to not to be able to drive it to it's max potential.
The LS50s won't sound very good with the stand top overhanging (especially that much) the speaker. I finally got my LS50s set up where I can really turn up the volume and they sound great. The LS50s like rock solid sand filled stands, high pass filter on my amp set at 40 hz, at least the partial port plugs in and room to breath (2 feet off the wall). I first thought the LS50s were too bright for me, but now they roll off smoother in the highs (yet more extended and detailed) than any of my soft dome tweeters speakers.
I think the Elac is slighly on the bright side but very little. So in that sense both amps are fine depending on your taste. The LS50 for example is not, avoid bright amps.
@@ThomasAndStereo Thank you. At one time there was some contraversy over the rights and I believe there are significant differences between them. It might be interesting for someone to do a comparison (hint-hint).
Yes, for the price, nothing to complain at all, infact the speakers from dynaudio to consider for one to enjoy 'dynaudio sound' at a much lesser pricepoint. The same caveats apply though! They need high current amplification to truly sing.
No, I had the Monitor audio GX300 before and have heard the silver 8 so I don't think I will be trying the bookshelf version unless I come across one cheap.
@@ThomasAndStereo Many thanks Thomas.. I enjoy your commentary and appreciate your getting back.. for Sherwood may have to go The Klipsch route since they're typically more sensative foregoing some imaging but not overworking antique..
Dear Thomas, I am thinking of buying the Elac, but I got surprised from what you pointed out about their fall in performance when driven by a less powerful amplifier. If I got it right, that is a big issue for me, because I have an old synto-amplifier Yamaha Cr 800 (from the '70s), which is just 45w+45w. Do you think the ampli will be powerful enough to push the Elac to their performances? If not, can you advise me on a good speaker that will better suite my case? thanks a lot for your help, Fabio
Well, any speaker will have this issue. This should not be consider an issue cause that means the bottleneck is not your speaker. Having said that, 45w, I wish you had a bit more power. Take a look at my video what speaker to buy.
I use the ls50’s as an office speaker with a rega elex r amp, this is a great warming combo for them. The rega integrated amp has amazing timing and allows the ls50 to shine with even the bluesound player with tidal as the source. Granted it’s not my b and w nautilus with chord Dave and naim power but it packs a great listen for under 3k total.
Can't compare because it's completely different sound. One is with a metal tweeter and one is with a wave guide design. The way they produce sound is so different.
Sound Demo 1 Expensive Front End ruclips.net/video/k5vSVCDDfww/видео.html
Sound Demo 2 Budget Front ruclips.net/video/_uPqgEZ0Woo/видео.html
hi, how possible would be a Mission QX-2 review?
I was looking it up and there are no good review on it. Usually, if a product has a lot of good review, then I would consider it. It does not mean it's good if it has a lot of good review but it is worth a look. DId you find any good reviews on the QX-2?
well not exactly. they just released like 2 months ago. the only review which is reasonable is in german. you might wanna check it out. they put my kef ls50 to leave is all i can say, because they sound better overall and i got the qx-2 for 381€ on release, even the qx-1 would have sufficed for the job to put my previous ls50 to shame. sound signaturewise: bold dynamic bass that rivals towerspeakers, extended relaxed highs, big natural soundstage, excellent price/performance. nice finish. only thing that is missing for me is vocal and trumpet/saxophone presentation that you get with kefs or q acoustics
and here a smaller translated review
translate.google.de/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lite-magazin.de%2F2018%2F03%2Ftest-regallautsprecher-mission-qx-1-eleganz-und-stil-von-morgen-schon-heute%2F&edit-text=
a 1500$$ amp ( integrated , even better).. an 1500$$ cd pre amp...500$ inter connects an cables gives a nice price point for true testing...
Hello Thomas how does the kef ls 50 compare to the elac max spl reference volume wise?. I have a good front end, and will the kef ls50's sound good with rock, pop, reggae, using a subwoofer?.
This is one of the most comprehensive and informative speaker reviews I have watched. Very well done. You have offered a good perspective of what is available to a wide range of listeners.
refreshing to find reviews that are not just a cheerleading love festival. your reviews are always so enlightening
Keep it up buddy! You are the best audio reviewer I have ever seen!
I enjoy your reviews and love your down to earth passion Thomas. Thank you.
I liked this review even it was clearly emphasized that its just for fun. The review still become very objective in my view, when actual testing are being made and explore on positive and negative plus some hint to work around on some weaknesses, it helps. Thanks for sharing!
underrated video review...especially with the associated sound demos...this definitely helps the novices like myself interpret the impacts of "synergy" across systems....
This is a decision that needs to be made after you actually listen to them live in person. There are quite literally tens of millions of boxes with one inch dome tweeters in this world. Some are indeed demonstrably better sounding than others but it’s essentially the same technology. An awful lot of people who end up buying Klipsch speakers like the fun and dynamics that a Tractrix loaded tweeter puts into listening.
I'm glad that you mentioned briefly the effects of the front end on speaker sound. I have heard speakers that sounded very bright and harsh with solid state which sounded fabulous with tube amplification. This is not just imagination but quite real and obvious when doing critical side by side comparisons.
Hey Thomas, thanks for your video! I bought the Elac and Man what a great speaker! I compared the Elac with my Kef Q350 and it truly was hard for me to pick the better of the two. The Elac had better bass and the Kef had better highs. So for the money the Elac won. The kef is such a cheery bright performer...When i hook up my sub...watch out!! Anyone can create great performance with not a ton of money. Keep up your great work!!! Tube Amps forever!!!
"To your taste" . . . This is so true Thomas.
Watching your videos reminds me why I love audio. Keep up the excellent work.
Appreciate the feedback. :)
This is what I want to see. Compare different speakers to each other so I have a better idea of what to expect
Thanks, I enjoy doing these videos so there is some point of reference. Makes it more interesting :)
Really appreciated your Introduction. Great summary and useful comparison of three intriguing speakers.
I'm hooked on your channel... Just watched your and ZF review of the Triangles. Now going back and just watching your catalog of old vids.
Excellent, Thomas, thank you! And brother, your equipment is killer!
