Elac Vela FS 407 offers more than just Hi-Fi !  

I walked into a hifi-store in Munich called “Rauch und Schall“ full of different speakers from different brands. I told one of the employees that I would like to listen to all of these but I guess I wouldn’t have that much time to do so. He pointed at the Vela 407 and said: “Listen to these. That’s all you need.“

This is your best review, in my opinion. Very informative!

A Really well done review. Very well done.

Dude, first off, thank you for talking about the drivers. So few reviews include valuable information pertaining to the transducers it's infuriating. Second, I think I speak for all of us when I say, I would like to see the crossover and what the cabinet looks like on the inside as well. This is like popping the hood of a car before you buy it. Keep up the good work!

I've had an elac FS 407 for a long time, the most significant improvement I've had from setting up the Elac with AMT tweeters is putting a big rug in the room, bigger than the distance between the speakers, and under the rug I put a good layer of foam of 1 inch. The quality gain in defining the soundstage was absolutely incredible!!.., it became more realistic with more spatial location and at the same time even smoother, and best of all very cheap investment..

Great review. I used to own the previous Elac 407 and they were a very good speaker which sounded exactly like you described. The only thing I would say is the Elac 407’s I had dug down to 30hz and the bass was something that was very surprising for a speaker of its size.

Disclaimer/ Personal interest in my reviews - nbtsmedia.com/about-us/ Maybe I came off a little dry cuz I was trying to speak slower in this video and was focusing on that haha. Cheers guys

Nice would like to hear these next to the new Revel F226Be whichclocks in at $6K or about what the Elac FS409 does.For me the sweet spot should be at about a lines $6K price point

Down to 50 or 60 htz? My standmounts go down to 48htz. Are you sure this is right? Have I misunderstood?

Sounds like a LOT of speaker for the money. Lol must make the Wilson owners cringe hearing a Wilson fan like you suggest these Velas offer a lot of the same sonic attributes of the Wilsons!

I'd like to see this compared to the new Wharfedale Evo 4.2 which is similar.

I’d love to hear your opinion on the elac vela compared to arendal. Even though you don’t have them side by side.

Very well done, not that you usually give me a lot to critique in your videos, but this was easily the best I've seen....I love the detailed breakdown of the integrated amp pairings, as well as your detailed description of the driver components...Great job, and thank you, I will have to check these out.

I have had these in my system now for about 1 1/2years and I am very happy with them. Thanks to your outstanding review of these speakers I bought them during covid and did not hear them first. I hoped that I did not need to return them but that was my back up plan. I power the Vela fs 407 with a Prima Luna evo 400i that has 8 el-35 tubes. When I go to listen to other peoples systems in my hifi club I am shocked just how good these compare to much more expensive speakers. Thanks for your detailed review. Hank

I wonder what speakers you'd reccomend if you were gonna go with an AV receiver?

How did they sound with your REL plugged in?

Jay! Love the style of this video. It is smooth, dynamic with the scene changes, great b roll. You style is coming along! Keep it up!

Have Focal Kanta 2 have you had much experience with them? What amplification would you recommend for them?

What a nice review👍

Do you think the Willsenton R8 is a good amp for these speaker?

Hi Jay, thanks for finally reviewing these. Out of my budget at the moment but I am currently evaluating the bookshelf versions of these and was curious how you felt the 407's w/o a sub compared to the vela 403's with dual subs or any sub?

Good choice! I picked up the Elac Concentro S 507 with a Hegel H390 and am very happy

jay: these are very close to the Martin Logan motions @ a lower price. same tweeter.

When and listened to the song Liberty , very intimate recording,I liked it on my Lrs

Your speech has improved at least 10-fold. Keep it up!

Great review sir!!! I think the best word for AMT tweeters is resolving. I love AMT tweeters- most speakers I’ve owned use AMT tweeters. However, I’ve primarily focused on the active studio monitor side- Adam, Eve, and HEDD. I’ve tried prior Elacs and Monitor Audio golds (folded ribbons) on the HiFi end. Adam, Eve, and HEDD share much of the same DNA but what’s consistent about most of these is the level of precision and room to discern details that the AMT tweeters provide. High frequency transients can be picked up so much more easily with these tweeters than other options. And you’re absolutely right- the advantages of AMT tweeters don’t at all need to be harsh or strained. My EVE SC208 monitors are very smooth yet extremely resolving.

the more i hear amount motion tweeters the more i think that's the way to go.

