What should I compare to the ELAC Uni-Fi?

[Steve81]

Unless the Elac concentric driver sucks, I'd fully expect it to have some significant advantages over the Q300. As mentioned, the Q100 is the better overall speaker vs it's big brother, and there are a couple reasons for this. Both are related to the fact that they share the same XO point and utilize minimalist crossovers:
1. The Q100 has a smoother off axis response.
2. The Q100 will be less prone to having issues with cone breakup.

Given that the Elac is using a 4" concentric, it should do well enough in both respects, especially if the crossover is a bit more sophisticated than what KEF offers on the Q series. Being a 3-way speaker is also advantageous, simply because you don't want to push any concentric driver too hard. If the mid/woofer is moving a few mm in both directions, it's not going to perform its function as a waveguide for the tweeter terribly well. Not as big of a problem when paired with a sub, but running full range it doesn't take rock concert levels to make a 6.5" mid/woof dance.

 

[Dennis Murphy]

Unless the Elac concentric driver sucks, I'd fully expect it to have some significant advantages over the Q300. As mentioned, the Q100 is the better overall speaker vs it's big brother, and there are a couple reasons for this. Both are related to the fact that they share the same XO point and utilize minimalist crossovers:
1. The Q100 has a smoother off axis response.
2. The Q100 will be less prone to having issues with cone breakup.

Given that the Elac is using a 4" concentric, it should do well enough in both respects, especially if the crossover is a bit more sophisticated than what KEF offers on the Q series. Being a 3-way speaker is also advantageous, simply because you don't want to push any concentric driver too hard. If the mid/woofer is moving a few mm in both directions, it's not going to perform its function as a waveguide for the tweeter terribly well. Not as big of a problem when paired with a sub, but running full range it doesn't take rock concert levels to make a 6.5" mid/woof dance.

The main problem with the Q100, besides limited bass reach, is the flimsy cabinet. KEF obviously put their money into the drivers. It would be interesting to see whether that shows up as an audible deficiency relative to the ELAC.

 

[KEW]

Where do you plan to get the Q300's? I noticed Acc4less had them. Going to be interesting to see how this all unfolds. Sounds like a good plan.

Cheers,

Phil

Amazon. They have the easiest return policies. I could save with A4L, but it is long odds that I will keep them.

 

[speakerman39]

Amazon. They have the easiest return policies. I could save with A4L, but it is long odds that I will keep them.

Very good point. Besides, Acc4less does NOT have them in stock right now. Really looking forward to your findings. Just wished that you lived closer to me as I would be glad to assist.

Cheers,

Phil

 

[KEW]

As mentioned, the Q100 is the better overall speaker vs it's big brother, and there are a couple reasons for this. Both are related to the fact that they share the same XO point and utilize minimalist crossovers:
1. The Q100 has a smoother off axis response.
2. The Q100 will be less prone to having issues with cone breakup.

Thanks for repeating yourself, I missed it the first time!

 

[Steve81]

The main problem with the Q100, besides limited bass reach, is the flimsy cabinet. KEF obviously put their money into the drivers. It would be interesting to see whether that shows up as an audible deficiency relative to the ELAC.

I'm also curious to see how much AJ has been able to squeeze out of a $500 bookshelf speaker. He certainly appears to be making the dollar go further than KEF (the Q100 runs for $550). One imagines their concentric is a bit less costly to produce than KEFs, but it can't be super cheap either. Then he's adding in a woofer, a "sophisticated" crossover, and a "robust" cabinet into the mix per the literature. On the face of it, that's a lot more comparable with the R series, sans the nice finishes on the higher end KEFs.

 

[KenM10759]

The differences in build quality between KEF's Q100 and R100 are striking. So is the price, at over 2x. I grabbed my pair of R100 during their "12 Days Of Christmas" sale (I think it was Day7) for $800, normally $1200. They did recently have the Q100 black on special for cheap, but I forget how much it was.

The biggest obvious differences in the two lines are the cabinets. Within 6 cubic inches in volume, it's the weight, true veneer vs. laminate, Q front ported & R rear ported, better terminals and the knock test definitely favors the R. They have different Z-Flex surround, tweeter construction, and I'm told better crossover components though I'm not opening mine up to see.

I would think the Q100 and the Elac Uni-Fi will be very close, with the nod going to the Elac for crossover and bass response. The KEF may win on tweeter response due to their "Tangerine Waveguide." It'll be an interesting comparison indeed.

 

[java62]

Nice thought, but I will have 30 days to return the Uni-fi's Which should arrive next week). If they are "just" very good, I don't need anymore speakers, and will return them. If they live up to the hype (say if they seem in the same league as the SVS Ultras), I will keep them.

Are you using the Ultra Bookshelves for this comparison? @twice the price of the Elac's I
would very interested in your final thoughts if
the Uni-fi can hold their own @$499 vs $999, I would go with the cheaper Elac's , I could have 4 Elac's for the price of two SVS, even AJ has mention the laws of diminishing returns when refereeing to cost vs performance.