With the audio market as with any other market, price and quality are not expressed in a linear or even relative fashion. In all reality, enjoyment is far more important that quality, but unfortunately the public has been conditioned to believe that paying more will play a huge roll in their enjoyment. That's not to say a well sorted high end system doesn't sound better than a well sorted cheap system, only that one man's trash is another man's treasure. It's refreshing to hear an online "opinion" regarding audio equipment that respects the intelligence of their audience and recognizes their own subjective taste. In the ego driven smoke and mirrors world of audiophile fantasy, it's hard to find an honest and informative explanation of things like how the front end effects the sound quality of a speaker. I must say, I'm sick of massive generalizations that rationalize up-selling in order to get quality sound. One of the most ridiculous things I've heard is that you should spend at least 3X the cost of your stereo system's front end on your speakers. Thank you Thomas for demystifying and myth busting some of these assumptions. GREAT comparison in all respects.
Thanks again for a great comparison video! thank you for your style, "spelling it right out" and, "speaking between the lines for us", as to for us having to "read btw the lines" ourselves! Very refreshing.
Each speaker does bring so much of its own flavour to the sound, it's very hard to pick just one (even if the wife said so)!
I have 5 pairs now and, the Harbeth P3ESRs is my "daily driver". It's a nice all-rounder that excels on vocals or speech. My others speakers vary on abilities such as soundstage (Magepans), efficiency/SPL (Audio Note) or, different iterations on my "daily driver" theme (Rogers LS3/5a, Toku & Gawa 3" full range)......
Lastly, I liked what you said about the Elacs that they may not be the most sophisticated but it's a lot of fun to listen to. Don't stop having fun! Thumbs Up!
Thanks Simon. I like the Harbeth and was really impressed with the vocals. I actually did make a video on the P3ESR a while ago and hopefully, one day I get to try a pair of Rogers LS3. Like you have a few speakers and all have it's strength. It's hard to have one speaker that does it all. Thanks for the comment.
well, I'm not actually that smart. these are just the ones I kept :-)
Hi Tom, when do you listen to bookshelf and floorstand speakers? Also do you have multiple tastes in sound? I want to own one more pair of speakers to have some variety but not sure what i want. Thx.
I prefer floorstanding. I am listening to bookshelf mostly for reviewing them. Well, if you want variety, just look at the tweeter. Look at my video what speaker to buy.
KEF's concentric drivers are especially great for arms length "nearfield" listening arrangements.
agreed ... dispersion is amazing
Thank you for the logic you put in your reviews! It really cuts out the guess work when comparing and purchasing products.
Glad you enjoy it, I spent a few weeks thinking about it and how to make it not boring.
This is the first video of yours that i have watched and must say i enjoyed it a lot. Great practical advice.
Thanks! Hope you stick around.
Thomas, you made some excellent point comparisons. In fact, I've been arguing this with some diehard _'audiophiles'_ for over 30 years!
This is what makes High End audio so subjective, too. I find that some reviewers are stuck in the same gear; and fail to appreciate the variety of new sounds and recordings.
I love all sorts of music... a much wider range than anyone else I know; and because of this, I like an extremely versatile system; however, I don't believe in equalizers. They tend to distort the recorded music. Instead, I prefer a very neutral system, which provides an accurate reflection of what the artists recorded in the studio. This makes it difficult to find components and speakers, which allow me to reproduce a truly neutral reproduction of the source material.
Some speakers, although they are more expensive, will colour the music unnecessarily. Often, this is because they should be matched with components that counter the warmth, or brightness that they reproduce. Another thing that creates issues with speaker reproduction is the environment... the room setup and layout. People never think of this, until it's too late. With bookshelf speakers, placement of the speak can be crucial. Too close to the wall for a rear-ported speaker; and the bass is all muddled. Too far... and the bass seems inadequate. How much to toe the speakers in... if at all! These are all things that people need to play around with, in order to tune their speakers in.
The most important thing, though... is to get proper speaker cable. I think that braided cable offers the best sound; and people should really max out their cable to just beyond the limits of the speakers' capability.
I've been using my Numen Model II bookshelf speakers, for over two decades; and I wouldn't trade them in for anything. Not at this point. Maybe, if I move to a place where the room configuration warrants more expensive speakers, but not now.
Really appreciate you sharing your thoughts. I read it twice and it will be helpful to many people.
I went to a high end HiFi store yesterday to check out the Klipsch RP-600M speakers, they didn’t have any in stock, but the salesman highly suggested the Dynaudio Emit 20 bookshelf speakers over the Klipsch. I haven’t heard them yet, but they are a few hundred dollars cheaper than the Klipsch speakers, and are very well made. The salesman said the Dynaudio Emit’s are much less fatiguing and easy on the ears than the Klipsch too! Looks like I have another speaker on my list! 🙂
Sure, give the Emit 20 a try. Its true that the klipsch can be less fatiguing but people who look for klipsch are looking for something different that the EMT cannot give. It's different and it's a question of taste.
Thomas & Stereo yes that is true. It’s just so hard to decide what to go with, there’s so many options these days.
I love your no bullshit approach, kinda tired of people telling the same things like robots. I really thank you for your originality.
Loved ur review! Very detailed& honest!! Plz do as many as u can, and if u take requests, I would like to see more in th mod range with equal price 2 performance ratio. I think brand vs. brand is what sound consumers really want 2 see! Thanx again, I jus subscribed.
@Thomas&Stereo Thank you for your review. I downgraded from my LS50W to the Debut 6.2, but I am not quite liking it. I have the feeling that the soundstage is less "defined" for the Elac, and what really drives me crazy, I imagine most vocals/center music a bit to the left - even in your sound demo listening with headphones (which is weirding me out, am I that biased?)! How would you compare the soundstage between the Elac and the KEF?
That is a major downgrade. The LS50w is already significantly better than the LS50. The soundstage? I don't really remember, meaning nothing really stands out that I hit me. I have to do a comparison buy my KEF are at my friend's place. What about you, how would you compare the both soundstage?
Sorry for my late reply. My main issue with the Elac soundstage is, that it depends heavily on where you are: as soon as I move out of the imaginary center the closest speaker seems to be the more dominant one for e.g. vocals. This is not really surprising, but the sweetspot is (in my room) very very narrow. As far as I can remember, the LS50 were more forgiving if one sits off-center. This is especially worrying me as the speakers double as TV Speakers.
