Elac Uni-fi Reference Review - A New Bar Has Been Set

[@keithbertschin1213]

Thanks!

[@cheapaudioman]

Keith! thank you!

[@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac]

Nice!

[@foblivio]

That fact that you got a hold of a pair means you’ve hit the big time!

[@mattbyrnes4171]

Awesome review Randy! I appreciate the occasional "expensive" review, especially with a product like this, where you've covered ELAC's options that apply to the channel's premise. Gives a look at what's the next step up in the line, which some of your listeners will be interested in. Thank you! I just bought the Uni-Fi UB52 and UC52 for the fronts in my bedroom HT. I'm really happy with them, but if these would have been an option just a few months ago, I might have choosen them. I really like the finish on these over the UB52. Looks aren't a huge concern in my current application, but I'd still like a nicer looking speaker. I'd love to have the 6.5" woofer over the 5.25", but with an SVS SB2000+, more a luxury than need. Reality is, these are twice the expense of my current speakers. Not sure which I would have went with, if both were options when I bought. Guess I dodged a bullet not torturing myself deciding between them!

[@brochg]

It’s awesome to see that ELAC has been listening to their customers!!! Fantastic review!

[@rlwings]

The original UniFi's have that visceral bass too. (When powered well) - The original UniFi's are still the best value in sound. The Reference UniFi's are probably a bit better, but not by much and cost a whole lot more... If you have a 100WPC high-current amp (or higher) get the original UniFi's. You won't believe how good they are! - Accurate, detailed, powerful, balanced, and if set up properly the sound-stage is truly next level.

[@neilfisher7999]

Brown colored wood. Lol! I just finished watching Steve Guttenberg's review on these, then bang, your review popped up. Sounds like you and Steve agree on how they sound. My wife and I both enjoy watching your reviews. Maybe it's because we have the same sort of humor. I'm going to see if I can find some of that salsa before it's gone. Thanks again.

[@WiliiamNoTell]

Yeah Steve's review led me hear as well.

[@kaxior]

Dziękujemy.

[@cheapaudioman]

thank you so much. Really appreciate you!

[@stephenstevens6573]

Just listened to Steves review of these, and its always a great comparison between the two of you! One thing you both seemed to agree on...these are GREAT speakers!!

[@edverbeek6292]

Your reviews are getting better and better. Like the way you reference to tracks.

[@leolleiten4910]

Hey Randy, can you please let us know, from now on, how every speakers sound at low volumes, I think is one of the qualities of a speakers. Keep them coming brother 💪🏻 Excelente review, woke up this morning without knowing this existed 👏🏻👏🏻. Proud owner of the DB62 here.

[@jeffreyhale2400]

As an apartment dweller, I second this motion. A lot of fine speakers really need to go to six or seven on the Spinal Tap scale before the listener begins to get a sense of depth and breadth. One brand that tends to shine for me at lower volumes is Bowers & Wilkins. Any thoughts on the new Elacs versus B & W bookshelves near the same price point, like the 606 S2?

[@erics.4113]

I'm having the same questions right now. I'm looking at mostly 6.5" bookshelves and did a demo yesterday. I'm now wondering if I want 5.25 or smaller. I want fidelity at lower volumes..

[@darensweeney5925]

Also agreed. Fullness at low volumes is important for those of us with tinnitus. FYI, EQing the lower bass and treble up a few dB's will also improve the sound at low volumes.

[@erics.4113]

@@darensweeney5925 some amps have loudness buttons that will do a +6db on the lower end for this effect at lower listening. I just got ub52 Elacs and compared to the rp600ms can say i would rather listen to the Elacs at lower volumes. That isn't an endorsement for those being good speakers at lower volumes, just observation between the two so far.

[@peterbaugh51]

Get a bluetube amp for 140 bucks. Your speakers will sound great even down low. Tubes do that.

[@Bloodmoon1985]

Great review!.....I’ve watched your channel damn near since it started. I think it’s great that you review speakers that are a “step up” for most of us. It provides good idea of what to expect from an increase or even doubling of the “affordable” price points you typically cover. I was between the UB52’s and the DBR 6’s but I think I’ll save up for these bad boys. So what if it takes awhile lol

[@Audiodreamer192-24]

Sweeeeeeeet! Andrew Jones is the man!🔊🔊🔊🔊🔊

[@stevezeidman7224]

Great job, Randy! I’m glad you defended your CAM realm. I was gonna mention your table. It looks like I’ve found my replacement speakers.

[@Jo_S_999]

Great review! Gonna keep an eye out for deals on this new Elac line

[@SwamiCycles]

I'm dying at the "tripping over..." part! My man, you are REAL! Great review!

