This is an impressive feat for such a drastic change, and shows that the speakers take well to being EQ’d, and are quite friendly to those who like to tinker with audio. We managed to keep distortion to well under 5% across the entire range, and even reduced it in some places. After taking a closer look at its internal components and taking a full sweep of measurements, we think that its dips at 90-120Hz and at 1.2kHz are a build quality and tolerances issue with the crossover, but we need a second speaker to confirm that.Īfter EQing the ELAC speaker to have a flat signature, we were very happy with how it sounded. It’s not great for studio monitoring, but it makes normally muddy tracks sound distinguished and enjoyable. This gives good separation between the bass and lower mids, and keeps the speaker from sounding boomy even when playing boomy tracks. Interestingly, their sound signature takes a huge dip in the mid-bass, between 90 and 120 Hz. With no adjustments, the F5.2 speakers have a tight, defined bass, slamming treble, and a thin midrange. Looking at the Impulse Response, we can infer that their spatial accuracy is solid, but we can’t confirm that without a stereo pair to test. In particular, the ELACs have a shelf boost past 1.5kHz, which gives treble an extra sparkle and brings more atmosphere to the sound, but also leaves the speakers sounding a little thin and harsh sometimes. However, it is a little more powerful than its woofers out of the box. It also has a phenomenal tweeter and a well damped impulse response, allowing the treble to shine without overstaying its welcome. Its bass is especially tight for its price point, giving drums a very punchy feel. The ELAC’s step response is nice and tight, with a very good sustain, giving the sound precision all over. However, the ELACs do a great job of keeping distortion to a minimum, so it’s easy to use EQ to play with their sound until you find a signature that suits your needs. It really brings acoustic music to life, but genres with a prominent midrange or congested treble suffer. We measured the sound with both listening tests and with a MiniDSP UMIK-1 feeding into Room EQ Wizard. The F5.2 is a beautiful speaker for its price, with a sparkly and tight sound. We strongly recommend you buy a pair for stereo, as that is how tower speakers are intended to be used. ![]() Lifewire / Emily Ramirez Sound Quality: Bright, beautiful, rich soundīefore we launch into details, we’d like to remind you we only tested one tower, so we cannot judge its soundstage or stereo performance. It’s perfect for a stereo pair, and it’s part of the greater ELAC Debut 2.0 family if you’d like to set up a surround sound environment. There are flashier speakers on the market, but few command the elegance and maturity of the F5.2 speaker. These are passive speakers, so you’ll need to get an amplifier and some speaker wire to set them up (though the connectors are compatible with banana plugs should you prefer them). That sturdy frame is wrapped with beautiful black veneered MDF that blends in with any decor, and the grill is a velvety soft cloth with the ELAC logo embedded in silver letters at the bottom. More importantly, the weight serves a purpose: the steel frame shields the three 5.25” aramid fiber woofers and the 1” tweeter. It weighs 34 pounds and measures 40” tall, which is not fun to lug around a living room, but conversely means that it’s hard to knock over. The first thing you will notice about this ELAC tower is that it’s heavy. ![]() Lifewire / Emily Ramirez Design: Large yet elegant
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