The Elacs go for about $300, KEF's 1,300, and the DynaAudio's are probably twice as expensive as the KEF's, so of course the ELACs sound veiled and boxy compared to the more expensive speakers, you get what you pay for here.
Thanks for the work you put into these videos. What I get from it is a comparable performance between them all, but with the more expensive options providing that bit extra in detail and soundstage. The 'winner' is the person who is happy with their purchase!
Yeah, it's really person dependent. For audiophiles who do critical listening, the Dyn is the better choice. For casual listening, the Elac can hold it's own. Great time to be in Audio.
They all sound good: each in its kind and in its pricing. They render a different and satisfying experience which cannot be merely compared to the other one. I personally get a deep emotion when the human voice comes out from the Elac's much reverberating and surrounding sound. I get surprised by the details of the Kef, where I first perceive the smallest "buzzes" of the strings of the bass. The difference from the two speaker is something as if the Elac where a much equalized/artificial output (let's say an equalizer that has been very well set but very much preceivable) and the Kef where a totally flat equalization (I personally miss some ambience, contrast in frequencies, and big lack of presence and warmth in the bass).Finally The Dynaudio seem to be a synthesis of the two former speakers, having a balanced complex of both the aspects, warm ambience and detail, remaining natural and emotional. Paradoxically, having all the characteristics, they somehow end up by having less character compared to the other two rivals.
For those suggesting the elacs win, hand down, I would suggest they only win for their price range. The instrument accuracy is apparent with the higher end speakers. They all seem to reproduce vocals very accurately but the snare drum and high hat cymbals on the first track are the give away with the elacs. The timpani and triangle really make the dynaudio shine on the last track.
While I wouldn't put the Elacs down, Blake is 100 per cent correct about the drumming being a revealing difference between Elacs & the more expensives. Listening to the first 20 or so seconds at the beginnings of the first track in quick sequence demonstrates this quite clearly (even on youtube :).
Agreed. But it all boils down to how important that is to the listener, when you factor in price. Some people see no importance in hearing everything clearer, if the overall sound is nice to listen to and the price is right.
What do you mean by accuracy? That they communicate the snare and hi-hat more realistically? I feel the Kef and Dynaudio make the snare and hi-hat sound more 'luscious' more, high end, is that what you mean? I don't personally know the recording so can't comment whether that type of sound is truer to the recording.
You can hear all the pieces of the tympahny working on the Kefs, but the Elacs have a great smooth sound with lots of detail, the Dynaudios were more sterile than I was expecting. They all sounded very good, but the expensive ones were super revealing.
Finally, someone who noticed what i did hear. On another occasion, i hear the Dynaudio Emit M20 vs the Q100, Q150 and Q350 and also some B&W speakers in the same price range. i hear them live, at a shop. And let me tell you, those Kef's sound not so great like the M20 from Dynaudio. Which clearly stood out to the whole bunch, including the B&W.
Thks for the taking the trouble to do the sound demos. Differences aren't significant just that vocals sound more airy on the KEFs and bass goes deeper on the Dynaudio. Performance to price winner goes to the Elacs
Elac black crow 1:01 KEF black crow 1:52 DYN black crow 2:52 Elac Spanish H 3:51 KEF Spanish H 4:51 Dyn Spanish H 5:51 Elac Star W 6:50 KEF Star W 7:51 Dyn Star W 8:51
Dynaudio is the best of the 3. It gives a more well-rounded performance with clarity at the top end and better defined lower end. Thus, giving a more complete performance. In comparison, the KEF is mostly top end and little lower end to speak of. The Elac sounds veiled and muddy compared to the Dynaudio and the KEF. You get what you pay for.
look at the price of the KEF`s. For this price you get better elacs which blow them out of the water. What you are listening to is the cheapest of cheap speakers elac offers. The lowest possible entry level of elac. Yea, sometimes you get what you pay for, but the KEF`s are not in that range. And for the price the ELACS are good. I personally could not decide. For me the Dynaudio and ELAC are pretty much on the same. The Dynaudio do a little bit better in bass. The KEF goes last for me, heights sound mutet / muffled, not really clean or present. I prefered the other 2 speakers.
Oh and also, sure you cant really decide through a youtube video. I listen with beyerdynamic DT1770 Pro. But you surely need to hear them real life to really make a choice.
@@dom3827 I do def not agree with your statement . I do not own any of the speakers or speaker brands . Imho the Elac are the worst , less refined then the other 2 , more cluttered sound . The Kef is well defined sound , and tighter . The Dyns , do have soft but very airy highs , the bass on its hand is more muddy ( or less tight ) then the Kefs but it does reach deeper . For me the Kefs are a winner here , as it has for me a nicer sound signature . The Elac is clearly the nr3 , not considering the price . Taken prices into account , well all could change off course ...
Very useful video. The sonic differences amongst these three sets of speakers are easily identifiable even when the play volumes are not the exactly the same. These three products are substantially different in terms of price. My ranking is Focus 160, LS50 and B6.2. The B6.2 delivers great value at a relatively low price.
The LS50 sounded worst out of the 3 speakers but definetly not bad, it seemed to handle complex parts worse than the Elac and the Dynaudio because i noticed the sound was slightly congested during the Star Wars Theme. My favourites are the Elac speakers as i think they seem very clear and detailed with good instrument separation and especially considering the price
This was interesting for me. For the first piece of music, the Elacs had an energy to them that the other two didn't seem to have. The other two had clarity, but at the cost of the energy of the song. For the second piece, I didn't like any of them! Again. I found the Kefs and the Dynaudios to be clearer, with more detail, and I think the vocals sounded better, but none of them made me want to sit and listen. Granted, I'm listening through UA-cam on my computer, but when I play this same song on my very modest system of Pioneer SP-BS LP22s with a Yamaha RS202 receiver, it sounds very, very good. The third piece of music is supposed to invoke a feeling of a very dark and powerful empire crushing anything that gets in its path, and to my ears only the Elacs delivered on this. The other two , again, were clearer and more detailed, but you just didn't get the raw energy of encountering an unstoppable empire. So, the Elacs seemed to be very good at capturing the musical energy of each piece, whereas the other two seemed to put greater clarity and detail before this. I preferred the Elac approach.
Ah, thanks for commenting. They are all excellent at their price point and I would recommend all of them. If you every get a chance to hear them, make sure you do.
I own some Focus 160 speakers, the only thing to watch for is ensuring you have a decent higher current amp that can handle 4ohm speakers. Basically look for an amp that actually delivers closer to twice the power into a 4ohm load compared to it's 8ohm rating.
Dynaudio overall best, nice bass. Elac close second to my surprise. The Kef tweeter has a kind of sibilance to it that I just cannot stand. The higher end models have the same problem, to my ears, that is. It's not sounding natural, quite sharp, especially on female voices. Thanks for taking the time to do this demo!!
Thanks, the LS50 sound is not for everyone. In this demo, I used the Bel Canto which is not a good match actually since it's class D. With other amps, it's better. Having said that, I heard the REF 3, those sound pretty good and it was not harsh, granted it was with a Mcintosh C500+bryston 4b3.
