New Elac 4" Book shelf speaker Model BS41-BK

[onehifiguy]

Anybody heard this "new" Elac BS41-BK Speaker?? The label states "Designed by ELAC" No mention of Andrew Jones in the manual or on the box. I just got them today from Amazon. There is little to no information to be found around the web or on Amazon. Saw them for $ 125.00. Out of curiosity, I ordered them. They are about 9" deep x 6.5" wide and 11" High. They are heavy for their size and built as well as my other Elac models. They are lot listed on the current Elac site. I know Andrew recently left Elac. Does anyone have additional information on these babies???

 

[zieglj01]

How do they sound ... I am interested in the mystery speaker

 

[onehifiguy]

They sound dull in the treble. They may open up as they break in. Keep you posted. BTW I'm using an Adcom GFA 535 II amp, so there is lots of juice for power.

 

[zieglj01]

They sound dull in the treble. They may open up as they break in. Keep you posted. BTW I'm using an Adcom GFA 535 II amp, so there is lots of juice for power.

Thanks ... sounds like they may be similar to the original Pioneer bookshelf speakers

 

[onehifiguy]

Well, they have been running loud for almost 3 days non-stop. They still sound the same in the highs though, still kinda dull on top. zieglj01, you may be correct about these Elac's sounding like the old Pioneer BS22 LR. I've owned those and I agree with you. The Elac have a similar top end but much less bass output. Not a good thing. I'm thinking maybe Elac plans on marketing them as a rear channel pair? That's about all their good for, IMO. At $75.00 they would be ok IF you must have a cosmetic match to other ELACs in your 5.1 system. But sound wise at $125.00, you can do better. Right now I'm running them as a desktop speaker via the Adcom 535II and Schiit pre amp, about 1ft from the rear wall. They just don't seem to be cutting it for me. These are going back on Saturday. Now, try not to laugh.....I like my Lonpoo LP42's ($45.00 now on Amazon) better than the ELAC. Clear treble!! Decent bass when played within their limits, like on a desktop or near field position. 4" woofer, light weight but well made. Read the TNT Audio online review. These are sleeper's. Please no hating. This is just my experience. As they say, your mileage may vary!!!

 

[zieglj01]

Well, they have been running loud for almost 3 days non-stop. They still sound the same in the highs though, still kinda dull on top. zieglj01, you may be correct about these Elac's sounding like the old Pioneer BS22 LR. I've owned those and I agree with you. The Elac have a similar top end but much less bass output. Not a good thing. I'm thinking maybe Elac plans on marketing them as a rear channel pair? That's about all their good for, IMO. At $75.00 they would be ok IF you must have a cosmetic match to other ELACs in your 5.1 system. But sound wise at $125.00, you can do better. Right now I'm running them as a desktop speaker via the Adcom 535II and Schiit pre amp, about 1ft from the rear wall. They just don't seem to be cutting it for me. These are going back on Saturday. Now, try not to laugh.....I like my Lonpoo LP42's ($45.00 now on Amazon) better than the ELAC. Clear treble!! Decent bass when played within their limits, like on a desktop or near field position. 4" woofer, light weight but well made. Read the TNT Audio online review. These are sleeper's. Please no hating. This is just my experience. As they say, your mileage may vary!!!

Thanks for your take on the Elac ... as long as you enjoy the Lonpoo speakers then that is cool, some cheapy speakers can sound decent

 

[onehifiguy]

Yup. They can. These do. I mostly listen to podcasts and web radio stations with these anyway. I just though that throwing more money at a speaker would buy really improved sound. I should have known better after 50+ years as a HiFi nut. Too much Kool-Aid. LOL. For serious listening, I use Beyerdynamic DT- 990 phones driven by a Schiit Audio Asgard 3 amp. That is my happy place!!!!

 

[onehifiguy]

Just for laughs....Anyone heard of the really inexpensive Lonpoo (I know!) LP-42 book shelf speaker? Their newest model, LP-42X is powered. Review found on TNTAudio.com Your thoughts????

 

[zieglj01]

Just for laughs....

I actually own these...the PHHSD speakers ... they use to retail on Amazon for $159, but now seem to be on clearance ... they are pretty good for the price, and have surprisingly good bass, they even added a resister to the cap to keep the tweeter sensitivity more in line with the woofer. ... the finish of the cabinet is good ... pretty good for music .... but natural speaking voices could be better

 

[onehifiguy]

If you like em why not. The only rules are that a speaker sounds good to you. Brand names mean nothing anymore. The Chinese build stuff for almost all the "brands" these days. They just mark the "names" at a higher price. The curtain has been lifted, mostly by Amazon. Start at as cheap as possible and move you way up until you hear something you like....... Never be an audio snob. ENJOY THE MUSIC!!!!!!

 

[_tk]

So the "new" Elac BS41 has less bass than the Pioneer BS-22's? That's to bad and makes them a no-go for me.

What's funny is that the Elac Debut B4's (originals) have more bass than the BS-22's. That speaker (B4) massively flew under the radar though as it was at the tail end of the original Debut line and people were still buying the BS-22's and didn't think the B4 was worth it (it was, though).

 

[cratz2]

I can deal with limited bass but all of the Pioneers of that series, both the V1 and the V2s sound like the treble is too rolled off to my ears. I tend to think that it's just an Andrew Jones thing as most of his speakers sound a bit lacking on the top end. It's usually not in a bad way, just in a way that I think he's trying to avoid the possibility of fatigue on his sub $600 speakers.

