Budget R3 Meta or Bust? Elac Unifi Reference UBR62 Speaker Review.

/ discord
Elac Unifi Reference UBR62: www.audioadvice.com/shop-by-b...
(non-affiliate link, I don't care where you buy it or if you buy it)
Test Equipment:
Preamp & Power Amplifiers:
Kinki Studio EX-P7: www.kinki-studio.com/ex-p7
Kinki Studio EX-B7 mono blocks: www.kinki-studio.com/ex-b7
Hegel H190: www.hegel.com/en/products/int...
CHoco Sound EMEI: www.kinki-studio.com/product-...
Emotiva TA2: emotiva.com/products/basx-ta2...
Pathos Classic One MKIII: upscaleaudio.com/products/pat...
Source: Bluesound Node 2i or Cambridge MXN10 Streamer
www.cambridgeaudio.com/usa/en...
(all music is hi-res streamed from Tidal)
DAC: Denafrips Ares II or Ares 12th-1
www.vinshineaudio.com/product...
Speaker & Power Cables: Maze Audio Ref4
www.mazeaudio.com/speaker-cabl...
(rest in peace Kent)
Interconnect Cables:
Analysis Plus Oval One RCA
Oyaide Tunami Terzo XX V2 XLR
analysis.plus/product/oval-on...
Your results may vary based on your ears, room, and associated equipment.

[@edbek2442]

finnaly :D u did the review ^^ love the work! keep it up Nemo!

[@jeffsloane8628]

Nemo! So glad to see you in my KZbin feeds again man, and with one of my favorite designers. You are "professional enough" for me. ;-) Thumbs up and keep em coming.

[@NemoPropaganda]

Hi Jeff, thank you for the kind words!

[@CamelotRecords]

Your approach and genuine honesty and sincere take on products makes you a stand out reviewer. Also love when you blow off catering to people that don't get you, that's the best!

[@NemoPropaganda]

Thank you for the kind worlds sir!!

[@damonmaddox1313]

The thing I like about your reviews is you are having fun doing it. Hopefully it never becomes a chore.

[@jorgebravo7980]

And by being unscripted, it feels more genuine

[@tonyhall8947]

​@@jorgebravo7980also what I really like is nemo doesn't do affiliate links. 👍

[@NemoPropaganda]

it's a chore sometimes if I take on too many samples but I do my best to keep it fun since the whole point of this for me was that its a fun side project :)

[@NemoPropaganda]

thank you for noticing, that's actually one of the things that most people don't notice so it means a lot to me when people notice :)

[@hifi-photo-Brian]

Great Review! 🔊

[@liamporter1137]

Great comparison. Thanks for sharing.

[@tycheesey]

Loved the review! These were in my main system for a while but made their way into my Atmos multichannel system. I'd actually agree that they don't have that emotional connection, but they are very accurate (classified as a reference speaker) and play very nicely as the front stage in my system. I have the center channel as well, ub52s for the rear and side channels, dual RS11s for the subs, and Emotiva Vaulta speakers for the Atmos channels. I'm at my home theater endgame with all this. Thanks for the review, it it helped with my silly need for confirmation bias.

[@NemoPropaganda]

ahahahaha, we all need some validation content from time to time :)

[@2HatHudders]

I really like these reviews man, love the take. I don't understand why you don't get more views. I can see you have Kinki Gear there, if you can get hold of the Knight 1 Speakers from Musican Audio (Chinese brand - £1500) using your connects. I think they are great speakers for the money, but flying under the radar for sure!

[@NemoPropaganda]

Hi bro, thank you for the kind words, honestly brother I never expected to have more than a few hundred subscribers when I started this channel so I'm happy :) I've seen the Knight 1 but it's not sold in the US for some reason so I don't think a review would make sense.

[@2HatHudders]

@@NemoPropaganda oh didn't realise they are not for sale in the US. That would tone of sense why there isn't coverage! Keep up the good work man!