Thomas, your test is compromised mate. The volume is noticeably lower with the Kefs and that's not my hearing. I put my SPL meter on and that's what it tells me. To have a fair comparison you need to set the volume at the same level, otherwise the speaker playing louder has a psychological advantage over the others. Sorry to spoil the party but, if we are to draw a conclusion of this, all parameters have to be equal.
Tnx Thomas! As you probably already know, different efficiency in speakers (with the same power setting), affects the SPL from one to another brand. You may use a tone generator and an SPL meter to set the volumes equal before you move from one speaker to the next. Great videos though, I enjoy your presentations!
Agreed. I want a rematch, a part 2 if you will, the correct SPLs please. It seems that in this episode the Dyns won. So be fair and redo with spl meter readings. Thanks, great video.
The consensus is that the Dynaudio sounds best and I agree. Regardless of volume differences, the differences in the sound quality are obvious even over UA-cam. No need to nitpick on procedure as everyone is fully aware. As I stated, differences were obvious.
I chose ls 50 1st and then dynaudio. Both speakers are clearly listen the instrument of that music. separation are good. Elac speker always best in the low to mid budget segments, But not so audiophilac. Ls 50 clearly win.
Thanks! I understand you completely, if you have the golden ear and go into critical listening like my audiophile friends do, you can pick up the difference. I am somewhere in between, between critical listening and casual listening.
The Elac's can be picked up for $300 new. The Dynaudio for around $2K. We're looking at least a $1700 disparity. So I guess the real question is do the Dynaudio sound $1700 or nearly 5 times better? My simple answer to that is, no. I mean, for that kind of price disparity it would have to be an "OMG!" difference. And honestly, it's not. Given what Elac can produce for $300/pair, I'd love to hear a $2K pair of Elac's compared to the Dynaudio. My bet would be on the Elac.
It’s not linear even for Elac. What’s hard to achieve it to give more when going the high-end route (and that cannot be felt without being in the very room, through a recording listened to from yt, there’s no chance to catch it). Very decent results at a low price are easily achievable provided the R&D was already done on another line of speakers (now this is indeed a strategy some companies don’t wanna have!), as it was explained in this video... go into an auditorium if you can and give it a try on high end speakers, you’ll get your omg effect! Dynaudio or other brands like B&W KEF Klipsch Sonus Faber etc.
Put the Elac Adante compared with the similarly priced Dynaudio Special 40 (both about $3000/pair CDN) and Elac will be left wondering where it even is.
Through my uDac-->Philips SHP9500, the Dyns sound the most balanced and coherent. The Elacs are fairly impressive and full-sounding for the price, but seem to clutter up a bit compared to the other two. The KEFs are approximately equal to the Dyns from the mids up, but the Dynaudios also have much better lower-mid/ upper bass (where the KEFs fall off). The Dyns are the clear winner to me, here, even through the internet through my cheap dac/ headphones. (I find these comparison vids useful. While you can't judge the sound of a speaker, you CAN get an idea of how it performs relative to others).
I was able to tell the differences easier when the Star Wars theme was played. Dynaudio reproduced better details(nuances) of the different instruments being played at the same time. Also it had more pronounced bass.
Few days ago I got two pair of different speaker and two different amplifiers.i just want to know which makes more difference in terms of sound speaker or amplifier. I tried both speakers to one amplifier and then both amplifier to one speakers .I figured out that amplifier makes more change in sound.i don't know whether it's a right approach or not to find which metter most speakers or amplifier.
Considering two factors (UA-cam limits and a speaker being judged using another speaker/headphones), for me the ELACs are noticeable more brute force and have "in yer face" sound, but a little bit crude. It's difficult for my taste to name the winner, wich would be a mixture between the Dynaudios and the KEFs. Both sound, each on his way, more "airy", very good detailed and not too much bass end, without letting this to feel "absent". Great demo video, Thomas. Thank you.
After watching and listening to the video and reading all the comments, I think that many choose the DYN because they know that it is the most expensive and their logical reasoning leads them to affirm the superiority of these speakers, if the sound test had been blind I dare to say that many of the comments would be different.
Truly amazing, Mr Thomas. You have chosen very suitable tunes for comparison. Based on these three sound clips, capability and limitation of my ears and gears, Followings are my finding, 1) Black Crow Elac delivered snare drum sound like I were sitting on the drum throne and hitting physically on the snare. Whereas with other two speakers , it sounded like I was standing 8 meters away from the player and listening it. Sounded like there is some dumping applied on the snare drum. In the bass area, Dyn is the best followed by KEF. Bass picking, guitar picking, hit hat and vocals are found all similar. 2) Spanish Harlem There is a distinguishable vocal at the beginning of her singing in first clause, “there is -------- “ and ending of first caluse and second clause“-----Spanish Harlem “are sounded more lively, more dynamic. 3) Star W In this tune, KEF able to deliver more define high end than other two by listening at the time stamp around 8:40 to 8:45. Dyn able to give more profound dynamic sounds with balance in overall tonality. Again, bass was more pronounced then other two. Its high will not fatigue ones ears for sure. Based on above observations, If I were to choose one, I will choose as per below, 1) If all speakers are new, considering capability and price tag, it will be wise to choose Elac over other two. However, we may need to sacrifice build quality and longevity. 2) If they all are old (abt 5 yrs of age) and price is not the matter of question then better to choose Dyn over others. Due to the fact that is has the capability of delivering more dynamic range and able to adapt with high end, low end conditions. If you are a big fun of keep switching your gears (like Mr Thomas), you will need this pair of speakers to give you a level which might go beyond your expectation on your new gear. 3) If someone wants their pair of speakers to be looked different from conventional speakers and aiming for Mid price tag with decent sounds output to their ears then KEF would be a choice for them. And if you were happened to be an audio engineer at recording studio or home studio, you might find KEF as your suitable kit due to its concentric speaker design. If you want to augment your speakers with Sub then, that will be whole new level of comparison we need to do it over again. Equipment used for listening these tunes, 1) Source U-tube over budget cell phone audio output. 2) Earpiece a) Soul (basic) b) Shure IEM (basic) 3) Headphone AKG(stereo mode, no bass boost, room compensation -small) 4) Speaker Mission 780 bookshelf. 5) Amplifier Martin Roland M-831
Thanks for writing such a detail response, you obviously have a passion for Audio. I wish all my sub can hear these gear at my place and discuss about it.
I own the Elac, but found the KEF a lot more enjoyable to listen to in this comparison, the Elac was too 'exuberant' and lacked the subtlety and insight provided by the other two. The KEF I could easily live with, however the Dynaudio managed to combine the subtlety of the KEF with a more dynamic sound that had just the right amount of exuberance to make the sound more engaging overall.
I don't know, they all sound great. The Kef and the Dynaudio were more precise and balanced, but i had the most fun with the Elacs, so i would go for the Elacs as my dailys. More serious audiophiles who enjoy finding the details would probably be better off with the Dynaudios.
