Ty Pendlebury and Steve Guttenbergã¢â‚¬â„¢s Review of the Elac Ub5

The most talked about standmount loudspeaker/due south of the past twelve months is about certainly ELAC's Debut B5 (US$250). Pulling up in second identify is the same company's Uni-Fi UB5 (Usa$500). Why? Not just because they each offer outstanding performance for the money but because their designer Andrew Jones knows how to woo the audiophile press with interesting demo music – deadmau5 and RATM played either side of a classical piece at CES 2016 – and his Yorkshire charm.

Before the Jones-fuelled ELAC, information technology was the KEF LS50 that enjoyed much of the limelight. Interested parties needn't catch make ambassador Johan Coorg's carefully curated audio show demos – although information technology no doubt helped. The LS50's coaxial driver array (also seen in the UB5) radical looks (not seen in the UB5) spoke for themselves: "We're not like the others," they whispered.

Prevarication they did not. KEF's US$1500 standmounts conquered the entry level conversation soon subsequently their 2012 launch, after which they and GP Acoustics' accounting department never looked back. The front baffle's '50th Ceremony Edition' text was quietly removed and production was extended indefinitely and then across the initial twelve month window.

Last year, a express run of coloured LS50 saw this reviewer, a long-time fan, trade upwards from black to red. I've had pair of these KEFs knocking well-nigh DAR HQ for the best part of four years now.

However, it's been iii years since I suggested three affordable amplifiers every bit possible dance partners and emails asking about the same continue to roll in. Time for an update, but this time out with one eye on the ELAC affordables [see Footnote 1].

As alluded to by Andrew Jones in our conversation at Munich High Cease 2016, the UB5 share the LS50's thirst for power, which often leads to a sting in each loudspeaker model'southward affordability tail.

At CES 2016, Jones debuted the Uni-Fi UB5 with "$4000 worth of" Audio Abracadabra electronics. He used the aforementioned 6 months earlier at Rocky Mountain Audio Fest. At the Debut B5's Newport Beach (err) debut, Jones collection them with a Bel Canto C7R whose street cost of Us$3000 remains over ten times that of the loudspeakers themselves.

Dorsum at domicile with the LS50, Vinnie Rossi'due south 25wpc MOSFET LIO module continues to provide ongoing satisfaction with tough loads, largely attributable to the depression impedance, high current output of the LIO motherboard'southward ultracapacitor ability supply.

Like the Devialet Expert 200, such aural success comes at a cost that might seem wholly disproportionate to the LS50's asking price, even more and then the UB5. What's the wallet watching KEF or ELAC possessor to do?

The obvious option is to get as many watts for as few dollars as possible. If high current output isn't specified by the manufacturer as an explicit draw carte experience tells me that that least 100 watts per channel are necessary to hear the LS50 at (close to) their all-time.

1 sure fire way to get the necessary go juice flowing into ane's entry level standmount is to go Class D which nigh always returns a modest grade factor and an environmentally friendly ability efficiency.

Soon afterwards finishing my 2013 piece on a trio of integrated possibilities for the LS50, I took delivery of Wyred4Sound'due south ICEPower mAMP monoblocks (Usa$1999/pair) that offered 250 wpc into 8 Ohms, 430 wpc into iv Ohms. These were fed both by the matching mPRE (US$1099) and directly from a Resonessence Labs INVICTA Mirus (U.s.$4995). The all W4S rig added greater tonal mass to the leaner, meaner sound of going DAC direct but in either configuration the mAMP'due south drew such an enormously wide, deep and internally soundstage from the LS50 that I notwithstanding talk nigh it to this solar day. The catch with the Wyred4Sound mAMP is yous gotta run 2.

For their S500 stereo amplifier, Utah's Red Dragon Audio driblet a Pascal Course D module fronted past an in-firm designed input stage into a single chassis and sell it factory straight for US$1999. Output ability is rated at 250 watts and 500 watts into 8 and four Ohms respectively. However, bridge a pair of 'em into mono as I have this yr and you're looking down the butt at a gargantuan one thousand wpc.

Hooked up to the LS50, the Cerise Dragons' big, clean audible personality comes immediately to the fore; there'south a take-no-prisoners attitude to dynamics and transparency that properly advantage even the smallest upstream change. The S500 need a BYO DAC/pre-amplifier.

Going DAC direct, I prefer the PS Audio DirectStream Junior'due south (review forthcoming) mellower treatment of transient delivery; it serves as a nice counterbalance to the S500's polished window have on top-to-bottom textural exposure.

