ELAC Debut Reference DBR62

Mostly agreed. The two Klippel labs, STEREO, What Hi-Fi and most video reviewers hear a balanced, even-handed speaker, described as neutral by some and slightly warm by others — CNET, Zero Fidelity and several owners lean on 'warm'. About one source in seven by weight disagrees, hearing it too dark, dull, artificial or 'boxy'; most of those are owners comparing it to brighter or costlier speakers.

“On-axis response is quite flat for a budget bookshelf speaker.”

amirm, Audio Science Review (Klippel NFS)

“They have a transparent, even-handed nature that avoids the overt sonic flavouring imparted by most rivals.”

What Hi-Fi? (4 stars)

“Warm tone handles jazz, folk and vocals particularly well.”

CNET (Onkyo TX-RZ830 receiver)

“I found my Elac DBR62s to be a bit too dark and often a little too laid-back for my taste.”

djdragon66, ASR forum (Yamaha R-N800A, RS500 sub, 14 m² absorptive room)

Mostly agreed: full, tight and deep for a 6.5-inch standmount. ASR found its output impressive, STEREO and modernhifi heard it punchy and taut, and cheapaudioman saw no need for a sub. Both Klippel labs put the usable limit around 50 Hz, and Erin, FutureAudiophile, Nemo Audio and an Amazon buyer say you need a subwoofer for deep bass. It depends on how loud you play and how big the room is.

“Bass output was impressive.”

amirm, Audio Science Review (single-speaker listening test, one room mode EQ'd out)

“bass on these is incredibly good it's full leaning towards maybe almost feeling boosted but it's still accurate”

cheapaudioman (Anthem 225, Emotiva TA-100; about 20 in from the wall)

“if you want to get really really low you're still going to need a subwoofer for these speakers”

Erin's Audio Corner

“Thinner in the bass notes than led to believe. You’ll want a sub-woofer with these.”

Amazon verified buyer (4 stars)

Mostly praised. What Hi-Fi loves the midrange, and Zero Fidelity, FutureAudiophile, Nemo Audio and cheapaudioman call it clean, buttery or among the best at the price. Erin and Andrew Robinson are more reserved — a slight recess in the presence region, a touch lean — and a few owners hear voices as veiled, recessed, unnatural or boxy.

“We love their midrange performance. It’s clean, clear and impressively delicate, without sounding forward or overly etched.”

What Hi-Fi?

“it's actually one of the better mid-range performances that you're gonna hear at this price”

Zero Fidelity (Parasound HINT 6, Muzishare X7)

“didn't quite have the same sort of presence in the vocal region”

Erin's Audio Corner (on the 1–2 kHz recess)

“The sound reproduction seems quite artificial to me. Voices did not sound natural.”

darakon, ASR forum (returned them)

Sources split three ways, though one side is much larger. Two thirds by weight — STEREO, What Hi-Fi, modernhifi, CNET, Guttenberg and others — hear a refined, smooth top end that never draws attention to itself. A smaller camp finds it soft, recessed or lacking bite, especially at low volume or with the grilles on; cheapaudioman and an owner both heard it open up with the grilles off. A third camp, led by Andrew Robinson, hears sibilance or fatigue.

Mostly agreed: a big stage for the size, with good depth. Guttenberg says the speakers disappear, and cheapaudioman and Nemo Audio heard it extend past the cabinets. Andrew Robinson and modernhifi note it favours depth and focus over sheer width, and one ASR owner finds it compact, staying between the speakers.

“it does go wider than the speakers it does go higher than the speakers and it does go deeper than the speakers”

cheapaudioman

“sound stage definitely favors depth over width”

Andrew Robinson

“The flipside is that I find the soundstage to be rather compact and confined to between the speakers.”

Doenerkunde, ASR forum

Strong agreement — the most consistent praise in the record. Guttenberg calls the imaging extraordinary, FutureAudiophile and Nemo Audio rank it among the best in its class, and Andrew Robinson and an ASR owner find the centre image strong and stable. ASR and Zero Fidelity add that the sweet spot is wide. One ASR owner hears little centre image.

