UNI-FI REFERENCE 🖤 VELA

[@DigitalPhilosophers]

The Vela is in front right now. I will gove both pairs a few more weeks. But if I had to decide now I would keep the Vela. Stay tuned if you want to know which one I will go on with …

[@verendus]

I am in a similar dilemma as yours. I welcomed a pair of Adante 4 weeks ago and have been testing them since. They have everything that I loved about the Unifi Reference (imaging, sound stage, neutrality, dynamics). Adante improves bass and resolution beyond what I could achieve with the Unifi. I am really looking forward to trying out the AMT on Vela, but the highs on Adante are less grainy with more details. It's quite scary how much a pair of bookshelves can bring out details. Another big upgrade is how loud I can push the Adantes compared to the Unifis. Near reference volume, the sound is still very clear and enjoyable where as Unifis would distort and clump up. The bookshelves sound bigger and more dynamic than my floor-standers. Andrew Jones has produced some remarkable speakers and I look forward to trying Vela at some point. For now, no question, Adante will replace the Unifi Reference.

[@DigitalPhilosophers]

@@verendus Thank you for sharing your experience! I once bought the Adante but it never arrived 😞 I friend of mine praises them over everything else as long as you have an over average powerful amp they sound mind blowing 🤯 I am still looking for a pair.

[@verendus]

@@DigitalPhilosophers Yes, they have become a unicorn. I think people dismissed them too quickly expecting them to perform like the debuts and unifi series. The Adantes need serious amps (200W+) to bring out the best. I am on the look out for a pair of Velas to hear the famous JET tweeter sound. Looking forward to seeing which pair you will keep. Happy Holidays!

[@7thakou]

Hello from Greece man,i really enjoy ur videos!I auditioned Arcam SA 20 in August,initially with Elac Debut Reference and Unifi Reference Speakers.The source was an Arcam cds50 cdplayer and streamer, which i also ended up bying.It Was an 8 track audition in my local store, the tracklist including some audiophile songs, like Vanessa Fernandez-Here But I am Gone and some rock - heavy metal stuff.Both speakers sounded great,the debut reference had a beautiful warmth in the midrange and a punchier bass that fitted the harder sounding stuff better,the unifi reference had better clarity,a little more detail and better imaging, but sometimes it sounded a little polite at heavy metal songs.Both had that natural-organic sound you are talking about,a really nice timbre of the instruments.At the end of the audition, my dealer put on the Elac Carina speakers that u already owned,just for a 3 song test,i was really impressed with the attack,the clarity and the instrument seperation of this speaker,the amt tweeter made the other two speakers sound a little dull in comparison!I bought the Elac dbr62 and both the Arcam amp and cdplayer,as i thought the debut reference is a safe all rounder first choice,it is cheaper,and can play well without a subwoofer.I am very pleased with the sound,but i really have to buy one more pair of speakers haha.I can't decide which one though,how would u compare elac unifi reference and elac carina?A very difficult choice, as is the one u have over there with unifi vs vela,unfortunately i cant try them at my home like you...

[@DigitalPhilosophers]

Thank you for sharing your experience!

[@DigitalPhilosophers]

The Uni-Fi Reference goes deeper than the Carina. The Carina on the other hand gives you finer treble. Both with a natural and neutral tone. In a smaller room under 20m2 I‘d probably choose the Carina. In a bigger one the Uni-Fi or the Floorstander Carina

[@7thakou]

@@DigitalPhilosophers Thanks man,nice dilemma to have,happy listening!

[@verendus]

Really appreciate your review. I've been really enjoying UFR52 (the floor standing) combined with NAD M33. What made the biggest difference for me was Dirac Live. It really cleaned up the slightly punchy/bloomy bass and gave me a huge depth in the sound stage. I've been also looking at Vela as the AMT tweeter is really special on that model. I've only heard it in a showroom, but it was spectacular. So I am really looking forward to your future posts and experience report. Please keep them coming. This is one of the few real user experience reviews I have seen on YT. There are so many reviews motivated by the monetary gain that your review is such a breath of fresh air. I look forward to hearing your sound samples although it will be difficult to judge the true quality. Please tell me what you decide.

[@DigitalPhilosophers]

Thank you for sharing your experience!

[@DigitalPhilosophers]

I bought a new amp (Unison Research Unico Primo) which makes the Vela and the Uni-Fi Reference sounds better than all of my other amps I tried them with. The only one that is always an honorable mention is the Audiolab 6000A Play. I genuinely rave about that amp especially regarding its price. In my system and room it made my Velas sound better than a lot of more expensive amps.

[@verendus]

@@DigitalPhilosophers That was one of the amps that stayed on my list for a while. I believe it's pure Class A? It will make neutral speakers really sing. I landed on NAD C298 as Eigentakt is the only class D that sounded nearly as good as Class A amps. I didn't think it would make such a big difference on already pretty great-sounding Elacs, but boy I was wrong. The two greatest gains for me were imaging and bass. Uni-fi's bass was a bit relaxed but with more power, it really tightened up with more texture. I also run Rel S/3 SHO to extend the bass. If I could have the AMT tweeter of Velas on my setup, that would be my endgame. But, like most HiFi gear, there is no such thing as an endgame or perfect speaker. We learn to live with some compromise.