[@felipencl]

Thanks for the review. I own these speakers and these reviews are valuable for me to try to understand better the speakers’ sound signature. I was a little surprised that you found the midrange to be neutral and lifeless. I thought these speakers were slightly warm in the midrange and slightly rolled off in the highs. I really enjoy the imaging and soundstage and actually find the midrange to be one of the strong points of these speakers. I run these with a subwoofer and enjoy them quite a bit. Sometimes I crave a little more air and top end extension.

[@NemoPropaganda]

if we mostly agree the slight differences in our experience can simply come down to the room, based on what you're saying I think we're mostly on the same page.

[@IlariMatias]

Exactly the same here as @felipencl. Could not agree more.

[@1moderntalking1]

I was able to review these speakers side by side against Dali Oberon 3s and agree re treble. The Dali outshined these Elacs in having more clarity and air by quite a margin.

[@eltonc1505]

Loved the review ❤ Can you please make a video on speakers that make an emotional connect....

[@NemoPropaganda]

that's not a bad idea, maybe one day :)

[@Superman54]

Cant wait for the rel subwoofer showdown!!!

[@gokhanersan8561]

These comparison reviews is exactly what matters for prospective buyers. Other reviewers are kind of avoiding comparisons. For that reason Nemo is the only reviewer I will listen to.

[@NemoPropaganda]

thank you for the kind words, I just copied zero fidelities format :) hopefully sean comes out of retirement soon!

[@veroman007]

i had the dfr 52 floor standers... same price no concentric driver. good balanced designs.

[@Slickman2006]

I picked up a Celan Revolution 4 center speaker. Wow it sounds so good. Powerful bass, voices come through loud and clear, highs have great detail and sparkle but not overdone and never sibilant. It's crazy because when I compared it side by side with my Focal Chorus 800 center I noticed the Focal has this metallic congested sound to it that I never knew was there. The Focal still sounds good but by direct comparison the Heco is on another level.

[@NemoPropaganda]

oh yeah! I've had a simialr experience, sometimes we don't notice something until we have something to compare it to :)

[@samidebs3559]

The Buchardt S400 MkII they still amazing me specially when I use a pair of Rel T7x the sound stage is wider,deeper and taller 🎸

[@NemoPropaganda]

Yes sir! S400 MK2 is still my baby!

[@samidebs3559]

@@NemoPropaganda I love those little fuckers😂

[@Brett1334]

Great video Man! Absolutely love the live streams aswell, more of them!

[@NemoPropaganda]

I'll try to do more of them :)

[@JMCIII1957]

I pair my UBR62's with two REL T/5I subs, and I love the pairing. For my amp, I use the Jeff Rowland Continuum S2 in a small to medium sized room.

[@NemoPropaganda]

that's a great system!

[@JMCIII1957]

It is. And unlike your findings, I find the Uni-Fi Reference to be highly engaging. They make music, music that touches my soul, as well as my audiophile heart!

[@NemoPropaganda]

@@JMCIII1957 the pair of T5i bring soul to the table and tie it all together :)

[@samidebs3559]

I love your channel!

[@6643bear]

Hi , great and interesting video, I wonder how this compares to B&w 606s2 anniversary, I have a set of those although sound pretty good , but after speaker more warm and it to bright . Thanks mark

[@NemoPropaganda]

I only reviewed the 607s2, very different sound, you can see it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gqirh4ScpJd5fbM

[@starker1971]

I have the same exact speakers. I also have some very low wattage amplification. I am not aware of an issue. Maybe it's because I typically am happy under 70db at listening position. I also have some fairly good amplification. I would happily further compare listening for elements you recommend, to get a good contrast. I will say so far my favorite Bookies are the SVS Ultra and JBL Studio 590 is my favorite tower. My best gear so far is a Sansui 4000.

[@NemoPropaganda]

yeah, 70dB is fairly low, any decent amp should be able to drive any speaker well at those volumes. As volume goes up and rooms get bigger it can become an issue though.

[@troystevens9506]

Another awesome review as usual. I know that your not really into reviewing the bigger home theather subwoofers, but i would sell my mother and one of my kids to hear your comments on a Rythmix FV18, anything JTR, or Perlisten flagship subs.

