ELAC, Andrew Jones, $500 Uni Fi UB5 loudspeakers, best loudspeaker value in the world, CES

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[@error079]

Interview with the creator of the products is always welcome

[@richzinamon6496]

Andrew Jones has done it again....It seems he's taken a giant leap forward from the Debut Series to the Uni Fi series.....It just keeps getting better & better.....Thank you Mr. Jones....

[@russmaleartist]

Not only an obviously gifted designer of speakers, etc., but someone that although interested in success and a profit . . . appears to have a sincere desire to produce products with high value per dollar spent. So tired of this closed club of elitists snobbery, whose obvious greed and imperialistic attitudes produce more hyperbole than the products they peddle . . . snake oil on steroids, or in the very least good products that push the price point to see how much fleecing can be accomplished in a world where there exists more men with lots of money and pride . . . than there are with commonsense. It is therefore refreshing to have trust restored by a few individuals . . . to an industry that in the past has perhaps rightfully suffered for so much tom foolery for profit.

[@tundraotto]

Passion breeds success as they say....and its wonderful when it works....

[@russmaleartist]

tundraotto Agreed . . . like all agenda and actions of people, the inspiration and motivation still comes from the heart, whether they be good or bad.

[@AudiophileTubes]

There have always been audiophile 'snobs', and open-minded audiophiles that just enjoy great sound. And there have always been 'maximum bang per buck' speakers and equipment out there. But most people don't bother to research the various manufacturers, or read the many product reviews you can easily find online. For example, there are many speakers in the same 500 dollar price range as the Elacs that sound just as good, if not better. The science is nothing new.

[@1mykalfury]

As a veteran recording artist I can tell you that Andrew Jones is the real deal. Pioneer BS-22's to the Elac B-5's, He's broken the price barrier! Either of the speaker lines sound holographic when powered up. Unreal.

[@mrhoffame]

Another great video. Thanks for sharing something with this type of price point as well. Nice to get more people involved in increasing their listening experience.

[@stevewode]

Was able to A-B test these with the Debut B6 and yes, they are substantially better. Jones does it again..

[@toddhupp]

Really enjoy Andrew's expert talks.

[@tharinduweerasekara5360]

The new electronics from ELAC America are also very good. Waiting for the music server

[@AlexDroog71]

I have these speakers. The sound is mind boggling good.

[@rickzolla4133]

Very pleased with my ELAC B6s. Waiting for F6s AJ does great work.

[@cnnlive10]

+Rick Zolla I also have the B6's and was planning to purchase the F6's. Now I want to wait for the UB5 instead. You think the F5 will out preform these in a mid size room?

[@rickzolla4133]

+cnnlive10 I heard the F6's at a meet last w/e, as well as the UB5's. For my old ears the F6's will work well. The UB series have a high end extension that is lost to my old ears. YMMV

[@nicholasreeves5025]

What amplifiers and dad were in use? These sound amazing for the money.

[@ka7niq]

These sound fairly bright to me, and so do the cheaper non concentric driver speakers from ELAC for 229.00 a pair. I think Andrew could learn much from the Canadians, and build a warmth curve into his speakers. IMHO, listening to these latest designs up close, or in a live room, would be cruel and unusual punishment.

[@82ivaylo]

Great job Andrew.

[@ssuperfly]

I would love a pair of these but powered.Would be my end-game speaker,for my small computer system.

[@VinceM797]

Do you have a list of the specific components/specs used in the video?

[@douglasbonner2731]

It looks like a decent speaker but the cabinets fit and finish is sub par . Look at Monitor Audio and Wharfedale and get your cabinets in line with the competition.

[@AmbientWanderer]

Well for this price there will always be some sort of trade-off. As you mentioned, MA or Wharfedale may have better cabinets but the sound quality will not be as good as the Elacs. The trade-off with these Elacs will be the finish.

[@cnnlive10]

I wonder how they will compare to the $1500 Kef LS 50's?

[@CofeeAuLait]

Favorably, but not there. For the price, these gonna disrupt the market. (I bought my LS 50's for 1k)

[@pedecia]

@@CofeeAuLait i listened to the LS50 and they were way too bright. I felt in love for the Elac Unify UB5 as very lush and balanced. The LS50 are not better. They have just different signiture paying twice the price. Nothing that an equalizer cannot fix for someone that likes bright piercing music. I fund a new pair of Elac Unify UB5 for the eqivalent of 300USD while the KEF LS50 cost 1300USD and they are both good. You do the maths which one is the one to buy for you. Somebody would gladly pay the extra just for the look but it is a different matter. For me ELAC UB5 all the way and always. Those companies charging a fortune for a pair of drivers and a wooden cabinet if it were for me were all bankrupt.

[@curtyounkin8545]

What Basie track is that? Great video, thanks!

