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Elac

FredtheFilmFan

Active Member
Just wondering if anyone has heard or had any experience with the Elac speaker brand. I've read quite a bit online that they are an amazing "Bang for Your Buck" and I know that this forum is typically a big fan of value gear. I see that they have a tweeter inside the mid driver and I recall something that I read here that that set up, while it can help solve some acoustic issues, creates other problems.
 
Just wondering if anyone has heard or had any experience with the Elac speaker brand. I've read quite a bit online that they are an amazing "Bang for Your Buck" and I know that this forum is typically a big fan of value gear. I see that they have a tweeter inside the mid driver and I recall something that I read here that that set up, while it can help solve some acoustic issues, creates other problems.

Yes to everything. I am familiar with the Elac products, and have in some cases recommended them to certain folk who I felt would appreciate them for what they are. I find they are, as you'd expect, limited by the common mass market requirements for high production run speakers - things like a tonality which competes well in a crowded showroom but which isn't entirely neutral or accurate, and they tend to start washing out at loud-ish listening levels which are lower when compared to better quality speakers in the same price range but which may not offer as much bass or cosmetic value. That isn't to say they are bad, at all. I tend to like them generally. I am just not blown away, even for their value.

The coaxial mid/tweeter design has many benefits, as you mentioned. They offer a single point source at all off axis listening angles in the midrange through the treble which can enhance stereo imaging if decent speaker/listener placement isn't possible, and they are time-aligned, which improves clarity in the critical midrange and makes designing passive crossovers much simpler. However, they also have issues such as off-axis dispersion issues with the tweeter as the midrange cone acts as a moving waveguide causing bizarre and unpredictable issues related to phase shifting, response fluctuation, and dispersion comb-filtering exaggeration. So, you gain some benefits while introducing new problems. They can sound pretty good when done properly, but doing it properly is rarely attractive nor affordable. So, you get what you get.

Give them a listening if you are looking for speakers, you may find they are exactly what you've always wanted. But before you buy, try out some more esoteric (and sometimes harder to find) models in the same price range.
 
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