I hope you keep the channel going, we need someone like you to tell the truth

Here I be pretty much on the other side of the planet and KZfaq provides you and another Brit for audio enlightenment. Now my hut is full of wharfedale, Kef and Mission products. Thanks man.

Best channel on KZfaq

Spot On analysis of the Elacs! I wish you reviewed them before i bought a pair !! Mine lasted less than 2 days before they were re boxed and sent packing !

Excellent! The stuff written in hi-fi magazines about speakers is usually garbage. They always say how good a speaker is! You're able to look at each one from an honest standpoint. Good

Your approach to defining quality is really spot on.

Glad you're back, this is great info

Love this kind of review. Kelvin is straight to the point and keeps things concise. Loved the bit at the end. A lot of the hifi channels are all about new, crazy-expensive gear that’s just not realistically attainable for normal un-rich lovers of hifi. Anyway, Kelvin’s reviews of vintage pieces are perfect advice for getting your hifi sorted out within a reasonable budget.

It always amazes me how quickly most speakers go out of favour simply because of age; not being the latest thing. There's lots of quality out there from years past, if you can find it and it hasn't been abused.

Kelvin's got a van load of vintage monitor audio r252s he needs to shift 😂

I do enjoy your show. Far better than other similar.

I have 50 year old B&W transmission line DM2As - they sound great with my NAD pre&power amps from 35 years ago...the laws of Physics haven't changed and therefore the laws of Acoustics (which have to obey the laws of Physics) haven't changed either.

Great video. More reviews of current speakers would be very welcome.

I've owned R352 which I enjoyed a lot, because box is bigger( compared with 252), also port helps bass impact. I paired them with NAD 7020(3020 with radio). Drivers are quite good and pushed extra a bit by NAD, worked just fine for me. Cheers!

Honesty is the best policy, and where hi-fi is concerned it's more than needed. keep up the great vids thanks.

The speaker makes the sound great have a great day kelvin and everyone who likes quality

Kelvin keep doing your thing we love it mate! Greetings from Cyprus ❤

Afternoon Kelvin, another seat of the pants, honest review ,really strange to me that given the age difference between those two speakers the newer one isn't head and shoulders better in every way...according to Reviews It's very well rated..just more proof newer is not always better. P.S. like you choice of test track..Boz is a underated Icon in my book..Cheers Pal.

Super, a perfect description. Thanks Kelvin.

Great vlog Kelvin, just goes to show never trust the reviews, always trust your own ears 😊

👋GREETINGS KELVIN 🤗 GREAT TO SEE YOU SHARE THE PROGRESS, AND THE PROS AND CONS 🧐 using a Lazy Susan is very clever🧐💚💚💚

Hi stereo review X, i love your honest opinion on hifi and vintage speakers,your one of the very few channels i watch,once i see promotions on a channel, its hit that home button straight away,I cannot understand why people just don't give there own opinion on whatever there talking about or reviewing.

Kelvin’s hifi review here is very honest & yes as he mentioned, nobody supplies him any equipment so there’s no need to sugarcoat anything here. Alot of YT reviews cannot be trusted at all as these reviewers have to say good things about the equipment that they are reviewing if they want to keep getting equipment for reviews. So many so called popular reviewers here are all talking crab. Every piece of equipment they review is always the best. There seems to be no end to the best. A load of BS.

Ahhhh, it melts my mind😊 Thanks Kelvin. Great work.

The mid range dip seems to be common in modern speakers and so many sound hollow and nasally, even if bass is ok. I spent ages trying various electronics on some modern speakers, but you can't polish turd. And it being a Sunday I've decided to get some vintage gear out 'the collection' and put my modern system in the bold corner.

Have the crossovers on the R252's been recapped? If not, they have lots more to give.

I had those same Elacs and returned them after a month. They did nothing for me. I felt the same about the Sony SSCS5s. My favorite pair of cheap speakers have been the Polk Audio TSI-100s. Sadly they no longer make them but they have a great sound for the price. I was surprised by the amount of separation and clarity. I bought a pair, each, for my sisters and they love them for 2 channel listening. I enjoy your channel. Tim in California

Still using my NAD3130 & MA R252 after 39 yes. Everyone likes the sound

Dziękujemy.

Thanks for this informative video! I'm curious to know your opinion on Harbeth speakers. Any possibility of doing a video which includes them?

Kelvin that’s my Sunday evening sorted watching another great post 😊

I'd rather have nice present female vocals than boom boom.

Dare I say it, but Robin Marshall was a better designer than Andrew Jones.