 

[_tk]

I'm a big fan of AJ's "legacy" designs where the treble is rolled off but the speaker provides a warm enveloping sound with very nice bass. It does make them easy and enjoyable to listen to for longer periods.

His newer designs are taking the opposite approach...like the other thousands of speakers out there already do. All in the name of being "flat", which is unfortunate. I was somewhat hoping these new Elac 4" speakers were a throwback, but if they are rolled off and lack bass then I don't really see the point of them.

 

[zieglj01]

For some reason I am still thinking about testing them ... But I want them to be better than the 1st Pioneer
BS series

 

[_tk]

For some reason I am still thinking about testing them ... But I want them to be better than the 1st Pioneer
BS series

See if you can find a set of original Elac Debut B4's. Those are an improved version of the BS22's. I liked them so much I bought 2 sets when they were closing them out a few years back.

 

[Bodyblue]

When the Elac Debuts came out a while back I went over to a friends house that had just got a set. He had my bring my then new Polk TSX 110s to compare. The Polks were designed to be mainly a HT speaker but also for music of course. The Polks smoked the Elacs from top to bottom in sound but the biggest let down was the build quality of the cabinets: just horrible cheap vinyl that chipped with the slightest bump. He kept them for a few weeks to see if breaking them in improved the sound but it never made much difference. They never sounded bad mind you, just nowhere near the hype. Matched unit for unit for similar prices, Polk beats them every time.

 

[_tk]

When the Elac Debuts came out a while back I went over to a friends house that had just got a set. He had my bring my then new Polk TSX 110s to compare. The Polks were designed to be mainly a HT speaker but also for music of course. The Polks smoked the Elacs from top to bottom in sound but the biggest let down was the build quality of the cabinets: just horrible cheap vinyl that chipped with the slightest bump. He kept them for a few weeks to see if breaking them in improved the sound but it never made much difference. They never sounded bad mind you, just nowhere near the hype. Matched unit for unit for similar prices, Polk beats them every time.

I'm not really sure what that has to do with this thread, but I'll say that this opinion is likely not going to be shared by a lot of folks, either.

But in case you did want to know why the cabinets on those original Debut's were somewhat soft and wrapped with vinyl...it's due to the fact that most all of the money went into the drivers and crossover and the cabinets (and their material) were a result of engineering choices to try and mitigate some issues due to the price point that was trying to be achieved. They are well documented speakers and liked by most music listeners, but not ideal for a HT setting due to them being a bit laid back and warm. They also need a stout amp to do them justice.

As for those Polks...while I have not heard that particular model it is indeed pretty obvious that they were designed for an inexpensive HT system and likely had a much brighter response and certainly didn't dig nearly as deep. Also note that they were rear ported but curiously also had a wall-mount bracket just above said port.

 

[cratz2]

When the Elac Debuts came out a while back I went over to a friends house that had just got a set. He had my bring my then new Polk TSX 110s to compare. The Polks were designed to be mainly a HT speaker but also for music of course. The Polks smoked the Elacs from top to bottom in sound but the biggest let down was the build quality of the cabinets: just horrible cheap vinyl that chipped with the slightest bump. He kept them for a few weeks to see if breaking them in improved the sound but it never made much difference. They never sounded bad mind you, just nowhere near the hype. Matched unit for unit for similar prices, Polk beats them every time.

I will offset this by saying that I currently have a pair of Polk RTI A3s (which are basically the predecessor to the next step up from the TSX110s) and a set of the original Debut B6s.

To my ears, the Debuts are a much more high end type experience than the Polks. The Elacs are basically flat without much of a rolled off top end and the Polks are a moderately V-shaped profile. I wouldn't call the Polks west cost, but they have an elevated bass and treble. With much music, they are roughly in the same league but when listening to actual, dedicated 'audiophile' music, the Elacs have a radically more 'real' sound. I hate to use the word resolution, but I guess that's it... they just have a greater level of resolution, esp in the midrange and lower treble.

I will say that the Polks can sound quite a bit bigger and they play louder without restraint, but that's not what I want in a speaker and I will say that the RTIs have a nicer looking finish as they use real wood veneer vs the vinyl on the Elacs.

 

[Bodyblue]

I will offset this by saying that I currently have a pair of Polk RTI A3s (which are basically the predecessor to the next step up from the TSX110s) and a set of the original Debut B6s.

To my ears, the Debuts are a much more high end type experience than the Polks. The Elacs are basically flat without much of a rolled off top end and the Polks are a moderately V-shaped profile. I wouldn't call the Polks west cost, but they have an elevated bass and treble. With much music, they are roughly in the same league but when listening to actual, dedicated 'audiophile' music, the Elacs have a radically more 'real' sound. I hate to use the word resolution, but I guess that's it... they just have a greater level of resolution, esp in the midrange and lower treble.

I will say that the Polks can sound quite a bit bigger and they play louder without restraint, but that's not what I want in a speaker and I will say that the RTIs have a nicer looking finish as they use real wood veneer vs the vinyl on the Elacs.

The TSX units have vinyl but the quality of it is just so much better than the Elacs.

 

[Bodyblue]

As for those Polks...while I have not heard that particular model it is indeed pretty obvious that they were designed for an inexpensive HT system and likely had a much brighter response and certainly didn't dig nearly as deep. Also note that they were rear ported but curiously also had a wall-mount bracket just above said port.

ROFL. You have not heard them but yet you decide to comment on them. You do realize how silly that sounds, right?

The cabinets were built like crap, it does not matter why. They were a nice sounding speaker with good drivers, there is no dispute. That they were some revolution was a triumph of marketing, not of engineering.