Love your practicality and philosophy. Quite enlightening! Thank you!
I listened to hi end audio in a very good audio store. Sonos Faber, Spendor, PMC, Dynaudio.... all with expensive amps. When I came home I didn’t feel something missing with my ls50 and MJ Acoustics sub. The Kef combined with a good amp can compete with much more expensive speakers.
Congrats in finding a good combo. The LS50 are amazing, I sold mine but bought another pair again. I even bought the LS50w.
Hi Thomas. Wished I’ve seen this video a few months earlier. Stumbled upon your channel after watching hundreds of vids for my research. One can’t go wrong with what you showcased.
What do you recommend to drive the ELAC speakers to 80% or 90%, considering your high end gear drives them to max? Budget is USD 2000.
Thanks! At $2k USD, you can choose anything at it will drive it to 100% Having said that, it would be an unbalance system which the frontend taking 80% of the system budget.
I have the DBR62. Even after i upgraded the crossover to shore up the treble dropoff, the DBR62 just can't touch the KEF in terms of treble detail or clarity. The KEF has better definition and resolve on top. The kef, however isn't my cup of Earl Grey. Something about concentric driver and cheap metal tweeter. Origami folding a tweeter like JBL did in the 80's does not smooth it out. The kef does have a bit of a metallic edge to the sound. The dynaudio makes a more sophisticated tweeter IMO. I prefer the dynaudio too- it's more of a natural and refined sound.
like your videos mostly because of the honesty you bring to the table with your reviews great job Thomas
I like this guy. Great video. Thanks.
I just wanted to say I appreciate and enjoy all your videos.
I have an Onkyo rz820, not high-end but good enough
I'm struggling to find the perfect speakers. For basement man cave , I buy ,then don't like then sell , and repeat.
Would I be disappointed with elac?
Or the kef? Or klipsch 600?
And please let me know when you have a garage sale 😁
Lol. Look, all those 3 speakers have been well reviewed so you know they are very good for their category. Category meaning , kef with hard dome, Rp600m with horn and elac with soft dome. So performance is not in question, just is it to your taste that is the question and sadly, only you can answer that after you try it at your place.
@@ThomasAndStereo
Since you're not trying to sell me anything
I trust your opinion you are the audio Jedi.
Since my receiver is considered bright, would purchasing speakers that are mid-range dominant counteract the brightness of the AVR?
Reven purchasing a good quality preamp to counteract the brightness of my current AVR?
I like how you explain each speaker, well-done
NIce Review, Thomas! Good insights and pragmatic sensibility. Good job.
Thanks for the sound demos. The setups sound pretty much identical on youtube.
Hi Thomas, really enjoy your videos, learning a lot. In doing these comparisons have you ever tried the Apple HomePod speakers paired in stereo? There seems to be mixed opinions on them and I have found some people saying they sounded better then the LS50's. I'm currently looking at a more budget option and when adding up something like the Elac, amp and source you quickly pass the price of the two HomePods. In my particular case I'm very interested in the built in DSP provided it sounds natural as I don't have a great sounding room and can't treat it, but am looking for a musical experience. I would appreciate your insight/ thoughts on achieving musical sound though some DSP trickery when room acoustics are not ideal (ie. you mentioned you found an improvement in the LS50 wireless when the room corrections were on). Appreciate your time.
No I have not tried apple home pod. I understand DSP is great but it cannot replace a good pair of speakers. Although I never heard apple home pod, my understanding is that it;s strength is convenience as priority. Everything is a question of budget, based on budget, you can then look at what is available for you. For sure, dsp is not everything, you don't need much to 'treat' a room. Treating room is important but it all depends what level of listening you want to get into. Don't over think it.
Great review. Im really happy with my Elac Debuts so i guess at the end of the day thats all that matters
Right on!
This is the one I’ve been waiting for! Thanks! I’ll watch it tonight at Starbucks!
Is there a bird in the background?
No there is not.
Very nice review. And it makes sense! I've heard the LS50s and a Dynaudio bookshelf model in Japan (a while back) but I don't remember the model! The Dynaudios can sound very nice depending on what is attached to them. They can also sound bright with the wrong equipment. I've always seen Dynaudio as a next level speaker for those of us at the bottom of the audio food chain! I doubt I would ever purchase a KEF. Actually, I have some VINTAGE KEF I like a lot better because they are warmer and use a soft dome!
As, I mentioned, I have a pair of the Elacs and am finding that amplification is an IMPORTANT factor with them. You can't just hook them up to whatever. They'll sound OK, but they won't wow! This is particularly true concerning their dynamics and bass performance. They just don't sound that dynamic and the bass is less weighty on an average amp of lower power. Eventually I'll hook them up to my tube integrated and see what they sound like. I expect, tubes might be good with these?
yes, please share your findings. i love the vintage kef 105 and lived with one for a while. i am moving back to tubes now, so very interested.
I am not an expert on tubes by any means. I just know what I like to hear. I had an interesting experience when I was on sabbatical in Beijing for a year. I had the chance to visit a couple of Chinese tube manufacturers in the central and southern areas. And was allowed to hear some of their best mono-blocks and pres along with their CD tube players on a pair of vintage, MONSTER sized Tannoys! I really don't remember the model. But they were HUGE! And, boy, the dynamic sound that came from them was nothing short of amazing! Plenty of low end, nice smooth highs, good sound stage, and fantastic dynamics. Orchestras filled the demo room with sound! I believe the system was pushing 150 watts per mono block into each Tannoy. And a 150 watts of continuous RMS tube power is something to behold!
I can only imagine what a Hi-End tube manufacturer's gear sounds like! I can't afford it, of course! A lot of the better Chinese manufacturers: Shuguang, Jolida, YaQin, etc. With perhaps Shuguang at the top? Use, I believe, German windings on their transformers, as well as German and other European designs to emulate in their own products. Hence, pretty decent, affordable value for those of us down stream. (To be honest, I'm not sure if Shuguang is still making gear, they are the major manufacturer of Chinese tubes). Of course, if you have the money and can step up some there are many options out there. An affordable step up would be Prima Luna gear, bang for your buck. But a little too much for me! And, of course, vintage McIntosh tube gear is wonderful if up to spec!