To my ears, Elac gives me softer and more comfort sound. High peak does not pop out, base sound is round. KEF is clearer, but hurts my ears for a long listening. My ears are naive. :)
Great recordings man. Elacs certainly a bit harsh, KEFs sound far more musical. And Dynaudios even a bit more so. However, potential buyers should be careful, Dyns really need that power amp. You will have to cash quite a bit for a powerful amp even for such small Dyn speakers. I own an old pair of Contours 1.3 and they seem to me to have the same drivers inside. The only sub-200W amp (meaning 2x200W at 8 ohms) that can drive my Dyns well is an old Naim NAP 250 that is rated 70W but somehow it just plays so so good.
Starting to look back at your older videos, love them all...To me they all sound very similar however it all comes down to the majority of music that one listens too as there are speakers that obviously sound better but with a limited type of music where as I prefer an all rounder speaker that can keep up with the majority of the music that I listen to and a great amp can bring out even transform an inexpensive mass marketed speaker such as the Elac B6 2.0 which I own driven by a Naim Nait 5si with an Arcam Ir Dac and they sizzle! My Naim with the still affordable Kef Q350's are a match made in heaven considering price, etc.
it really boils down to sound preference maybe the thousand dollar speaker is the audiophile but listening to genres like heavy metal doesnt require a refined sound,they just need splashing cymbals and punchy low end for double pedal.
The Elacs sound quite good for the price, their looks are another story. I don't think I could live with the LS50s upper mids for any lenght of time. Considering the point of diminishing returns which Dynaudios would offer 90% of the 160's sound at a fraction of the price?
Sadly, I don't think it's possible to find 90% of dynaudio for a fraction of the price. If you are looking for a speaker that does bass, treble, midrange 90% of dynaudio for a fraction of the price, maybe. Elac would be a good example. However, for people buying $3k level speakers, there is a certain sophistication that comes with those speaker that more budget speaker just cannot do.
It's like the horn of a car or a train locomotive . What is most important? To hear the WARNING signal that you will be hit or will save your life or the slight differences of the warning sound . We get lost in the details and we lose the essence that we have : to listen music.
There's spurious background sounds that affect my remote judgement. There's some buzzing going on in the Elac section on Spanish Harlem. Also times where I hear physical movement and camera shutter clicks. If I were to assess what I hear, it sounds like KEF reproduced a tiny more detail on the high end, and somewhat better separation of sounds. Dynaudio sounder a bit fuller to me, especially on the Star Wars Imperial March. All sounded like speakers I could listen to long term, but keep in mind, my budget and equipment is down market from this selection. If I had to choose without budget constraints, I would select the KEF speakers.
ELAC = Upfront/Forward and powerful sounding but lacks some detail/resolution and sound-stage presence. KEF = Middle of the road. very clean/clear sounding. good detail with some sound-stage presence but perhaps not the most exciting sounding of the three tested. DYNAUDO = A lot of sound-stage presence/image depth & width. It puts you into the recorded environment more, thus sounds the most "real" to me. For my $$$ I'd go with the Dynaudio - assuming its got a good front end on it and amp'd properly. Still ,the Elac IS very impressive for its low cost. (BTW, I listened to the video with a pair of Focal Solo6 Be speakers and matching Focal Subwoofer - - Front end is a Schiit Yggdrasil DAC w/ SPL Volume 2 preamp all connected via balanced XLR).
To my ears, the KEF and Dynaudio are much better than the ELAC with the symphonic piece. The ELAC doesn't have the range of the other two and sounds somewhat veiled. If you listen to popular music most of the time then you really can't go wrong with the ELAC, especially at that price point. However, if you listen to a lot of classical music i'd save up more money and buy the Dynaudio. In the long run, I'd be happier with the sound and have less of nagging need to upgrade. Side note - I kind of liked the pairing of the KEF LS50 with the BelCanto amps here. In the demo with other set up video you have (Audio Research/McIntosh) I think you mentioned that you weren't happy with the pairing. I wonder what it is about the belCanto you didn't like (vs the AR/McIntosh) ? Maybe it's not apparent coming through my laptop and little audio set up however i did find the sibilants in the AR-McIntosh to be a bit bright.
Spanish H to my ears the highs in here voice Kef and Dyn sound effortless the Elac not so much. For the money though Elacs are nice speakers considering the others cost so much more. Pretty amazing how far lower cost speakers have come. Great video!
I'm not going to buy into some of the comments below, simply because I know how quickly 'exciting' transducers (speakers and headphones alike) can wear you down over longer listening sessions, but I have to agree that the Elac sounds more lively from both of these sound demos. Thomas, we're all well aware of the joys of YT compression - regardless of the original bitrate - but there's a bigger problem here : without sitting in your room there's no way I can get a reasonable appreciation of the SQ without having your *exact* playback chain at this end - even then, we're talking your room PLUS my room - a complete waste of time. I spent a ridiculous amount of time with a pair of HD800 strapped to my head in 2014-15, listening for minute differences across different combinations (and different media) and all I can say is that its an exercise I wouldn't wish on anyone. I went back to listening to *music I like* on a much cheaper pair of cans and from a pair of Monitor Audio speakers that probably cost less than the speaker cables you're using in your high-end rig. I appreciate what you're trying to do here, but I suspect you've just sold some more Elac speakers at the expense of Dynaudio's reputation : happy to hear otherwise. Thanks for the vid.
The people who buys Dynaudio will not buy Elac. Although in a sound demo, it might sound similar, if you look at some of the comments, there are some who get it. For someone who is just starting out, the difference is little, but for someone already shopping in the higher end market, namely, $3k market, has already developed enough sophistication to know what to look for. The Elac are amazing for the price, it cannot be denied and it should be celebrated. If you look at some of the comments, people do buy it and return it if they don't like it. The video in itself is sharing an experience and not with the intend to sell anything, I believe anyone watching the video should approach it that way. We all know there is no way youtube can reproduce what I hear and for that reason too, I mentioned it should be an entertainment video and not taken as a serious review video. The good part however, is that for those who don't know Elac, might now give it a try. The stereo world is so vast and fun and my goal is to share the fun. People assume I am not listening to music doing all these testing. I would say, either listening or testing, the end result is having fun. If I am having fun, I think that is what really count. You see, I am not a critical listener always picking out all the details, I have given up on that and that is thanks to the $300k system I reviewed. I am chasing after something else now and will elaborate in the Canton video.
But ARE you having 'fun' ?? From what you've told us about your friend's $$$ speakers, you wont be happy until you get something on that level in your own lounge room. I have the odd fantasy about being able to afford a pair of Magico speakers and the room to do justice to them (the electronics can come later - transducers and the room are much harder and more expensive to get right IMO), but deep down I know that some of my music will actually sound worse on speakers of that calibre than it does now - the HD800 made that abundantly clear and that was a $1300 headphone, from memory. Aspiring for 'better' is great, no question - I just wonder when 'good enough' will really mean 'end game' for many of us. Thanks again for the effort you've put into these demos.
