Elac Debut Reference Review - End game speaker? 

I love your channel, man! I'm on the hunt for the perfect bookshelf / mid-size speaker for my basement reno. You are my go-to source for reviews!

Great review. My introduction to really good modern, less expensive speakers was also the B6. I was blown away when I first heard them.

I just stumbled across this. It was likely the first video of your I watched and I have bought them. It is cute how nervous you are compared to where you are now. Priceless.

Randy I've been following your channel and your reviews are awesome and your description spot on. After doing research from you and some other RU-vidrs, and looking at objective testing from forums like audioscience review, the consensus for best bang for buck bookshelf are the polk r200's and elac debut reference. I purchased both from Crutchfield to test them at home. Both of these are fantastic speakers. Image like crazy and non fatiguing. I'm gonna end up keeping the r200's because while both the speakers are neutral the polks dig deeper with bigger more full bass. I feel the elac's can play well without a sub, but definitely benefit from a sub. The polks I was more than happy without a sub. They are more like baby floor standers. Both are slam dunk choices, but for me it's the r200's! Thanks Randy for the excellent reviews and keep up the good work for the budget audiophiles! We need guys like you.

Man, your channel took off for good reasons. I am always compelled to watch your videos all the way to the very end, your presentation and style are unparalleled. Don't change a thing, congrats.

Bought them, love them! Thank you for the recommendation. Greetings from Germany!

Love these speakers. I got them in the white colourway. Working fine on the Denon x2700.

This is the first time I watched your channel...well at first I think it will be boring but...the more I listened the way you described the speaker, you described it very well just like some one describe a taste of good old wine.

This is my first real speaker (I got Polk Monitor 70s for my home theater, but mostly for movies, and never took audio seriously).....these are on my computer desk, and I LOVE THEM

Just found your channel a couple of days ago. I got to say you sure pump out the content for being what it seems a newbie! 🤫😇 You are doing a great job so keep it up! This youtube audio review market seems to be a crowded place but because of that easy to grow a small channel into a big one fairly quickly. Although maybe cannibalizing somebody else!🙄😜🤗😇😉

I have finally decided on these after a bunch of research in white will be my next audio purchase to go along with the Emotiva TA-100. Will be upgrading from the Sony SSCS5 I got.

Just ordered these at around 350$ a pair in Norway. Super excited :) Thanks Randy !

I just picked up a set of these used for 350. CAMan is so right these are awesome. These are replacing a set of Evo 4.1s. Man I love my 4.1s but these DBRs just rock on with everything. Using a 803N and the DBRs love Spotify. Thanks CAMan.

Too much quality thoughts, and way too much valuable information to not to sub. Thanks zero fidelity for the tip. This guy is cool. Subbed for sure🥩❤️

Love your honest reviews.keep it up.

Great Video. I too am a fan of the ELAC speakers. I have two sets of the Debut b6.2. I am modifing one set to do an AB comparision with upgraded crossover parts.

I think i have watched every video now minus the live ones. I'll likely watch them too once i get the time. I really enjoy your way of doing things, and the bits of odd humor.

Hi, got these speakers a couple of days ago and am blown away! I cannot stop listening, my girlfriend was mad but I think she's beginning to like these too, she has to now😅 I had good speakers before, the Q Acoustics 3020, 3050 and Concept 20. Also older KEF iQ10 and Canton Ergo 92dc. These Elacs are by far the best I ve owned. Comparing the sound sometimes reminds me of the feeling I had watching a FullHD movie for the first time, when all I knew before was DVD quality. Really crazy, even though I only use them on an older Denon avr X2000. Got them on 60 Hz crossover with an old but ok KEF Subwoofer. I had an eye on these Elacs before I saw your video, you convinced me to get them. Thanks for your no bullshit reviews! Best wishes and merry Christmas from Germany🎄❤️☃️

I bought the b6.2 , no rattles so far , WOW perhaps the best speakers I have ever heard , EVER

I still have my Elac Debut B6 and they still put a smile on my face!

It's funny, your mention buying 2 sets of speakers for 1200$ to get that versatility to have some fun. That's the same reason I'm tempted to buy the Buchardt A500 which comes with several different master tunings, can be used as studio monitors, has room correction and streaming capabilities etc. Yes, the "tunings" are really more like hyperactive DSP-enabled EQ settings if you so will, but I'm pretty close to ignoring those normal "audiophile" hang ups. For $4500 It's a COMPLETE freaking system! Just add a sub (if you want) and you're good! Love the vids man!

Thx for giving your opinion 👍🍻

Thanks Andrew!! 🤘❤️

There's loudness compensation button on some amplifiers to boost the lows and the highs for listening at low volume level.