KEF 105s, those are nice. Never heard them. A bit big for my office! Also not that easy to find! I've had the Reference Model 104s with the race-track passive radiator, and a lesser pair of Coda III bookshelves that were very smooth and musical, non-fatiguing, but lacked low end! The 104s had more, of course!
I find these chinese product not bad, I had the Yaqin 10T integrated amp at one point and got it for about $400cdn used. Very good for the price. My friend has the prima luna and I am actually going to bring over the Elac and KEF to try them on the Prima luna, Most likely I will make a video on it.
One of my friend has the Audio Research VT200, it generates 200W RMS and uses 26 tubes! That is one reason I moved away from tubes, so expensive when need its time to change the tubes!
You mentioned the Elac Unifi series might be to your taste if you don't prefer "brightness" but you specifically distinguished that from the slims. Can you explain why not the slims or how they differ? I was actually considering the slims in part because I was looking for white speakers.
I never heard the Slims version but a viewer mentioned that to me that he and the dealer he went to find it bright. So to be safe, I mentioned it incase it is voiced than the standard one.
Do you think my Sprout 100 would push the Keff well enough to justify hunting a pair down? Or would the sprout be better matched with the ELAC? Thank you!:)
Although you can do much better, it should be still satisfying enough.
Great info. Enjoyed listening to your overview.
Got my 5.0 system of Elac F6.2, C6.2, OW4.2 for 1200$ CAD. Super happy with the performance!
Congrats.
I was looking into getting the Elacs as my first Stereo setup. I think your overall classification and viewpoints on real world ideas as well as audiophile ideas. It just makes sense to me to get something good for only $279. I doubt ill ever go much higher than that. These seems to be a great option for me. I have also been looking at the Polk Signature series, what is your view on those relative to the Elacs?
I never try polk but someone suggest I give RTI A3 a try so actively looking for one now.
In my opinion Polk is good bang for the buck the signature series is vary attractive ive not heard them in person but I have no doubt they'd be a satisfying purchase. My first stereo setup was a Polk setup consisting of a pair of TSX 220bs, a 250c, and a polk PSW111 sub ran through a Denon E300...brought it all online without any listening test and enjoyed it a lot and planned to use them for much longer but when the KEF Q series we're on final clearance sales I took a chance and brought a couple sets of Q100s and stored one of the Q100s and use the other 3 as my 3 front channel speakers and then of course had to upgrade my sub to match the KEFS quality so paired them with a SVS SB1000 and its an amazing setup which I plan to only ever upgrade with higher end KEF speakers so I can move my Q100s to the rear channel surrounds. in my opinion look for sales on higher end speakers,... high end bookself speakers + high end sub is better then a mid low end towers or bookself speaker with or without a mid-low end sub and unless you have a really large room and no concerns of noise pollution then towers are usually a must have espacially if you plan on buying a good sub anyways then towers are less of a priority. overall I dont think you can go wrong with either the ELACS or Polk signatures series through i'd personally lean towards ELAC since there brand is a bit more well known for high end quality speakers at a friendly price range whereas Polk you really have to step up to there top of the line speakers before you could ever truly compete with the lower end KEF and ELAC speakers but bang for you buck you can build a vary nice home theatre at a vary affordable price with polk speakers but if your a true audiophile type of person then your 90% likely to want to eventually upgrade to something higher end then polks but for many people polks are just enough there surely better then a soundbar and before i experienced something better such as my kefs I truly thought you couldnt get much better then polks....all in all for a beginning setup polks are perfect and might be all you ever want and need, but for true sound junkies there not vary respected and there really just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the speakers available on the market today but there one of the most recognizable brands and flood the market everywhere.... other brands you have to dig and search for to obtain but in the end its always worth it going withover the standard off the self big box store brand speakers with polk has become over the years.
Polk rti3
Dillon Carpenter ... You don’t think you will ever go much higher than that. I have said that before. At least 3 times. ;-)
if you want good looks BUY POLK /if you want ridiculous great sound that you would get if you payed 5x the amount Buy ELACS@@ThomasAndStereo
currently using the ls50s with a q200 center. considering upgrading to the r200 center, but i cant demo the r200 where i live. are you familiar on these speakers at all? curious if the r series is a big jump from the q series.
m9 345 I don't have any experience with the r series. Why do you want to upgrade? Q series not clear enough?
it sounds good, but it has a very neutral sound and the ls50s are just on another level of detail. its not a bad match, but iv had it for a long time now and im curious if stepping up to the r series would be a wow factor, or if it would be a disappointing subtle upgrade.
Hi Thomas, great video. I also got good results with the iTube2 in the chain with LS50’s, though for me the bass was still clean with just a +6db boost and overall still balanced, but became way too much with +12db. Looking forward to your review of the iTube, it’s an interesting little device, probably not for everyone or every system, but definitely makes a difference to those who want to tame a system that is a little lean and bright, something for the price that is worth trying before swapping out other more expensive components. Added a good dose of presence and solidity in the system I had it set up with.
Yup agree, with 6db + its good. 12db, it was uncomfortable. How did you find the 3D feature? I tried it and it worked but did not feel natural.
I think that 3D setting will be very speaker dependent and more useful for nearfield use. I didn’t find it made much difference to the soundstage with the LS50’s, maybe it’s because they already have a very wide dispersion. But it does something like boosting the higher frequencies making a little bit more airy at the expense of balance, but I’m not sure if it is better or worse. A lot of it comes down to the recording
Hi Thomas. Firstly, you have, what I perceive, the most pleasant personality. With that said, I really like your reviews: they are plain spoken and very informative. I am in the process of purchasing new floor speakers. At this juncture I am inclined to purchase either Pioneer Elite's SP-EFS73 Dolby Atmos or KEF Q950's. Which would you choose? Lastly, can you recommend a power amp for which ever speakers I select. Thanks Thomas
Well I think Pioneer are known to have lay back sound and Q950 forward sound. So you are looking at 2 different sound. If you look at my video on what speaker to buy, it really depends on your taste. For poweramp, it depends on budget and use. Do you plan to get a receiver so you can watch blurays movies with it? Or would it be strickly on a 2 channel setup. I think for hometheater and if you have the money, then high end arcam is probably one of your few choices. 2 channel, there are so many and it's important they have good synergy with the speaker you bought.