[@ronzack4572]

I tried to buy a 55 gallon drum of Andrew Jone's British Salsa, but thanks to the "CheapAudioMan Effect," they are all sold out! However, they do have 50 lbs bags of Andrew Jone's British Tortilla Chips still for sale, and plenty of 1 gallon jugs of Andrew Jone's British Margarita Mix. I really like what Andrew is doing here in regards to this design. He should get a major award just for the front porting of the speakers, which is where ports BELONG. Rear porting is the spawn of satan. If I were in the market for bookshelf speakers of this size, these would be near the top of the list. But, I would like to hear the Wharfdale EVO 4.2's as well. You are doing an amazing job Mr. Randy. Keep up the great work!

[@juanmillaruelo7647]

LS 50 killer? Third iteration of A.J's three way miraculous wonder. You can FEEL Randy's excitement. Have not seen him so enthused for quite some time!

[@JohnScheppler]

Andrew Jones does make something magical

[@ConnahJay]

Great salsa!

[@ConnahJay]

@@rc6717 I think he has a budget to work within, he try’s his best to make something good within those constraints. What’s your opinion on best budget speaker?

[@raymoore8435]

@@rc6717 Better speaker for the price ?

[@arthurprs]

As far as subjective reviews go you are really setting the bar for a while now. Hats off.

[@HawkFest]

Exactly what I thought after having my polite and objective post censored, because it was saying that they were over 2.7K CAN dollars nowadays. The Cheap marketing man..

[@2HatHudders]

Randy is the officially the audio review monster 👹 no one comes close 🤣

[@bencarignan2711]

Great review buddy. Been waiting for these for a while. Glad to see they don't disappoint!

[@StevePilgrim2013]

Glad I've spent months sitting on my hands, trying to decide...these win!

[@benfarrow9498]

Did you get them? What do you think of them? Thanks!

[@StevePilgrim2013]

@@benfarrow9498 Not yet. I've bogged down trying to decide about amplification. Meanwhile, Jones leaves ELAC & I'd like to know where he is going to land. I've set up my old Advents to hold me over 😳

[@photobriangray]

I rarely listen to Alice in Chains these days, but MASSIVE recognition to Toby Wright's recording and mix of that performance. Positional, clean and well defined.

[@BKJ-88]

Toby Wright is fantastic. The albums he worked on from the 90's sound fantastic.

[@gizzy2403]

Absolutely, great albums & production from that time period. I'm not a huge Pearl Jam fan, but Ten was a masterpiece of an album. Th mixing/production was stellar!

[@paulwg2112]

Thanks for this! Andrew Jones did the right thing getting these to you early.

[@Feliciano12v]

The fact that you recommend these as an upgrade if we already own Elac UB52 2.0' says a lot.

[@cheapaudioman]

It’s an upgrade in every sense. Not a night snd day one but an upgrade none the less.

[@mattw3406]

I have the UB52's and am very impressed with them as my my main movie and listening room. I'm sold on these - between Steve G's positive take and yours, I'm picking these up. My UB52's will simply move to my office music and gaming setup and serve as a nice upgrade there. AJ is simply amazing at what he does.

[@benfarrow9498]

What are your thoughts now that you have both? Thanks!!

[@wiebl5266]

Been a subscriber for a few months. This is the best review, bcoz it saved me a lot of time, and I get the sonic qualities clearly from you. It did contain a lot of slosh and waffling this time round. Description about how great a particular music/song is to you may not translate the same juice/mojo for other people, but some reviewers goes on and on and on and on... The review is about the speaker, the amplifer, the dac, the whatever--so make it so. I'm going to check out the price of the uni-fi ref now. Thank you Sir.

[@b.borrelli8688]

What do you think about these at lower volumes ?

[@nc3419]

How does it sound at lower (apartment volumes)? Does it retain a nice linear sound from bass to mids to highs?

[@offason]

Nice review. I'm gonna look at these when they arrive here in Sweden.

[@bwithrow011]

Great review Randy! I'm ordering 5 - 55 gallon drums of Andrew Jones' British Salsa. Total @$5/drum will be $25! WOOHOO! 👍

[@ginom407]

Been waiting for this review!!! 👍👍👍

[@louiesipes2257]

Eagerly waiting for a Saturday speaker shootout now between the CSS and GR Research. No hurry. I’m not spending anymore this year. I’m still enjoying the UB 5.2 so much and when I want a little more warmth the Debut Reference. Thank Andrew for holding the accountants feet to the fire. Good looking speaker.👍 Great review Randy😀

[@Eron55555]

I have the Unifi UB52's. IS this worth the jump? ON some tracks with low bass I get some port chuff from one of the UB52s which is odd because the other one does not do this, has me concerned there's an issue...