[@NemoPropaganda]

what's up Troy!! Yeah 100+ lbs is difficult for me, those bigger subs usually ship on a pallet so I gotta have space to store the pallet, box, etc... and then I have to send it all back so it really turns into a nightmare. I only do the YT channel as a side project so it's hard to dedicate that much time to just packing and unpacking a product and I'm also a bachelor so it would be nearly impossible for me to receive a freight delivery is nobody would be home to receive it and then I'd run into the same issue when trying to send it back. I might check out the F18 at some point but not the FV.

[@DouBLeTapP81]

I love my UBR62’s, I’ve fallen down the endless path of pursuing better gear only to find out I never ended up any happier. The only other speaker I would have my eye on is the Kef R3 Meta but that is a tough sell since they are almost 3 times the price (I got my UBR62’s for $780 delivered to my door so that was a steal).

[@NemoPropaganda]

I agree, my system now is superior to what I had a decade ago but my level of happiness is nearly identical. Part of that is human nature, our new thing eventually becomes the standard thing.

[@edmundgil6008]

This review made me smile bro! Great job! 🎶💥🙏🏽

[@NemoPropaganda]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@rehn1kri]

I’ve tried out many different speakers in my system…and amps, DACs, phono preamps, etc. I’m learning that there are certain components that I respect / admire, and others that I really love. Occasionally I luck out, and find one that I feel both ways about. These ELACs appear to fall into the former category, at least for you.

[@NemoPropaganda]

that's a fair statement.

[@6643bear]

Hi great interesting vid , how about the moniter audio silver 100 7g , regards mark

[@NemoPropaganda]

I never heard that one. Around this price I think the Zu DWX is very hard to beat but it is a little bigger than average.

[@michaelwall3530]

Love you vids Nemo , keeping it real Mate I have a pair of the SVS ultra older style and just cannot thoroughly enjoy them for the purpose of duel duty hifi and 2 channel home theatre. How would you compare these newer evolution series to the older models and also to the monitor audio bronze or silver Cheers bruz

[@NemoPropaganda]

MA Bronze & older style SVS Ultra were a bit similar tonally so maybe stay away from that. The SVS Ultra are better but a similar sound to MA Bronze. The new Ultra builds a bit on the outgoing model so if you really didn't like the older model it might be best to go in a different direction alltogether, can you demo them first?

[@michaelwall3530]

Thanks nemo appreciate the quick response My local hifi store hasn’t got MA which is ok from what you described but do have Elac dbr62 and ubr 62 and Polk r200 they might be a bit warmer and easier listening to so that may be my best bet or alternatively the css criton 1td or tdx Do you think they could handle 2 channel home theatre ??

[@NemoPropaganda]

@@michaelwall3530 CSS handle theater? For sure bro! Elac I don't love, it gets great reviews if you connect a $5k amp but with inexpensive amps elac are just okay. I do love the Polk Reserve and of course CSS is the top performer in your list.

[@wheelbasemedia5814]

I bought the UBR 62's after selling some Wharfedale EVO 4.2's because they were too directional. The Elacs had a wayyyy wider sound stange but, dang, the midrange was so laid back I found they had no attack. I sold them and got some older B&W CM6 S2's, which solved most of the issues. I wonder about the KEF Meta R3, which is quite a step up in $$$ though. The system has two RSL Speedwoofer 10S MK II's.

[@NemoPropaganda]

R3 Meta is awesome! Just enjoy what you have for now, you can always demo the R3 Meta later, its not going anywhere :)

[@horrorfan6710]

Hi, in your opinion what place would be better to sell some bookshelves speakers? I'm thinking eBay or FB market place but here's also a place I just heard about but seems kind of popular it's a online place called us audio mart. Thanks

[@NemoPropaganda]

FB marketplace is most convenient and gets bottom dollar, eBay gets top dollar but fees dig into your sale, US Audiomart is probably the best place IMO.