"A Wall Street guy that maybe did some things in the bathroom that he shouldn't have done and now he wants to party" 😂Thanks for clearly getting your point across, as always!

You should also make a video about speaker placement, distances, angles, room setting. :)

Thanks man nice review.

I have these in white and oak. I love them. I also picked up the matching center channel for movies. They are great speakers and punch way higher than their price. They look good too.

Very honest review!!

Pretty much everything about these speakers appeals to me. My question is that I currently have a Yamaha CR-620 35wpc vintage receiver, which I love, but I'm looking to upgrade to the CR-1020 which offers 70wpc. I listen to a wide range of music, but mostly 70's rock, prog, and some jazz. The front port is great, as the limitations of my fairly small, 11'x14' listening room doesn't allow me to have speakers more than 12-16" away from the wall. I usually listen with peak DB measuring around 90-93db at my listening position. Do you believe these are going to get me where I want without a sub?

I’d like to see an Elac shootout. Great videos!

How do you have so few subscribers? Your video quality is crazy good. Keep it up! You'll be big on RU-vid one day!

You rock Randy. My Heybrook Speakers woofers are broken so ill enter the competition. I had the b5 from elac they are amazing too if you remove the tweeter grills. They also broke im cursed or something.

At 9:30 into your video...A cardinal starts chirping and back here on my sound system listening is awesome....I like birds too...I even have chickens...Ya got me to buy three sets of speakers...Thanks...I'm sooo dead!

I bought these ones last month but I put them away because I didn't like their sound. Tried them again today and wow..what a difference!. Completely agree with your review. They sound great! Its crazy! I suffer from allergies and sinus. Maybe thats why I couldn't appreciate them at that time. Follow your advice and bought a pair of these and a pair of the Klipsches. Will switch them once a month.

Love your music selection for testing the speakers. :-)

Would these DBR62 work well for LCR in a 5.2.2 HT setup. What would be the recommended surround, back, s Subs for these. Will these be driven well with a denon x3600h or x4500h.

Have you ever thought of seeing if there are any fyne audio speakers that fit into your criteria to review. I have some 302 floorstanders that I absolutely love and I know they make affordable bookshelf speakers.

I don’t know if this is getting out of the price range but I’ve been looking at the monitor audio silver 50 do you have any reviews or thinking of doing any on any monitor audio

Thank you for the review. Interesting speakers. Is the reviewed speaker model Elac Debut 6? Regards

I'm running a Marantz SR5001, looking to upgrade to a speaker for mostly home theater and a little bit of music, Would you recommend the elac dbr or the rp600m?

My next future purchase.

Man, a year later. You talked me into buying these things and I wish I didn't. I still haven't used them very much. Maybe I need to break them in. I threw the Klipsch 600m box away. I kept the Elac box. What does that tell ya?

Thank you for this interesting review. I want to buy them. I am building a system from 0. BTW I live in Philippines Manila, we have less choice but I found 1 set almost new for 460$. Only 1 in the whole country (off course you can buy new). So its possible to get agreat result and small budget (and a lot of patience haha). I want to make these the central speakers and combine them with a good SUB like a VELODYNE 12" I found. Maybe I need 2 SUBS (?) but I will go step by step. Your review convinced me and it was fun to watch ... you go slow, it tests my patience, but I made it to the end lol, but in a way to go detailed and describe it well is the right way to go. And I am a man of details. You give that. Wonder full. Thank you.

I agree with your point about the grills. There is a little loss of air and delicacy when listening with the grills on. I think I read somewhere that Andrew Jones voiced these speakers without the grills. Too bad, because the grills look great.

You can't really tell how hard they are to drive until you look at the impedance curve. Anything modern for amplification can drive 4 ohms. Its when they impedance is all over the maps it gets difficult. Like on an LS50. And the standard thickness for veneer is 0.60mm. Very thin and delicate for all the trouble as you say.

What if you put the dbr6.2 on stands, then stack rp600 on top of the reference? Would that be the most awesome tower for the money? Please review that! Put anti skid cabinet liners between the speakers. Bingo.

Hi Randy , another great video, be interesting to know how this compares with B&w 606 s2 anniversary, regards mark

I need your recommendation please, I have just bought Elac Debut Reference DBR62 speakers, now I am looking for amplifier to pair with. I am gonna use it with my desktop PC and Sennheiser hd58x headphone. From my research I ended up with these three, which one should I go for Yamaha WXA-50, NAD d3020v2 or d3045. Loxjie a30,. if you have better suggestion please let me know . Thanks for the video.

How it works with fosi aduio bt20a pro? i cant find anything on internet, and i dont have any way to pair it and listen to.