[@Mehmehx]

Please export to Sweden asap, gotta have'em and watch Whiplash :-)

[@djmjay2]

I'm very interested in the UB5's but I'm wondering why they aren't Bi-wired. I have a set of Cambridge S30's that are fantastic for the price I paid. I have a Harmon Kardon 2 channel amp that I have Bi-wired and it does make a noticeable difference in sound for the better. As soon as these are released I need to find a pair of the ELAC's so I can have a listen. I don't really trust centers since they usually have speakers set up with unrealistic systems (for most of us) so everything sounds amazing. I'll figure this out but will probably go for it should be good but may have to back off my BIC sub.

[@majormoody]

I assume the designer is aware of bi-wiring and intentionally didn't include it.

[@hamitcampos4989]

Awesome.

[@AleksandreMzhavia]

Which stands are you using?

[@AudiophileTubes]

It would be great to find a great, affordable HIGH EFFICIENCY set of speakers that my Class A, 3.5 watt per channel tube amp could drive well!

[@Audfile]

AudiophileTubes get the fuck outta here with your tiny little amp

[@AudiophileTubes]

LOL! Class A sounds phenomenal, with the right speakers, like the Klipschorns.

[@Audfile]

AudiophileTubes not as good as today's Class D. And you don't have to suffer puny amps and run speakers make of doily paper.

[@farrubhai]

Hi Peter, I am new in this audiophile level sound system. I want to make a home theater system within $1000 to $1200.... I was planning to buy paradigm CT 100. can you suggest me otherwise.

[@superjervis]

+FARHAN AHMED KHAN Depends on the size of your room,those speakers are pretty small,i would say go with the Elac Debut series and a Klipsch sub,i'm going with that as well.

[@gmax876]

what components should I buy to run it.

[@offason]

gmax876 an amplifier would be a start and perhaps a cassette deck

[@jikenj]

gmax876 Ps audio's sprout 2.

[@kawmic7]

What speakers are in them?

[@pedecia]

Is it better to add a sub on a system like this purely for music?

[@porkchopspapi5757]

Mine are sitting on top of powered 12" subs. Added spikes to the front of the cabs to angle the tweeters up towards my ears. And facing almost straight ahead, not directly at the ears like in this vid. Very good sound.

[@ruchb1]

Only problem with all the reviews that I've seen, Everyone talks about drawing in a "New" crowd mainly what your gonna be referring to will be the younger crowd. Price point perfect, Quality perfect, Choice of songs your portraying the speakers for not so perfect. Don't get me wrong I'm all for some classical or vocal music but lets be real here the public that is going to buy either the B5,B6,Uni FI, will listen to modern music Yes i mean rap, r&b, rock, metal, country, I know almost no one who listens to classical or vocals often. You want a younger crowd but show the speakers playing tunes my grandfather listens to. If you really want to draw a young crowd in you'll start reviewing with more modern HiFI music choices I mean for heavens sake even Andrew Jones through Deadmau5 on during a show. You want reviews to hit Younger viewers with a wider age group get outa the 1960's and start reviewing with modern music. HiFi is were it is not because of the technology or anything its the music you portray your products with simple marketing would show play music for the demographics you want to hit. Unless you want my Grandfather who can barley hear or use the internet to purchase your speakers.

[@tomchan4739]

Their choice of demo music is based on one thing and one thing only. HIFI quality recordings. Unfortunately modern music like Pop, Rap, Hiphop often does not match that kind of quality.

[@OOnti-dz4jd]

Geese.. the music choice. Retirement home ?

[@InnerVisions1969]

This video has terrible sound. Mic rec-levels were surely too high. Terrible mistake! This makes appreciation of the speakers performance just impossible.

[@sled12]

Treble gave me a headache within 30 seconds!

[@AudiophileTubes]

ELAC makes very good speakers, but for $500, i've heard better than the Uni Fi UB5. The Martin Logan LX16, the JBL Studio 530, and the Dali Zensor sound better than the ELAC!

[@mikechivy]

+AudiophileTubes Have you heard the UB5 in person? The JBL is on backorder for 4 months again so thats out of the question.

[@nodoubt46able]

your full of shit

[@jdiggadydog]

Fabulous sound

[@offason]

James Jones 🙂 hahaha

[@akila219]

Does anybody know when the ELAC Integrated Amplifier DA101EQ is out for sale or is there a review out for it?

[@rickzolla4133]

+akila219 At the meet last w/e they had an ETA of April.

[@akila219]

thank u

[@bridgebolt51]

where is the Elac new amp?

[@rickzolla4133]

+bridgebolt51 I saw a prototype of the amp at a meet last w/e. Was told it has an ETA of April.

[@tpacalypse]

Are the ELAC Uni-Fi UB5 better than the JBL 530? Thanks !

[@sirdan357]

Not better, probably a little different sounding.

[@AudiophileTubes]

They're both truly great speakers. I own both. BUT, in the final analysis, I like the livelier sound of the 530's. I can't quite put my finger on it, but they sound more 'alive' and exciting than the UB5's, although the UB5's may in fact be more timbrally accurate by a hair. They are both 'giant killers' at their respective price points, and engineering marvels, all things considered. If I HAD to pick one pair, i'd go with the 530's. That wierd horn based design they use is fantastic in so many ways!