[@tonyhall8947]

Good fair review nemo, i found them mid centric heavy. I found them to cold for my taste. I think its the aluminium cones. The bass what surprised me the lack of that is, got a dedicate bass driver, so could of being special, but no. Diamond 12.2 had more bass and seemed to go deeper too. Aria 906 got a bit of character which i like. 😊. Cheers nemo 👍

[@NemoPropaganda]

yeah I agree, considering its a little bit on the bigger side it is surprising that the bass is not stronger.

[@aceofspades6667]

Very nice I would prolly roll with the r3 meta but still very nice

[@NemoPropaganda]

same :)

[@JoseFerreira-zb7wh]

I have these and would like to have another pair to complement these. Looking for a more fun, rock n roll speaker but wouldn't like to go much over 1000 euros. I was thinking ls50 meta, klipsch rp-500/600m mkii or pro-ject speakerbox s5 2. Have you had experience with these? If so, what's your opinion (vs the elacs) Do you have any other suggestions? My room is about 30 square metres, my speakers can't be more than 50cm from the wall, i only listen to low/ moderate levels, my music taste is eclectic and i have a decent sub. I don't like a lot of bass. (Extension yes, quantity no)Also i don't want something bigger than the elacs (hecos seem pretty big). Hope this helps. Thanks in advance.

[@NemoPropaganda]

the project is good but very small so it requires perfect setup to sound its best, LS50 Meta is great but it's a mostly neutral speaker as is the UBR so you may feel it's not different enough (a local demo could easily solve that problem though). And I have not heard the RP600M. You are correct the Heco Celan is slightly larger than the UBR but not by much. If you're in my free discord I'll happily take a picture of them side by side so you can see. If you want something really different than what you have that is on the smaller side try to demo the Tannoy Autograph Mini, it's a very unique speaker and an absolute low volume champion.

[@JoseFerreira-zb7wh]

@@NemoPropaganda the project has several models - apart from the one you reviewed there's the s2 and the ds2 with a bigger woofer. In the eu i can get a good price on them. I'll check the Tannoy out. Also on the look for the new wharfedale super denton. Thank you

[@TimofejNenarokov]

Wish to see your ZU audio DWX review

[@NemoPropaganda]

I don't think Zu sends out review samples bro :(

[@TimofejNenarokov]

@@NemoPropaganda they do. Jhon Darko and Steve Guttenber got them 🤷

[@x-techgaming]

HECO CR3 still doesn't seem available to buy anywhere in USA, as of today(18mar2024)

[@NemoPropaganda]

yeah, something is always out of stock or facing some kind of supply chain issue, Rythmik LV12M is out of stock, Speedwoofer 10s is out of stock, etc... nothing I can do about that.

[@6643bear]

Hi I recently bought ubr62. Yes sound petty giid but not as good on the B&w dm602s3 the bass , my 606s2 anniversary was supposed to replace my old b&w as I have small listening area and old speakers are very big andd do overpowering. Regards mark

[@T_T_8008]

Hello, thanks as always for you extensive reviews. I'm currently in the market for a pair of bookshelf speakers around 1000€ and would love to hear your input. I'm looking for a great nearfield experience at my desk (where i also plan on using room correction/ i also already have a solid amplifier and even a subwoofer from my old system). You didn't compare these to the focal aria 906 since they aren't in the same price category in the US, but here in the EU focal speakers are mostly less than half the price you pay overseas ( Focal Aria 906 would cost me 700€ for a pair). Sorry for the wall of text, but any input would be appreciated :)

[@NemoPropaganda]

I like the Aria 906 a lot, it's just overpriced in the usa now at $2200, it is more clarity focused with a cooler midrange than the UBR62. I'd say the UBR is a little more balanced overall where the Aria 906 is all the way on the side of detailed/analytical sound. Hope that helps. At 700 euro I think the Aria 906 is a great purchase.

[@T_T_8008]

@@NemoPropaganda Thanks alot!

[@HM55-77]

I have these Elac UBR62s, I upgraded to Buchardt s400 MkII, The Elac are for sell !

