Review! Elac Adante | Audiophile Loudspeaker | Chapter 2: Sound Clips with Commentary

[@epi2045]

Damn your videos have gotten really good. Thanks for the hard work.

[@Newrecordday2013]

Thanks Doan! Appreciate that!

[@fernandoespinosa3403]

Great review! It’s just so refreshing to see a honest and detailed review. Thanks for sharing your listening experience. Cheers.

[@JerryWDaviscom]

Yeah, a touch soft in the bass and lower mid-bass, and I would run a sub anyway. But their ability to fill a room with that precision clarity makes up for it. A win, for sure.

[@bradknight2618]

Merry Christmas 🎄 Ron . God bless you and your beautiful family. Thanks for all your hard work.

[@Nonsense62365]

Another Great Video! very impressive Loudspeakers! WOW!

[@razhukki]

Great review, Dann! Congratulations.

[@dell177]

I bought the AF61 towers late this spring at a good price. The sound was thin at first and It took hundreds of hours for them to break in break in. On the towers be aware the tweeters are about 4 ft off the floor so they do need to be tilted forward to your ear level to sound right. To me they sound very good, I do use a NHT sub with them but most speakers benefit from a sub. My system consists of a Music Hall mmf-7 (LaPacifica phono preamp and Denon DL-301 cartridge), a PS Audio PerfectWave DAC, a Rogue RP5 preamp, and a pair of PS Audio M700 amps. My final thought on these is they make me want to play more music, I find them to be an engaging speaker.

[@you2ber252]

Yeah they do need a very long break in period to get a balanced sound. At first, and for a long while, mine sounded rather brittle and there even seemed to be some kind of resonance at about 6kHz that spoiled voices. Now they sound much better.

[@CandidUploads]

Did you get a chance to compare the standmount and the floorstanders? Some say that there is not much difference between them. Is it worth buying the floorstanders?

[@dell177]

@@CandidUploads I never looked at the stand mounted speakers so I can't say. I did replace the old NHT with a pair of Sumiko subs and the system does a great job on all kinds of music. I can sit in my chair and choose from about 8,500 tracks on my Mac Mini that streams into a PS Audio Dac. I also have a ton of CD's and records but using the computer is just so easy.

[@CandidUploads]

@@dell177 thanks for the reply. What’s your assessment of these speaker after all this time? Would you have bought them again? I assume that the bass of the AF-61s would not be sufficient on their own? Did you compare them to the equivalent KEFs or other speakers in the price range? Thanks.

[@dell177]

@@CandidUploads I was pretty upset when I first got them because they were so brittle sounding. I also had to take one apart to fix sealing issues. After a good while they really settled down and began to show their true colors, I'm very happy with them. The subs just add a solid foundation under the sound, I'm not talking thundering bass here - that might be good for movies but not for music. I think most speakers benefit from subs

[@Exocer]

Looking forward to chapter 3!

[@erichill5328]

Elac Adante or NX studio’s 🤔🤔🤔

[@johnsimmons5056]

Great Video...these speakers seem very bright. I would imagine that these would pair well with tubes.

[@MrRonnmaui]

I almost bought those speakers based on reviews, but bought the Legacy Audio Studio Monitors which might sound similar. Thanks for the insight on the Elac Adante's.

[@CandidUploads]

Thanks for the balanced review. When you say that the bass may be slow, does it seem out of synch or lagging behind the higher frequencies? Thanks.

[@VoxyGon]

Terrific review, really like the A/B experience. Those speakers sound amazing up top but yeah, the bottom end is lacking. Only so much you can do in a bookshelf sized box I guess.

[@ryans1129]

Ron When reviewing speakers, what base guidelines do you begin with? Do you listen to all speakers at roughly the same decibel level for a fair comparison? Love the reviews.

[@kunsliu]

could you enlighten me to choose a proper integrated amp for the adante bookshelf, plz? my system is onkyo a9000r, denafrips pontus ii, so i do not need a amp w a dac module. wondering btw the kinki ex m1 and yamaha 2200, there might be other options. what do you think?

[@ivandjdocrodriguez]

I'm considering biamping these speakers through an active crossover and 2 amps, what crossover point do you recommend?

