Can anyone give a review of the Elac Varro PS500 Subwoofer?

[ssv1899]

The Elac subwoofer is priced similar to the SVS PB2000 pro, how do they compare?

 

[shadyJ]

The Varro has never been tested, so no one could tell you except maybe the Varro engineers. Based on the specs, versus the PB-2000 Pro, I would expect it to have a bit more mid-bass but not as much deep bass output. That is just speculation, and it's hard to tell. One big shortcoming of the Varro is that there are no physical controls on the sub, so you are totally reliant on the app to set it up. If there is a problem with the app, then the sub may as well be just a big paperweight. I really don't like that design, and I would steer clear of it for that reason alone.

 

[Eppie]

Many manufacturers are tying products to their apps. These phone apps auto-update and the terms of service can change without you knowing. For example, the manufacturer could release an update that requires the app to connect to their server so that they can record how the app is used. Then a few years down the road when it is no longer profitable, they shut the server down and the app suddenly no longer functions because the server connection is lost. This effectively bricks the device if the app is needed to set it up again. I would never purchase an audio product that works solely through a phone app! (Unless you feel that device is disposable after a few years.)

 

[isolar8001]

Someone let Louis Rossman know about this sub....would love to hear him go off for an hour about it !

Louis Rossmann

Contact: youtube@rossmanngroup.com - Louis reads this. For cases where a company has taken part in anti-consumer practices, PLEASE ADD TO https://consumerrights.wiki ! I started as a studio repair technician at Avatar & started a Macbook component level logic board repair business. This...

www.youtube.com

 

[kini]

The Elac subwoofer is priced similar to the SVS PB2000 pro, how do they compare?

As to what James said- from crutchfield-

"app sucks so speaker F'ed
david from Spotsylvania on 4/1/2023
Verified customer

sounds great love it. to bad i cant tune it cuz app wont find it. i guess the blutoof on the woofer came broke. everything about it is great but i feel the freq needs reversed but it has no manual controls, even the volume doesnt have a start and stop due to also being controledd via app. shame app cant find the FN speaker!!!!"

 

[MagnatMonitor Peetx]

I can. Kind of. Just bought it a few weeks ago. I couldn't test it extensively so far.
For me it sounds fantastic, it's the first time i say: it's a bit too much!
I planned on a good solid 12" sub , XTZ 12.17 edge was my final consideration, but to to logistics the shipping was far too long for my specific situation.
I came across the ELAC , because i was hunting on a budget, maximum 800 euros.

After i had to abandon the XTZ, this ELAC fit like a glove.
The only problem is that it's kinda big.

It sounds great, goes very low. And it rattles my place !

The app is easy to use, no need to calibrate it, no need to use eq. But the trigger sensibility setting is really nice. It turns on with a lot less signal then my old yamaha ns sw 200 .
And of course i set my crossover from the app, even the volume.

ELAC has a subwoofer line one step above this, that was out of my budget range.

I researched on a few brands. I considered buying used, but the market is rather scarce in my country for premium audio products....

 

[lovinthehd]

I can. Kind of. Just bought it a few weeks ago. I couldn't test it extensively so far.
For me it sounds fantastic, it's the first time i say: it's a bit too much!
I planned on a good solid 12" sub , XTZ 12.17 edge was my final consideration, but to to logistics the shipping was far too long for my specific situation.
I came across the ELAC , because i was hunting on a budget, maximum 800 euros.

After i had to abandon the XTZ, this ELAC fit like a glove.
The only problem is that it's kinda big.

It sounds great, goes very low. And it rattles my place !

The app is easy to use, no need to calibrate it, no need to use eq. But the trigger sensibility setting is really nice. It turns on with a lot less signal then my old yamaha ns sw 200 .
And of course i set my crossover from the app, even the volume.

ELAC has a subwoofer line one step above this, that was out of my budget range.

I researched on a few brands. I considered buying used, but the market is rather scarce in my country for premium audio products....

So what do you do for calibration/eq? All subs need that.

 

[MagnatMonitor Peetx]

So what do you do for calibration/eq? All subs need that.

that sounds like a brand new gimmick. I did a bit of fiddling with the parametric eq, but it's not needed. Crossover frequency is the only important thing imho.
I have my home theater setup symmetrically, and i boosted some values(by changing room correction) and manually EQ-d them. But only minimally.
So far i'm satisfied with the sub.
If it lasts 10 years+ i will be extremly satisfied.
This is perhaps my first audiogear which i can't imagine upgrading.
I don't want to listen above 100 decibels. This sub claims 115.
90% of the time it's under 90db. I hope with this much legroom the sub will have long life.

 

[lovinthehd]

that sounds like a brand new gimmick. I did a bit of fiddling with the parametric eq, but it's not needed. Crossover frequency is the only important thing imho.
I have my home theater setup symmetrically, and i boosted some values(by changing room correction) and manually EQ-d them. But only minimally.
So far i'm satisfied with the sub.
If it lasts 10 years+ i will be extremly satisfied.
This is perhaps my first audiogear which i can't imagine upgrading.
I don't want to listen above 100 decibels. This sub claims 115.
90% of the time it's under 90db. I hope with this much legroom the sub will have long life.

Good luck in any case. Not a brand new gimmick, just the nature of rooms/subs/integration. You use an actual crossover?

 

[MagnatMonitor Peetx]

Good luck in any case. Not a brand new gimmick, just the nature of rooms/subs/integration. You use an actual crossover?

Actual crossover? is that another snake oil for audiophiles. I use the settings of my reciever plus the settings of the subwoofer.
I know i don't have a 10000€ setup, but it's decent for me and my room size.

 

[j_garcia]

that sounds like a brand new gimmick. I did a bit of fiddling with the parametric eq, but it's not needed. Crossover frequency is the only important thing imho.
I have my home theater setup symmetrically, and i boosted some values(by changing room correction) and manually EQ-d them. But only minimally.
So far i'm satisfied with the sub.
If it lasts 10 years+ i will be extremly satisfied.
This is perhaps my first audiogear which i can't imagine upgrading.
I don't want to listen above 100 decibels. This sub claims 115.
90% of the time it's under 90db. I hope with this much legroom the sub will have long life.

That's the main thing, you have it and like it in your system. PEQ is not a gimmick for sure, but I agree, it isn't the end of the world without it.

Sub life is usually tied to the amp more than anything. Many of us who bought the Epik Empire found that out the hard way. It was plagued by amp issues and became an extremely heavy paperweight.

 

[MagnatMonitor Peetx]

That's the main thing, you have it and like it in your system. PEQ is not a gimmick for sure, but I agree, it isn't the end of the world without it.

Sub life is usually tied to the amp more than anything. Many of us who bought the Epik Empire found that out the hard way. It was plagued by amp issues and became an extremely heavy paperweight.

I get that, i tried to do research, but information is very limited on the subject.

Most people default to SVS in a few seconds.
I was considering SVS, Dali, Klipsch, maybe Magnat, XTX, KEF, Dynavoice, Focal...you know the brands that i know.

I specifically registered on this very site, to give a little review on this ELAC. There is only one review on the internet about this sub.

 

[j_garcia]

On this site, probably other major audio forums, common sub recommendations are going to be SVS, HSU, PSA, Rythmik; The lesser known names that represent value for performance. SVS is an easy one because they have solid customer support, warranty and a reputation for quality that hasn't wavered IMO. That is not to say the others don't.

Elac used to get a lot of discussion here when Andrew Jones was the designer there; mainly on speakers though, not really subs.