Hey Thomas thanks for the video. I feel like I've been waiting for ages for the Elac 2.0 to arrive in Australia (only a few weeks to go to now).
Have you had the chance to compare the Elac 5.2 to the 6.2? I live in an apartment so worried the 6.2 will be a bit too much for the neighbours.
Sadly I never got a chance to but I do feel the bass is more stronger on the 6.2 over the Elac unifi 5.2. Having said that, I really doubt it's a big difference, in a few weeks, I might bring these Elac over to my friend to compare to his Elac unifi 5.2
That would be an interesting comparison. I have heard good things about the uni-fi
I too am interested in knowing how the B5.2 and B6.2 compare. So far, I haven't heard from anyone who's listened to both.
I'm curious about it because quite a few actually liked the first generation B5 better than the B6, so I'm curious if that will be the case with the B5.2 as well or if the overwhelming consensus will be the B6.2 is superior/both are about as good.
Thomas, if it'd be at all possible for you to do at some point, I'd love for you to listen to the B5.2 and give us your thoughts on how it compares to its big brother!
TastySanchez they sound very different. Check our my video on the unifi elac if u have not seen it.
Where can you even buy them in Australia?
Enjoyed your views on the three different speakers. My suggestion for a future review would be to throw in a playback of the same song just for a minute but through each of the different speakers. Let our ears do the judging too. Thanks once again.
Thanks for the feedback. I did it, not only with a high end setup but also with a budget setup, enjoy.
ruclips.net/video/k5vSVCDDfww/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/_uPqgEZ0Woo/видео.html
Do you think a tube preamp would help the elac or would you recommend a solid state im between a budget tube preamp im going to tube roll or the matching adcom preamp to go along with the older adcom 545 mkII My buddy recommended to me
Both are good but will have different results.
Thomas - my friend seeks speakers for a room of 20sm (TV, CD, and radio at most). Will you prefer Elac Debut over Klipsch R-51M?
I never heard the 51, sorry
@@ThomasAndStereo how about rp-600m
@@sebizbir If he is sensitive to listening fatigue, then the Elac or maybe the new Elac. If he wants a lively presentation with a lot of energy on top, then RP600M.
Hi Thomas. Can I ask you a questions about the impedance selector switch? I have a 110W Yamaha RX-V2095 and Elac B6. The B6 are 6 ohms. The impedance selector on my stereo manual says either "4 ohms or higher" or "8 ohms or higher." It's currently set to 4 ohms. Would you set it to 8 ohms? Also, what if I had Elac Uni-Fi UB5? Those are 4 ohms. I've been looking online, but I can't figure it out one way or another.
I think I may have figured it out. My consumer grade receiver is expecting 6-8 ohm speakers. If I plug in 4 ohm speakers, the receiver will work harder to drive them. If I listen at high volumes I may overwork the receiver. If I set the receiver to the 4 ohm setting, it will somehow setup the receiver for 4 ohm speakers. From what I can see online, the only thing that switch is doing is reducing the power output but I'm not sure about that.
I sent the same question to Mcintosh because I have a 4 ohm and 8 ohm output. They told me to try both and use the one where bass sounds the most natural. With my Canton, they looked at the response graph, they told me 4 ohm is better. (The canton has 4-8ohm written at the back) Your best bet is to email Yamaha and ask them. If you put it at 8 ohm, just monitor the heat on your receiver to make sure it does not over heat.
Thanks so much for making this video Thomas. I'm on a quest to find the best affordable combo for stereo and surround sound/tv speakers. I'm currently running a Yamaha RX-V681 with an Oppo UHD-203 disc player and a pair of Paradigm 9seMkII and a Paradigm center channel and 10" Paradigm powered sub. It's great, but I need height speakers for a ATMOS set up. Can my system use more power? It's been said that my Paradigm 9se Mk II's need lots of power. I've never felt this new Yamaha matched my old RX-V 850 with high current amps ability, but the old 850 blew a channel after 31 years! lol.... Thanks again for your video!
On paper, you should have enough as it is a very standard setup. If you don't feel enough, you can by a separate amp just for the 2 stereo channel assuming your receiver has the output. That way, you get better sound and you solve the power issue. Just incase you are not aware you can do that, read up on it. Glad you enjoy my video, much appreciated.
Thank you, Thomas, for your review. I'm an audiophile beginner. please tell me what you think of the Bowers and Wilkins 685 S2 speakers I bought. I'm planning to replace them with the Kef LS50s. Would you recommend them for an opera buff like me? If you listen to opera, is there a bookshelf that you would love to play it with?
I never heard the 685 but someone I know had the 600 series and he found them bright. I don't listen to Opera, maybe only person I heard is Sarah B, and if I remember, Opera has a really big dynamic range. What do you find missing in your current setup? Do you find it too bright sometimes when the female vocal kicks in?
Thank you for writing, Thomas. It's good to hear from you partly because you're an expert. I'd speakers with better dynamics and the ability to make instruments easier to identify. My closest friend is an audio consultant who recommends the KEF LS50s.
Thomas, since you've heard Sarah B., let me share two Ave Marias with you because I wonder whether you'll enjoy them if you hear them through LS50s.
Kathleen Battle singing Mascagni's Ave Maria
ruclips.net/video/voij0540vWk/видео.html
Elina Garanca's version of William Gomez's Ave Maria
ruclips.net/video/ypMv_vKtGuk/видео.html
Very nice. Yeah, it's that high pitch female vocal that I am wondering. If you are ok on the 683 aluminium tweeter (although I never heard it) then you should be ok with it on the LS50. If you are looking at the 683, that is a full size tower so bass should be more stronger than the Ls50, you sure you are ok to lose a bit of bass. I personally, although would enjoy it on the LS50, am not too sure I can listen to it long. I personally would go for the Buchardt S300 for my taste especially with a 30 day return policy. LS50, you will be impressed right away, just not sure for long listening for Opera.
Thank you. Miss Battle and Miss Garanca are two of my favorite singers. You doubt that you could listen long to the music I suggested, Thomas. Is that because of the way the LS50s would make it sound or because you don't listen to opera?
