ELAC Uni-Fi Reference UBR62

Close to neutral, by the measurements and by most ears. Erin, fairaudio, i-fidelity, MODERN HIFI, Nemo and owners on ASR and Reddit call it balanced, and A British Audiophile, Enjoy the Music and Alpha Audio hear it as slightly warm and laid-back. A minority finds it correct but uninvolving or a touch thin: TNT-Audio, an ASR owner comparing it with ATC SCM7s, and a 2★ Amazon buyer.

“Sie spielen tonal neutral, wirken dabei aber klangfarblich zu keiner Zeit fahl.”

fairaudio (Jochen Reinecke) — “they are tonally neutral, yet never sound pallid”

“the overall tonal characteristic is on the warm rich side of neutral but not as much as I was expecting”

A British Audiophile (108 cm from the wall, several amplifiers)

“Overall, the sound from this speaker was pleasing and I am impressed at how the in-room response was targeted to provide both a wide soundstage without too much high frequency content; a balancing act for sure.”

Erin's Audio Corner (Klippel NFS; listening at 3–4 m)

“Without a direct comparison with their “sisters”, these Uni-Fi 6.2 REFs appeared to me to be substantially correct, with a defined and extended mid-high range, and a good bass, although not particularly deep or powerful.”

TNT-Audio (Lucio Cadeddu)

Sources split, and room size explains much of it. In small rooms (fairaudio's 15 m², i-fidelity at proper volume, Enjoy the Music on 24-inch stands) and for owners on Reddit and ASR, the bass is clean, tight and enough. In big rooms or without a sub (Sound & Vision's large open space, an ASR owner using them in a library, Alpha Audio with pop and electronica) it sounds light. Erin wanted more extension, and nearly everyone says a subwoofer finishes the job.

Sources split. Most praise natural, articulate voices: Sound & Vision, i-fidelity (exceptional vocal intelligibility), Alpha Audio ("heavenly"), fairaudio, Enjoy the Music, A British Audiophile and owners on Reddit and ASR. A sizeable minority hears a slightly coloured or reticent midrange: Erin heard a resonance on upper female vocals that an ASR owner also noticed, and Forensic Audio, TNT-Audio and two ASR owners found voices recessed or held back.

Mostly clean, smooth and non-fatiguing: Sound & Vision ("silky detail"), fairaudio, i-fidelity, Alpha Audio, Nemo and owners agree. Minorities go both ways. Some owners and TNT-Audio find the tweeter reserved and short on air or sparkle, and fairaudio notes an earlier super-treble roll-off than the B&W 606 S2. Others, close to walls in small or lively rooms, found it too bright until they added panels, EQ or toe-out.

“Dabei offerieren die Elacs den Blick auf kleinteilige Details, ohne in die Kühle eines Studiomonitors abzudriften, weil der Hochtöner eben nicht mit dem grellen Suchscheinwerfer draufhält.”

i-fidelity.net — “fine detail without drifting into a studio monitor's coolness, because the tweeter doesn't shine a glaring searchlight”

“The tweeter of the UBR62 is shy.”

tpsjo, ASR (owner; 3–4 m in a 4×5 m room with absorber panels)

“the Elacs concentric tweeters put out much more treble than my ears could deal with”

soundspotter, r/BudgetAudiophile (owner; about 8 in. from the side and back walls)

The point nearly everyone agrees on. Erin called the soundstage "the magic of this speaker", and fairaudio, i-fidelity, Alpha Audio, Sound & Vision, Enjoy the Music, Nemo and owners on Amazon, ASR and Reddit describe a wide, deep, sometimes tall stage with speakers that disappear. fairaudio adds that the stage starts at or behind the speakers rather than in front. TNT-Audio is the outlier, finding the image smaller than ELAC's own Debut 6.2 Reference.

“The magic of this speaker, though, is the soundstage.”

Erin's Audio Corner

“Und was die Elac UBR62 wirklich absolut famos hinbekommen, ist ein breites und überdurchschnittlich tief angelegtes Bühnenbild, bei dem sich die Lautsprecher komplett „in Luft auflösen“.”

fairaudio — “a wide, unusually deep stage in which the speakers completely ‘dissolve into thin air’”

“First of all you notice the gigantic stereo image in which everything is nicely positioned.”

Alpha Audio (on IsoAcoustics stands)

“The 3D image is also worse; smaller and more blurry.”

TNT-Audio (vs ELAC Debut 6.2 Reference)

Sources split. i-fidelity, MODERN HIFI, Alpha Audio, HiFi Daydreaming, Nemo and owners on ASR and Reddit describe a locked centre and precise placement. fairaudio finds it less pinpoint than its stage is big (it says the Inklang Ayers Two localises better), A British Audiophile calls it "a little bit vague", Forensic Audio rates the cheaper Polk Reserve R200 better, and TNT-Audio calls the image blurry.