I am 100% having fun, else I would not be playing with $279 speakers if my goal is to get the ultimate detail, thunderous bass and the audiophile package. It took a while but I have finally come to the realization that I need to let go, nothing I do will let me catch up to my friends speaker. With the, I start going back to trying different things, expensive and budget, it no longer matters, as long its fun. I still play with expensive speakers but my final system actually is already built...well kind of, which I will touch in my Canton video. Btw, thanks for all the comments, its great to hear from you.
To me, it's obvious the KEFs have the most inert cabinet. The Elacs sound congested compared to the other two, especially on the first track. The KEFs have the cleanest midrange but I slightly prefer the timbre of the Dyns. Unfortunately I noticed some sibilance with the Dyns on "Spanish Harlem." It's also apparent that the Dyns produce greater scale, as they should given their cabinet size. If I were to quantify their quality by percentage, as others have done, I'd say the Elacs are 80% as good. If I were the casual listener I was in the past, I would probably claim 95%. Thanks for the vid.
Bel Canto is nice gear! A bit above my pay grade as a Professor, though, lol! Just finished listening to this through a set of Sennheiser HD600s, a reasonable choice for reference listening considering UA-cams compression algorithms. It is remarkable how close all three sound. BUT, there are differences. The Dynaudios and the Elacs sound most alike, except for the fact that the Dynaudios are smoother and have a better driver integration, the Elacs are a tad rougher, less refined there. The Dynaudios are, indeed, the smoothest of all three. But, neither the Elac nor the Dynaudios has the soundstage that the LS50s do. They expand the musical field and location of the instruments and voices the most. They are a little thinner on vocals than the other two, but not by much. It's very slight. Again, this is a tough call over a youtube digital soundtrack. I was surprised I could even distinguish this much considering how awful youtube sound can be. Also, there was some distortion on the Elacs on the Spanish Harlem piece, sounded like some kind of feedback, microphone-higher pitched? None of that on the other two speakers, though you could hear something like someone bumping or fussing with the mic stand when the Dynaudios were playing the same song! There was no distortion I could hear on anything else!
Your description is very accurate. Well, the Dyn soundstage can keep up, it;s just speaker placement. But the rest of what you said is pretty much how I feel. The Elac Spanish Harlem sound is caused by my cell phone :(
I do not know if they sound the same, but they undoubtedly perform "more or less" the same. The thing is that a 2000 euro speaker should not, by any means, sound "more or less" like a 300 euro one. In my very humble opinion the thing is, with today's level of expertise and technology around, it is possible to make a very (and I mean "very") good sounding speaker for a ridiculous price. Andrew Jones knows what he is doing when he makes a speaker.
Switch of the TV and gsm and don't take photo's when recording ;) Elac Debut. Good clear uncolored mids, tight bass and good price! Not much wrong with that.
KEF - brighter more revelling, DYNAUDIO - cleaner leaner more control less bright ,ELAC- just easy listen, just guessing these speakers sound signature , I hope I'm close to accurate thank you Thomas.
Interesting. I preferred the Elac for Black Crow because of the bass. But both the KEF and Dyn had smoother midrange (maybe). However because of the better midrange, both the KEF and Dyn were better on Spanish Harlem with the Dyn beating out the Kef because of its more full sound. The Imperial March was revealing. The Elac had deeper bass where it should not have been. It was almost muddy. Not quite as the bass did still sound smooth. The KEF sounded bass shy. But still had it when it needed the deep notes. It reminded me of the Buchardt vs the Sony Core demo you did....comparing the KEF to the Sony Core....the KEF had deeper bass where it needed it but the Sonys high end was better. Here the Dynaudio shined and kicked the crap out of both the Elac and the KEF. It had the bass. Not too much like the Elac but much deeper than the KEF when the bass notes were supposed to hit. And the high notes were good. I would actually like to hear a comparison between the Sony CS5 vs the Elac debut 6.2 since they are so close in price range.
The KEF sounds best for me Elac sounds very veiled in the mid-range Dyaudio lacks definition at the top end and too laid back - not my cup of tea If I have to rank them then: KEF > DyAudio > Elac.
After having owned the KEF and Dynaudio, the Dynaudio is on a shelf of it's own. The only problem with them is that you need to spend the same amount on an amp that is capable of giving them what they need. The KEF are a great set of speakers as well and most people find them more of an all-arounder, and a more cosmetically modern look, but once you get that Dyn setup pinned down, you'll never want another brand again. Next thing you know you've got the Focus towers, and then the Contour limited editions... then your wife starts asking how much money you've spent.......
Hey Thomas, The Magnapan MMG's seem like a good alternative to those speakers in this review and at $650.00 with generous upgrade option a bargain. Any thoughts's
Difficult to judge on YT, will sound different when you listen to them live in a room. Have heard a number of different brands, whilst they usually sound good. I find they still sound like you are listening to a speaker. Only a few brands have that natural sound that gives you that realism.
@@ThomasAndStereo I think you will like the ProAc sound. It's to reduce the baffle area around the tweeter to minimise diffraction. You can play around with the orientation. Having the tweeeters on the outside gives a slightly bigger soundstage.
The KEF to me handled the more complex music better. Perhaps due to driver / crossover distortion in the other two. The extension of instruments not there on the ELAC with the Dynaudio as usual muddying the lower range. These distortions seem to be quite a challenge to speaker designers. The type of power cable into the amps might help with that.
Well, the dyn needs power to shine. Not sure how the other music came out but over here, its not muddy at all the Dyn relative to the 2 other speakers.
On the first track, there are distinct differences in the bass. The Elac's sound a bit hollow. The KEF and Dyn sound more well rounded with the KEF being more articulate. On that track, I prefer KEF then Dyn and Elac. The second track, I think the Dyn wins on smoothness with the KEF a close second, and the Elac's hollow bass still there. The third track is where things get more interesting. The Dyn clearly separates from the pack with clarity, while the KEF and Elac are both a bit muddy at points, through the KEF is still more articulate overall. For vocals, I think it would be a tight call between the KEF and Dyn. They both do it well with superior articulation to the Elac. If you get to more orchestral, pieces it seems the Dyn really pulls away. I'd be curious to hear a good jazz piece on the three. With my B&W's handling classical and orchestral well (and pretty much everything really) already, it's a tough call between KEF and Dynaudio as a second pair. Worth noting that I'm told the Bluetooth self-powered KEF's (LS50w's?) are waaaaaay better the LS50's (likely due to carefully chosen am[lification). Might have to check those out!
Hi.How many ears , different opinions.Never will be the same, even when the speaker driver is the same.This is the most important thing.After we have this thing with the price of the gear , expensive doesn't make everytime the big difference noticed by human hearing. This audio test demo prove it, undoubtedly that less expensive gear in this case Elac speaker is NOT far behind of Dynaudio speaker , on the contrary is very close which does not justify buying the most expensive equipment from this 3 set of speakers. To buy just for the sake of buying or bragging that you have the most expensive thing is hypocrisy. This hypocrisy will never end.
I listen to this video clip blindly the first one ( Elac ) sound super harsh and so upfront and ears get fatigue easily compare to the others ... , Kef is between the two not so upfront but kinda sweet in the mid range , , Dynaaudio is the winner if you like the balance neutral sound
I was very impressed by the Ls50 even through youtube.. seems to me in an entirely different league when it comes to mid range and response abilities, maybe lacks a tiny touch of bass but could be better closer to a wall.