Since I trust your expert judgment, I would love to at least audition the Buchardt S300 to compare its sound to the LS50's sound. I don't need much bass when I listen to my favorite music. So even during Bach's Tocatta and Fugue in D minor, no one will get to feel my bedroom window vibrate. And contrary to popular opinion, I'm not mean enough to torture my neighbors with the cannon fire from the 1812 Overture. :)
Hi Thomas, great video. I think you said that the LS50s are a little difficult to drive. What amp is better for these speakers ?
Thank you
Well, they are below 90db so the more power the better.
For not a review it was super helpful
Hi Thomas. Have you ever listened to the KEF Q 150? I bought the q350 a while ago and I was getting pretty bad headaches. I thought this was due to the metal tweeter so I changed them for Dali Zensor 3. Again I started to get headaches even though the Dalis are soft dome tweeter. So again I decided to change but this time for kef q 150. Even though the q150 has metal tweeter I noticed that I was not getting headaches anymore. So im wondering if the headaches I were receiving were more to do with the low end rather than high end fatigue? Have you ever experienced anything like this?
Thank you for the video's.
Interesting, nope, never had that issue.
I have the KEF Q150's too. The bass is really good it can match the older Elac B6 but with better sounding vocals. My stereo shop will lend me some KEF LS50's next week. What I want to listen to are Dynaudio Emit M20.
You need break in and after 50-60 hours try again, of course, this speakers can play at 75 db in average
Very intelligent !!! Respect
Kef LS50 blends very well with Rega Brio-R amp. Very non-fatiguing.
Idiot, you can use every Amp.
@@Blake_Painter Why use "idiot" word? I have the LS50 and a top end sansui alpha or a yamaha as2000 is very bright in my setup, I have better results with a CXA80 which is a bit relaxed in top and have a nice punch, is a nice combo
@@FEGTTTSDH fairytales and imagination.
reading too much audio advertising magazines?
Goldears? Sorry for the "idiot".
Great review. Just discovered your channel and it's really informative. Can you tell me which is the speaker behind you during the intro of the video?
Thanks, Spendor S8e
Thomas thanks for your great/honest reviews. I have decided to get Debut 6.2, and based on your advice and Audiophiliac, i need about 150w/ch amp @ 4 Ohm and a proper preamp. What front end setups you suggest for say $200, $300, $400. ( What did your mysterious friend with 2 phd's in use to drive this). Im from Montreal and would be happy to look for used setups as well on Kijiji or ebay. Thanks again
Thanks. My Vintage friend never took that Elac home from what I remember. I don't really know at $400 because I never have experience with amps at the specific price bracket new. Sorry.
@@ThomasAndStereo appreciate it. Is there any budget front setup u would suggest that reveals the potential of Debut 6.2? Im also willing to look into used market.
To really bring out the potential of 6.2, you would need to go very high end. However, it's a good thing because it means your speaker is not your bottleneck. So you can get the best frontend you can and don't have to worry you speaker cannot keep up. I can't really give any advice because I only give advice if I have actual experience. I will be making some videos on some budget integrated amps as I am testing some now, stay tune.
@@ThomasAndStereo thats true Thomas. Thanks again for ur honesty.
Nice one Thomas. I really enjoy your reviews. The KEF LS50 is a great speaker for many, but they didn't work for me, it was way to forward. Never listened to the 160, but i enjoyed the earlier version focus 140. I just took delivery of Dynaudio s 1.4 today, and it's by far my favourite speaker i've heard. I know you had the contour 5.4 before but sold, but i can't remember if you have listened to the C1 (or larger)? Personally of the Elac, KEF and 160, i love the finish most on the 160.
Yup, those speaker are not for everyone. You know I am driving it right now as I type with the Mcintosh MC452 with Pathos Logos turbe preamp front end and it's 0% harsh...the mc452 is incredible. Congrats on the S1.4, it's really in my opinion for sophisticated audiophiles. I never heard the C1 and C4 are my dream speakers (although I never heard it before). The reason is because my friend who owns the $300k system told me those speaker left an impression on him and only 3 to 5 speakers left an impression on him in his life.
The Kef definitely needs a warm front end like tubes to balance out their tendency to sound bright.
LS50 with mcintosh sounds like an incredible combo! It's interesting you like the Elac so much. Never listened to them, but at the price they're cheap enough that people who are not into hifi could buy them and get a taste of good music. Will keep my eye out for elacs!
I had the KEF LS50W actives for 2 months. Loved them on modern, well-mastered music. But kind of unforgiving for my crappier recordings, which still encompass songs and music I love. I prefer the smoother presentation of tubes and/or PSB speakers. I tried a lot of things with DSP via Roon, couldn’t get them to where I liked it, so I returned. But my experience tells me the KEFs sit in between the PSBs (sweet & smooth to me) and B&Ws, which I find very brash. So those of you who seek higher detail without becoming overly brash, LS50Ws might be for you. (I probably should have tried the iFi tube buffer!). Hope this helps!
In one moment you mentioned, that Elac Uni-Fi does not sound the same as Slim version? Is that true? What are differences? Thanks.
i mentioned it because in my elac unifi video, someone mentioned in the comments they are bright. i never heard it but mentioned it for safety.
I see. Well I own the slim version and they do sound thin and a bit bright for me too at most times.
I do think its the fault of Sony Ta-515 amp which I run them through. Can it be? I keep using loudness to compensate that a bit, but it is still not enough for my taste.
While Debut B6 in comparison - I do not have any issues with them, they sound way fuller without loudness turned on. Treble is softer too, bass fills the room nicely.
The only way I prefer Uni-Fi Slims are all the accoustic/audiophile flac files which I run through Colorfly C4.
They sound great somehow on that music.
My advice would be to keep Debuts for louder, home theater and laid back music listening.
While Uni-Fi's more for accoustic and detailed tracks/taste.
I was the one who found the Elac Unifi Slim UB5 bright and thin with vocals. For musical instruments they sound great but vocals come out as thin sounding. Sadly no local stores carry the "regular" Unifi speaker to be able to compare.
Nice comparison of these speakers and some great insights, Thomas...I noticed you really like "I'll Be Loving You Forever"...at the 3:18 mark...I believe you used it in at least one of your other videos...it's a great song...I should probably upload a vinyl rip for you, lol.
