This is really the continuation of a thread I started a couple of weeks ago when I bought a pair of MA silver 1s (being sold off at a cheap run out price) to compare them with Elac b5, which I have been enjoying hugely. An experiment really.
So when I finally wired them properly (with the binding post links still in, something I failed to do at first!) I got down to some serious listening. These are very refined speakers with a detailed sound. The sound is somewhat similar to the way they look - by that I mean kind of well-finished, if that makes sense. They certainly resolve a lot - the detail you can hear in upper-register voices and percussion is pretty amazing but sometimes this sounds kind of detached from the rest of the frequencies. With some of the older recordings of jazz that I love, this resolution can even sound a little harsh as the tweeter almost fizzes with female vocals. Mid-range is also very detailed with a lovely warmish tone and the bass is generally well-rounded and controlled but I would say not as full as the b5.
To my ears, though the sound is not as likeable or as involving as the Elacs. I can hear one or two details that I can't hear on the b5s but the sound doesn't quite hang together as well and draw me in. I've run them in for about 30 hours, they probably need more, but when I put the Elacs back on for comparision, I forget to put the MAs back on, so much am I enjoying the sound. What impresses me about the b5 is how they perform with the humble amp on my Marantz mcr-603. They have sensitivity of 85db and 6 ohms resistance so you think they might struggle. The cabinet is not deep at 23cm and they are not particularly heavy - the cabinets don't even sound particularly solid when you rap them. In short they seem to defy some of the basic criteria for quality bookshelf speaker design. But the whole thing just comes together so well.
So what do you guys think? Does anybody have a similar love for Elac debut series? I think the MAs are great speakers and probably deserve better amplification. They are probably better for those who demand a lot of detail in their speakers and like a slightly more forward sound (however not B&W forward sounding). The Elacs, though, are special to my ears. I think one mark of a really good speaker is to play quietly without a deterioration of sound quality and this they do really well. Great for me and the neighbours! *good*
So when I finally wired them properly (with the binding post links still in, something I failed to do at first!) I got down to some serious listening. These are very refined speakers with a detailed sound. The sound is somewhat similar to the way they look - by that I mean kind of well-finished, if that makes sense. They certainly resolve a lot - the detail you can hear in upper-register voices and percussion is pretty amazing but sometimes this sounds kind of detached from the rest of the frequencies. With some of the older recordings of jazz that I love, this resolution can even sound a little harsh as the tweeter almost fizzes with female vocals. Mid-range is also very detailed with a lovely warmish tone and the bass is generally well-rounded and controlled but I would say not as full as the b5.
To my ears, though the sound is not as likeable or as involving as the Elacs. I can hear one or two details that I can't hear on the b5s but the sound doesn't quite hang together as well and draw me in. I've run them in for about 30 hours, they probably need more, but when I put the Elacs back on for comparision, I forget to put the MAs back on, so much am I enjoying the sound. What impresses me about the b5 is how they perform with the humble amp on my Marantz mcr-603. They have sensitivity of 85db and 6 ohms resistance so you think they might struggle. The cabinet is not deep at 23cm and they are not particularly heavy - the cabinets don't even sound particularly solid when you rap them. In short they seem to defy some of the basic criteria for quality bookshelf speaker design. But the whole thing just comes together so well.
So what do you guys think? Does anybody have a similar love for Elac debut series? I think the MAs are great speakers and probably deserve better amplification. They are probably better for those who demand a lot of detail in their speakers and like a slightly more forward sound (however not B&W forward sounding). The Elacs, though, are special to my ears. I think one mark of a really good speaker is to play quietly without a deterioration of sound quality and this they do really well. Great for me and the neighbours! *good*