[@robd4872]

Great video! I will likely be picking up a pair of these soon. Planning to do a bake off between these and other options in the price range (S400, Sierra 2EX) over the next few months. My primary amp is the Rogue Audio ST-100, which I fear may not have enough power to make these shine... My secondary is an Onkyo M-504. Will be comparing with my 13 year old DIY Natalie P's (which I do love dearly). Cheers!

[@kirlu50]

So how did it go, Roberto? Are you happy with them and how do the compare? I am considdering them myself and I have trouble chosing between these and a pair of Proac D2s, Russel K Red 100s, or Buchardt S400s.

[@robd4872]

@@kirlu50 hey, so I actually decided to stick with my DIY speakers and invest in my source instead. I'm totally glad I did. Since all I do is stream from Tidal I read up on various ways to reduce network noise. This meant moving away from my PUMA 6 based modem to a broadcom based SB8200, separating wireless AP from my streamer/render and building up a DIY server with shielded wiring. I also rebuilt the Tweeter section of my speaker crossover with AuriCap XOs. Also, invested into a preamp and DAC. Altogether I am beyond satisfied with what I have. It has been a major learning experience for me, understanding how important source is... I also have plans to transition to linear PSUs where they provide sonic benefits.

[@kirlu50]

@@robd4872 I am happy for you. I have a pair of Penaudios, which are very good, but do not quite fill my living room. I have upgraded my electronics and cables over the last year, so now I am looking for speakers. I have heard the Proacs, which, with my integrated Amp (Sonneteer), sounded quite good. The project for the summer is to audition the other three speakers.

[@robd4872]

@@kirlu50 excellent stuff! Interested in the results of your auditioning. Hopefully you find the sound/performance you seek.

[@jasonlsimmons]

How power hungry are the Adante’s. I have been considering some AF-61s and would hook them up to a Cambridge Audio CXA80 integrated. Would that be a good match? I like the sound of the Cambridge with my pair of Wharfedale Reva 3 speakers, but looking for an upgrade to a speaker higher up the food chain. I don’t listed at concert levels. Any thoughts or feedback is greatly appreciated!

[@Andrewatnanz]

your doing a speaker review with headphones on?

[@shawnhudson3735]

Can I smash the like button any harder? Nice honest balanced work, many other reviewers can learn a lot from your ethical adhesion.

[@Newrecordday2013]

Hey thanks Shawn! Appreciate that!

[@snowpuppy77]

Really enjoying your review of this terrific speaker. I am wondering is the very fast bass of a Rythmik servo sub may be faster than this speaker's bass. Getting the Adante sub may be best.

[@charronjim9177]

Love these too, but whats better for a solid upgrade?

[@Newrecordday2013]

Comes down to the sound and tone you are looking for. The Adantes are all about detail and resolution.

[@b.a.2335]

You provide some of the best reviews that I know of. Do you sense that a 3 way floor model is on the way and it would close the gap with the mid bass and below range making it "complete" for 2 channel listening?

[@Newrecordday2013]

Dude! Thanks so much! I have a feeling those floor standers might close the gap for sure but... if you demand down to the 20s, you would still need a sub I’m afraid!

[@tubeless1982]

Hi bro, how do u compare AS 61 vs TAD ME1

[@adnfabdat]

Great review and test. Still waiting for chapter 3 of this... Is it coming soon? 😁

[@Newrecordday2013]

Thanks! I’m trying to decide if I’ll continue that one. Still thinking it over...

[@vladimirrusev468]

it seems in terms of bass the situation is like on KEF R3 ... it is there, it is massive but not so quick and precise

[@johanneswolff6732]

please make more videos about how to use Clio Pocket

[@johnhpalmer6098]

Another good review (so far!) and down below it was asked, by you and by the viewer that wondered about the room mic. As I sat here listening to the review and got to the midbass before I noticed the differences between the room Vs close miked. I found that once you switched to the room mics, the speakers seemed to come alive and the dynamics, among other things became noticeable, not a huge OMG difference, but noticeable though. Midbass in my opinion is more about details, spacial relations etc, where as the top end extension provides clarity and airiness that may (or may not) be present in a given recording as some recordings as you know just sound flat no matter what. That said, I can see, and hear in the clips that where the recordings are heavy in the brilliance band, it can get fatiguing fairly quickly but since I listen to a wide variety of pop/rock/jazz material, I need my system to be at least somewhat forgiving to good to stellar to OK recordings and some like early 60's Gary U.S. Bonds stuff from that period, massively overdubbed, some of it quite muddy with flabby, muddy sounding bass etc, not good sounding at all, but the music has so much raw energy that it transcends all that to disco to pop to vintage jazz, mono or stereo, I'll do either one but the overall voice does tend to run on the warm side since much of what I play has vocals in it. Overall, these look to be good, but quite interesting speakers.