[@superjervis]

I see you have the 530's...where are the videos with the Uni-Fi?

[@AudiophileTubes]

I didn't make any. I sold my UB5's anyway.

[@17Koche]

hey guys do you know if i can use these as desktop speakers for my computer?? I'm not very familiar with audio IO

[@hqdefault]

Why not? That laptop must have the same output jack as any desktop.

[@mohdpazli]

get this one.. pair it with marantz hd-amp1

[@LDBaha]

You can. But these are passive speakers so you need some sort of DAC/AMP to power them

[@offason]

Dali Zensor 1 AX

[@bobreichel]

how many ohms Drive the speaker is it 4, 6 or 8 ohms?

[@Zerreloy]

+R Reichel 4 ohm

[@bobreichel]

+eloy maduro Ouch most receivers do 8 or 6 ohms I believe

[@Zerreloy]

Correct, and to drive 4 ohm speakers, your receiver/amp should be at most 4 ohm :( Luckily, your amp won't need as much power to efficiently drive 4 ohm speakers!

[@Zerreloy]

I've been trolling the net endlessly for an affordable amp to drive these speakers, but I think I found one: the Pioneer VSX-S500 100 watt - 4 Ohm - Class D

[@hearmeout0909]

Pioneer VSX what, 3xxx, 5xxx, 8xxx, 9xxx, 11xx?

[@josephah2000]

I'm curious how they'd sound compared to my B&W CM5s.

[@nunosa75]

$500 in the States, €700 in Europe... that´s about $867 US.

[@25-8]

Nuno Sá I was able to get a pair used like new for $320 on Amazon

[@TylerTisaowa]

anyone know the amp rms power requirements for these?

[@blade5658]

They recommend at least 40 Watts RMS.

[@TMac473]

According to Steve Guttenberg its about 150 watts a side. The more the better with these.

[@kennethjensen7357]

If the human ear can only hear to 20k Hz then why reach so much higher???

[@majormoody]

He mentions this. To keep the top octave (10-20kHz) smooth and free of breakup, he aims beyond that.

[@kennethjensen7357]

Thank you for that, it makes sense now.

[@AudiophileTubes]

Harmonics have a bearing on hearing as well.

[@sevraj2008]

we are in the same situation, loudspeakers from 500 $ but the amplifier and cables cost 5000 $....or more .Someday it will be!

[@Alex-xf7dg]

I'm not sure I understand. The recommended power on these is pretty low. What am I missing?

[@sevraj2008]

yes ,low power but expnsive amplifier for good sound

[@Alex-xf7dg]

Sory ok, then he's missed the point

[@mzondi1970]

Sory try something from Marantz around the $500 range or if you have a little more but it Rogue audio Sphinx

[@drummerboysmith968]

It's just plain stupid to listen to speakers on your speakers.

[@fitzjameswood5486]

sounds terrible, congested, too mid rangey, harsh and blurred. Of course I suspect the recording rig of the video maker has something to do with this ...but how would we know?

[@offason]

Fitzjames Wood And you're judging audio quality through your phone?

[@offason]

Fitzjames Wood You really expect KZbin to be a good provider of sound?

[@jikenj]

Fitzjames Wood don't judge by the sound from this KZbin video I have this pair and matching towers and they are as good as the hype says they are. try them out at a brick-and-mortar if you have to but I think you'll be very pleased.

[@AudiophileTubes]

My vintage Polk Audio Monitor 10B's (mid 80's) sound better than these ELAC's! And they are efficient and can be driven by low wattage pure Class A amplifiers!

[@majormoody]

have you compared them directly? :$

[@AudiophileTubes]

Yes, I own both pairs. My Uni-Fi UB5's are the ones with the greenish 'blem' driver, which isn't supposed to affect the sound. I'm a 'speaker junkie'. Don't get me wrong... I really like the Elacs, but they are over-hyped!

[@majormoody]

Thanks, that's good to know!

[@edwardprudhomme7470]

Are the Polk's a book shelf speaker and any changes now that I awesome you've had a chance to break in the UB5's? If the Elacs are over-hyped, what other book shelf speakers would you recommend in the same price range?

[@AudiophileTubes]

The Polks are unavailable. They are a vintage speaker made and sold in the 80's. Right off the bat, I would say audition the JBL Studio 530, Wharfedale 225, and the KEF Q300. In my opinion, they are in the same league and price range as the Elacs.

[@deckiedeckie]

Ripping off the sheep that grew w/o sound...

[@frederickfranchi6408]

Does anyone else think that music sucks!!!???😎

[@martinjames6942]

Not a particularly good salesman.. need to be more direct

[@optidejyadubenko1165]

Music for old farts

[@damaster692]

At the same time if you had the ultimate sound for 1,000 dollars then there wouldn't be anything to chase as an audiophile. There would be no need for expensive speakers accessories. The fact that its hard to get the ultimate sound is what keeps audiophiles alive. @AVshowreports