“the stereo imaging is really really extraordinary”

Steve Guttenberg, Audiophiliac

“These speakers image like few others in their class or price range.”

Nasim Abu-Dagga, FutureAudiophile (owner; Yamaha A-S301)

“This means toe-in angle is quite forgiving. And there is wide sweet (listening) spot.”

amirm, Audio Science Review

Mostly agreed: resolving for the price. ASR heard 'tons of detail', STEREO calls it finely resolved, and What Hi-Fi says it is revealing enough to need good partnering kit. cheapaudioman and modernhifi find it presents detail gently rather than spotlighting it; a couple of owners call it dull or hazy, one until he removed the tweeter grilles.

“Balanced sound with tons of detail.”

amirm, Audio Science Review

“these are revealing speakers so it’s best to use suitably capable kit”

What Hi-Fi?

“i think the top half of the mid-range can be i wouldn't say veiled but not as detailed as some other speakers”

cheapaudioman

Sources split. Half the weight — STEREO, modernhifi, Guttenberg, cheapaudioman and Nemo Audio — hears it lively, punchy and composed when pushed. About a third — What Hi-Fi, CNET and Zero Fidelity — finds rhythmic drive and punch subdued, and a heavy user on ASR heard compression above about 100 dB at 1 m. A smaller group, led by Andrew Robinson, says it sounds dull at low volume and comes alive only when you turn it up.

Mostly agreed: forgiving. ASR found no fussiness in the room, and Erin calls it more room-independent than most, with about 20 degrees of toe-out his sweet spot. The front port lets owners place it closer to a wall than a rear-ported speaker. But What Hi-Fi heard it congested near the wall in its test room and suggests starting about 50 cm out, and Andrew Robinson and FutureAudiophile also want some space behind it — as does ELAC's manual (one to two feet).

“And no fussiness with placement in room either.”

amirm, Audio Science Review

“The front port really does seem to allow them to be placed slightly closer to a wall”

Amazon verified buyer (5 stars; Sprout 100)

“In our test room, their presentation becomes congested and loses a little balance when used in this way.”

What Hi-Fi? (close to the rear wall; it suggests starting around 50 cm out)

Sources split, two to one. ASR, Erin, Andrew Robinson, Zero Fidelity, modernhifi and several owners say its low sensitivity and current draw call for a strong amplifier — Erin says not to use a typical AV receiver, and ASR owners ran 45 W and 85 W amps out of steam at high volume. A third by weight disagrees: STEREO found its impedance benign, and cheapaudioman, Nemo Audio and several owners drive it well from modest integrated and class-D amps.

Mostly agreed: the cabinet is heavy, solid and well braced — clearly better than the regular Debuts, say Guttenberg and cheapaudioman — and the two-tone finish looks good. The complaints are cosmetic or small: Nemo Audio and an Amazon buyer find the vinyl wrap cheap, Andrew Robinson wishes the grille covered the whole baffle, and one Reddit owner found port foam shedding.

“The DBR62 feel nicely made and are pleasingly solid, no doubt helped by the new perimeter internal bracing.”

What Hi-Fi?

“the cabinet is much stronger it's more solid it's more heavily braced”

Steve Guttenberg, Audiophiliac

“the vinyl finish looks and feels cheap”

Nemo Audio Project

Mostly agreed at the launch price of $600: Guttenberg called it a new standard, ASR 'high-end' sound on a budget, and modernhifi gave it 9 out of 10. Amazon owners rate it 4.4 of 5. The dissent is about price: CNET found cheaper ELACs better value, and Andrew Robinson called price its biggest drawback — and it now sells for $799 a pair, a third more than at launch.

“It is "high-end" sound on a budget with little to apologize for.”

amirm, Audio Science Review (at $600 a pair)

“But if the DBR62’s talents align with your tastes, we doubt you’ll find better for the money.”

What Hi-Fi?

“Cheaper Elacs offer better value for the money.”

CNET

“the biggest drawback that i see to the reference bookshelf loudspeakers is actually their price”

Andrew Robinson (at about $600 a pair)