[@adityashah8558]

Tracks available for 2 Per month ? Which format ? bit rate ?

[@Vanhelsing543]

I like your video and have followed your channel , but you missed the demo of vocal songs that 80% of general listeners usually play and listen. I’m not sure about the rules due to KZbin channel , yet I’ve ever seen some channel they perform the vocal song which never breaks the rules.

[@JanPatrickLucas]

Hello Ron, I must commend you on your serious analytic efforts! I've used the Adante's with several different setups, and should inform the listeners that the they are capable of producing extraordinary bass with the right amount of power and, perhaps, a preamp where the tone can be manipulated via tone controls. For instance when using my 600w mono blocks and Parasaound P6 preamp, one can turn the bass up significantly and the Adante's will not fold a smidgeon. In fact it's quite impressive the sound level that they can produce without any trace of distortion. Again this is relative to the components in the chain. I also pair them up with my Onkyo P3000R preamp, which induces a nicer, more prominent midband musicality, but it's a little more difficult to find the right bass response with certain recordings as the tone adjustment settings are not quite as incrementally adjustable. With that setup I prefer a sub, as with one setting the bass is a bit light, but when I turn it up a notch, it's too much. Too baf there wasn't an in between setting. No fault of the speakers. Of course as everyone knows, a sub will produce a lower frequency that the speakers can't reach, but I found I actually prefer the sound of the speakers most of the time without one. They are a big, capable bookshelf speaker, no doubt BUT they are "PIGS" for power! Job well done my friend!

[@trekjudas]

I love sound clips with discriptions. I think most audiophiles understand that they we aren't actually hearing them.

[@JanPatrickLucas]

@@trekjudas Good point Kevin. Ron does a tremendous job, though, in relaying the sound character as much as possible. I find you can still get a pretty good sense of a speakers character even through computer speakers, as we are all familiar with the sound of our desktops or headphones, such that we will still be able to discern the differences from speaker to speaker. Ron's dialogue, as you say, is definitely an added benefit. Cheers!

[@Newrecordday2013]

Thanks fellas! Appreciate it!

[@trekjudas]

@@Newrecordday2013 I recently read a review of some gear in the Absolute sound and I realize at the end that I actually had no idea what it must sound like. I mean I didn't even know if it was warm or bright!

[@weeooh1]

This is why I am leaning more to high sensitivity speakers (Klipsch, JBL, etc) that can sound great with a much wider range of amps.

[@mtsm1085]

How do these compare to the Buchardt S400?

[@mannyf1288]

I'm waiting on this one too.

[@beeker9895]

not toys

[@michaelmityok1001]

Vocals next? Love this review format btw!

[@Newrecordday2013]

I do need to get some vocals on the clips, dont I? Ill work on it!

[@bilguana11]

Adantes sound great!

[@bilguana11]

I don't know why Google put this up four times, I didn't.

[@bilguana11]

I don't know why Google put this up four times, I didn't.

[@mika2oo1]

So these or the Buchard S400?

[@Newrecordday2013]

Ok a couple comments on this comparison have already been brought up. Maybe I need to do a video soon that explores this since it’s being mentioned a few times?

[@mika2oo1]

@@Newrecordday2013 Sounds like a great idea for a video :) These Elac Adante, the Buchard S400, the Klipsch Forte III, the Ohm Walsh 2000, seem to impress many reviewers. Unfortunately, I have yet to hear any of them, or see a comparative review.