[@wilsentwins]

Have you guys consider denon pma 1700ne? Its dual mono class AB

[@DigitalPhilosophers]

@@wilsentwins unfortunately not yet. I hope I can hear a denon amp at home soon

[@roybrolsbeak]

would you still recommend these elac dbr62s .. or is there something else i should consider at around 300-1000 euro in europe

[@DigitalPhilosophers]

Yes I still recommend the UniFi Reference. Also stunning alternatives are: Sonus Faber Lumina II Klipsch RP600M MK2 Elac Carina Dynaudio Evoke 10 Magnepan LRS(+) Technics SB-C700 Kef LS50 Meta

[@roybrolsbeak]

@@DigitalPhilosophers thank you for your reply. since you are from germany. did you try the heco revo 3s ? i hear good things. great price aswell in europe. im from the netherlands.

[@DigitalPhilosophers]

@@roybrolsbeak unfortunately I didn’t hear the Heco yet

[@roybrolsbeak]

​@@DigitalPhilosophersim surprised the klipsch is in there..not a very hifi like speaker

[@RanTausi]

@@DigitalPhilosophers Shalom , what would you choose from this speaker list ? 1. first generation RP600M by Klipsch 2. Dynaudio emit20 3. Elac UBR62. My amp is ADCOM GFA 555MK2 and Pre amp ADCOM GFP565. Thanks and Shalom

[@andyrocha]

Curious, have you compared the Vela to Audio Physic ? Cheers!

[@DigitalPhilosophers]

Unfortunately not

[@dexterts1]

Soo,i’ve got Vela’s paired with Arcam SA30 in a small room,17qm2. I can only agree with your assessment regarding how good these speakers are. And also you are right about the imaging,there is not that instant “sharp” feeling oh there’s the singer or oh there’s the instrument. I think the outlines of everything in the sound stage are softened and thats why we have this opinion,but i thing that this way when you really listen,it soung more like you are there. The air that speaker gives its out of this world,depth is also great,for me by far the best experience I’ve had in my house,and that includes Lumina 3’s,705 Signature,Menuet SE’s. One tip i would like to add,i run there speakers wider that the others,with just little bit of toe in,and they sound glorious. Anyone from Germany can contact me and come for a listen. Cheers

[@DigitalPhilosophers]

Thanks for sharing your experience. Are you somewhere close to Munich?

[@dexterts1]

@@DigitalPhilosophers Not exactly,near to Heilbronn

[@martymcfly3837]

Great comparison... I think, take a far better amplification (Cambridge Edge or Rotel Michi X) , the Vela growes with the system. The Uni-fi doesn't grow so much in a better system...I don't heard the Unifi but I think so, because it was the case with other Elacs I owned (267, Carina, 247)... Greetings

[@DigitalPhilosophers]

Stay tuned. I got the Unison Research Unico Primo in tha house 😎

[@nc3419]

How does the Carina compare between these two speakers?

[@DigitalPhilosophers]

Like a less sweet and tonally more neutral Vela

[@tpn8402]

What about Unifi Reference vs Carina?

[@nc3419]

@@tpn8402 I'm going through a similar thing comparing two other speakers now. One sounds a bit sweeter, one sounds more tonally natural. I can prefer one over the other at times. Added bass, even a bit loose can add to SQ at times, and at times a tighter bass is preferred. Given the UniFi Ref does so much so well, especially presenting a more holographic stage (hate flat stage) if one can accommodate the size it could be the more universal speaker. To me, punchy bass sounds less tight, but it has its place. Even resolution, you might think better resolution is preferred but it isn't always the case. Difficult to say which one would like better as to overall sound. At least the UniFi has a grill.

[@tpn8402]

@@nc3419 Agreed. Sometimes i find too tight of bass to be not relaxing. I don't want sloppy bass, but a little bit of bloom is nice

[@nc3419]

@@tpn8402 Some say the Polk R200 is similar sounding to the Unifi Ref but I would bet the UniFi ref has a wider sweet spot. Came close to trying the R200 but didn't. Have heard Martin Logan Motion 15 and while it was nice with voices, the woofer wasn't fast enough for the AMT and it compressed when turned up at higher levels. I was thinking the Carina might do similar. Plus it so inefficient in tests.

[@wilsentwins]

How does UFR52 vs UBR62 sir? Is 6,5” driver better than 5” on UFR52?

[@DigitalPhilosophers]

Please watch Jays iyagi for this topic

[@verendus]

I've owned UFR52. Unless you are in a large room, I'd probably go with the UBR. Both are fantastic speakers. Sound indistinguishable until you really crank it up.