"Star Wars" really tells the difference. The Elac is almost falling apart , to much going on and its loosing control,almost distorts. The KEF:s are much better , but the star of the show is Dyn. I dident care much for the ELAC pointed mids Listen through USB-Dac , Akai 1055 and KEF Reference 101. You dont get a LOT extra for the money asked, but KEF and Dyns are classes better. No wonder they are 2 of the best book shelf money can buy nowadays.
Well, i am spoiled. I hear the Emit M20 from Dynaudio live at a shop here and they sound awesome. Not one KEF could convince me; the high/mid were not near the brilliance of the M20. I also hear the bigger brother of the M20, the M30. Which sound very simulair but wins in the mid/low just because the M30 is a floorstander and have more air to move around. That makes all the difference; the M30 sounds more complete. But ofcourse, its atleast twice the size and price. So, the M20 do extremely well.
With my cheap laptop and headphones I am pretty sure this front end makes a clear but, small difference when price is put in the equation. It Seems the Elacs gained the most notable improvement, the other two are still more defined and clean, I could never spend the extra cash for the privilege.
Was that cartoons playing in the background? The Dyns are going lower than the kefs and i didn’t see much of a difference in highest frequencies. So I guess they’re all priced right.
Thomas, I think you can start a new business, providing sounding rooms via UA-cam :-) its the most difficult job to make sound listening tests at a shop for many reasons.. .here, all is equal. I can hear the differences, and definition of space was probably the biggest impact from elac up to dynaudio. ( I heard more of course, but space for me is important, the space to place the sound you hear - are the instruments all on top of eachother or are they higher, lower... or is the singer facing center, left of right... or moving as they sing...) I spend hours in stores to arrive at what I hear as you provided in 10 minutes. But now we get to another important point, as you so well state "to your taste"... what you present for us is audio output using the same source, but what isnt' happening is the compensation of the speaker considering its inherent properties, which each have quite some differences. Meaning if we were to add a room compensation profile for each, then it would be more "equal" a comparison. the Elac would have quite a different eq curve to the ls50 to the dynaudio. And each are built for a slightly different goal as well, thus a profile would balance that out more. And I think that would allow the user to more easily arrive at their preferred "taste" (? maybe ?) I am happy to geek out listening to your comparisons and discussions! Thanks for taking your time to do this for us!
I never thought about having a different EQ curve. I understand receivers can calibrated with a mic but if I were to do it thru a 2 channel setup, it would mean I would need to run some kind of software to do it ? I would not know where to start or even how to integrate it into Jriver. Thanks for commenting.
I had the Elac 249 and KEF R700 so I already have an idea how they sound. I would say similar with Elac a bit more refined but bass was more punch on the R700 despite Elac 249 can dig deeper. Of course, I was comparing 2 speaker with a big price different but in short, they do sound similar, analytic and precise.
If I ever come across them at a good price. Elac, I already tried the FS249 so not sure if I would want to try the 403. KEF R300, maybe but I probably will look for a R3
Interestingly, to me, the Elac seems to benefit the most from the Bel Canto system, relative to the Onix amp. Those Elac sound fantastic for the price with the Bel Canto front end. The Dynaudio seems too "rolled off" in the highs for me. The KEF sounds good, but "thinner" than the Elac. Of course, all this might be completely different if I heard this demo in person. Yes, the Elac demo had the advantage of being louder than the other two speakers, which should have been compensated for in the demo, but I did raise my playback level a bit for the KEF and Dyn, and I still think I may prefer the Elac overall.
Yes it also seems to me that the dynaudio have softer highs with the Bel canto than in the cheap setup. This is after raising the volume to account for volume differences between elac
This is a great lesson on the law of diminishing returns. 90-95% at 1/10 the cost.
The Elacs go for about $300, KEF's 1,300, and the DynaAudio's are probably twice as expensive as the KEF's, so of course the ELACs sound veiled and boxy compared to the more expensive speakers, you get what you pay for here.
Can’t tell with this awful music choice
@@ralex3697 sorry mate, but you're the problem
Thanks for the work you put into these videos. What I get from it is a comparable performance between them all, but with the more expensive options providing that bit extra in detail and soundstage. The 'winner' is the person who is happy with their purchase!
Yeah, it's really person dependent. For audiophiles who do critical listening, the Dyn is the better choice. For casual listening, the Elac can hold it's own. Great time to be in Audio.
They all sound good: each in its kind and in its pricing. They render a different and satisfying experience which cannot be merely compared to the other one. I personally get a deep emotion when the human voice comes out from the Elac's much reverberating and surrounding sound. I get surprised by the details of the Kef, where I first perceive the smallest "buzzes" of the strings of the bass. The difference from the two speaker is something as if the Elac where a much equalized/artificial output (let's say an equalizer that has been very well set but very much preceivable) and the Kef where a totally flat equalization (I personally miss some ambience, contrast in frequencies, and big lack of presence and warmth in the bass).Finally The Dynaudio seem to be a synthesis of the two former speakers, having a balanced complex of both the aspects, warm ambience and detail, remaining natural and emotional. Paradoxically, having all the characteristics, they somehow end up by having less character compared to the other two rivals.
For those suggesting the elacs win, hand down, I would suggest they only win for their price range. The instrument accuracy is apparent with the higher end speakers. They all seem to reproduce vocals very accurately but the snare drum and high hat cymbals on the first track are the give away with the elacs. The timpani and triangle really make the dynaudio shine on the last track.
While I wouldn't put the Elacs down, Blake is 100 per cent correct about the drumming being a revealing difference between Elacs & the more expensives. Listening to the first 20 or so seconds at the beginnings of the first track in quick sequence demonstrates this quite clearly (even on youtube :).
Agreed. But it all boils down to how important that is to the listener, when you factor in price. Some people see no importance in hearing everything clearer, if the overall sound is nice to listen to and the price is right.
Very true, but I think for most people the Elac brings great value because it's miles ahead of what most people have ever heard.
What do you mean by accuracy? That they communicate the snare and hi-hat more realistically? I feel the Kef and Dynaudio make the snare and hi-hat sound more 'luscious' more, high end, is that what you mean? I don't personally know the recording so can't comment whether that type of sound is truer to the recording.
You can hear all the pieces of the tympahny working on the Kefs, but the Elacs have a great smooth sound with lots of detail, the Dynaudios were more sterile than I was expecting.
They all sounded very good, but the expensive ones were super revealing.
Dynaudio wins hands down with all the separation and dynamic range and a much more spacious sound.
Finally, someone who noticed what i did hear. On another occasion, i hear the Dynaudio Emit M20 vs the Q100, Q150 and Q350 and also some B&W speakers in the same price range. i hear them live, at a shop. And let me tell you, those Kef's sound not so great like the M20 from Dynaudio. Which clearly stood out to the whole bunch, including the B&W.
