ELAC - Debut 2.0 Dual 6-1/2" 3-Way Floorstanding Speaker (Each) - Black

These replaced a mishmash of 1970s and 1980s-era Realistic and Fisher speakers, and some no-name center channel speaker I got at a pawn shop. It's not surprising, but these are light years ahead of my previous system. They play louder and sound great. I had considered getting Klipsch, but I read many reviews that said they were "bright and fatiguing," not to mention a really old design. I've never had ELAC speakers before -- they're a relatively new brand -- but so far I'm nothing but pleased.

Speakers are excellent, but not for that price. They're other things more important than this speaker. Waaaay tooo much money to spend on a speaker. If they were cheaper, i would buy at least 3 more at $199.

Had my speakers for a month. Definitely notice a difference in the sounds after the break in period. Originally, i thought i would need a sub. But the speakers provided plenty of base. Use in conjunction with my sonos unit. And the house rocks watching movies. Only probems was the laminated side was not properly glue on 1 speaker.

I'm a value-oriented audiophile. I've cycled through a lot of high end gear in my time, but as of the last few years I've focused on getting the most value for my buck. When the time came to purchase a small stereo set up for my study, I spent several months reviewing possible speakers to match up with my Yamaha R-N803 stereo receiver. The ELACs were on my list, as well as Definitive Technology 9020's, Bowers and Wilkins 603s, Martin Logan Motion 40s and Klipsch 820f's. All were floorstanders. I didn't have a problem with supplying a sub, I just wanted a speaker that was full-range and sounded good at any volume. I narrowed my choice down to the ELACs and Klipsch's. Cost factored in greatly in that decision, as well as numerous reviews that gave the ELACs a great rating. I was leery about buying the Klipsch's because I had the Synergy once upon a time and they were so tilted toward a harsh treble I couldn't listen to them. The new Klipsch 820's did get better reviews, but everything I had read about the ELACS said they were amazing. I felt like I couldn't lose. I purchased them and took them home. Giving them over a month of break-in time, I settled in for some serious listening. This is all connected to the Yamaha R-N803, with 100 watts per channel of RMS power. I have a Martin Logan sub to supply deep bass, with a crossover set at 60 Hz. The ELAC's were run full range, and I used the ARC built into the sub to set the bass up. Cables were Audioquest. I started with Tusk, a song by Fleetwood Mac. A set of congos is played prominently throughout the song. Some speakers really give you a solid impression of these hand-played drums, allowing you to hear the slap of the palms on them. The ELACs did not. There was a nice thump, with plenty of weight, but the realistic sound of the palms striking the surface were not there. The speakers were dark, with a rolled-off treble. Plenty of low-end weight and midrange fullness, but a very light treble that took away from the music for me. Next up, I played a song by Loreena McKennitt entitled, "Marco Polo." There's over 40 instruments in this song, and some speakers struggle to give you a feeling of the space and depth of the stage. The ELACs handled that part okay, but the lack of treble hurt the presentation. There were some instruments that I knew should be there, but they weren't showing up on the ELACs. They sounded veiled. Next up was Elton John's Curtains, off of his Captain Fantastic album. I have this on SACD, and love listening to the heavily emphasized toms throughout the track. The ELACs provided the low end depth, but again that lack of treble led to a boomy experience instead of the solid impact that I'm used to with this track. Moving on to one last song, I played Tool's 46 and 2. This song is a virtual torture test for speakers. Plenty of bass with double-kick impacts in several locations, screaming guitars, and brass that sometimes gets lost in the mix. The ELACs, at a lower volume, handled the song fine. As soon as I crept to 70% of volume, the sound grew hard and shrill as the ELACs lost their composure. They did not like to be played loud. I noticed several spots where cymbals should have been heard loud and clear, but sounded tinkly. The ELACs do not like to go loud and they do not like metal. My son turned to me at the end of the song and said, "I'm sorry but that sounded terrible." I too was very disappointed in the ELACs presentation. Just to be sure it wasn't my receiver, I hooked them up to a Rotel preamp with a 300 watt-per channel external amp that I use in my main system. Did they sound better? A tad, yes. But even with those great electronics they sounded lifeless. Past my return date for the speakers, which stunk. I saw the Klipsch 820s at Best Buy a couple of days ago for sale. Picked up a pair. Swapped them into my system with the Yamaha receiver, and what a difference!! The life that was absent from the ELACs was found in the Klipsch's. They brought a pleasant treble back into my system, and I wish I had bought them first. My suggestion for the ELACs: Pair them with bright sounding equipment. If you have equipment that seems harsh in the highs, the ELACs will tame that. And don't expect these to go loud. They lose composure too quickly. I would not buy these again given the opportunity.

I ran these up against a pair of Klipsch RP-8000F's recently and returned the Klipsch. I really like how these sounded and felt they had a much better warmth to them. I found the Klipsch a bit too bright and harsh. The caveat with these speakers is you really need a subwoofer. They don't of course hold a candle to the Klipsch in the bass area as there just is no getting past the physics. These are smaller woofers compared to the 8 inch on the Klipsch RP-8000F. These speakers are also not as loud/sensitive as the Klipsch so take more power to get to the same volume levels but once they get cranked they really start to sing. The bass starts to come out more in them too. I also like the size. Much less intrusive than larger towers. Save yourself some money over the Klipsch and get this paired with a good subwoofer and you won't be disappointed. You'll get a better all around experience with both movies and music with the addition of a sub also. I don't regret my purchase one bit.

I've owned a pair of Mission 735 Towers for over 12 years, and were very satisfied with them until one of the Tweeters blew. I was not able to replace the Tweeters, (Even after contacting Mission in the UK.) so I spent over 6 months auditioning several mid high-end Towers at home. (Wharfedale Towers; SVS Towers; Martin Logan Towers; Etc.) I was at my wits end, unable to find Tower speakers that sounded as clean and natural as my Mission Towers, when I visited Best Buy's Magnolia Sound Room in Brandon, Florida. After explaining my problem with finding a pair of Towers that could provide the balanced & natural sound of my Missions'; the Sales person was very patient and let me audition (With my own CD) over 5 of the best Tower Speakers in their Magnolia Sound Room. (B&W; Klipsch; Martin Logan and the ELAC Debut 2-6.2 Towers) The B&W's that came close to my Mission Towers were over $2,000 each! The Klipsch Towers were too bright & tinny. The Martin Logan's sound were not as clear as the B&W's, and so on.... Then he connected the ELAC Towers!!!! The sound was clean and natural, especially with the Mids and Highs. They required a little more power, and a Sub-Woofer to reach their best sound, when compared to all of the other's in the sound room. At just $399 each, I was sold! I worked my way way through college playing the trumpet, and toured with Sammy Davis Jr., so I know what a clean and natural sound is, when it comes to audio systems. These ELAC towers were comparable to the B&W's, but without the high price tag! After a year and a half, I am still enjoying the beautiful sound I'm getting from these Towers. I am pushing them with an Emotiva PT-100 Pre-Amp and an A-300 Power Amp. Thanks to Best Buy, I was able to find these ELAC speakers!!!!

The quality of the product is good. I love the sleek design.

I did a lot of shopping until I heard these bad boys. Wow what an upgrade to my old monitor audio speakers at a great price