ELAC Debut 2.0 B5.2 Bookshelf Speakers, Black (Pair)

Excellent sound for the pricepoint, they hit above their weight class. Can be a bit on the sharp side for high frequency but thats just personal preference. Playing with the settings on your receiver can really get the most of them

Utterly fantastic for the price. If youre on the fence about this purchase, check out audiophile reviews on othe sites for expert opinions.

I was a bit hesitant to buy these due to few reviews out there. I AM SO GLAD I BOUGHT THESE!!! They sound amazing! My house is full of speakers - I have a pair of JBL Studio 530s, Yamaha HS5s, Revel F12s - and these definitely hold their ground! These puppies are well balanced - amazing bass, mids and I especially love the highs on these things. They sound very transparent - not too warm nor bright. The speakers are easy to drive - currently they are being powered by a Yamaha RX-V483BL (80W) and they also paired well with a SVS SB1000 Subwoofer. They almost sound as good as my JBLs but at more than half the price! Do yourself a favor and listen to these! You wont be disappointed!!!

Very nice speakers , clean , warm and good punch , for this price you will not be disappointed

After playing these speakers a few weeks they have been sounding much clearer and at times I’ve had to turn my head because I could swear that Van Morrison’s vocals on Astral Weeks was coming somewhere between the speakers and above me . It was very surprising that a $200 speaker could do this . This speaker lives syncopated rhythms and vocals . I never noticed Sinatra’s vibrato as so intense as if he’s right in the room . Stevie Wonders Journey through the Secret Life of Plants from 1979 sounds amazingly detailed from both speakers of also did a double take with all the sounds and the rain storm . Which brings me to the strength of these speakers : I use them in a 2.1 setup with a the denon PMA 600NE with an optical link to my 4K TV and the sound for tv viewing is excellent. I didn’t want to deal with surround sound at all. The one negative which might bother some , is that the speakers lose clarity on rock guitar songs with a lot of other instruments and vocals. It’s possible my amp is not as high end and my streaming music affects this . Acoustic guitar sounds incredible as well as male and female vocals that are recorded so that the vocalist is up front. Others may have a much better impression on rock music with this speaker but then again you don’t listen to hard rock and I haven’t listened to CDs or vinyl yet on these speakers just iTunes lossless. You will need a subwoofer most likely as the bass is punchy but might be inadequate for some

Honestly, I was quite surprised when I fired these up, considering all of the glowing reviews. I found a speaker that was overly bright and somewhat edgy. I own NHT SuperZeros and Sonos Ones and the Elacs were just too hot for me. I can’t figure it out. Maybe it’s because the iPod Generation has damaged their ears with earbuds and the rest are just older like myself and lost their high frequency hearing. I know my hearing has suffered and yet I still find the b5.2s a bit glaring. It’s not awful, mind you. If I turn down the treble about 5dB, they work fine, but I shouldn’t have to engage the tone controls at all. I prefer to bypass them. It’s not good when an audiophile speaker is brighter sounding than a Sonos One. In case anyone is interested, I’ve owned the KLH 6, Magnepan MG1s, stacked Advents and the original Cambridge Soundworks Ensemble. I’ve also listened to everything from the Rogers LS to Klipschorns (both of which I love). I like my NHTs, but am looking for something a bit more extended in high frequency, but the Debut 2.0s are just too much in that way. They measure dead flat for the most part, but that is not what most people actually want. Most folks prefer a gentle roll off above 10kHz. Flat is not neutral when it comes to speakers. Flat is too bright.

Great frequency response, good output. I use them as recording monitors. They are flat in the top end, and I tend to liek things a little softer in the top end, so I arbitrarily roll off the top end from 10khz at 0, to down 3db at 20khz. A very small change that for me, usually makes speakers less bright. I had the Pioneer SP-BS41-LR, also designed by Jones, for years. I would characterize these (by flawed human dead reckoning) as more accurate, and probably they have less distortion over all. The stereo field (again guessing) seems more distinct than my Pioneer SP-BS41-LR speakers - which Ive loved all these years.

I purchased these ELAC Debut 2.0 B5.2 Bookshelf Speakers over a month ago, so there has been time for them to break in. I started them with an old Pioneer VSX-502 that died soon after I purchased these speakers. The sound with that receiver was good but really didnt give credence to the speakers. I soon upgraded (updated) to the Onkyo TX-SR373 5.2 receiver. The speakers came to life and became quite musical. I am no audiophile, but the speakers sound clear and crisp. My only reference has been my old Polk RT55i/RT35i speakers which were smooth, warm and detailed. The ELACs are quite detailed in the highs. They are clean and not as forgiving with MP3 or Spotify normal download in the lack of detail. They are also great in their lower frequency extension for 5.25 speakers. Cant measure how low, but they dont struggle with lower midbass. It was a gamble purchasing them without hearing them. They are worth the money. One complaint though, they are quite large for bookshelf application. The cabinet shape and finish is quite bland. I suppose the sound quality makes up for these short comings.

This is definitely the best speaker for the money. I got them on sale and hooked up to my Yamaha stereo speakers. Amount of bass I am getting from this size speakers are very satisfying. Overall it has a natural sound with good Soundstage and detail. You can listen to them for a long time without getting fatigued.

I bought these to replace some JBL bookshelf speakers that I think needed a bigger amp. These (on a 100w/channel amp) at 6 ohms have a slightly higher SPL, but also much improved frequency response. I dont use a sub with this setup, so I was looking for more bass response- and these have it. The bass is tight, not boomy and it doesnt overpower. These reproduce music with great clarity and detail, I think these are a much better pairing for my amp. They are not broken in yet, so well see if theres much of a change. Really, for the money, I dont think too many speakers get close in performance, until you get to about $500.