Jay! This was a fantastic review! Keep it up, love the change up. Very articulate and well organized thoughts. You’re on fire, man!

Nice And yes bright to me means forwardly cool and clean not nessarly being sibilant or fatiguing , Great job Jay ! I been on the bench with the bookshelf version of these towers but my Reference amp is a Yamaha AS-1100 overall Netural sounding with a tiny bit of warmth from the output stage Mosphetes , And it actually sounds amazing on brighter sounding speakers Kef Q- /Klispch RP/JBL studio But i'm a bit of a bass-head and the Polk audio lsim 703 have amazing BASS 🔊 😆 such an underated speaker that sounds great with powahaaaaa ! That Luxman though !

I have the elac FS unifi which I like and I sure would like to own the Elac FS 407. Great review 👍

Those are badass Jay ! If i wasn't buying the new TRIANGLE 40th edtion i would buy the elac vela 403 you reviewed its hard for me to believe these only go down to 50hz ??? Really ? I know you said there not bloated i get that but surely these can hit 40hz !!

These speakers are great. I have both the BS 403 and the FS 407. Thanks for the review. My ears agree with you! I have it paired with a PrimaLuna EVO 400 amp. I had these connected to a denon AVR x8500h - which is a beast, but something was missing. Switching to an external amp helped alot (first to a schiit vidar then to the PrimeLuna). It still does confuse my why the change was so large. The denon is still more powerful. (yes, power isn't everything, the musical flavor maters too.. but the changes were huge.)

Thomas should try this!

That happens a lot where the 2 way is better than the 3 way or 2.5 way. It's all in the crossovers and 3 way's have a pressure build up that creates issues and harder to dial in. These are similar to my Monitor Gold 200's that I am getting rid of. I settled on YG Acoustics Carmel 2's and bit the bullet and stepping up to the next level and paying for it. I also got a used pair of 400 watt mono block mola mola Kaluga's and getting a Lampizator baltic.

Hi! I want to replace my good old Canton Ergo 100 DC.I tried with Dali Rubicon 6 but I sounded too "polite" for me. I mean,when i listen to classic rock(prog rock,blues rock,jazz rock) I want to sound like it is,to move me,to give emotion. My amplifier is Plinius 9200 XLR with Audioquest cables.MOFI turntable with Hana SL cartridge. Do you think I should consider Elac Vela? Thanks, George

Would the Vela FS 407 sound well with the Purifi NAD C298? I have the C298 with the Quad Z2 (true ribbon) and they sound great together (with Topping D70s). Since the 407 is also a "ribbon" tweeter, would it go well with the C298 as well?

Hi, This or the KEF R5 / R7? Which is more quality? Or it is just sound signature differnces? Thnaks

How do Elac Vela pair with Parasound amps? I'm buying a Parasound A 51(For HT) and think of going full Elac Vela.

Jay, I know this is an old video but was curious on your thoughts on the differences between the BS 403 and these FS 407's as I know that you've reviewed both. I currently have the BS 403's paired with an SVS SB200 sub. I would be using the FS 407's with the same sub. Thanks man!

6200 USD and extra for speaker grills!!

I read that 407 are not much different from 267. They are even the same in weight.

Have you ever had a chance to compare these to the Elac Solanos? They use the same Jet5 tweeter but lack the crystalline structure on the woofers and also have a back vent in addition to the down-firing floor vent. My guess would be that bass is going to be a bit tighter on the Velas but you’d still get the full advantages of the Jet5 at a lower price.

Nicely done. Be yourself. Would the BS 403 be a more cost effective choice to compete against something like the Sonatto III or Aria 936? Or even a Special 40? Presuming you are referring to Focals or Wilsons that are higher up the food chain then the two models I mention. Would any pair nicely with a class D amp (Peachtree Nova 300 to be exact). Can't wait for the next review!!

Your amp comparison wasn't very clear. How does the Jungson amp with a good preamp (not the Jungson) compare to the Hagel or other high end amps?

Hi Jay, do u think the Kinki Audio Int Amp EX M1 a good match for Vela 407?

