ELAC Prima's vs ELAC Debut 2.0 B5.2

I'm looking to make some upgrades to my current audio setup in the coming months. Current setup is as follows:

Audio-Technica LP120X (Using internal pre-amp)
Pioneer SX-6
Micca MB42

I figure speakers are the most needed upgrade. I usually will be listening at lower volumes since I live in a townhouse and my room has a shared wall. (my current amp shows a max of around 1W/8ohms when I listen).

I was looking into the ELAC Debut 2.0 B5.2's ($400 CAD) originally, but I figure since I don't need very much power, maybe the cheaper ELAC Primas ($200) will suit me better. The Prima's are Canada exclusive I believe, and they are a rebranded version of the generation one ELAC B5's.

So what would be better for me, considering I play my music at less than 40% volume? I have heard amazing things about both speakers, and I am sure either choice would be a big upgrade from the entry level Micca's. I'm just wondering if I should get the Primas and use the rest of the budget on a pre-amp, maybe a new cartridge OR just go all in for the Debut 2.0's. Wondering what you all think about this, or if you have any other suggestions in my price range.

Thanks

 

I prefer a smooth make everything sound good so I chose the Primas. I had a LP-120 with the B6 debut speakers and enjoyed that sound.
The big question is: Do you have room for rear ported speakers? If not then the front ported 2.0 would be my choice.

 

I have the U.S. version on the way (Debut B5's) ... got them in a "B"-stock sale for $172 @ ELAC America. Couldn't help myself, Michael Fremer loved them -- and his main speakers are a $200k+ pair of Wilsons.

I believe the 1st generation Debuts (B5/Prima, B6) will be regarded as classics someday. Andrew Jones is a genius.

 

I have heard so many amazing things about the Prima's from big audiophiles like Micheal Fremer. I have to agree that these seem like a steal for the price. I know that Andrew Jones is regarded as somewhat of a Jesus in the audiophile community, and I've heard that his ELAC speakers are just incredible. They sound comparable to speakers that are thousands of dollars.

I think that pretty much solidifies my decision. I'll go with the Prima's as I think they will be more than efficient for my small room. I'll spend the rest of the budget on an external pre-amp.

 

@Clonesteak Depends how much room you think I will need. The speakers will be on speaker stands, and I can probably put them around 40-50cm away from the wall. Would that be enough? I'm not playing the music very loudly to begin with.

 

I think that would be fine and being on stands I would go with the Primas. I have my Debut 6 actually fairly close to the wall in the playroom hooked up to a Pioneer AV receiver and sounds great. I usually don’t play them that loud and not a problem. They make all my CD’s sound smooth to my ear and vinyl sounds great!

 

Well then I'm sold. Thanks for your help. Since I'll be investing in the external pre-amp, do you have any recommendations?

 

I'm supposed to have my B5's on Tuesday!! Yaaay

 

Just got my B5s from Elac this morning!

Right out of the box, they sound very good. Bring "refurbished"/B-stock, they very probably don't need much (if any) breaking in. But I will still play Led Zeppelin II on repeat for 4-5 hours when I head out this afternoon to wake them up, if needed.

Question: how far out from the wall do you have your B5/Primas? ...

 

I have my Elac Debut B6, 6" from the wall. They are on a shelf and are placed where they have to be. The room is also used by the kids for school so hopefully able to redo the layout of the room in the near future. Perfectly happy for a third system in my house but proper speaker placement makes all the difference.

Curious how far there are from the wall MattF_19?

 

A Review.

Wow. Are these Elac Debut B5's ('Primas' to my Canadian friends) ever an audio bargain -- particularly at the $172 I paid, for this 'refurbished' pair. (Caveat: only 5-6 hours of actual music played so far, plus maybe 4 hours of TV dialogue.)

I set them on my Sanus(?) stands, and after some experimenting, settled on a position about 15" out from the wall -- not coincidentally about as far away as the stands can go without being underfoot in my tiny studio loft. (I initially had them about 8" out, but bass was rather boomy and uncontrolled. I tried plugging the ports, but that killed the bass altogether.) I left the grilles off for listening, which resulted in a more 'open' sound.

Compared to my reference speakers (Graham/Chartwell LS6's, $3,500/pr.): the only differences that pop out are a very slight metallic quality to the presence region(?), possibly down to the tweeters or their perforated-metal shields; also, the woofers complained at bit in the bass when King's X's Dogman (an aggressive '90s metal recording) was on repeat yesterday to loosen things up.

Whether break in or my brain adjusting to the Debut B5's signature I don't know, but this mornings' listen to Pink Floyd's Atom Heart Mother was maybe the most informative I've experienced. The main 'audiophile' difference to my reference speakers being the 'soundstage' being pretty much 2-D in between the speakers; with my Chartwells it's a bit more layered, with more ambient elements of the mix appearing behind the plane of the front baffles. But apart from that, the B5's 'disappear' as well as any speaker I've had here (including Harbeth P3ESR's.) But, I don't care about soundstage; clarity, tone and punch -- like live music -- are the qualities I'm after. Also, that elusive, utterly subjective but all-important quality: fun. More experimentation is underway to determine that as regarding the Elac Debut B5's.

Michael Fremer's review in Analog Planet was pretty right-on, actually.

