Audio Video News

Elac, the 92-year-old German audio company, has announced a new line of home speakers and subwoofers that line builds on its first-generation Debut series.

Slated for release March 15, the Debut 2.0 lineup has nine models — ranging from a $200 center-channel speaker to $800/pair towers — and incorporates a number of new features, including a silk-dome tweeter with a wide-dispersion waveguide that’s said to improve directivity control and reduce diffraction.

The tweeter uses a wide-roll surround to extend response up to 35,000 Hz for more “lifelike high frequencies.” Low-frequency response has also been extended for improved integration with the woofer, according to Elac.

Other enhancements to the line include a new woven aramid-fiber woofer, redesigned to improve stiffness and damping, which when combined with a new dust-cap, results in “a smoother response and greater transparency.”

The cabinets have also been redesigned with a front-mounted port, which enables greater placement flexibility, allowing the speakers to be positioned closer to the wall or on a bookshelf. The cabinets are finished in black vinyl ash and made of thick MDF, internally braced for greater stiffness to reduce cabinet vibrations that can cause unwanted coloration.

Recognizing that the majority of sound in a home theater setting comes from the center-channel speaker, Elac has optimized the sensitivity and impedance of the line’s two center-channel models in an effort to minimize power requirements and “maximize dynamic impact from lower cost receivers.”

Another highlight of the Debut 2.0 series is its app-controlled subwoofer with auto-EQ and what Elac calls one of its most-often-requested features: the ability to control multiple subwoofers at the same time from the app.

“Based on feedback from dealers and end-users, along with changes in the market, we have completely re-designed the entire line-up with newly developed drivers, waveguides, cabinets, and networks resulting in a line that is easier to set up and offers significant performance improvements,” said Andrew Jones, vice president engineering.

The Debut 2.0 models are:
B5.2 two-way bookshelf speaker with a 5. 25-inch woofer ($250/pair)
B6.2 two-way bookshelf speaker with a 6. 5-inch woofer ($300/pair)
C5.2 two-way center speaker with dual 5.25-inch woofers ($200 each)
C6.2 two-way center speaker with dual 6.5-inch woofers ($280 each)
F5.2 three-way floorstanding speaker with three 5.25-inch woofers ($300 each)
F6.2 three-way floorstanding speaker with three 6.5-inch woofers ($400 each)
A4.2 Dolby Atmos add-on speaker with a 4-inch dual-concentric driver ($250/pair)
OW4.2 wall-mountable two-way speaker with a 4-inch woofer ($250/pair)
SUB3010 400-watt powered subwoofer with a 10-inch driver ($450)

For more information, visit, elac.com.