Hey just wanted to say I appreciate your reviews and wanted to recommend another budget speaker that punches waaay above its price point the JBL STAGE A130. I would love to hear your opinion they retail for $249. I own the Elac B6.2 and the JBL's are an entirely different animal.
HAVE YOU HEARD THE JBL STAGE A130 COMPARED TO YOUR ELAC B 6.2? WHAT DIFFERENCES DO YOU FIND
Hi Thomas what do you think of the New Emotiva DR2 Audioquest type 4 speakers cable ps audio Dac Jr pair up with the Elac speakers ? Please let me know what is your opinion on it thank you
I think people who get a DR2 would look at speakers higher end than the Elac debut. Those Emotiva looks pretty good at 550w, I don't have experience with class H amps so really hard to say. I would gamble they can drive those Elac to their max potential but would you not be better off with the KEF LS50? (Assuming you are ok with bright speakers)
Thomas & Stereo
Thank you for the fast reply and opion I will try out the LS50 and also the Elac Uni Fi tower speakers
Hi you Are good boss
I wanna know abt Elac ,kef q300 , focal 706 which one is good with marantz nr1200
Hey Thomas. I saw the stereo microphone in position, did you record some demo audio from these speakers? I have the LS50s, so I'd be very interested to hear a tonal comparison with the Elac. I'm always looking for good gear to recommend to people (as I can't buy them all for myself)
Oh, yes, I recorded multiple track , with high end setup and cheap setup. My daughter has taken over my main computer so waiting for her to go to sleep so I can edit that video :)
Nice. Looking forward to it! Tannoy XT6f update: they are sounding so full and musical. I'm getting drawn to getting up and mildly moving around (when no one is looking!) to upbeat songs, which is something the Kefs don't seem to do (for me). Also, I'm not missing the very slight drop in detail (and perhaps some depth of soundstage) after moving to the Tannoys, they make up for it in every other way. I have to say they are a great all-rounder at the price range and have definitely put the life back into my stereo. Plus I would recommend Tom Jones gets some signature models made, because he sounds just great on them! :)
Very nice, those Tannoy are definitely on my radar. Glad you are enjoying them and thanks for sharing.
The XT Series in general are great. I love the XT6F & XT8F, but the XT mini's are some gems! Inspite of their diminutive drivers, they punch way over than they should. Highly recommend them!
Thomas, how have you been doing, great prospective. I liked what you said about the ls50's because I did own them at one point and had to return them because I couldn't get them to sound right in my current space, so I'm sticking with the Vandersteens for now, but they were extremely bright, and you are right, they benefit from a good sub.
I currently have a pair of last years version of the elacs that you are reviewing and they are good for what they are and had more bass than the ls50, but didn't sound as good overall.. The Dyna Audios, I have never owned. Im however currently breaking in a new cartridge, a Hana Eh as I type and it is quite good for its price and punches well above its weight. In another room, I'm burning in a pair of Audioquest Night Owl Carbons through my Simaudio 230hd. Good luck man and keep up the good work.
Hey Sid, so good to hear from you again. Yes, I remember you had the ls50 and it did not work for you. Btw, I finally did the video on the AR ref 40 and I had the unit open just for you, check it out and the music clip too. ruclips.net/video/VedRT3dCDnk/видео.html
Is there a measurement for speaker accuracy? Im thinking of the physical speaker being able to move fast enough to produce an accurate sound? I assume this is why bass on low end speakers sounds "Muddy" almost as if its similar to "Resolution"? Or do speakers not really work that way?
I don't think there is a way to measure speaker accuracy. Your question is one of the biggest question in stereo and you need an expert to answer this. Go to Paul Mcgowan channel and he tackles on these question but over many many videos. Perhaps you can submit him that question and I am sure he can handle that question better than anyone.
That performance depends on the AMPLIFIER! You need to match them! Power, output impedance, current output etc...
Thomas the best reviews here !!
For a Desk with speakers about 20cm from the wall 1.5 mt apart and an Emotiva BASx A-100 Amp what speakers would you recommend? Do I need a front port speaker or a KEF LS50 would be ok and don't sound too boomy? What about the Elac 6.2? As my main in my lunchroom I have the ELAC Unify UB5 with a 300W per channel Pioneer Receiver Amp and love them but probably would prefer something a little more Dynamic and lively for my PC room... It is a small room probably 17 mq and has tiled floor and wooden walls.. Not insulation behind the speaker walls for now... Thank you!
Also take a look at the triangle br03 and the Klipsch RP600m. If it is too boomy, you can close the bass port with a pair of socks.
I use my LS50s for my computer desk (near field) and have the speakers 10-15cm from the wall- no issues. However when I had them parked right in front of an absorbing acoustic panel sound was terrible as it over dampened. Unfortunately I didn't realize this until 2 yrs later when I decided to remove the panels completely to make for a nicer looking space- only to improve sound dispersion (in all frequencies), fyi my computer setup is in a very large living room.
Thomas, thank you very much for your valuable comments about speakers. I have been using, for almost 10 years, a Stereo system of the low priced items of the well known manufacturing brands: Yamaha receiver (RS 201), Teac Cd player (P 650), and Celestion Mk II 5 speakers. But I am very satisfied with these, and maybe I am the layman in this field. Would you give me your personal opinion about the comparison of Celestion Mk 5 and Elac Debut 6.2?
I don't know anything about the Celestion, let me ask my friend and if he knows, I will get back to you.
@@ThomasAndStereo I appreciate your kind consideration of my question. I look forward to receiving your reply.
@@ThomasAndStereo For your reference, I bought Celestion Mk II 5 through mail order at about $300 in the US in 1993.
@Thomas - connecting kef with subwoofer is a problem ( atleast to me as my amp doesnt have a sub output), can you suggest?
If you don't feel like you are missing bass, then I would say, don't worry about it. These days, I actually have been listening to my bookshelf speakers without sub because my new preamp does not have an extra output for my sub. In your case, getting a sub with output is a solution but expensive. If you have preout on your amp, it will do the same as sub out.
Can your sub take speaker inputs? You can wire it in series to your Kefs if so.
I wish my elacs looks like my kefs , and i wish my kefs sound like my elacs. 🤔....must go to my workshop 😆
Listen to the Dynaudios and you'll wish they both sound like that!
B&w better than them all
Elacs look cheap, but then so do the gimmicky looking KEFs.