[@Jmad1138]

It's been a year, do you still like these speakers?

[@MrDands]

Please compare it to the Debut Reference! 🤟🏻

[@billywindsock9597]

I like the brown wood colour. I listened to higher love, Steve Winwood and liked the percussion , that reminded me of an Eels track, Hospital Food. Now that was percussion. Added to my show reel play list as it sounds fantastic, with or without salsa sauce.

[@mattkalis1567]

AWESOME!! It checks all the boxes. My only issue is the price. At that price, I’d actually cross shop several respectable towers, such as ELAC’s own reference series DFR52, the Polk Reserve R500, SVS prime towers, and Emotiva T2+.

[@youngblood23rb]

So are these as good as the Emotiva T2+

[@Stimpy77777]

These speakers may be braced well; but your table is rickety as all get out!!! Great review. The cough! Had a similar experience with the Debut 2.0 B6.2! I got up an looked around the house looking for who came in and coughed! Can’t wait to get these.

[@HaraHetta]

Is there any other good value amp for this speakers? I cant got the amp from indonesia 😕

[@randalllawkin]

I was so during if he would ever make a reference version!!! Thank you!! Elac and it's pretty

[@ziggy8757]

randy, a saturday shootout with these new Elacs, and the critton and the encores would be epic

[@rolandrohde]

Yes, a shootout would be great. I would throw some Kef Q150 or Q350 in there as well...

[@WiliiamNoTell]

1st time viewer here, Excellent review. Sounds like Mr. Jones has another hit. Looking forward to hearing them at music direct in Chicago.... hopefully! Like your ultralight analogy! I also listen with my ears not some damn computer. Or my speakers occupying the same space as my coffee table.

[@gg0297]

Looking forward to this one!

[@tellthemborissentyou]

Thank you for that. I have the Elac Debut 6.2s which I bought because I didn't know if I would get much use from them. Turns out now I listen every night and at some point I will upgrade, I think it will be these.

[@lawchoongseng789]

Great review I have the Debut reference. Heard the Uni Fi 2 UB52. Now the Uni Fi reference is here 👍 I prefer Elac over Wharfedale.

[@shkermanshahi]

This is the first time I am watching your video, good job. Thsnks

[@drewpknutz1410]

These speakers are great! I have the UBR 62 and they actually smoke my Klipsch rp6000f towers in every category except bass. To be fair, I'm in a small 1 bedroom apt that might be too small for the Klipsch. The soundstage, imaging, and clarity are so nice. They are also way less fatiguing than my Klipsch...But once again the room is too small for the towers. I will eventually get a subwoofer for just some rumbling during movies though. I likey!

[@drewpknutz1410]

I was afraid of being burned because I bought the JBL stage A130s a while back and was disappointed with them, these Elacs are worlds better, as they should be considering the price.

[@Patsesson]

Subscribed :) A nice style of review that i like.

[@KCsabi]

Nice presentation? I only need a good matching amp.

[@FlyGuy457]

Dude, it's ok. It's a reflection on the other Elac products so we are ok with it. Thanks for the review..

[@dbarkov]

Love the shirt !!!!

[@richardblaauwgeers4349]

No polk comparison?

[@wymotome]

Seeing how both Debut Reference and these share the same size woofer, which impresses you the most with bass, assuming no subwoofer will be in use? Does one dig a little deeper or have more bass presence in general? I'm still clutching my original Debuts because nothing recent has had what they have.

[@bpalpha]

Wait until you try the James B Lansing guacamole!

[@johnnelson3665]

I would be interested in the comparison with the SVS Ultra Bookshelf speakers.

[@cheapaudioman]

It’s coming.

[@johnnelson3665]

@@cheapaudioman it will be awesome. I think most people would love both speakers. I think Elac may be a bit warmer. Or SVS a bit brighter based on reviews. If you prefer a laid back speaker, maybe Elac is your choice. If you prefer an exciting and extremely detailed speaker, SVS may be your speaker.

[@henrychan6982]

Thanks Randy for the review, Now i have another speaker to evaluate between the Polk R200 and the Elac Uni Fi Reference. So many great speakers to listen too ...hopefully I can make a decision on a purchase.

[@peterbaugh51]

I would choose Elac.

[@randallstamper8078]

Damn, and I just built a Dolby Atmos setup with all Uni-Fi 2.0's. This is what I WISHED those were. Does ELAC take trade-ins?