I’ve a few speakers, but the ones I use in out in a summer house are celestion county’s and they literally even at low volumes tingle my ear canals and my teeth. The range blows me away, I must move them in the house.🎉

Debbie Harry sounding like John Lennon singing Mr. Moonlight came to mind in your description.

My Ruark Solstice reference monitors are 30 years old about an sound fantastic..

Agreed, that specific elac would be at the top of my list of disappointing speaker purchases, I sent that model out the door rather quick. It had nothing to give really anywhere, no engagement.

Great review, I like old speakers better too , new bookshelves you have to spend a lot of money to get good ones

With modern equipment allowing things like sound/room "correction" (or rather: tonality adaption to your room and taste) I wonder when we'll start seeing reviewers describing a speaker's properties with room correction enabled and disabled. With the Wiim products this technology becomes more available and might make consumers happier in many cases (not all of course, as quite a few stair clear of this technology).

Good for you Kelvin. So many reviewers have raved about the Elac B5.2 that you have there. A friend of mine bought a pair on the strength of those reviews. I heard them in his system and I agree with you. The sound was flat and boring and I literally switched off after 10 minutes.

Those & some other bass-reflex reflex speakers with large front ports, peak at the port's single resonance frequency designed to peak at the only note reflex port's can ever peak at, below 70 to 50'htz, depending port size, width & depth, or total internal volume as if both ends were flat & sealed ..if you like. but note-wise, depending purely on the above & the port tube's depth into the speaker, hence a one-note lift of maybe 6 or 12'db or more(?) that's fixed at the port's internal single resonance frequency that cannot change, it cant alter without a different internal air volume. Ports can be put on the back for less intrusiveness but still always a one note of ultra narrow frq' band to give "the illusion of" wide band deep-bass lift that just ain't there except for that 1 narrow fixed frequency lift. I always stuck a rolled up pair or 2 of socks in my KEF 3-ways, later dense foam. (They were the KEF B139 race-track shaped bass, not the passive magnet'less version, my two other KEF drivers were a T27 tweeter & a i4get.. (B100 / or 200? but prob' not) ...midrange, the same 2 drivers as the famous BBC 2-way monitors I 4get but thev are "still very expensive 2'nd hand" faves of many, I'm not mad about them but wouldn't say no to a v.very cheap perfect pair, which won't happen on eBay & normal Hi-Fi s/h shops & sites online, they were once always used in beeb recording-vans as monitors. But with the rolled up socks, my KEF bass was fantastic, no boom at all, hearing individual notes of walking baselines with & deep & not one note, like you get with many normal unblocked reflex port's deep single note lift, that I thought they didn't need on m KEFs. One first visitor told me "turn the music off Steve..." as he stood up panicking, soon as an L.P. first track's music started & not loud to need raising our voices, saying "..there's something going on in another flat". I said " no, that's just the bass line" he said "no, it's not, can't you hear that, somebody's smashing or hammering a flat to pieces or something" I had to prove it was a bass line & he was often visiting after he settled to wotever I played first, he bought L.P.s round he was changing for CDs (as his plan at least) & once said, despite CDs "I can't believe records can sound so good" he said B4 knowing "real" full range sound. i hate overblown bass & it wasn't even loud, he'd just never heard any other stereo than tiny hardboard half-cerial box sized lightweight boxes, only slightly heavier (I presumed, with what wad 1 single 4" inch full range driver a ch' fed from a toy C.D. player / amplifier combo by Sharpe, which I'd heard, but never bass at all & never said "turn the music off, there's something wrong, there'sno bass whatsoever". (Bless him) I could see the speakers hardboard backs as they hung on a nail in the wall & were tilted inwards, I'd have tilted them in the bin, but when you've never heard better, it's natural to get used to whatever sound you got & grow to accept it as the normal & "true sound" every one hears on any stereo. That was yrs back with my then all s/h cheap for price & fine sounding system of a Heybrook TT2, / Alphason Xenon,/ Denon 301 M.C., PS audio's1978'ish modular phono stage, into a Crimson pre-amp with inferior phono stage, hence then expendive s/h £70 P.S. Audio's 3 box modular phono stage with their upgraded & dedicated Hi-Current Power Supply (they called it) of 3 boxes, inc' M C. Step-ups put in the M.M. eq box for M.C.s & it remained unbeaten till I went fullly valved (not a transistor in or out of sight) 2 box fully regulated & hi-cap smoothed P/supply, huge transformer'd Phono Stage (Gr8, a s/h buy, not very cheap but a "now ive heard it at home, it cannot leave'" type of sound, by my installments request which were accepted) & very good (without the valve pre'amp's M.M. noisy phono stage with no step-up trannies like the P.S. Audio's, & my Quad II valve mono amps, always made with a fitted single 'to ground / chassis input resistor, that can be removed to lift Quad II power'amps input sensitivity from 1.5 volt to 0.75 volt for 15'watts RMS (clean watts) per mono valve poweramp which sounded excellent for the money back then. The Crimson Power later bought alone, was excellent with much better bass / lower mids that the Quad II's power'amps. The bass was natural but my friend had only heard Dansettes & "toy" stereos, the bass was natural & normally deep to other real hi-fi owning visiting friends. But to this new visitor, he thought the block of flats were being demolished or the bowls of the earth were banging tectonic plates around, I had no tone controls nor loudness buttons, just selector, volume & a ballance trimmer. Good Vid, I guessed at start you'd prefer the M.Audio tho wasn't entirely sure.