+1 for using New Kids on the Block at 3:20 for the sound demo!
Hi Thomas, how do you compare Elac Debut 6.2 with Elac Adante?
I only heard the Adante for like 5 min so can't really compare. The Adante are so new that it's very expensive still on the used market.
So to take out a bit of the “brightness” of the kef, did the 452 help smooth that out a bit?
OMG, it absolutely did, even without the itube2, the 452 rounds of the edges beautifully. None of the amps I have tried can do it.
Thomas & Stereo this is why I prefer Mc with my B&W speakers. A good match.
Hey Thomas, what do you use to reduce jitter when you play music through your computer? Great vid btw
Thanks, I don't use anything because I am assuming my dacs are good enough to deal with jitter. I use an Exasound E28 with Femto clock and sometimes a PS audio perfectwave dac.
So aré u saying that a run of the mill integrated amp producing 50 wpc will not drive the elac to its full potential and that buyers should go with a more efficient speaker?
Well, not exactly, a 50wpc will not drive a lot of speakers to it's full potential but it does not mean you should not buy them. Let's say you go buy a high efficient speaker and your 50w will bring out it's bass to the max but you hate the sound signature on those speakers, then it would not be the right choice. The point is the Elac has a lot of potential and it's ok to not to be able to drive it to it's max potential.
The LS50s won't sound very good with the stand top overhanging (especially that much) the speaker. I finally got my LS50s set up where I can really turn up the volume and they sound great. The LS50s like rock solid sand filled stands, high pass filter on my amp set at 40 hz, at least the partial port plugs in and room to breath (2 feet off the wall). I first thought the LS50s were too bright for me, but now they roll off smoother in the highs (yet more extended and detailed) than any of my soft dome tweeters speakers.
Thank you sir reality therapy great insight honest video finding a speaker is a choice like the colors of a rainbow that you like the must.
generally what amp would suit the best for elac 6.2 in terms of amps sound signature is it warm or on the bright side amp? thanks
I think the Elac is slighly on the bright side but very little. So in that sense both amps are fine depending on your taste. The LS50 for example is not, avoid bright amps.
@@ThomasAndStereo thank you,looking forward for more quality reviews.
Great job on this review!
This is the second time that I've heard the KEF speakers and I keep hearing a hollow plastic sound. Is the front curved bezel made of plastic?
No idea, I think the front curve has it's function. Look at the interview with Andrew Jones with Joe n Tell where he explains it.
Is your ONIX Integrated amp the British or Chinese version?
Have to check but I remember at the time the original owner imported it from Europe.
@@ThomasAndStereo Thank you. At one time there was some contraversy over the rights and I believe there are significant differences between them.
It might be interesting for someone to do a comparison (hint-hint).
Great video Thomas, thanks. Have you heard the Dynaudio Emit Series? Emit 10 & 20 to be precise.
No I have not, apparently, they are very good.
Yes, for the price, nothing to complain at all, infact the speakers from dynaudio to consider for one to enjoy 'dynaudio sound' at a much lesser pricepoint. The same caveats apply though! They need high current amplification to truly sing.
You just sold me on the KEF LS50's been looking at them for awhile as an upgrade. Great video man
Hi, What would be a good beginner setup for TV viewing 3.1 or 5.1?
The only tie you can really benefit from 5.1 is when you watch a movie with a 5.1 soundtrack.
Hey Have you ever tested the Monitor Audio silver 100 bookshelfs speaker or compared them ?
No, I had the Monitor audio GX300 before and have heard the silver 8 so I don't think I will be trying the bookshelf version unless I come across one cheap.
@@ThomasAndStereo ok thanks and great vids btw
Any love. for the Roksan k3 integrated amp? my set up is the Roksan k3 with the silver 100 from monitor audio
Although I never heard it, I remember reading good reviews on it so I don't see why not. As long as you enjoy it, that is what's important.
@@ThomasAndStereo ok thanks alot for the response Keep up the good work I loove anything about sound systems and speakers Will b watching your vids!
Inherited 60's Sherwood S 5000 ii integrated tube 40 wpc.. Could this work with Elac UniFi B5's .. enough juice? Too "tube-y"?
Only way to know is to try, just make sure it supports 4 ohm, I personally would like to have a bit more juice.
@@ThomasAndStereo Many thanks Thomas.. I enjoy your commentary and appreciate your getting back.. for Sherwood may have to go The Klipsch route since they're typically more sensative foregoing some imaging but not overworking antique..
Dear Thomas, I am thinking of buying the Elac, but I got surprised from what you pointed out about their fall in performance when driven by a less powerful amplifier. If I got it right, that is a big issue for me, because I have an old synto-amplifier Yamaha Cr 800 (from the '70s), which is just 45w+45w. Do you think the ampli will be powerful enough to push the Elac to their performances? If not, can you advise me on a good speaker that will better suite my case? thanks a lot for your help, Fabio
Well, any speaker will have this issue. This should not be consider an issue cause that means the bottleneck is not your speaker.
Having said that, 45w, I wish you had a bit more power. Take a look at my video what speaker to buy.
I use the ls50’s as an office speaker with a rega elex r amp, this is a great warming combo for them. The rega integrated amp has amazing timing and allows the ls50 to shine with even the bluesound player with tidal as the source. Granted it’s not my b and w nautilus with chord Dave and naim power but it packs a great listen for under 3k total.
Thanks for sharing.
Russel K Red 100 on a Pillinius 9200 @ 3k . LS-50 Killers-
What budget integrated amplifier would you recommend for the Elac? Thx.
I don't really know, ideally, something at least 100w @ 8 ohm so 150w+ @ 4 ohm. Of course, quality watt is important, not just the power.
How is the ls50 compared to the new Danish Buchardt s400?
Can't compare because it's completely different sound. One is with a metal tweeter and one is with a wave guide design. The way they produce sound is so different.
Have you heard the Totem Acoustic Sky? I’ve seen reviews favourable comparing them to ATC and PMC
No, the only Totem I ever had was the forest and the Ember. Apparently the Sky is amazing.
Nice review. What is you main speaker?
It's the Earthquake Titan Tigris...major issues with it but...
Thomas & Stereo I will check them out.
I'll keep my eyes out at my local Goodwill to see if anyone donates a pair....