[@nostro1001]

@mika....I would be very surprised if the Buchard S400 can match it with these Elac's across the spectrum. I'd suggest the Buchard's have been so heavily reviewed, because reviewers can easily source demo units, people now think they can compete in a range double the price. Good they maybe....but don't believe the super hype. Would a comparison be fun, sure why not...comparisons are always good!😀

[@kirlu50]

@@Newrecordday2013 Those two, plus the Proac Response D2s and Russel K Red100s are on my shortlist, so I'd be very interested - If you still have review samples inhouse😷

[@Bombo503]

Amazing job man, I am so keen every time your next review comes out haha. The way you describe these Adantes regarding high's and mids (and how they sound on this recording through my average HD280 headphones) reminds me so much of the Yamaha NS1000m speaker - brutally honest, revealing and detail/resolution like nothing else I've heard. Have you ever heard a pair of these Yammies? If so, would I be right in saying this? Thanks again Ron :)

[@Newrecordday2013]

Thanks so much! I have never heard those guys but appreciate you weighing in!

[@arongatt]

So is he reviewing the speakers through his grado headphones and mics ?

[@Newrecordday2013]

No

[@Stevo19801]

Can you review some of the klipsch heritage range?

[@Newrecordday2013]

Ive been working with Klipsch, we will see!

[@trekjudas]

@@Newrecordday2013 I listen to mostly wimpy ass music but all the hype I've been hearing about Klipsch lately has even me curious.

[@jeffreyepiscopo]

Ron, just curious, why are you wearing headphones while listening to them? Wouldn't that block some of the sound?

[@Newrecordday2013]

Yes, it’s just for monitoring the audio. That’s all. I use them to hear what you guys are.

[@barneyjones5174]

Ron, between the Adante and Navis bookshelf, which offers better sound? I know the Adante is passive, i can choose either for the room i'm setting up, just looking for the better sounding speaker.

[@Newrecordday2013]

I haven’t heard the Navis but according to Andrew, the Adante is the better speaker.

[@barneyjones5174]

@@Newrecordday2013 Good to know. Can you move yours approx. 12" in front of a wall and talk about the change in sound? I don't think i'll be able to have mine out into the room like you have yours.

[@Newrecordday2013]

Can you move them out and push them back when done listening?

[@barneyjones5174]

@@Newrecordday2013 Haven't purchased yet, if possible for you to do so i'm sure many here would be interested in your thoughts.

[@Newrecordday2013]

12 inches away is really awful for just about any speaker I can think of man. I wish you had more room to work with! I listened to them last night and would not recommend this for them. At a minimum, 2 feet might work.

[@ichigobankai2343]

IMO they sound a little off on certain tracks. I cant really explain it but it could be because of the passive radiator instead of an actual driver in the front that makes it sound different plus the passive could be the reason its not as quick.

[@Newrecordday2013]

Thanks for watching and leaving a comment!

[@ichigobankai2343]

In the early 2000 Ive heard subwoofers that utilized a fully enclosed driver with a passive radiator. Although they sounded tighter then the Bandpass type of box designs they seem to lack that certain grunt that the bandpass design is known for. Plus those subs that utilized the PR were 10-12inches so they could reach down to 20hz. Even so they just don't sound right as if they lack certain mid bass grunt. This type of design is nothing new as even Polk Audio designed there RM series of sat/sub combo with there sub utilizing (2)6-1/2 inch drivers fully enclosed with a 10inch passive radiator. I believe there are compromises to this design as one will get cleaner sound but at the same time lose some mid bass grunt and not be as quick. Even Bose acoustimass bass module utilized a similar box design but instead of a PR, they used a port.

[@ichigobankai2343]

Also you should play the same tracks for all the speakers you test so people can compare them. The CSS speakers seem to have better mid bass grunt/tone then the Adante even though the Adante is cleaner sounding.

[@treyhorn5645]

Great review 👍 sound great through balanced IEM's , For Sure.... They sparkle... Nice. ✌️

[@audiocreations5194]

This is just my personal opinion, I think you should go back and do reviews like the old days when I start follow you channel 4 years ago,like I said my personal opinion.

[@Newrecordday2013]

Thanks for leaving a comment, appreciate it! What reviews are you referring to?

[@audiocreations5194]

Just in general I like the old format.

[@Newrecordday2013]

@@audiocreations5194 Thats why I am asking, what format? Ive evolved my style and what I do so much that being general doesnt tell me which reviews or period you are referring to.

[@charleskatz2606]

I get the diffusers behind and corner traps but why the panes pulled into room on sides?

[@Newrecordday2013]

I thought they looked cool for the video.

