ELAC Debut 2.0 B6.2

Sources split three ways. The heaviest camp — ASR, Erin, Hi-Fi Choice and a veteran speaker modder on the ASR thread — hears a broadly even balance with a slightly forward or bright upper midrange and treble, and several owners call it harsh or fatiguing: one on a Cambridge CX61, one on a Marantz amplifier, one on a Dayton DAX88 in a garage and a main room. A second camp (What Hi-Fi, CNET, audioFi, TNT) hears it as honest, open and uncoloured. A third, mostly owners, finds it neutral but boring, or thin and lifeless (one on a Yamaha RX-A1080 AV receiver).

Sources split, and the split follows placement and level. Most — What Hi-Fi, Hi-Fi Choice (on stands 30 cm from the wall), CNET, TNT and owners in small rooms — call it firm, well-timed and full for the size, reaching into the 40s Hz. A second camp calls it light, or wanting a subwoofer once you turn it up: Erin measured bass compression at moderate levels, and owners pair it with subs. A third hears boom — one owner running it full-range on a receiver until he high-passed it at 80 Hz, another who found it muddy in a garage and a main room.

Sources split almost evenly. Hi-Fi Choice, CNET, audioFi and TNT hear present, vivid vocals — Hi-Fi Choice notes a slight forwardness that suits good recordings. ASR identifies a 1–2 kHz dip as the main flaw, and owners describe the same region as recessed, 'vocals are lost', thin or congested; one finds the upper mids harsh.

Sources split. The larger weighted camp hears a bright edge: Amir disliked the added highs, Erin heard 'glare', a veteran speaker modder on the ASR thread finds it brighter than he would like, and owners report fatigue on a Cambridge CX61 and on a Marantz amplifier, and bright film dialogue. Hi-Fi Choice, CNET, What Hi-Fi and an owner hear a sweet, open, well-resolved top end that stays composed when loud. A few owners hear the opposite — muted highs, or highs that trail a studio monitor.

A clear strength. Hi-Fi Choice found the stage widened dramatically when the speakers fired straight ahead rather than toed in, CNET heard a bigger, more three-dimensional stage than the original B6, and an ASR owner who didn't like the tone still credits it with disappearing.

“Now the central image stability is as good as before, but suddenly a whole swathe of information appears to the left and right of the loudspeakers.”

Adam Smith, Hi-Fi Choice (speakers firing straight down the room)

“Switching over to the new B6.2, the soundstage grew bigger and more three-dimensional.”

Ty Pendlebury, CNET

“The one thing that these ELACs do remarkably well (given their very modest price) is disappear.”

mhardy6647, ASR review thread (former owner)

Praised by everyone who addresses it: Hi-Fi Choice calls its central image 'incredibly strong' and its imaging possibly class-leading, and an ASR owner who found the sound unexciting still says it images nicely.

“the B6.2 still does a superb job of imaging – and very possibly a class-leading one.”

Adam Smith, Hi-Fi Choice

“The do have image nicely, though -- I'll give them that.”

mhardy6647, ASR review thread (owner)

Mostly praised as revealing: What Hi-Fi calls it 'hugely transparent' and unforgiving of poor sources, CNET finds it clearer and better resolved than the original, and audioFi says poor recordings will sound poor. The dissent is two owners — one who couldn't hear things in nearfield use that his JBL studio monitors revealed, one who found it congested next to a Sony SS-CS5.

Mostly praised: Amir could drive a single speaker to 'nearly ear bleeding levels' with almost no distortion, an owner says it plays loud without bottoming out, Hi-Fi Choice's tweeter held together at an 'anti-social volume', and What Hi-Fi found it punchy, and not lifeless at low volume. The dissent: Erin measured bass compression at moderate levels, and one Amazon owner finds the presence and staging collapse at low volume.

Mostly placement guidance. The front port makes it tolerant of walls — CNET and What Hi-Fi say so, and one owner found no difference between 1 inch from the wall and stands — though CNET still leaves an inch to avoid boom, and ELAC's manual suggests one to two feet from boundaries. Hi-Fi Choice found toe-in narrowed the stage and firing straight ahead widened it. ASR advises a carpet against floor reflections. The complaints concern the listening area: one owner finds the off-axis sound dull where he can't toe them in, and another says they lose their magic when you get up from the sofa.

“Thanks to that front-mounted port you can even put them relatively close to the wall, though we still recommend leaving an inch or so of space to avoid boomy bass.”

Ty Pendlebury, CNET

“Worst offenders are floor and ceiling reflections so at least a carpet is advised.”

amirm, Audio Science Review

“The off-axis sound is so dull compared to other speakers in the same scenario.”

wwenze, ASR review thread (owner, used as computer speakers)

Mostly easy. ASR measured an impedance around 5 ohms, which it calls above average, TNT says even 20 W Class D chip amps will do, audioFi calls it easy to drive, and owners run it happily from a 16 W Aiwa mini system, an Aiyima mini amp and a Yamaha A-S501. The other camp is about matching more than power: Hi-Fi Choice says it needs careful amp and source matching to avoid sounding shouty, one owner says it 'really opened up' moving from a ~70 W Pioneer AV receiver to a Rotel RB-891, and another found it better after replacing a Pioneer Elite receiver with a Yamaha.

Sources split. What Hi-Fi, CNET, audioFi and owners find it solid and heavy for the money, with the extra bracing CNET noticed over the resonant original. The other side lists details that give the price away: recessed binding posts set too close together (ASR), a cabinet that screams "cheap" when tapped (an owner), a finish that scratches easily (an Amazon owner) and, for TNT, no replacement drivers once the warranty is over.

Mostly seen as strong value: CNET named it the best speaker in its price class, audioFi calls it stupendous value, Erin a really good performer at about $300 a pair, and Amir a competent offering once EQ'd. Of 769 written Amazon reviews for this size, 707 give four or five stars. The minority call it overrated or return it for something they prefer, and TNT thinks the Debut Reference is worth the extra. At $329 a pair it sits above the $150–$280 sale prices it has often reached.