Monitor Audio silver 1 vs Elac debut b5

[robdmarsh]

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*

 

[nopiano]

I’ve heard the Elac but not the MAs, and I recognise most of what you say. Without pretending I understand speaker design, I know that the apparently simple design of the Elac was part of the plan.

The highly regarded designer, Andrew Jones, tried to make the best possible sound for the least sum of money. As many small speaker designs have shown for years, having an inert cabinet isn’t necessary and is a great place to save cash. The skill is balancing the compromises, which you articulate above.

This is where Hi-Fi offers the best value. Budget speakers can be very enjoyable even if not strictly accurate, which is low on many listeners agenda. Indeed, many respond to excellen amplifiers and sources, which was how the Debut models were demoed when I heard them at the Bristol Show.

 

[robdmarsh]

Thanks nopiano for your reply. Yes, I agree with your comments on speaker design. I've seen and read comments by Andrew Jones about his intentions with the debut series - to put investment into the design of the drivers and other components rather than cabinets and aesthetics. But I rather like the look of the debut b5 - that is to say, ok, we don't do wood cabinets or even fake wood but black vinyl which looks like black vinyl and doesn't pretend to be anything else.

As far as cabinet resonance is concerned, he said that it is hard to eliminate but very easy to introduce it somewhere else in the frequency range. Perhaps the most impressive thing amongst many impressive things with these speakers is bass response. I think you hear the cabinet but this doesn't seem to be a problem as the drivers and cabinets work so well together. The MAs should have better bass - they have a bigger woofer (6.25 inches) and deeper enclosure yet I don't think the bass is as rounded.

I find it strange, because I don't think these speakers (the b5) have much of a following in the UK. There was quite a lot of buzz in the USA on their release among audiophiles and I get the impression that the British reaction has been one of "this must be hype" and people being sceptical. I got mine from RS, who had them at a much reduced price with limited availability which suggests they have had second thoughts about carrying them as a mainstream product.

 

[nopiano]

I think Elac have struggled to get ‘traction’ here in the U.K. I’ve been very impressed with several models with their Jet ribbon type tweeter in the past, but even these never seemed to get the coverage they deserved.

They had a good demo at the recent show in Windsor last weekend. Their new turntable looked excellent and the more advanced speakers - called something like Adante - sounded great. They are stand mounted and cost about £2,600 with a dual concentric driver a bit like KEF, and an enclosed bass driver. Quite complex but sounded in the KEF Reference class to me.

With so many other brands getting 5 stars from WHF, it must be hard for RS to promote something like Elac, however good they actually are. Many folks just buy a collection of 5 star products and never look farther afield.

 

[robdmarsh]

Yep, looks like that must be true. Anyway, more fool RS who are selling these off for £169! I think they're better than the MA silver 1 which were also being sold off cheap as they were end of line but were originally £500.

Anyway, finally I've found a speaker which is better but similarly voiced to my old Celestion 3mkii. It took me a long time: I tried Wharfedale diamond 220 and 11.1, Dali zensor 3 and Rega rs3, all of which were supassed by the Celestions in my opinion. The Regas were nice but small sounding, a criticism which this magazine levelled at the Elacs, which is definitely not justified in my view.

Btw, there's a cheaper model with the dual concentric driver you referred to called the Unifi b5. These are about £600 (needless to say they're cheaper in the US where Elac is based) and are supposed to be pretty special according to the buzz. I'd love to hear some.