Thks for the taking the trouble to do the sound demos. Differences aren't significant just that vocals sound more airy on the KEFs and bass goes deeper on the Dynaudio. Performance to price winner goes to the Elacs
Elac black crow 1:01
KEF black crow 1:52
DYN black crow 2:52
Elac Spanish H 3:51
KEF Spanish H 4:51
Dyn Spanish H 5:51
Elac Star W 6:50
KEF Star W 7:51
Dyn Star W 8:51
Dynaudio is the best of the 3. It gives a more well-rounded performance with clarity at the top end and better defined lower end. Thus, giving a more complete performance. In comparison, the KEF is mostly top end and little lower end to speak of. The Elac sounds veiled and muddy compared to the Dynaudio and the KEF. You get what you pay for.
look at the price of the KEF`s. For this price you get better elacs which blow them out of the water.
What you are listening to is the cheapest of cheap speakers elac offers. The lowest possible entry level of elac.
Yea, sometimes you get what you pay for, but the KEF`s are not in that range.
And for the price the ELACS are good.
I personally could not decide. For me the Dynaudio and ELAC are pretty much on the same. The Dynaudio do a little bit better in bass. The KEF goes last for me, heights sound mutet / muffled, not really clean or present. I prefered the other 2 speakers.
Oh and also, sure you cant really decide through a youtube video.
I listen with beyerdynamic DT1770 Pro. But you surely need to hear them real life to really make a choice.
sure and you can noticed the difference trough youtube! hahaha
Dom L. C
@@dom3827 I do def not agree with your statement . I do not own any of the speakers or speaker brands . Imho the Elac are the worst , less refined then the other 2 , more cluttered sound . The Kef is well defined sound , and tighter . The Dyns , do have soft but very airy highs , the bass on its hand is more muddy ( or less tight ) then the Kefs but it does reach deeper . For me the Kefs are a winner here , as it has for me a nicer sound signature . The Elac is clearly the nr3 , not considering the price . Taken prices into account , well all could change off course ...
Very useful video. The sonic differences amongst these three sets of speakers are easily identifiable even when the play volumes are not the exactly the same. These three products are substantially different in terms of price. My ranking is Focus 160, LS50 and B6.2. The B6.2 delivers great value at a relatively low price.
The LS50 sounded worst out of the 3 speakers but definetly not bad, it seemed to handle complex parts worse than the Elac and the Dynaudio because i noticed the sound was slightly congested during the Star Wars Theme. My favourites are the Elac speakers as i think they seem very clear and detailed with good instrument separation and especially considering the price
This was interesting for me. For the first piece of music, the Elacs had an energy to them that the other two didn't seem to have. The other two had clarity, but at the cost of the energy of the song.
For the second piece, I didn't like any of them! Again. I found the Kefs and the Dynaudios to be clearer, with more detail, and I think the vocals sounded better, but none of them made me want to sit and listen. Granted, I'm listening through UA-cam on my computer, but when I play this same song on my very modest system of Pioneer SP-BS LP22s with a Yamaha RS202 receiver, it sounds very, very good.
The third piece of music is supposed to invoke a feeling of a very dark and powerful empire crushing anything that gets in its path, and to my ears only the Elacs delivered on this. The other two , again, were clearer and more detailed, but you just didn't get the raw energy of encountering an unstoppable empire.
So, the Elacs seemed to be very good at capturing the musical energy of each piece, whereas the other two seemed to put greater clarity and detail before this.
I preferred the Elac approach.
Ah, thanks for commenting. They are all excellent at their price point and I would recommend all of them. If you every get a chance to hear them, make sure you do.
I own the LS50. They Dynaudio sounds best to me. Sounds effortless.
Eric iagree next buy for me
I own some Focus 160 speakers, the only thing to watch for is ensuring you have a decent higher current amp that can handle 4ohm speakers. Basically look for an amp that actually delivers closer to twice the power into a 4ohm load compared to it's 8ohm rating.
Dynaudio good
Dynaudio overall best, nice bass. Elac close second to my surprise. The Kef tweeter has a kind of sibilance to it that I just cannot stand. The higher end models have the same problem, to my ears, that is. It's not sounding natural, quite sharp, especially on female voices. Thanks for taking the time to do this demo!!
Thanks, the LS50 sound is not for everyone. In this demo, I used the Bel Canto which is not a good match actually since it's class D. With other amps, it's better. Having said that, I heard the REF 3, those sound pretty good and it was not harsh, granted it was with a Mcintosh C500+bryston 4b3.
Thomas, your test is compromised mate.
The volume is noticeably lower with the Kefs and that's not my hearing.
I put my SPL meter on and that's what it tells me.
To have a fair comparison you need to set the volume at the same level, otherwise the speaker playing louder has a psychological advantage over the others.
Sorry to spoil the party but, if we are to draw a conclusion of this, all parameters have to be equal.
Yup, agree.
Tnx Thomas! As you probably already know, different efficiency in speakers (with the same power setting), affects the SPL from one to another brand.
You may use a tone generator and an SPL meter to set the volumes equal before you move from one speaker to the next.
Great videos though, I enjoy your presentations!
Agreed. I want a rematch, a part 2 if you will, the correct SPLs please. It seems that in this episode the Dyns won. So be fair and redo with spl meter readings. Thanks, great video.
The consensus is that the Dynaudio sounds best and I agree. Regardless of volume differences, the differences in the sound quality are obvious even over UA-cam. No need to nitpick on procedure as everyone is fully aware. As I stated, differences were obvious.
carlos oliveira I don’t know what point got you to do your conclusion, cos for me vocals are amazing on the kef. So I guess it’s all subjective
I chose ls 50 1st and then dynaudio. Both speakers are clearly listen the instrument of that music. separation are good. Elac speker always best in the low to mid budget segments, But not so audiophilac. Ls 50 clearly win.
The ELAC's don't come close to the KEF's or Dynaudios... The clarity of the KEF's and Dynaudios is far superior. Great video!
Thanks! I understand you completely, if you have the golden ear and go into critical listening like my audiophile friends do, you can pick up the difference. I am somewhere in between, between critical listening and casual listening.
One vote for Dyaudio. Quite close though.
Many thanks Thomas - love your music clips, and your views/reviews.
Dynaudio is the best but don't justify the price diffrent. Elac win.
Love this demo. I will certainly buy the elacs just to test them on my system.
Please share your findings and mention what is your frontend too.
Great sound comparison Thomas! I like the clean Kef sound better than the other two. The dyn not as open or bright but very smooth still.
The Elac's can be picked up for $300 new. The Dynaudio for around $2K. We're looking at least a $1700 disparity. So I guess the real question is do the Dynaudio sound $1700 or nearly 5 times better? My simple answer to that is, no. I mean, for that kind of price disparity it would have to be an "OMG!" difference. And honestly, it's not. Given what Elac can produce for $300/pair, I'd love to hear a $2K pair of Elac's compared to the Dynaudio. My bet would be on the Elac.