ELAC's Debut B5 Loudspeaker Is Not Good For the Money

 

Addendum to A Review (posted just above)

I initially had the speakers toed-in towards my seated 'listening position', but found that to be a bit 'bright' (but only in comparison to my reference speakers.) So I now have them firing straight out into the room, resulting in a more balanced sound.

 

Another ten or so hours on the B5's ...

I'm currently listening to Nick Drake's Pink Moon, the vocal and guitar tone is utterly natural. Astonishing achievement for the money or, for that matter, many speakers that cost a whole lot more.

Sadly, Elac is now sold out of their "B"-stock ... but still available in Canada as the Prima. I wish Amazon.ca would ship to U.S. addresses, I'd buy a set of those too.

 

Wow! So sorry for the late reply @bhazen. Your review makes these speakers sound like incredible value for the money. I read Fremer's review and that got me pretty excited about these things, and your review really seals the deal. I definitely plan to purchase them soon (right now I'm doing renovations and don't have a permanent setup). I'm not exactly an audiophile, but I think I'm slowly becoming one. I'm really just looking forward to having fun with these, and enjoying a nice upgrade over the micca mb42's.

Interesting what you say about the speaker placement. My original setup had the speakers pointed towards my listening position, but you seem to have the greatest success with having them straight on. I'll have to experiment with the placement of course, but I think I'll start with 15 inches from the wall and having them fire straight on (I'll be putting them on speaker stands).

Could you provide any more details with the break-in time? I'll happily play Led Zeppelin II on repeat for a few hours to break them in
(Side note: Such a great album yet still not their best. Physical Graffiti all the way!)

 

I don't think they need too much break-in time. And I think distance from the wall, or whether toed-in or not, should be your call; having them straight on seems to smooth the upper mids out a bit, to me, in my room ... which is more reflective than most. Please your own ears.

 

[bump]

How's things going with everybody's Elacs?

 

I went a little overboard and got the Carina line, and now over two years these speakers blow me away every time I play something, looking at the Debut 2.0 B5.2s for a spare room, thanks for the reviews!!

 

Wow. Two months with the B5's (Primas in Canada), and I'm incredibly impressed. The slight bit of upper-midrange 'sheen' that initially bothered me has disappeared (or I've learned to unhear it) ... these are far and away the best small speakers I've had here that didn't cost upwards of a grand (I paid $173/pair on closeout from Elac America. $173. Geez!)

I've been meaning to swap my Graham/Chartwell LS6's ($3,499/pair) back into the system for a reality check ... but I've been having too much fun with the homely little Elacs. Maybe next week.

Andrew Jones is my hero. I'm wondering how good the (say) Unifi References might be. Scary to contemplate ...

 

I had the Elac Debut speakers in my home briefly and pretty much hated them. I heard a whole lot of box. I understand others love them. Different strokes.

 

The B6's ...?

 

Yes. Did not enjoy them one little bit. I love a good budget speaker. I had Wharfedale Diamond 9.1’s for several years in a second system…also liked the 10.1’s. The Elac drivers sounded ok, but the cabinet was a hot mess.

 

I've heard that elsewhere, actually. I think Herb Reichert said the cabinet vibrated like a sex toy, or something.

Amazingly, the B5's I have seem to do none of that (or, I'm just not hearing it!) Can't believe how fun they sound. It was a Michael Fremer review that was the inspiration for this very impulse buy ... thankfully, it worked out well for me.

 

@MattF_19 I take back what I said about minimal break-in -- I think they continue to get a bit better over some weeks. Mine do sound better than they did a month ago, I think.

 

Still haven't made the upgrade yet... The more research I've done, the more I've swayed away from going the ELAC B5 route, and I'll explain why.

The ELAC Prima's (B5's for my American friends) seemed to be an incredible value for only $200 CAD. I was sold. However, several other members on this forum explained that these speakers may not be the best choice for the amplifier I am using (Pioneer SX-6) (45 WPC, 8 Ohms). With an efficiency rating of 85 dB, many seemed to think these wouldn't work well with my amp, which in 2021 considered to be a lower-powered unit (whereas it was considered a beast in 1981). Besides, the ELAC's have an impedance of 6 ohms, whereas my amp is rated at 8 ohms. This led my to look into more efficient speakers, rated for 8 ohms.

I decided I really liked the Paradigm SE Atom's ($360 CAD). I've been told they are great value for the money, they're efficient (89 dB), and they're rated for 8 ohms. Some forum members even mentioned that they're such good speakers, I may never feel the need to upgrade (but perhaps I'd like to add a sub later on). So I've been interested in them for quiet some time now. I'm planning to pull the trigger in the next week or two, around the time I start moving back into my place after renovations have had me out for the last 3 months.

This led me to believe that an efficient speaker was the way to go for me. It took the KEF Q150, Emotiva B1+, and ELAC Prima's out of the race for me. I'm sure I'll be impressed with the Paradigm's. But I always wonder if I should be spending more on a pair of speakers... After all, this is something that's pretty important to me, but I guess I could always upgrade to something in the future. I've heard great things about the Klipsch R-600M. They're efficient, but they're a lot more expensive ($850 CAD!!!).

Curious as to what your thoughts opinions are on this @bhazen ?