Unless they are aligned by people who have the right equipment (TEF, etc.) and know what they are doing, rear bass ports can mess with time alignment. That's why reviewers and users run them back and forth in distance to the wall or other rearward reflective and refracting surfaces trying to get the best sound or measurements. The net result out at the listener location changes with that distance, an effect which is minimized with front-firing ports or just sticking with acoustic suspension.

Hi, What would be great amp for these speakers? Thanks!

That analogy though 🤣🤣 too good!

Randy what kind of amplifier would your recommend for these speakers?

Hi Randy, greetings from Spain. Would the Elac Debut Reference be good companions for a Marantz 2252? What do you think of pairing vintage amps with modern speakers? What other options do you recommend for the Marantz 2252? Thanks!

How well would a Sony STR-DN1080 drive the ELAC Debut Reference ?

Hi, Randy. I enjoyed your video. Just for fun, could you review your original ELAC Debut B6s?

Question, Randy, or family, can I use the Pioneer Elite 94 THX receiver, 09 model, 140watts - 7way,5 way etc. Thoughts on this receiver being 09 model, older still it's Elite receiver, back then flagship, 1800 dollars 09! Open box 850.00 out the door! Hooked on Elac unified b52, 2.0, 6 ohm, do I hook it up to the front speakers section? Or is there a better way? Really need advise, important to me asap! I trust your opinion hands down. You or your subscribers. Thoughts on receiver, with unified b52, and hook up. Also monster wire? Your thoughts. Love your humorous knowledgeable reviews, the audio funny cool guy 😁🤘Iam loving your reviews, hooked, like Ron, Steve as well, my top 3 👀🎧 please get back ASAP, where should I order the speakers from? Thoughts ❤️🤘 thank you Randy! 🎧❤️

Would love to see the Elac Compare to the dynaudio Emit20 , has Someone tested Both? i realy don t know which i should buy ^^

Do you think a Marantz 2226 would power the Elac Debut Reference?

I like your analogy of letting a cat out of a bag for how sounds extend past the speakers. That's exactly what im after and i would call it holographic imaging...would you say these speakers have that? I know the Debuts you mentioned do that really well but i couldn't get past the scooped out midrange and i was looking at the next step up anyways. I have the Q150's now and while i like them im looking for more of that magic holographic cat out of bag effect.

yo man i am listening to you for a while. you love all the speakers that are promoted while you are reviewing them: Elac1 cool. 2 superb, 3 ultra, Airmotiva: WOW, sony: ihaaaa!. Man please! make up your mind. you have them all - decide: THEY ALL CENT BE BEST!!

Correction to my comment below. Yamaha Receiver R-N303 is what I'm considering.

HI everyone... Randy, have you or anyone tried these speakers with the Denon PMA-600NE amp, do they go well, and if not, what speakers in that price range are good for that amp... what do you recommend?

I bought a pair of Elac 5.25 the other day and for 250.00 it sounds awesome, thanks for your videos on cheap audio than some 5,000 dollar speakers that most can’t afford.

Fun that the metallic ring is back like the heybrooks i have from the 80:s. Elac: ok first he buys the b6 then the uni or the 6.2 then we give him this muhahaa.

Kef q350 vs dbr62 ? At same price , which to choose ?

Recently bought the Wharedale Denton 85 and find them very bright and occasionally harsh. Cymbals and sibilance become grating. Would you recommend this as a replacement?

Randy , the Cheapaudioman, what Amp / Receiver did you or do you regularly use when testing the speakers. I just ordered these Elacs to compliment my Elac Debut 6.2s. I will be connecting both pairs as A and B speakers in the same finished basement studio setup construed during COVID pandemic to a Denon DRA-800H RECEIVER. I am being tempted to add another Amp to connect the Zone 2 of the Denon to another set of speakers , Fluance Signature Series Surround HiFi Bookshelf speakers. The new Elac Reference speakers will replce the Flus in my current 2 pairs of speaker setup. IOTA Sax Integratec Amp ? Be well and safe. Oh BTW, from where do you Roam from?

So Randy: Do you like these DBR speakers better than the Unifi 2.0 UB52? Thanks.

I bought the same speakers...I'm a dead man walking...but I bought em thanks to you....

i'm itching to buy this speaker, but sadly, it would be relegated to a literal bookshelf. i get that (ironically) bookshelves are awful in terms of placement, but wondering how big an impact it will make to these. the speakers would also be on their sides, and the shelves are 11in deep, so they would be flush or sticking out a bit. are their better speakers for this type of placement. i'm not going for top-end quality (obviously) and these will be used primarily as general 2 channel music listening in a living room setting. they would be driven by Onkyo AVR (zone 2) and eventually maybe a class D amp of some sort (SVS Soundbase?).