[@philipteater3714]

“A more professional reviewer would look up the color name. We do not do that here.” 😂

[@howardskeivys4184]

This is not a criticism, it’s merely an observation. A sizeable proportion of audiophiles are either visually impaired or, severely visually impaired. So likely a notable percentage of your followers are also sight impaired. “I’ll throw the specs up on screen now” is of little use to them. Any chance of a brief verbal narrative to accompany those on screen specs? It would be most helpful to our blind and partially sighted audiophiles!

[@NemoPropaganda]

I think you might be newer to my channel so you may not be familiar with my stance but here it is: I personally don't care about specs and I don't think they're important at all. I used to not even list them but people got upset so I started putting them on the screen but if you watch a lot of my videos you'll see I never talk about the specs because I only care about the real world performance. With that in mind I hope you understand why I don't talk about the specs of any product.

[@howardskeivys4184]

@@NemoPropaganda I wasn’t suggesting that you talk about the specs. Just list them verbally. Simply read, what you put on screen. That doesn’t involve any discussion, speculation Etc. Similar to reading out the ingredients in a cake recipe.

[@NemoPropaganda]

@@howardskeivys4184 you may not realize this but my entire video is a freestyle, there is no script. Reading off a list of specs goes entirely against my process and again I don't think specs are important.

[@arvinpaunil7265]

how is this compared to polk r200 or r100

[@NemoPropaganda]

similar sound but the Polk Reserve is just more engaging overall IMO.

[@Kukkema]

Any chance of you reviewing the Dynaudio Emit 20s ?

[@NemoPropaganda]

I don't think so, I already reviewed the smaller version EMIT 10, you can see it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fn7CoIqunMiYrLssi=2IxkHzlNd_ccZ59n

[@roybrolsbeak]

lmao did you put that image on the tv because people were complaining about it :'D

[@NemoPropaganda]

someones always complaining but I don't cater to that lol, the TV will turn into a mirror if theres nothing on the screen, I used to have an LED so I would display static images of the product but now I have an OLED and it goes into screensaver mode within 2 minutes of displaying a static image so I have to have it playing something with slight movement :)

[@roybrolsbeak]

@@NemoPropaganda smart, would be cool just to loop some of the marketing product images in the background to let people get a feel of how it looks like in a living room setup

[@NemoPropaganda]

@@roybrolsbeak tried that, didn't like it, took too up too much time. Quick & dirty is my entire approach to content creation. It can never be anything more.

[@seanb3303]

For me three way speakers tend to be thieves of magic…possibly why you didn’t find them engaging. I also find that the bass is often great, but I can localize it…which again steals the magic.

[@NemoPropaganda]

I'd almost agree except the R3 Meta exists and is awesome!

[@seanb3303]

@@NemoPropaganda if you can’t tell the R3 bass is playing from a separate driver…that’s impressive

[@NemoPropaganda]

@@seanb3303 I can't, at least not from my listening position which is roughly 8ft away from the speaker :)

[@terryforsythe8083]

Satin white with oak.

[@nexus4googleplay612]

I heard these speakers once: they sounded all midrange, totally disproportionate to bass and treble. Maybe I am just way too used to v-curve speakers.

[@NemoPropaganda]

I wouldn't say they were forward in the midrange, but as you said it really depends what you're used to :)

[@JoseFerreira-zb7wh]

I have them for some time now. I wouldn't say they're only midrange but the midrange is definitely their strongest part ofvthe spectrum. Not just quantity, but quality really. And i wouldn't say the midrange is forward but bass and treble are slightly rolled off. I find soundstage and imaging also very good. They fit my bill exactly. Nice spaciality and a smooth and relaxed listen. If you like this kind of experience and you add a good subwoofer you're golden. In europe they're much cheaper. I bought mine more or less a year ago for 650 € new. They have an advantage imo. Because of their character (slightly warm) they pair well with class d amps, so you can save some with electronics. (Only my 2 cents 😊)

[@Leo-tf7gu]

ASR crowd just got an orgasm listening to these!

[@NemoPropaganda]

yup! they love this type of sound :)

[@duanra8]

script free ! boredom free !