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Elac Debut B6 loudspeaker

The first I heard about Elac's new Debut line of speakers was from two 12-year-olds at T.H.E. Show Newport Beach 2015. "Elac's room is making the best sound at the show," they said.

Elac? I thought. I have an Elac Miracord 40A turntable. Hmmmm...

So I walked to Elac's room and listened to the Debut B5 bookshelf speakers ($229.99/pair). I was impressed—but maybe not as impressed as everyone else in the room seemed to be. In the halls, people were raving: "Did you hear Andrew Jones's new speaker?" Show bloggers went crazy. People kept asking me, "Herb—what'd you think of the Elacs…

Listening #160

In November of 1990, my wife and I traveled to the UK for our honeymoon, much of which was spent in Scotland. But we also spent a few days in London, and it was during that time that I discovered, in the Bloomsbury district, one of the finest classical-music record stores in the world: a two-story shop on New Oxford Street called Caruso & Company. It didn't have quite as large a selection as Music Masters, on 43rd Street in New York, but it had something that that long-lamented store couldn't boast: clerks who were friendly, knowledgeable, and gregariously helpful.

It was during my…

Elac Debut B6 loudspeaker Page 2

The first recording I took notes on was Enrique Granados's The Composer as Pianist: His Recordings for M. Welte & Soehne, Paris, 1913 (CD, Pierian 0002). This artfully produced recording of piano rolls, played by a 1923 player piano recorded in stereo, shows Granados to be a very Spanish composer capable of the most luminous and imaginative harmonies. His palette of pianistic colors saturated the air between the Elacs like an arabesque in the Alhambra, in Granada. Granados's music doesn't unfold logically or thematically. Instead, it spins and turns, building up into a shimmering wall…

Listening #160 Page 2

And there was a total lack of knowledge: I knew nothing about what was collectible. All I'd got was the love of the sound of vinyl, and the love of classical music. So it was a learning curve of about two years. And I still remember, with gratitude, the immense amount of information people shared with me.

I used to get record companies' catalogs all the time and study them, to try to learn as much as I could. And otherwise, it was customers: Over the years, so many wonderful customers have shared information with me—things that I could then pass on to other people. I'm a great believer…

Elac Debut B6 loudspeaker Specifications

Sidebar 1: Specifications

Description: Two-way stand-mounted loudspeaker with double-flared port. Drive-units: 1" (25mm) cloth-dome tweeter, 6.5" (162mm) aramid-fiber woofer. Crossover frequency: 3kHz. Frequency range: 44Hz–20kHz. Sensitivity: 87dB/2.83V/m. Nominal impedance: 6 ohms. Maximum amplification: 120W.
Dimensions: 13.9" (356mm) H by 8.4" (216mm) W by 9.9" (254mm) D. Weight: 14.3 lbs (6.5kg).
Serial number of units reviewed: 31921152745001311 (both), "Designed in California, Manufactured in China."
Finish: Black brushed vinyl.
Price: $279.99/pair. Approximate…

Elac Debut B6 loudspeaker Associated Equipment

Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment

Analog Sources: Technics SL1200 Mk.2 turntable; Abis SA-1.2 tonearm; Jasmine Turtle MC, Ortofon CG 35 Di, Zu Denon DL-103 cartridges. Pioneer PLX-1000 turntable; Ortofon 2M Red, Shure M35X cartridges.
Digital Sources: Integra DPS-7.2 DVD-A player, Halide DAC HD USB D/A converter.
Preamplification: Lounge Audio Copla MC step-up amplifier; Lounge Audio LCR Mk.III, Parasound Halo JC 3+ phono preamps; PrimaLuna ProLogue Premium preamplifier.
Integrated Amplifiers: Line Magnetic LM-518IA, Rogue Audio Sphinx.
Power Amplifier: PrimaLuna ProLogue…

Listening #160 Sophia's Choices

Sidebar: Sophia's Choices

Sophia Singer's office system is built around a vintage Garrard 401 turntable with an SME 3009 tonearm, a Goldring cartridge ("I don't go for very expensive cartridges, because I'm paying to replace the stylus so often"), a "bog-standard" Rotel integrated amplifier, and Heybrook Helios loudspeakers ("I'm a great fan of buying used equipment"). In Singer's front room are a Nottingham Analog turntable (also with SME arm), AcousTech phono preamp, Classé preamplifier, Chord Electronics power amp ("My son had it, but then he moved to the States and couldn't get it…

Elac Debut B6 loudspeaker Measurements

Sidebar 3: Measurements

I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure the Elac Debut B6's frequency response in the farfield; for the nearfield frequency response, I used an Earthworks QTC-40, which has a ¼" capsule and thus doesn't present a significant obstacle to the sound.

My estimate of the Elac B6's voltage sensitivity was 85dB/2.83V/m, which is 2dB below the specified 87dB/2.83V/m. I suspect that this difference is due to the B6's behavior in the top octaves (see later). I have plotted how the Elac's impedance varies with frequency on a more…

Love You Live

For those who want to deep dive into an artist, in other words obtain every scrap of material that artist has released and them some, seeking out bootlegs, or more politely, gray area material, can get a little obsessive. If you’re one of those, then you may have noticed that the fight against these releases seems to be over. The RIAA, the record labels, BMI and ASCAP seem to have all decided that because there’s no real money left in CDs, this battle is no longer worth fighting. Which means that if you cruise Amazon.com or eBay.com for example, searching for a favorite artist, all kinds of…

Colour My World

Since the return of the LP, which by the way, continues unabated despite the many predictions that this is a fad that’s gonna wither sooner than later, colored vinyl has emerged as a premium product, usually going for many dollars more than the plain black. If you are susceptible to such nonsense, then it’s boom times for LPs in every hue under the rainbow. Clearly someone in my lineage had relations with a fish because if it’s colored and flashy—think jigs, spinners, lures—then I’m there, grinning like a child and opening my wallet like a ridiculous adult.

A teal Saxophone Colossus? A…