[@herbward5240]

Dude, with all the coffee that you drink, you should be doing coffee reviews

[@dawolyan13]

Dang it, I was sooo excited, right up to the 1,000 bucks! Really makes me wonder about the reality of Buchhardts, Kefs, etc. costing 2 grand and up. If you say these are truly a 1,000 speaker, I believe it!

[@moonytheloony6516]

The shape of the front ports reminds me of the Aperion speakers.

[@cheapaudioman]

Little bit bigger but similar for sure

[@mcjonner]

Ohhhhh man I've been waiting for this one!! Before watching the video I'm planning on getting the css criton. Let's see if I change my mind It looks amazing

[@joeygonzo]

don't

[@mcjonner]

@@joeygonzo probably right. ive been working it through my head between the r200, uf52 and this ufr62... regardless of price the criton is still probably better.

[@MikeBissonthescribe]

Randy - so honest and no nonsense

[@mrpomm5900]

I love these speakers. How many watts of power should my receiver have to power it?

[@oobs35]

Damn. That light plane is going to have to wait. Was the Denver model. Great review

[@asdf6892]

Great to see this review. Well done. I would like to see a comparison to the Wharfedale Evo 4.2. Also $1,000, also 3-way, and also relatively large. In terms of aesthetics Wharfedale is serious competition if it sounds decent. Also, I would love to see a comparison between this vs. your favorite $500 speaker + $500 subwoofer pairing. Also, speaker reviews that include an AVR are useful to more people. Is a Denon X3500h, which people can usually pick up for about $500 on sale, enough to drive this?

[@kohnfutner9637]

Hello Brian, I have the Denon x3500h. It is plenty powerful to drive either one and probably pairs pretty well with wharfedale or elac given they are laid back. To my ears the Denon seems to give a bit of a v shape sound and it crossed over my elac higher than my Yamaha receiver which I didn't like. I turn the LFC up for music listening with my JBL studio 580 or the bass is overpowering. I do like the Denon but I think you need to be careful what you pair it with. I particularly wouldn't pair it with anything bright like Klipsch and probably not svs or jamo from what Randy said about them. Yamaha works well with bright speakers.

[@DarkKnight-yc8nw]

Please compare them with SVS prime bookshelves.

[@AB-yd5gl]

So...probably not good for use with tube amp? Sensitivity of 85?

[@cheapaudioman]

I think the MT34 ii could drive it. I’ll give that a try later for a Saturday soaker shootout

[@jasonreyes9504]

The raven nighthawk mk3 with its high pass filter would probably drive these nicely. It’s about 3 k.

[@Greg.Siucrazyforaudio2016]

Don't worry you are ChiefAudioman now no more cheap title we all have fun with your channel Randy you're awesome Cheers.

[@mcjonner]

I wonder how these compare to the Polk r200 and uf52 floor standers for only $200 more not on sale

[@cheapaudioman]

I’ve asked for the R200. Maybe time to ask for those again.

[@bearclaw5115]

@@cheapaudioman Definitely curious on your take on the R200 vs. these. I just received the R200's, I use them near field and it seems they need more volume to come alive than I'd care for sometimes.

[@josexavierjr.5633]

Great review, Randy. I wish they were cheaper than $995................... Maybe when I hit that "Texas Two-Step" lotto ticket....................

[@hobblyjig]

In this video along with a few others with these speakers, you’ve mentioned they require a bit more power than other speakers. The 2 amps you mention in this video are hugely different in power delivery (20w and 160w). I don’t want the thin bass you mentioned from the 20w amp. But I don’t want to have a huge 160w amp on my desk. How much is enough to get full sound out of these? 40w, 60w, 100w? Do you have a recommendation for an amp that would be used exclusively with these speakers?

[@hobblyjig]

On a live stream he answers that 50w is minimum he would recommend, but 100w would be better. The speakers are 6ohm.

[@charlesclifton1006]

Wow! That's quite an endorsement. I totally relate to your assessment of clarity/body balance. I have the Debut Reference and they are pretty darn good for the money but I must admit .... these new Uni-Fi(s) are now extremely tempting. Andrew Jones has done it again. ( I heard he also dabbled in English mushy peas - you only need to have them ONCE)

[@MikeBissonthescribe]

Hey! We used to own Speaker City!!!

[@yuckysamson]

Looks like you're top of the queue. Amazing. Are they worth the money Randy? A worthy upgrade from the other elac options? What's their competition in your mind?

[@thetrumanshow4791]

@21:00

[@Feliciano12v]

In the video, he stated that they are worth the upgrade if you already on the Elac UB52 2.0's. That says a lot about these reference speakers.