How is it compared to the ELAC BS312 Bookshelf Speakers ?

Your reviews keep getting better and better... great job!

AV receiver Marantz SR7012 and above will work just fine with these speakers and will sound just as good as most standalone amps. - Marantz music magic is hard to beat. HDAMs, current feedback topology, high end capacitors, better signal path, etc... Not an average AVR.

You can still use this with an av receiver with a preamp option, I don't see the problem here

Hi great review putting price point aside how do these elac compair to the gershman advant ,are the elac as life as the gershman thanks for time and all you are doing for the hubby

These look very similar to my Elac Fs 247 Black Edition with the upgraded wiring and crossover upgrades . I paid $4200 (CND) for them 6 years ago. Just wondering if you have ever heard them in comparison to the Vela 407's? I was very impressed with the sound when used with great amplifiers (mono blocks) and an all tube preamp. Still have them. Just not in the rotation presently. But I might hook them up again for a listening session. I enjoyed this review, subbed and liked!

Yeah, it was a little weird dude, but I did listen to the entire vid. So maybe you could be on to something here

Hi Jay, did you listen to the previous BS 400's series? What's the main differences? I have the BS 403 (not the vela one) with Yamaha a-s2100 and i was thinking of going FS but i still prefer the aesthetics of the previous model. Thanks in advance.

I was expecting a lot from those speakers, I've listened to them with the Hegel h120, but I really didn't feel anything, no guts. Do you think it was a bad pairing?

1:40 Metals and metal coatings actually *increase* resonances, they help for increasing stiffness therefore reduce breakups which distorts the sound itself (=/= resonances on the driver).

I have old elac cl82, I like them very much with the sound that is punchy and controled and its other qualities. But they are not perfect, lacking in mids and while highs are very good, they are not so much refined. Wonder which ones should I buy next :D

What are your thoughts on the rotel rap 1580? Class A&B receiver 100w per channel

Great and very informative review. I had the impression to listen myself to the speaker. Great work 👍 Btw. I have an all-in-one Naim Atom (streamer-DAC-Amp). It’s only rated 40w of class A/B power. So from what I understand from your review, it will need another amp 😭 to make justice to the speaker. I hope one day Elac will make an active powered Elac Vela line, like they did with the Navis. This would simplify a lot the matching.

Great review, I have a Luxman 505uXII and was wondering how you think this would pair with the Velas? They are on my short list but I will have to buy them in order to try them because there are not any dealers in my area with a sample pair. Thanks

Is the basket of the bass driver made from metal or plastic?

Good review, your videos are getting better. For future reference, do you think these tower speakers would be too much for a small apartment (without bothering the neighbours too much)?

How does the Vela range compare to the active Navis range?

Were is the SoundArtist Amp? Great review. Thanks.

Thank you for all your efforts! Excellent video review, precise delivery, great choices on your diction, and very smooth and logical flow. Some say that you may seem a little "stiff" compared to your usual snazzy self, but I think your presentation overall is more professional-looking, and I'm sure you will become more natural on your next one. Well done 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 not exactly what I had in mind, but that's precisely the point for a second opinion. I wouldn't have thought that Naim is more forward than Hegel, but yes to a more prat performance. Yikes, 😆😆😆 only good enough to compare with the budget gear 🤪🤪🤪 I'll take your word for it 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 , and I just found out the 407 my friend has the previous generation model. So I guess a smoother sounding amp such as the Hegel may be a better choice?🙏🏻🙏🏻

Very descriptive good review but can you please give the spelling or a link of the musicians you mentioned? Can not find: Annette Ascvich, liberty, probably because I have no idea of the spelling. Thanks

what would u recommend this tor the KEF R7's

Used to have Elac BS 263, had to give them up as bass drew too much attention to itself. Seems like Vela series are the same in this regard. Too bad, I really loved the highs, those JET tweeters are magical

So with the advantages of the AMT, the highs and mids, and the bass definition, would you say this is better than the DI all the way around?

"Jet" is a marketing gimmick. It's an AMT. An outstanding hf transducer.

Poor recordings [ie most recordings] -wish more reviews mention this.Auditioned B&W sounds great but bad with poor recordings.

Elac Vela or Dynaudio Special 40?

