ELAC - Uni-Fi 5-1/4" 140-Watt Passive 3-Way Bookshelf Speakers (Pair) - Black

I bought these during an online one-day sale after reading a rave review in the Absolute Sound. I've owned many expensive speakers, many of which didn't sound as good as the Elacs. Granted, I'm driving these with a really good vintage Bedini 100/100 amp when most will hook these up to a receiver but it really shows what these are capable of. Highly recommended and I don't think you can do much better for the $.

I read the many positive reviews of this model and watched Zeos Pantera speak the best phrase to sum up these boxes: “What you are getting [with the UB5] is IMAGING.” Compared to the B6, which these replaced, the UB5 has a much better ability to place musical instruments above, below, and between each speaker. Truly a step up from the B6, with the right recording this speaker will treat you to being able to hear and actually point to each musician playing in front of you. There are numerous audiophile grade recordings that will entertain your ears through these speakers like no other. I will say that they have their use and place, and are not the best for complex rock tracks-actually reminded me of the invisible veil that people refer to the B6 as having. Not distortion, but just a veil over the upper range at medium to loud volumes. My UB5s are connected to my Yamaha AS801, an amp with a reputation for being clean and neutral- with plenty of power to spare. Great speakers for jazz, yacht rock and audiophile acoustic recordings.

I purchased the ELAC Uni-Fi 5-1/4” speakers from Best Buy almost two years ago but had not really listened to them until I recently rearranged some rooms in my home. I had hooked them up initially to make sure they worked, but I had never really sat down to see how good, or bad, they are until after the room rearrangements. The ELAC Uni-Fi speakers sound better than some tower speakers, entry level JBL and Pioneer (also Andrew Jones designed), that I have. They have equal, if not better bass than the towers and the soundstage from them is extraordinary. You can place every part of the recordings in front and around you as you listen. Depth is also there. They remind me of Polk SDA speakers from years ago in soundstage aspects. They need a reasonably powerful amplifier to get the best out of them. I am currently using a Pro-Ject Amp Box DS (100 watts/channel at 8 ohms and 180 watts/channel at 4 ohms with the ability to drive 2 ohm loads) and Pre Box S combo to drive them and they appear to handle things well. If you can get them on sale ($350 range) do not hesitate to buy them. Highly recommended.

I auditioned these along a set of B&W 606 Bookshelf Speakers, and it was very close. The ELACs are particularly strong in the mid-range, but lack resolution from the tweeters compared to the B&Ws. Also, the ELACs didn't play as nice at low volumes. They really come alive as you crank up the volume, and require more watts to get the same volume as more efficient speakers. You definitely want to match these with a high-quality amplifier for the best results. These are remarkable speakers, especially from the money, but since my budget allowed for more, I went with the B&Ws. Your mileage may vary.

For decades I was satisfied with the routine music quality you get from most devicesI really didn't know any better. These speakers were eye openers. It partly means that in recent years sound technology has boomed ahead providing superb sound at reachable prices. God, I can't believe what I have been missing. The speaker designer is a genius. I also bought the Yamaha N303bl receiver. Like the Elocs , great value and superb sound. It does everything but is not for home theater. With such streaming services as Amazon Music HD the entire world of music is now available at a modest monthly subscription. Forgive my enthusiasm but as a small boy I remember scratchy disks that turned at 78 rpm and a symphony required a package of a dozen disks or more.

These are excellent imaging with a warm sound. Impressive bass for a bookshelf speaker. Can listen to these for hours without fatigue. One of most enjoyable speakers to listen to. Would definitely recommend. They say you need a lot of power to drive these, but they work beautifully with my 30yr old Yamaha receiver.

Excellent sound! I am running two using a Yamaha RX-V485 BL and the sound is fantastic. You can crank these up and you won't hear distortion at all. Sound is clear and crisp with lots of details and accuracy. No port noise at all either!

Designed by Andrew Jones and did not failed. Never regret of buying this speaker because I'm very satisfied from what I'm hearing from this speaker. I don't think I will need a separate subwoofer, very powerful bass. Very satisfying high and mids. I love this speaker.