[@yuckysamson]

@@Feliciano12v Indeed, it does. Doth? Doth. Does.

[@carlwinslow4175]

I like your slightly quirky style of presenting been looking for some speakers in a small bedroom and this vid showed up thanks YT algo

[@jonathanluttrell1380]

I'm torn. I just ordered the Arcam SA10 amp, but can't decide on a speaker. Both you and Steve Guttenberg compared these to the Kefs.... Is50 are boring but the R3 are great but too expensive. I'm torn between these, Sonus Faber Lumina II, or the Focal Chora 806

[@tedhersh9095]

I’ve got the same Arcam SA10 driving Wharfedale Lintons and it’s a fabulous combination! Not sure how the Arcam would be with these Elacs, Lintons are 90db vs Elacs at only 85db.

[@rumenraikov8189]

Hi, my biggest question is can a Denon 600ne amplifier handle these, thanks for the review. They look great. I was thinking of buying the Monitor audio bronze 100 but, now i wonder 🤔

[@tomb375]

Hi Randy, Is that a Conrad-Johnson Amp behind you. And is so can you do a Video on That and how it sounds.

[@muzammelhaquemukul7089]

At first sight from thumbnail, i thought why are you talking about Elac with some Wharfedale diamond 12 series.

[@StellarAudyssey]

Not making available a black colour is an interesting decision, and the floorstanders are double the price at $2k! Which is an even more interesting decision.

[@jefugh]

You, sir, are the finest human being on this side of the planet.

[@briansimmons5363]

I am close to pulling the trigger on the CSS Criton TD-1X which is close at this price range at $920 USD. How they different and the same? Which would you rather own for say the next 5 years?

[@cheapaudioman]

The Critons get the nod for bass extension and maybe even bass clarity. The elacs have or to my ear have much more going on in the treble region. Both are great. I think the elacs have better off axis performance especially in the vertical plane

[@briansimmons5363]

@@cheapaudioman Thanks for taking the time to give me your thoughts. That is why i'm going for the TD-1X Vs td-1. Also what do I care about vertical off axis? I have an ear/tweeter level listening chair :)

[@jackfo5796]

Great information, thanks. I'm on the fence re: buying this speaker. My only concern is whether my NAD C700 hybrid streaming amp at 80 Watts per channel is enough to bring the woofers to life at low to moderate sound levels. The unity UB 52 is also on my short list. Do you think the UB 52 would be a better fit with the NAD C700? I hope you have time for an answer. Thanks in advance.

[@martinmares8998]

Another great video Cheapaudioman. These new Elac speaker are nice looking. I think I'm going to give them a try.

[@vicg5323]

I think this will be my next dream bookshelf. Yeah!

[@richarddegannes2928]

Could you help with the model of the speaker stands that would work with these new 3 way model speaker, do the speakers bolt to the speaker stands and what would be the recommended subwoofer from Elac to pair with these speakers? Thanks

[@joergwittenberg2178]

Elac is fantastic, thanks for the review

[@arnoldhavinga4141]

Great shirt!

[@alfonsosteenen]

Hi Randy. Thanks again. Can the Cambridge Audio CXA61 integrated amplifier drive a pair of these?

[@jasonreyes9504]

Randy, would you recommend a sub with these for a 12x12 bedroom? If one is not needed, it would surely justify the extra cost. I’m not a bass head but do love properly executed bass. The way you describe these i think adding a sub may be more trouble than it’s worth in a room that small.

[@raymoore8435]

I can tell you I use a Rel tzero sub in a 10x10 room with my UB52 2.0 and it really makes the mids and treble sound improve

[@matthewhilty4209]

Ok stupid question . Why BiAmp a bookshelf speaker? Do they really need that much power? I'm making the assumption that they don't.

[@eruilluvitar]

Question: How do these compare to the Polk Reserve lineup? Possibly better addressed in a Saturday Speaker Shoot-out

[@cheapaudioman]

I’m trying to get the R200’s in

[@shawntoronto7967]

The juicy fruit wrapper comment got me.

[@goos3838]

These over the GR Research XLS Encores for a home theater application? I have the original UB5’s and the DYI is peaking my interest.

[@cremersalex]

The Not-So-Cheap Audioman!

[@bingdong8571]

should i wait for the elac reference unifi 2.0?! man every time im thinking about getting an elac they come out with a new one thats better!

[@ConnahJay]

Same! I just bought the Debut References last month!

[@alfonsosteenen]

Thanks!

[@cheapaudioman]

You bet! thanks so much for supporting the channel