Beautifull and really great sounding towers. I heard them at the Warsaw Audio Show 2018 and 2019.

Has anyone heard the 409’s?

Ribbon tweeters do tend to be SIBILANT, hopefully ELAC has circumvented that.

Great review Jay! Hey you mentioned several times about how an AV receiver would not do it justice. Would be great to have your POV about better AV receivers... Rotel? NAD? Anthem? Emotive? Etc. Keep up the great reviews!

This may sound weird but I hooked them up to an almost 20 year old Kenwood AV receiver and they still sound great. I guess there's room for improvement but it already is already a leap to signicant soundstage.

Great review Jay! They are getting better and better as your work proceeds. One tip though, keep your notes just below or above the camera so you don't have look to the right😃

Man, what a extremely professional review! I fully agree with all your statements as I do enjoy listening to my 5.1 Vela setup every day. 2nd, I instantly listened to the record you've mentioned from Anette Askvik which seems to be composed for the Vela. Again, great review!

I feel like this was a paid review. The fact that you had the standalone tweeter and wave guide gave it away. Also guessing thats why you tried to make your production value higher

Csn xtz edge a2-300 power amp goes well with this speaker?

Wonderful and informative review. Love the amplifier recommendations and how they will impact the speaker's sound. They really showed the depth of your knowledge and experience. Great job, want to see more.

what do u recommend these or KEF R7

Wow, Jay fantastic review!

Jay, I love your reviews, you keep it clean and to the point!

Superb review , thanks dear

Those look amazing!

I took a listen to these in comparison to B&W's 702s and 703s in a hifi store the other day, and the difference between them was striking. It was not an ideal setup, or even close honestly, but the Elacs seemed to completely lack any sense of room presence. It was as if there were instruments playing from inside of a black hole, and only loud enough sounds escaped the gravity. Everything else simply didn't exist as far as they were concerned it seemed. The B&Ws on the other hand were very "live" sounding, particularly the 702s, and created a great sense of room presence. Some might call it a bright sound as mentioned in the review, but to me they simply sounded accurate. The Elacs also seemed much smaller in person than I would have thought, not even reaching my waist (6'0") and the drivers did not appear to be 6.5 inch. They looked to be 5.25s if I would have guessed. Coupled with the fact that they cost over 1000 Euro more per pair than even the 702s, I chose not to bother with a home demo on the Elacs, as the margin by which I preferred the B&W's sound was huge. Going to home demo the B&Ws this week and see if they can beat the Tekton Impact Monitors I have in for a tryout. The Tektons already beat out Buchardt S400s which are still here for the moment as well.

first time i see a YT reviewer that takes its time to explain how a Heil tweeter works. Nice.

The Vela FS 470 look like Emotiva speakers.

This review was evisceral. Lol

This is probably your most technical & most organised & ultimate review you ever put.. Sometimes it looked liked it was sponsored by elac but even that's ok if this is the result. Great job keep it up & pls do more videos on audio excellence Canada channel i love that too..❤️ Ps: waiting to win the buchardt never won a giveaway 😔

Jay great review and assessment on the 407s. I have them powered by a Hegel H390 and you were spot on with your review. These are amazing speakers that such a small footprint but with the right power they sound like they could easily be double their size. Thanks again for all that you do. Looking forward to more reviews.

The Carina speakers which include Jet tweeters are more in the price range that I would consider. There are few video reviews of the Carina series. :-(

I trust your young ears. However, my hearing isn't as good as yours (I am 50 years old) and what sounds good to you will potentially sound awful to me. Nonetheless, very good review!

jay, nice review. however, i think the thing that's missing is you didn't say if the FS 407s lived up to your expectations as the BS 403's bigger brother. thanks.

I heard these twice at local dealers (incidentally one in the Hometown of elac) and sadly disliked the immediatly. Both times they sounded as if the sound was coming from the other room. It might have been positioning or amplification, but to my ears most similar priced speakers sounded a lot more engaging.

So how did they compare to the 403's that you liked so much ? Mostly similar with more low end it sounds like. I prefer the look of the 403 with sub myself so might go that way. Maybe Rel ?

I want some now.

these are absolutely gorgeous. ive never even heard them, but i want them for their looks.

Great review as always 👏🏽