It’s not linear even for Elac. What’s hard to achieve it to give more when going the high-end route (and that cannot be felt without being in the very room, through a recording listened to from yt, there’s no chance to catch it). Very decent results at a low price are easily achievable provided the R&D was already done on another line of speakers (now this is indeed a strategy some companies don’t wanna have!), as it was explained in this video... go into an auditorium if you can and give it a try on high end speakers, you’ll get your omg effect! Dynaudio or other brands like B&W KEF Klipsch Sonus Faber etc.
I agree with 100%!!
Just being compared to the Kef and Dynaudio tells me where my moneys going on my next speakers.
Put the Elac Adante compared with the similarly priced Dynaudio Special 40 (both about $3000/pair CDN) and Elac will be left wondering where it even is.
The Star Wars clip was very useful. I will try to pick up a used pair of LS50s.
For others who are observing & weighing options, I picked up a gently used pair of LS50s from a private owner for $650 + shipping.
It's interesting to hear all these differences through all the added room effects, mic, then our speakers and room effects ;p
now that's funny :)
Through my uDac-->Philips SHP9500, the Dyns sound the most balanced and coherent. The Elacs are fairly impressive and full-sounding for the price, but seem to clutter up a bit compared to the other two. The KEFs are approximately equal to the Dyns from the mids up, but the Dynaudios also have much better lower-mid/ upper bass (where the KEFs fall off). The Dyns are the clear winner to me, here, even through the internet through my cheap dac/ headphones. (I find these comparison vids useful. While you can't judge the sound of a speaker, you CAN get an idea of how it performs relative to others).
The midrange of the Elacs sounds much better than the other two.
I was able to tell the differences easier when the Star Wars theme was played.
Dynaudio reproduced better details(nuances) of the different instruments being played at the same time. Also it had more pronounced bass.
Few days ago I got two pair of different speaker and two different amplifiers.i just want to know which makes more difference in terms of sound speaker or amplifier. I tried both speakers to one amplifier and then both amplifier to one speakers .I figured out that amplifier makes more change in sound.i don't know whether it's a right approach or not to find which metter most speakers or amplifier.
Considering two factors (UA-cam limits and a speaker being judged using another speaker/headphones), for me the ELACs are noticeable more brute force and have "in yer face" sound, but a little bit crude.
It's difficult for my taste to name the winner, wich would be a mixture between the Dynaudios and the KEFs. Both sound, each on his way, more "airy", very good detailed and not too much bass end, without letting this to feel "absent".
Great demo video, Thomas.
Thank you.
After watching and listening to the video and reading all the comments, I think that many choose the DYN because they know that it is the most expensive and their logical reasoning leads them to affirm the superiority of these speakers, if the sound test had been blind I dare to say that many of the comments would be different.
I was pretty sure the lower frequencies seemed more precisely controlled and defined with the Dynaudio speakers.
Dynaudio much deeper bass - higher highs-Worth every penny!
Truly amazing, Mr Thomas.
You have chosen very suitable tunes for comparison.
Based on these three sound clips, capability and limitation of my ears and gears,
Followings are my finding,
1) Black Crow
Elac delivered snare drum sound like I were sitting on the drum throne and hitting physically on the snare.
Whereas with other two speakers , it sounded like I was standing 8 meters away from the player and listening it. Sounded like there is some dumping applied on the snare drum.
In the bass area, Dyn is the best followed by KEF.
Bass picking, guitar picking, hit hat and vocals are found all similar.
2) Spanish Harlem
There is a distinguishable vocal at the beginning of her singing in first clause,
“there is -------- “ and ending of first caluse and second clause“-----Spanish Harlem “are sounded more lively, more dynamic.
3) Star W
In this tune, KEF able to deliver more define high end than other two by listening at the time stamp around 8:40 to 8:45.
Dyn able to give more profound dynamic sounds with balance in overall tonality. Again, bass was more pronounced then other two. Its high will not fatigue ones ears for sure.
Based on above observations,
If I were to choose one, I will choose as per below,
1) If all speakers are new, considering capability and price tag, it will be wise to choose Elac over other two.
However, we may need to sacrifice build quality and longevity.
2) If they all are old (abt 5 yrs of age) and price is not the matter of question then better to choose Dyn over others.
Due to the fact that is has the capability of delivering more dynamic range and able to adapt with high end, low end conditions. If you are a big fun of keep switching your gears (like Mr Thomas), you will need this pair of speakers to give you a level which might go beyond your expectation on your new gear.
3) If someone wants their pair of speakers to be looked different from conventional speakers and aiming for Mid price tag with decent sounds output to their ears then KEF would be a choice for them. And if you were happened to be an audio engineer at recording studio or home studio, you might find KEF as your suitable kit due to its concentric speaker design.
If you want to augment your speakers with Sub then, that will be whole new level of comparison we need to do it over again.
Equipment used for listening these tunes,
1) Source
U-tube over budget cell phone audio output.
2) Earpiece
a) Soul (basic)
b) Shure IEM (basic)
3) Headphone
AKG(stereo mode, no bass boost, room compensation -small)
4) Speaker
Mission 780 bookshelf.
5) Amplifier
Martin Roland M-831
Thanks for writing such a detail response, you obviously have a passion for Audio. I wish all my sub can hear these gear at my place and discuss about it.
You are most welcome Mr Thomas. You have put so much effort on it. I believe it gonna be more complicated if we attached Sub in the chain.
oh i meant all my subscribers :) not subwoofer.
Haha. My bad. 😁
Thanks for the video´s great to be able to hear how different they sound.
I own the Elac, but found the KEF a lot more enjoyable to listen to in this comparison, the Elac was too 'exuberant' and lacked the subtlety and insight provided by the other two. The KEF I could easily live with, however the Dynaudio managed to combine the subtlety of the KEF with a more dynamic sound that had just the right amount of exuberance to make the sound more engaging overall.
I don't know, they all sound great. The Kef and the Dynaudio were more precise and balanced, but i had the most fun with the Elacs, so i would go for the Elacs as my dailys. More serious audiophiles who enjoy finding the details would probably be better off with the Dynaudios.
To my ears, Elac gives me softer and more comfort sound. High peak does not pop out, base sound is round. KEF is clearer, but hurts my ears for a long listening. My ears are naive. :)
Great recordings man. Elacs certainly a bit harsh, KEFs sound far more musical. And Dynaudios even a bit more so. However, potential buyers should be careful, Dyns really need that power amp. You will have to cash quite a bit for a powerful amp even for such small Dyn speakers. I own an old pair of Contours 1.3 and they seem to me to have the same drivers inside. The only sub-200W amp (meaning 2x200W at 8 ohms) that can drive my Dyns well is an old Naim NAP 250 that is rated 70W but somehow it just plays so so good.
love this comparison...Fun any way you slice it to compare these three...each has something to offer and song choice is great..
Starting to look back at your older videos, love them all...To me they all sound very similar however it all comes down to the majority of music that one listens too as there are speakers that obviously sound better but with a limited type of music where as I prefer an all rounder speaker that can keep up with the majority of the music that I listen to and a great amp can bring out even transform an inexpensive mass marketed speaker such as the Elac B6 2.0 which I own driven by a Naim Nait 5si with an Arcam Ir Dac and they sizzle! My Naim with the still affordable Kef Q350's are a match made in heaven considering price, etc.
it really boils down to sound preference maybe the thousand dollar speaker is the audiophile but listening to genres like heavy metal doesnt require a refined sound,they just need splashing cymbals and punchy low end for double pedal.