I got myself a pair of monitor audio 352 's about 3 years ago and must say i love love love them i do have a big room but they give me everything i could want The box is veneered oak and of good quality and they are still on there stands and they are nice They are good value at the 55£ i paid. I am unfortunately moving house now so had to put them away And have a bose acustomas 5 now i got for again 50£ i am not happy with music but they dont take up any room and they are i must say amazing for home cinema with the 50£ yamaha dspa A1 amp i got O well soon as i get 2 my new home i will get my r325s out again I love the channel Keep it up

I used the b6.2 on an old Yamaha AS500 for a long time (with a pair of good cables), and they sound great. I tried them on a Naim XS2, and really no issues in sound quality. The Elac Debut B6.2 are simple, honest affordable speakers... I think Yamaha amps offer the best pairing. Pairing matters a lot.

They made quality audio back in the 1980s. No receiver sounds better than my dad's Luxman.

It's not the quality of products that make magazines and some reviewers praise them - It's the money they get under the table for doing it. Not that many buy magazines anymore, and they have to get the money from somewhere. That way they scare off even more costumers and have to praise even worse crap.... They might tell a great story, but you better not believe it. Another problem is there's not much new gear worth writing about, but they still need something to fill the magazines. They might tell you the Elac's are good speakers - But your ears will tell you otherwise. That's when you stop listening to words and starts listening to the gear before wasting your money and filling their pockets. Don't trust magazines - Trust your ears. Great video Mate. Thanx.

Hi Kelvin, love your videos. I own a Sonneteer Alabaster integrated amplifier with Falcon LS 3/5a Gold Badge speakers. Any experience with the Sonneteer Alabaster ? If yes, how do they compare to Sugden a21 and Lavardin amplifiers?

Nostalgia is a powerful drug Kevin. Review some Tannoy Dc 200s with 10 inch drivers. They r seriously rolled off in the treble... Nothing like my large Tannoys

Thanks for the video and your opinion. Those Monitor Audio speakers, they look like Wharfedale woofers and Vifa tweeters to me. Do you know if I'm right? If so I like both of the drivers when I've heard them in other boxes. Cheers.

The monitor audio remind me of the bowers dm10 .. this is the first time I've commented.. keep up the great videos.. my journey back into hi fi at 43 .. has been helped by your knowledge... I need to stop buying speakers tho.. my latest is like a car restoration

For the trailing bit... YES reviewers are in a game to keep their game going. Dump hard on a bad product and you're likely to find your supply drying up. Some of the "big" reviewers are even on the record saying they won't review a bad product and probably for this very reason. But if you think about what we, as consumers, really want it's not to hear how wonderful the new best thing ever is. We actually want to weed out the stinkers so we don't end up wasting hard earned money and our limited time on bad or marginal products. I don't look to product reviews to know what to buy... I look for what to avoid. Keep up the good work, Kelvin.

Wow. Seems Monitor Audio really dropped the ball between the MA and R ranges! I've still got the MA16s I bought with my first-ever wages in 1980. They cost £79 new, the cabinets were rock solid and they had real teak veneer. They were a bit light in the bottom end, but they had good imaging and detail, no nasty resonances and they're still going strong 44 years on. And they were the bottom of the range.

Your review is spot on but after hundreds of hours the ELAC’s midrange does get better. Who knows why.

Kelvin interesting to hear your opinion. It does concern me how those modern speakers get good reviews. I sometimes think there must be an issue with my hearing as I have listened to some modern kit and I don't find it rewarding yet others do. One speaker I would like to hear is those Buchardt s400mk11. That crossover has no expense spared on components looking at it.