Good resolution for the price, though not the last word in it. Alpha Audio ("none of our speakers, except our five times more expensive Revels" match it), Enjoy the Music ("a musical microscope"), fairaudio, i-fidelity, HiFi Daydreaming and owners praise the detail, especially in the midrange. A British Audiophile and TNT-Audio find it forgiving and less revealing than rivals, and Nemo calls it fairly good but unremarkable.

“None of our speakers, except our five times more expensive Revels, achieve this level of insight and transparency.”

Alpha Audio

“Think of them more like a musical microscope.”

Enjoy the Music (Ron Nagle; 24-inch stands, away from walls)

“if you're looking for a tell me everything kind of speaker this is not the one for you”

A British Audiophile

Sources split roughly evenly. i-fidelity, fairaudio, MODERN HIFI, A British Audiophile and a Reddit owner in a very large room hear lively fine dynamics, quick timing and clean output at sensible levels. Alpha Audio and TNT-Audio miss punch and slam, and an ASR owner heard it strain at about 95 dB. Erin's tests show compression above 96 dB at 1 m. Nemo found it came alive only at 75–80 dB, and Enjoy the Music turned it up for more dynamic contrast.

Fairly easy, with caveats. Enjoy the Music, Alpha Audio, HiFi Daydreaming, MODERN HIFI and i-fidelity say it tolerates being moved towards the back wall, and both German magazines say it suits rooms up to about 20–25 m². Others needed to experiment: A British Audiophile pulled it 108 cm out and toed it in more than usual, TNT-Audio preferred it parallel to the wall about a metre out, and a Reddit owner says it needs at least 12 inches from a wall. ASR owners disagree on the sweet spot ("huge" vs "not as wide as you'd think"), and one heard the sound change when moving around the room.

“I am very happy to inform you that room placement is not all that difficult.”

Enjoy the Music (24-inch stands, equilateral triangle, slight toe-in)

“Generell sollte dieses 25 Quadratmeter an Fläche keinesfalls überschreiten, denn die kompakten Uni-Fi-Reference-Lautsprecher fühlen sich in kleineren Zimmern am wohlsten.”

i-fidelity.net — “the room should not exceed 25 m²; these compact speakers are happiest in smaller rooms”

“I have some Elac UBR 62s and they dont' like being close to a wall or corner.”

soundspotter, r/BudgetAudiophile (owner)

“Regarding the sweet spot of the UBR62's... it's not as wide as you'd think.”

NightFlight, ASR (owner; 8 ft listening distance)

Needs a capable amplifier, though it isn't an awkward load. Erin measured about 83 dB sensitivity and found a 110 W integrated not enough to "go big" at 3–4 m. Alpha Audio, Forensic Audio, Nemo (at least 50 W of real power) and owners say to budget for a proper amp. A British Audiophile ran it from a 30 W NVA at low and moderate levels and doesn't think it is particularly difficult to drive; the impedance stays mostly above 4 Ω.

“I found quickly that I the 110w on the 200 wasn’t sufficient to really “go big” on these speakers, given their lower sensitivity.”

Erin's Audio Corner (Parasound NewClassic 200 vs Halo HINT 6, 3–4 m)

“with a sensitivity of 85db in 6 ohms this speaker requires a decent and mostly, a stable amplifier. So saving on your amplifier is not an option.”

Alpha Audio

“I don't think they're particularly difficult to drive”

A British Audiophile (NVA P50/S80, 30 W per channel)

Solidly made, but the finish is the most common complaint. The braced MDF cabinet, curved baffle and solid bi-wire terminals impress TNT-Audio, fairaudio, Sound & Vision, Alpha Audio and owners. The "walnut" and "oak" are vinyl wrap, though, which i-fidelity, A British Audiophile, Nemo, Forensic Audio and Amazon buyers call disappointing at this price. Forensic Audio's teardown found polyester film capacitors and an electrolytic, iron-core woofer filter, and one ASR owner reported a rubbing tweeter on two units.

“The cabinet is stiffened by numerous internal reinforcements and bracing on each wall, to limit vibrations and resonances.”

TNT-Audio

“Die Materialanmutung der UBR62 ist gut, aber nicht mehr.”

i-fidelity.net — “the feel of the materials is good, but no more”

“The exterior vinyl wrapping looks like something that one would find on inexpensive shelf units in an old double wide trailer and isn't neatly finished.”

Postal Grunt, Amazon US (verified purchase, 4★)

Sources split, largely by price and market. At €849 in Europe, fairaudio, i-fidelity, Alpha Audio and MODERN HIFI call it outstanding for the money. Sound & Vision, Enjoy the Music and A British Audiophile agree from the US and UK. TNT-Audio thinks ELAC's cheaper Debut 6.2 Reference sounds better, and Forensic Audio, ASR and Reddit owners paying $1,200–1,300 point to the Polk Reserve R200, Monitor Audio Silver and others, often saying it is worth buying on sale or used.