Anyone out there care to share some advice? Would these speakers be overkill for a tiny (7.5' x 12.5') room? It's a toss up between these and the db52... or potentially smaller with klipsch 400m (I have r-41pm's for my computer speaker that I enjoy, but wouldn't mind something 'flatter'). I appreciate that the DBR62's have a better build quality, thus would rather invest once... I guess my question is do these perform well at low volumes or would i be better off with something smaller and more appropriate for my tiny room

In what color do they look better? White or black?

How are these compared to the css audio criton 1 tdx speaker?

Hi Randy, Putting a new system together and was liking the KEF Q150s paired with a Yamaha R-N301 receiver for space and cost reasons. The KEFs are now $599 which puts them in ELAC Debut Reference territory. Would the ELAC's be well served by that Receiver or is that like putting cheap tires on a much more capable sports car?

How do these compare to Wharfedale Denton 80th?

is this a good upgrade from wharfedale 12?

The beginning to "Where ever I may roam" is a Sitar

Torn between the Outlaw RR2160 vs. a Rouge Sphinx to drive these. Focus will be clarity and sound stage for a 1500 s.f. room. And whether the sound will justify $500 more for the Sphinx.

I love you bro...cutting board!!!😂😂😂😂

Hey Cheapaudioman: I'm speaker shopping and can't decide between the Elac Reference DFR52 and the Debut F6.2. Both are about the same price. FYI, I listen to some pop/ techno and dance music if that helps. If you had to live with one....?

Play Stravinski, Right of Spring, thru a Rockville Bluetube amp, loud. Tape yer windows and buckle up. Then you will know what these speakers can do. They kick but.

Check out that rumble at 21:22 - .. whatever. After living with the RP-600M for almost a year - I switched to these. Stop comparing these to Klipsch. They are nothing alike. I hated the lack of soundstage on the 600M, I fought with toe-in the whole time. The Klipsch have a mid dip that drove me nuts. I found them a bit piercing and honestly, not so accurate. Within an hour after first testing these DBR, I had the Klipsch boxed and listed for sale. I would not put the Klipsch in audiophile range and draw a line in the sand with these. In fact, I'd kind of go so far as to call them... just OK if you don't know any better and maybe a good first speaker. The DBR will reveal your chain. For example the difference between Schiit Vidar vs Aegir is obvious. Vidar for sale!

Hi Randy, I've been watching your reviews. They are great. Infact I bought a pair of Elac Debut reference after watching your review. However, I'm a little underwhelmed when I connected them to my Marantz PM6007. What's a better integrated amp to get the best out of them? All the way from Australia.

Wood veneer is good for hiding dust compared to black or white.

What would be a great speaker for rears for surround sound

I got my TT, I’m set on getting these and now onto the amp. What do you recommend?

I got a great year end sale on a brand new pair of Harbeth P3ESR. Part of me can't help but wonder if your 2 pair plan isn't a better option. Then again, I needed studio accurate monitors/something that won't color the sound, so I think I'm good. But damn, these seem like a bargain.

This is the DBR62 then?

Hey Randy, Could you review the KEF Q150 and the KEF Q350

could i ask you which would you choose.the elacs or the polkr200?

It's interesting how English speaker brands have this same grill over the tweeter. Is it Elac or Monitor Audio?

Breaders - Last Splash, best rock album of all time, probably. Steve Albini (rip) masterwork! Perhaps that will provoke you to reply to this question about your listening environment for your reviews. In another video you said the Sony SSCS5 fall apart over 82, 83db. How do you measure those db? At what distance? What weighting of db? In that review, you stated you were monitoring in the near field, three feet from each speaker with 3 feet between the speakers, so in one corner of a 3 foot per side equilateral triangle. Did you make your db measurements at this three foot distance? I'm sure you've answered this a million times, but I've never seen it, so if someone else who's asked this, or seen a response to this db distance/weighting measuring question, please reply here. I'm trying to buy a pair of speakers off of one of your Amazon Affiliate Links, I'd just like this issue resolved before I pull the trigger. Bang Bang! Thanks mate(s)!

SVS Primes vs these?

You are my Yoda

What amp(s) do you usually use?

Acdc started in 1973 thts 48,49 yrs . And i dare say they're still selling out arenas.

I just got these. I love my Pioneer SF52s. For some reason I dont like the sound of these. I tried them with an Onkyo A-9010 and a Cambridge AXA35. They sound flat to me. Im keeping them because they look so nice in white. I need to find a better amplifier for them.

Buying speakers this week. Elac Reference or wharefdale diamond 4 tower speakers. I already have Elac 6.2. and speaker stands running on Denon AVR 7-1 Please help Wharefdale 50% off Someone please help.