Hi interesting video , some speakers of that age was wood veneer. I have kef carinas mi2 , Lovery speaker in its day I had one many years ago. Regards mark

Is that an Arcam Alpha 8r poking out the side at 0:40? I got one given to me with a pair of Vandersteen Signature 2ce's and never known if it's a good amplifier or not.

I was planning to buy some new loudspeakers and this is now on hold 1) I don’t want a product made in China 2) second hand gear can be fun. Thanks

I’ve always been given to understand that Uk built cabinets and speakers are built to work well in a brick built homes. Perhaps I read or heard that back in the 80’s. Strong bracing in book shelf cabinets are the what I see in the hi end . 86 db 4 ohm 6.5” drivers seem to be the flavour of the day. It’s such a competitive market.

I know I've said it before, but you really need to try some old JPW P1 AP2 or AP3. They have a lovely midrange, super tight bass and clean highs.

never seen a tweeter anchored with TEN screws before, that’s crazy

I haven’t heard the Elacs but my understanding is Monitor Audio is really good and highly rated next to Bowers and Wilkins

Having not heard the Elac’s it’s interesting that that Andrew Jones originally worked at KEF. Maybe it’s that the Elac’s were developed for the Company’s push into America and thus tuned to that market.

I'd guess the Monitor Audios have a more benign impedance curve and higher efficiency than the Elacs - just based on the larger cabinet and lack of reflex port.

IMO the best value for money bookshelf speakers you can buy today are Celestion 3 Mk2's, what they lack in the bass (like all small speakers) they more than deliver in the mid range because of their revolutionary tweeter and are more musical than any speaker under£500 today and you can buy them under £100 if you're lucky!

So buy the mission speakers and add a sub bass. . How can a company like elac get to manufacture a lifeless speaker.

Even the Pioneer equipment from the 70s is quite expensive for it’s time. My dad had to beg for my mom’s approval which is like asking the UN for funding. The Monitor didn’t deliver bass, it’s a bigger speaker? Lido Shuffle is a good tune for testing.

Kelvin, gustos and preferences change from time to time. They moved from the tube era to the transistor era, then it was the shift to minimalism, no tone controls, no preamp section, then the speakers started to produce a "tecnhical" sound with lots of "detail" i.e. an annoying treble. Maybe - I say, maybe - the Elacs are not "bad" speakers. Maybe they are "new" speakers.. Twenty years ago I went with my little brother to choose some standmounts. The only speakers that I liked were the QUAD 11L. Not very uplifting and enthusiastic but a warm, full, seamless sound. And then a pair of Mission 780, more snapy and rythmic, albeit "smaller" sound, but still colourful. All the rest of the speakers in the hi-fi shop (and I mean all) were unbearable...

i recently bought a pair of old (80's) Rogers LS big box speakers quite cheap but was very disappointed with the sound compared to my BW 602's, the treble was very sweet but there was hardly any bass and the midrange disappeared into the next room. We get very few opportunities to try new / old speakers, it would be nice to be able to hire them.

Well im now the proud owner of b@w dm4s on Kelvin's review, they are very good.. My Goodmans 45's compete but the hf on these is quite delightful.. Spent a day cleaning them, again from Kelvin's review . They look great ..

What is yout favorite speaker new and old? Or a top 3 or top 5 maybe?

I don't know about that ELAC model in particular, but I have heard that series needs a lot of time to break in.

Even before watching Kelvin’s video i already know that the vintage Monitor Audio is going to be better all around compared to the modern Elac. Not wanting to discredit Andrew Jones, but i dun really like the super exotic TAD as well. But Andrew’s work at Mofi do deserve some mention.

How about a sub woofer paired with your old speaker? Sub woofers are not all that expensive and do they cure the base issue?

It amazes me how reviewers can have such opposing opinions. Maybe it's system synergy. Except for GR research where nothing is good and they all need expensive upgrades.

Totally agree , I’ve had some of these Chinese all conquering 5 star budget speakers and they lack interest to my ears. I found an old pair of Mordaunt short speakers recently - ms35ti / £30 - I guess they were also budget in their day (early 90’s) I think. They do a lot of things well , I enjoy music through them / something very sterile about a lot of these modern budget speakers . I don’t think it’s me being old fashioned , if the newer ones sound great I’d say so , they just don’t .

Are the old 70,s wharfdale Linton speakers any good,can they compare to modern speakers? (Newbie)

Hi Kelvin . Can you live with a definitive system?

Hallo! What You think about Canton speakers( Ct or Ergo) greatings from Upper Silesia

I found the elacs struggled with detail when I heard my mates but I did a comparison between my mates elacs and my dad's old kef coda2s found the coda2s delivered detail but also percussive sound and felt the 80s coda2s were a much better speaker

The cheaper Elacs are lacking in all areas.