Moving over the the Mytek Brooklyn (review forthcoming), DSD's more laid back disposition is introduced via a Sonicorbiter SE streamer running HQPlayer and with upstream DSD upsampling enabled. What started life as slightly over-etched thespian outlines as PCM are transformed on-the fly into a presentation that the Reddish Dragons convey as finessed and delicate.

Don't want the trial and fault of matching (digital) pre-amplifier with a (pair of) shoebox Class D amplifier/southward? You lot'll need an integrated amplifier that doesn't skimp on wpc and whose output stage runs in Class A/B.

Ty Pendlebury and Steve Guttenberg'southward review of the ELAC UB5 reminds united states of their nominal 4 Ohm impedance. The need for loftier current delivery comes every bit office of the deal. So this:

"Finally, we put the NAD C 356BEE amp bated and hooked upwardly a 200-watt-per-channel Rotel RA-1592 stereo integrated amp, and replayed some of the same music over both the Uni-Fi UB5 and RP-160M speakers. Both sounded ameliorate, just the Uni-Fi benefited more from the Rotel's ability reserves. The ELAC's dynamics were now more than viscerally felt, and our reservations almost the speaker's punch and free energy all only vanished."

The RA-1592 is a brand new (May 2016) addition to Rotel's integrated amplifier line-upwardly. And so new that I've nonetheless to hear it, hence deferring to Pendlebury and Guttenberg. A skillful fourth dimension also to remind readers that this post should be seen as a heads upwards, not a review.

US$2499 nets a 17kg beast that includes MM phono stage, AKM DAC (USB, 3 x coaxial, 3 10 Toslink, aptX Bluetooth), pre-outs, subwoofer output, 3 x unmarried-ended RCA inputs, i x counterbalanced XLR input and remote control. In other words, the whole ix yards. If it had a network streamer it'd qualify every bit a super-integrated. The Ethernet port is for applying firmware upgrades or integrating the RA-1592 into an automatic command system.

Applied to the UB5 or LS50 the RA-1592 would be for nought if it weren't for its attendant muscle. As our CNET reviewer duo attest, the Rotel delivers. Its 200 wpc into 8 Ohms comes courtesy of a huge toroidal transformer, one that "won't sag and distort nether complex speaker loads or dynamic signal transients." Rotel wind their ain at their Zhuhai manufactory – been there, seen that – just the company don't (yet) specify a power output rating into 4 Ohms.

Our third amplifier option is also an integrated, one whose output rating might exist wholly misleading if information technology weren't for the manufacturer'due south loud talk of high electric current commitment and peak ability reserves.

Melbourne's REDGUM Audio spent about of 2015 restructuring their line upwards of amplifiers. The woods-faced designs of old now make up the Amplifolia range. These remain made in Australia. The more cost constructive Blackness Series meet the same Ian Robinson-designed circuits only fabricated in China; the remote control module comes fitted every bit standard.

The Black Series RGi60ENR drops the Aquillina's (formerly RGi60) wooden fascia, adds the SineWave heatsink for optimal functioning of its MOSFET output devices and wraps the dual mono excursion in a more utilitarian case.

Here, AU$3000 brings domicile 120wpc into viii Ohms. Still, experience with even the weaker Black Series EGi35ENR, an amplifier that drives the KEF LS50 at DAR HQ like no other modestly-rated integrated should, reminds the states that REDGUM watts aren't like other visitor's watts. Theirs are altogether bigger. If you want to approximate the capacious soundstaging of the Wyred4Sound monos only don't desire to go with Class D, this is a fine pick; one whose 180 into 4 Ohms should work very nicely with the ELAC UB5.

Of course, those who don't wish to play the game of mix n friction match; or those who think that dropping US$2k+ on associated electronics makes no sense; or those who would rather the connected amplifier/due south be tailored to each driver and internalised inside the speaker cabinet, you lot guys can expect for ELAC's powered version of the UB5 or entrance hall KEF to actuate the LS50.

Farther information: Carmine Dragon Audio | Rotel | REDGUM Sound

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Footnote 1: This shouldn't be seen as an exhaustive list and readers are encouraged to share their own KEF LS50 or ELAC UB5/B5 amplifier pairings in the comments department below.

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Source: https://darko.audio/2016/05/three-more-amplifiers-for-the-kef-ls50-elac-uni-fi-ub5/