 

[KEW]

Are you using the Ultra Bookshelves for this comparison? @twice the price of the Elac's I
would very interested in your final thoughts if
the Uni-fi can hold their own @$499 vs $999, I would go with the cheaper Elac's , I could have 4 Elac's for the price of two SVS, even AJ has mention the laws of diminishing returns when refereeing to cost vs performance.

No, I do not have the Ultras. I used them in my statement because they are very good speakers that I am fairly familiar with. If the ELAC could compete with my MEMORY of the Ultra's, I would probably look at something like the NHT Classic 3's that BSA suggested.
I certainly don't expect them to compete with the Ultra's but if they did, that would be a wonderful thing because I consider the Ultra a very good speaker for $1000/pair!
We have heard a lot of hype, and while I expect the Uni-Fi to be a competitive speaker in its price range, I do not think proper evaluation has been done with the prototypes at the Expo's. With the name recognition Andrew Jones has gotten, He could make a crappy speaker and it would sell well (not everyone reads reviews/forums).
From the Pioneer and Debut speakers A Jones designed, I expect a competent and competitive design:
To my ear, the Pioneer tower ousted the previous ruling Infinity Primus (but there are others who disagree).
To my ear, the ELAC Debut UB-5 did not beat out the Affordable Accuracy speakers, but it is still one of the better options around $200.
I love that someone with his experience and understanding is designing reasonably priced speakers, but he is not the only competent designer in this price range.

 

[D Bone]

SVS Prime Bookshelves would be a very comparable fight...........

 

[KEW]

Kurt, I hate to inform you but I read on AVS that the Uni Fi UB5 is being pushed back just a tad bit. Was trying to find where I read that, but to no avail. It was not a long wait. Just thought that I would mention it to you.

Cheers,

Phil

The new Uni-fi release date is 5/30! We'll see if that one takes!

 

[j_garcia]

Sounds like GIS telling me when our next upgrade is. This year it was Feb, which is now Oct...

 

[speakerman39]

The new Uni-fi release date is 5/30! We'll see if that one takes!

Sure hope it does Kurt. Would really like to see you get the chance to give the new Chanes a listen. Both the A1.4 and the A2.4 would fit into your criteria. It would be interesting to see just how they both would fare. Looking forward to your write-up!

Cheers,

Phil

 

[billy p]

My understanding is these are a far cry from the TAD designs AJ spearheaded. Likely aimed towards the masses... I would gather they'd be meh at best. Look forward to your ascessment of said speakers in this thread...maybe you could add some flavor by comparing them to some of the other affordable speakers you owned or auditioned like
the Energy RC 10s....

 

[KEW]

So ELAC/Amazon has once again slipped the schedule back a month!
This aggravating because Ascend is currently running a free trial promotion which includes their 340's which covers return shipping (thanks for the heads up Billy P.). They do not publish an end date for this promotion, but I hope it is still there when the ELAC's ship! The Ascends are probably the best speaker to compare (although they are normally $110 more expensive than the $500 Uni-Fi's after shipping.

Billy, I should be able to compare the RC-10's I still have them.

 

[j_garcia]

Wow, wonder what the issue is? Components or finishing details or high demand? Really curious to hear them at some point.

 

[KEW]

Wow, wonder what the issue is? Components or finishing details or high demand? Really curious to hear them at some point.

Pure speculation on my part, but ...
After AJ found out about the inconsistencies in the tweeters supplied for his entry level Pioneer series, he encouraged ELAC to sample incoming shipments from China to verify quality/performance was being maintained consistent with the original design.
I believe production in China is still a mixed bag. If you are a big company like GE, you can go into China, build a high tech plant and provide months of training before starting production and get great products at a very good price.
However, if the "speaker house" you contract with to supply you parts/assemblies pulls it's labor force straight out of the rice paddies your work force will be conscientious and hard working, but if you tell them to put part A in part B and part A later quits fitting into part B, the worker is inclined to find some sandpaper and rework part A rather than complain about parts not fitting! This is a culture of "keep a low profile and do your job". The idea of stopping work while a problem gets investigated is literally a foreign concept (without training).
At least that is my best guess!

Most recently we have Dennis Murphy discovering two different crossovers are needed for left and right Fluance Signature speakers because the inconsistencies of the drivers used are so great!

My understanding is that ELAC is pretty big and they should be able to get things under control

 

[j_garcia]

That's why GR measures his drivers and hand selects matched sets. When I ordered my replacement tweeters, he sent the pair with their measured response graphs.

 

[KEW]

That's why GR measures his drivers and hand selects matched sets. When I ordered my replacement tweeters, he sent the pair with their measured response graphs.

that does eliminate any concern of bad parts getting to the customer and for a small operation like GR, Danny (?) needs to check every driver that he gets. As long as the manufacturing company knows they will pay the penalty of returned inventory/reduced income when they ship bad product, they will learn to accommodate him!

 

[speakerman39]

That's why GR measures his drivers and hand selects matched sets. When I ordered my replacement tweeters, he sent the pair with their measured response graphs.

John, I just found out recently that Danny Ritchie merely designed the crossovers in my Linbrook Sig Monitors. Never knew that. I can easily say that they sound amazing. Good job to both Ty Lashbrook and/or Danny R.

Cheers,

Phil