ELAC Debut Loudspeaker Line Preview

If there were rock stars in the audio world, then there’s no question that legendary speaker designer Andrew Jones would be among the biggest.   Having worked at KEF and Infinity, Andrew has certainly left his mark on the audio world; but it was his recent stint as Director of Speaker Engineering at TAD Labs and Pioneer Electronics that arguably garnered most of his acclaim.  Whether it was the mammoth $78,000 TAD Reference One or the superb, budget-level Pioneer SP-BS22-LR loudspeaker ($129.99/pair and no, that’s not a misprint), Andrew Jones’ designs received universal, critical praise and respect.

ELAC America's VP of Engineering, Andrew Jones

Last Summer, Pioneer unexpectedly chose to sell off its audiovisual and speaker business.  That move ended an audio legacy that spanned generations. With that, Andrew Jones and his colleague, Chris Walker joined the venerable German-based speaker manufacturer, ELAC, as part of the company’s plan to return to the North American market.

Marking their return to North America, ELAC has just announced their new speaker line, appropriately named The Debut.   The new Debut speakers are the first to be designed by Andrew Jones, ELAC America’s Vice President of Engineering, at their new Southern California Design Center.  If ELAC was looking to make a splash back in the American scene, this is the way to do it.

“My design objective was to achieve the most accurate sound possible in speakers that deliver performance far exceeding their cost,” said Jones. “I’ve employed materials and design specifications not found in speakers in this price range. From cone materials to driver geometry to subwoofer amplification, we built serious value into the Debut series”.

The ELAC B6 Monitor Speaker

The ELAC Debut line has every speaker combination for setting up a two channel, multi-channel, and even immersive-audio/Dolby Atmos configuration.  The Debut series consists of two bookshelf speakers (B5 & B6), one floor-standing speaker (F5), one center speaker (C5), one Atmos add-on speaker (A4), and three powered subwoofers (S10, S10EQ and S12EQ).  ELAC claims this series of product represents a new level of performance at affordable price points. If Andrew Jones’ previous work is any indication, then we have every reason to believe in that statement. 

The entire line of Debut speakers utilizes custom designed drivers engineered for maximum performance and musicality. The woofers employ aramid fiber cones which are said to provide superior strength to weight ratio over other materials allowing more flexibility in design to achieve a smoother extended response. Other woofer design attributes include an oversized magnet and a vented pole piece. 

ELAC's new waveguide for the Debut speaker line's silk-dome tweeter

A newly developed silk-dome tweeter is recessed in a waveguide with a deep spheroid profile that ELAC says delivers improved directivity control and shields the tweeter wavefront from cabinet diffraction.   Crossovers are one area where more expensive speakers leave lower models in the dust.  ELAC says that a refined multi-element crossover provides the perfect blending of drivers to deliver a coherent audio experience traditionally found on speakers costing substantially more. 

The introduction of the Debut series subwoofers brings along with it a new level of subwoofer control and room integration. Both the S10EQ and the S12EQ incorporate ELAC’s DSP system which provides automatic calibration of the subwoofer to whatever environment it is placed. 

Unlike older room correction systems, ELAC has taken advantage of the mobile app revolution.  Traditional analog controls such as level and crossover have been replaced by a Bluetooth 4.0 LE connection that you can control from your smartphone using ELAC’s SUB Control App.  

Smartphone integration doesn’t simply stop there.  These new subwoofers provide the ability to automatically equalize themselves to any room environment by using a 12-band parametric equalizer with the microphone in your smart phone. Simply place your cell phone in the near field of the subwoofer and ELAC’s SUB Control App will calibrate the microphone in your smart phone against 12 built-in test tones. Then, move to your desired seating location and the subwoofer will calibrate itself providing far better integration to your listening environment.   For those concerned about the quality and low end extension of the typical smartphone microphone, fear not as Elac has each subwoofer pre-programmed with a reference curve for the particular product. It compares that known curve to what your smartphone measures nearfield to properly calibrate the microphone before applying room correction to the subwoofer.  There’s no question that this feature is just cool and an example of thinking outside the box to potentially define a new "must have" feature in powered subwoofers. 

The Debut Speaker line will be available this Fall. The models in the line and MSRPs are listed below.

Any speaker design with Andrew Jones' signature attached to it is sure to turn heads.  The price point of these speakers and their potential performance is sure to turn even more.  Will these ELAC Debut series speakers finally provide audiophiles and home theater lovers with a true, high-performance entry level series that covers every speaker combination?  Time will tell.

Nevertheless, for audiophiles and home theater lovers, ELAC's new Debut series marks an exciting milestone. If these new speakers continue Andrew's legacy of high performance light years beyond their price, then we are all in for a real treat.  We can't wait to get our hands on a set for review.  Fall 2015 cannot come soon enough.   

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.