[@charleskatz2606]

@@Newrecordday2013 Got it.Nice review as ever.Kind of interested that these didn't get more press and consumer chatter given the real world working man my wife won't kill me price point.Looks are good a sub rounds them out to be full 30-40hrz performers etc.Me I'd like to get a head to head with Revel 126Be and say REl T9i.Would be not cheap at $5300 but same set up would only be 20% more than the $3+1K with same sub (or say a SVS3000).$4 to 5K is for this 55 year old what I spent on a car when I got my license but that of course was the paleolithic age.Forget fancy cold remedies aspirin,sudafed,and some OJ maybe some DM at bed and you'll all be in the pink soon.Jewish Penicillin (Chicken Soup) is optional but can't hurt

[@trekjudas]

They do look amazing in real life.

[@Newrecordday2013]

I agree, and they are freaking huge which is hard to tell in pics.

[@trekjudas]

@@Newrecordday2013 These aren't bookshelf speakers, they're stand mounted speakers! They will beat up and take the lunch money from bookshelf speakers!

[@Newrecordday2013]

its so true!

[@markusztul6392]

Wich open baffle sub do you have ?

[@Newrecordday2013]

Hi Markus, its a DIY subwoofer kit that is offered by www.gr-research.com gr-research.com/servosubkit4.aspx You can contact Danny and discuss with him if you are interested in more information. Thanks!

[@orwhat24]

Damn. Your beard is ahead of mine now...

[@trekjudas]

Is this Duck Dynasty or an audio review? I'm kidding! I'm Kidding! You look lovely!

[@Newrecordday2013]

Haha, both?

[@anagrammaton]

9:50 Good news :)

[@trekjudas]

I think their weird bass configuration created more problems than it solved.

[@jonberg469]

can you please describe why?

[@trekjudas]

@@jonberg469 Ron already did! The bass is a little slow and flabby. not bad, just not the best.

[@sudd3660]

i was curious about this choice by elac also, i just could not imagine it would have worked at all. i am thinking the problem they are trying to solve is more bass than a 6.5 can do. but you cant do that without sacrificing sound quality. you need a subwoofer no matter what so i don't see a point.

[@trekjudas]

@@sudd3660 At my old age I don't really need thunderous bass. I don't listen to a whole lot of rap or electronica anymore.

[@jonberg469]

@@sudd3660 interesting. I think the bass is good, but I'm no expert. My other speakers are kef r300. Sounds pretty fast to me but maybe its because I really haven't experienced something else?

[@kenhiett5266]

I've just found this channel and don't understand what I'm seeing. Are you critiquing speakers by recording them and listening through headphones? What in the actual f'? Please explain the reasoning behind this because it seems bat-shit crazy to me.

[@keithbertschin1213]

Ron seems a pretty thorough reviewer. My guess is he did the listening for the review over days/weeks before, indeed this is not the main review for the Adantes. Here he is recording them which in itself can be a bit controversial but you do get something out of it I find. I have the adantes and he’s pretty spot on and I’ve listened to them for two years

[@scottygdaman]

they sound like something on youtube,, sound like their trying to hard but injecting zero color? very mechanical replication.

[@jonberg469]

I was going to do a soundclip of my adantes... then Ii watched this. no way in hell I'm going to get anywhere near this quality.

[@Newrecordday2013]

Thanks! I have put a lot of effort into the clips and glad you appreciate them!

[@bryanherr1093]

I don’t get why people do the sound clips. Makes no sense to me.

[@Newrecordday2013]

A lot of people requested them over the years. I figured if I was going to do it, I would at least make them sound good. Are they reliable as to what the speaker actually sounds like? Meh. But... it’s entertaining!

[@sudd3660]

think of it this way: its like review a tv with pictures of the tv, you have to show sound coming out of them. the better the sound demos are made , the more entertaining it is.

[@bryanherr1093]

New Record Day I get it, it’s for the clicks, to me it just cheapens what you are trying to do.

[@bryanherr1093]

sudd lame, unrealistic, and not really helpful but whatever floats your boat.

[@bilguana11]

Adantes sound great!

[@ronaldrice2936]

Yeap I want a pair ,🔈🔉🔊, own the UB5'S now , only thing is I would need to upgrade everything,🤔