ELAC Adante AF-61

[stonedeaf]

Picked up my ELAC AF-61's Friday. I was simply to damm curious about what A.Jones was doing with this speakers 200 hz down bass system ( sealed box/passive radiators/internally ported/multiple bass drivers and multiple passive radiators) . First off - lovely bass -tight ,crisp ,detailed and real authority. And no - they don't do dinosaur footfalls or hip-hop thumpa -thumpa - but ya wanna hear everything Ray Brown is doing -these will do nicely. The surprise for me was the degree of improvement in the mids/highs over the LS-50's that I've been listening thru for the last 8 or 9 months. The AF-61 co-ax mid/tweet is a marvel ( I think?? this might be the same part in all three Adante models ?) - exceptionally sweet n just plain linear over the range it covers. I have records that I've enjoyed for 40-50 years that I just thought had passages that screetched or rang at certain points . Thought these were part of the original performance -guess not. This isn't to say the AF-61 are the magic syrup that buries detail along with play back distortion - not so - I suspect lots of speakers have problems with powerful female vocals or horn passages just around the crossover point between the mid(s) and tweeter(s) ? BTW- really lousy recordings have no problem sounding really lousy thru these speakers (sigh:-( . the 61's throw a wide and deep image that any mini-monitor would be proud to claim.
At any rate -the Adante's are a pleasure to listen thru. Couple of observations about the tweeter - this changed from a metal dome a year or so ago to a really different looking not metal dome tweeter in the production units. there was something that looked like a sorta spider web protector in pictures over the dome -actually it's attached (part of ? molded as part of ?) the tweeter. Is this attached to the dome to control specific break up /resonance points on the dome ? Is anyone else building tweeters this way ? The other odd thing about this tweeter/mid is it's high in the cabinet - center of the tweeter is probably a good foot over my head when I'm seated . Is the dispersion of this driver really that good ? It SOUNDS like it ! Is the flare milled into the front of the cabinet around the mid/tweet part of the remarkable dispersion ?
Finally -get help unpacking them . They are large ,heavy and really literally slick -you need to turn them upside down to mount the base -grabbing the speaker connections might not be a good idea and there is nothing else on the cabinet to hold onto. Finally -there is a small plastic bag with six base mounting bolts in each speaker - I spent a certain amount of time looking for these and with both speakers -they just suddenly appeared on the carpet ? Watch for 'em.

 

[stonedeaf]

OK -hauled out illuminated magnifier and looked a bit closer at the tweeter spider web - it's not attached to the tweeter dome - not going to push it to test for strength -but suspect it's not a guard.Ohld iez are a b...h -but just possibly it is touching the dome at the domes center ? Is it there to stiffen the inner edge of the midrange driver ? This usually has a dustcap -not there on this speakers coincident driver of course. Wonder what the crossovers designs are ?

 

[soundmig]

I heard these at RMAF last year and was very impressed with them. Very smooth yet very detailed and a nice accurate timbre. I was astonished that the retail is only $5k as they gave many speakers at 2x to 3x the price some serious competition. I've never been able to warm up to the AF-61's little brothers (UB5F?) as they have a bit of glare in the upper mids (understandable at the price). But, the Adante AF-61's and their stand mount counterpart are serious contenders for most any "serious" music playback system. Stonedeaf .... Congratulations on purchasing a fine speaker, and keep us informed of how they change while they "break in".

Please keep in mind that my impressions of ELAC's Uni Fi and Adante series speakers are only from audio show auditions - less than optimum conditions. I've heard reports that the UniFi UB5 and UB5F's are capable of smooth reproduction also - and I'm sure that properly borken in and with the right associated equipment my impression may well be different.

 

[stonedeaf]

OK -hopefully this won't have a follow up with me whining about how I broke my new speaker ! But tonight -bright magnifier and a very thin piece of paper -VERY carefully slid between the dome and the spider web and a special careful calibrated fingertip "prod" of the edges of the spider web seem to prove 2 things : 1.) I don't think the web is actually attached to the dome . 2.) The web mus be carbon fiber ?? it's plenty stiff. It's certainly possible it is simply a very well designed tweeter guard. in my too many years in the stereo biz -one of the two most hated repairs was having to replace drivers or dome/VC assemblies 'cause some flamin ^%&*() **&^#$ had punched in a tweeter or dust cap. Never did catch anyone doing it which is probably why I remain lacking in prison experience so far. If all this is is a Marvel comics inspired protector - great. Anybody run into Mr. Jones -ask him if it's doing anything else ?

 

[soundmig]

I'm sure that the "spider web" as you call it is an acoustic lens designed to smooth out either the frequency response or the dispersion (or maybe both) of the dome tweeter. Yes, I'm sure it also protects the tweeter dome from getting damaged, but I doubt that is the main purpose. Many high-end manufacturers are using these "lenses" on dome tweeters these days and they do seem to improve the overall sound.

 

[Old Guy8]

Wondering if there's any change with breakin. And pics you want to share?
What are you using for amp? Do they like power?

 

[stonedeaf]

I'm driving them with a pair of Wyred 4 Sound mAMP per speaker ( passive biamp?). Drove them for a couple of months with a single mAMP per speaker -can't say that doubling up on the amps has made much difference. The bass reminds me of what you get from larger Magnipan's - deep bass seems to just come out of nowhere - no thumpy or chesty overtones introduced to the lower midrange - just deep bass on things like drum strikes with lots of detail. I am still most impressed though with the remarkable midrange clarity and the lack of harshness or ringing over the entire upper band. Briefly heard the smaller AS-61 at Axpona - but it was being played at 10dB (maybe more?) above the very loudest I've ever played my AF-61 and sounded pretty distressed (amps clipping or simply the midrange/tweeter being oeverdriven). In general -this seemed like the theme for this years Chicago Axpona - in room after room -TOO D@M LOUD!!!!

 

[Tom Bombadil]

There are 10,000 opinions about speakers, but I recently read an opinion piece by a professional audio reviewer wherein they stated that the best value speakers in all of audiodom were the AS-61 and AF-61. That these speakers bring a lot of what can be found for $20,000 to their price points. I've since lost track of that article, so I can't post a link. I would like to listen to them.

 

[Mark Daniel]

I have a pair of the AS-61 paired with a McIntosh MAC7200 and it is the best setup I have had to date. I have always had vintage mainly Sansui AU series and Advent speakers. Could not find a modern speaker that I liked. Heard the the Adantes at a local shop and loved them. Last past weekend stopped by a different dealer to purchase some interconnect cables and they had demo the new MAC7200 and they offered a deal I could not pass up. I would think it would be hard to find a speaker series better than the Adante for the price. But like with anything what sounds good to me may not be what you like. Just take time and listen and then buy what you like not what someone else says is best.

 

[Wildcat]

In general -this seemed like the theme for this years Chicago Axpona - in room after room -TOO D@M LOUD!!!!

Yeah, in some rooms it was terrible. One was so loud in 2017 that I haven't even bothered going back to their exhibits; that was the only room that ever drove me out because the sound was so loud and harsh. (Wasn't the speakers, but the electronics--the speakers under better electronics in another room sounded perfect.)

The Adante wasn't playing when we got to the 2nd ELAC room this year, so I didn't get a chance to hear them. But the year prior when they were prototypes, I wasn't impressed at all (and neither were my cohorts). I would imagine at that point they were a work in progress, and this final version sounds way better than what we first heard. We'll make a point to stop in next year and pay a visit.