Articulate review. I have a pair of ELAC unifi reference, would agree with your overall analysis regarding the sound signature. What amp were you using? Do you add a sub? Have you tried different combinations of amps/ DACs /sources etc. with your speakers in the pursuit of greater hifi gear synergy?

i bought those ELAC UB-5 / they sounded like garbage, gave me a headache after 10 minutes... i have to say the worst speakers i have ever purchased in my life... later i traded them for a turn table which i still use today...

Over the decades I've found little to no improvements in loudspeaker sound, just changes in appearance and design, use of smaller woofers, baffles and cabinet. Modern small speakers may be improved over small speakers from the past but overall not much improvement. Speakers like the 1980 Kef 103.2 or Rogers Studio 1a can hold their own against any bookshelf made today at their respective prices.

Monitor Audio speakers? Just build a better box for each, and upgrade the crossover networks. Mission speakers have the magic, and I bet those Monitor Audio speakers could too after a complete upgrade.

I do a lot of expperimenting with more expensive midrange drivers than you are likely to get in a speaker under $4,000 a pair. There does seem to be progress made since the 1980s, especially in terms of low distortion. Most1980s drivers will sound a bit strained and few will have that ultra purity that will tickle you on every note. But for most people what is important, is how do cheaper midtanges and tweeters from vintage speakers compare to cheaper drivers in more modern ones, because cheap drivers and cheap crossovers is what you are going to get inside speakers that cost $1,500 and less today. I don't hear any tweeters as good today in reasonably priced speakers as the old Infinity Emit tweeters, which Infinity gave you in even their budget models back in the 1970s and 1980s. You don't see polypropolene midrange and woofers hardly ever nowadays anymore either. You can forget berrylium midranges and tweeters included in speakers nowadays, unless you buy something incredibly high end. Yamaha gave you a great berrylium tweeter in it's less than $500 pr. speakers back in the latter 1970s. So I think there was a real pioneering spirit back then, and they gave you more for your money. A lot of cheap dtivers that they give you in todays speakers, would have been outright rejected as far as using them, back in the days when they cared more about the consumer. With modern speakers that are under $1,500, you ARE getting cheap drivers; and cheap crossovers. Some are a bit better than others. Using your own ears to ferret out which ones are bette,r is better than going by reviews. But the virtual disappearance of brick and mortar stores makes more people have to go by reviews.

Budget, Monitor Audio, Made in England , not exactly crap . I had some old Teac in my bedroom. It was cheap ,crap, extremely light.

@ 01:23 "the box isn't that good"....WHUaaagh?..... it's like 50 years old and looks brand new. I'd say it's pretty good yo

Kelvin, I had those Elacs. I agree, they are terrible. They sound exactly as you described. People say they get better with hours, but nope! I had traded for mine. My buddy had hundred of hours on them. I put another couple hundred before I gave up. Now, other speakers by Jones sound a lot better.

My sscond favorite speaker manufacturer is Boston Acoustics..You dont really here a lot about them anymore because there supposdly not designing speakers for home audio.anymore.?...id put them up against a lot of the british makes..They can easily hold there own i know cause ive compared against kefs & missions that I own as well.... Theres a a lot to be said for american speakers ,,

Enigmatic

Nothings new it’s all repeated off the old my friend brought £3000 speakers and he’s upset because his don’t sound like my tannoy dual concentrics there from the 80’s 12” driver 😊

You cannot review Elac with no breakin time. Elac's need many hours of breakin say about 100 hours for Elac Debut 2.0 B5.2 as I have. Would not trade for any Monitor Audio as the sound of Elac 5.2 is very neutral. Have had MA4's in past.

HELLO. CALVIN. Joe HERE I share you with the world. Anyhow. Yes most two ways have flat midrange. 1 one reason. Companies too cheap to add a mid. 2 TWO reason they are trying to emphasize bass and treble by having no mid driver and IT CAN'T BE DONE. You have to have a cone for each ection of music ll Extra low bass 40hz Bass 55hz - 150hz Mid bass. 150 - 300hz Mid 300hz to 2k Mid treble 2k to 8k High treble 8k to 20k That's how I set up my speakers. Sounds ABSOLUTELY 💯 ANAZING.... SO AT LEAST 3 CONES MINIMUM Hey I'd take two Samui amps 771 661 and put a Roger's monitor on one and put a bassier speakers on other one and play both. It will blow you away. Honestly

You are Good but can you keep it brief and come straight to the point