With my headphones Fostex TH610 + Audioquest Dragonfly Red the difference in sound is the same as the difference in price between those speakers.
The Elacs sound quite good for the price, their looks are another story. I don't think I could live with the LS50s upper mids for any lenght of time. Considering the point of diminishing returns which Dynaudios would offer 90% of the 160's sound at a fraction of the price?
Sadly, I don't think it's possible to find 90% of dynaudio for a fraction of the price. If you are looking for a speaker that does bass, treble, midrange 90% of dynaudio for a fraction of the price, maybe. Elac would be a good example. However, for people buying $3k level speakers, there is a certain sophistication that comes with those speaker that more budget speaker just cannot do.
It's like the horn of a car or a train locomotive . What is most important? To hear the WARNING signal that you will be hit or will save your life or the slight differences of the warning sound . We get lost in the details and we lose the essence that we have : to listen music.
There's spurious background sounds that affect my remote judgement. There's some buzzing going on in the Elac section on Spanish Harlem. Also times where I hear physical movement and camera shutter clicks.
If I were to assess what I hear, it sounds like KEF reproduced a tiny more detail on the high end, and somewhat better separation of sounds. Dynaudio sounder a bit fuller to me, especially on the Star Wars Imperial March.
All sounded like speakers I could listen to long term, but keep in mind, my budget and equipment is down market from this selection. If I had to choose without budget constraints, I would select the KEF speakers.
Yeah, it was my cell phone affecting it. All of them are great choices. I did another sound demo with less expensive equipment, check it out :)
ELAC = Upfront/Forward and powerful sounding but lacks some detail/resolution and sound-stage presence.
KEF = Middle of the road. very clean/clear sounding. good detail with some sound-stage presence but perhaps not the most exciting sounding of the three tested.
DYNAUDO = A lot of sound-stage presence/image depth & width. It puts you into the recorded environment more, thus sounds the most "real" to me.
For my $$$ I'd go with the Dynaudio - assuming its got a good front end on it and amp'd properly. Still ,the Elac IS very impressive for its low cost.
(BTW, I listened to the video with a pair of Focal Solo6 Be speakers and matching Focal Subwoofer - - Front end is a Schiit Yggdrasil DAC w/ SPL Volume 2 preamp all connected via balanced XLR).
Really nice feedback, appreciate it.
To my ears, the KEF and Dynaudio are much better than the ELAC with the symphonic piece. The ELAC doesn't have the range of the other two and sounds somewhat veiled. If you listen to popular music most of the time then you really can't go wrong with the ELAC, especially at that price point. However, if you listen to a lot of classical music i'd save up more money and buy the Dynaudio. In the long run, I'd be happier with the sound and have less of nagging need to upgrade.
Side note - I kind of liked the pairing of the KEF LS50 with the BelCanto amps here. In the demo with other set up video you have (Audio Research/McIntosh) I think you mentioned that you weren't happy with the pairing. I wonder what it is about the belCanto you didn't like (vs the AR/McIntosh) ?
Maybe it's not apparent coming through my laptop and little audio set up however i did find the sibilants in the AR-McIntosh to be a bit bright.
Spanish H to my ears the highs in here voice Kef and Dyn sound effortless the Elac not so much. For the money though Elacs are nice speakers considering the others cost so much more. Pretty amazing how far lower cost speakers have come. Great video!
I'm not going to buy into some of the comments below, simply because I know how quickly 'exciting' transducers (speakers and headphones alike) can wear you down over longer listening sessions, but I have to agree that the Elac sounds more lively from both of these sound demos. Thomas, we're all well aware of the joys of YT compression - regardless of the original bitrate - but there's a bigger problem here : without sitting in your room there's no way I can get a reasonable appreciation of the SQ without having your *exact* playback chain at this end - even then, we're talking your room PLUS my room - a complete waste of time. I spent a ridiculous amount of time with a pair of HD800 strapped to my head in 2014-15, listening for minute differences across different combinations (and different media) and all I can say is that its an exercise I wouldn't wish on anyone. I went back to listening to *music I like* on a much cheaper pair of cans and from a pair of Monitor Audio speakers that probably cost less than the speaker cables you're using in your high-end rig. I appreciate what you're trying to do here, but I suspect you've just sold some more Elac speakers at the expense of Dynaudio's reputation : happy to hear otherwise.
Thanks for the vid.
The people who buys Dynaudio will not buy Elac. Although in a sound demo, it might sound similar, if you look at some of the comments, there are some who get it. For someone who is just starting out, the difference is little, but for someone already shopping in the higher end market, namely, $3k market, has already developed enough sophistication to know what to look for. The Elac are amazing for the price, it cannot be denied and it should be celebrated. If you look at some of the comments, people do buy it and return it if they don't like it. The video in itself is sharing an experience and not with the intend to sell anything, I believe anyone watching the video should approach it that way. We all know there is no way youtube can reproduce what I hear and for that reason too, I mentioned it should be an entertainment video and not taken as a serious review video. The good part however, is that for those who don't know Elac, might now give it a try. The stereo world is so vast and fun and my goal is to share the fun. People assume I am not listening to music doing all these testing. I would say, either listening or testing, the end result is having fun. If I am having fun, I think that is what really count. You see, I am not a critical listener always picking out all the details, I have given up on that and that is thanks to the $300k system I reviewed. I am chasing after something else now and will elaborate in the Canton video.
But ARE you having 'fun' ?? From what you've told us about your friend's $$$ speakers, you wont be happy until you get something on that level in your own lounge room. I have the odd fantasy about being able to afford a pair of Magico speakers and the room to do justice to them (the electronics can come later - transducers and the room are much harder and more expensive to get right IMO), but deep down I know that some of my music will actually sound worse on speakers of that calibre than it does now - the HD800 made that abundantly clear and that was a $1300 headphone, from memory.
Aspiring for 'better' is great, no question - I just wonder when 'good enough' will really mean 'end game' for many of us. Thanks again for the effort you've put into these demos.
I am 100% having fun, else I would not be playing with $279 speakers if my goal is to get the ultimate detail, thunderous bass and the audiophile package. It took a while but I have finally come to the realization that I need to let go, nothing I do will let me catch up to my friends speaker. With the, I start going back to trying different things, expensive and budget, it no longer matters, as long its fun. I still play with expensive speakers but my final system actually is already built...well kind of, which I will touch in my Canton video. Btw, thanks for all the comments, its great to hear from you.
To me, it's obvious the KEFs have the most inert cabinet. The Elacs sound congested compared to the other two, especially on the first track. The KEFs have the cleanest midrange but I slightly prefer the timbre of the Dyns. Unfortunately I noticed some sibilance with the Dyns on "Spanish Harlem." It's also apparent that the Dyns produce greater scale, as they should given their cabinet size.
If I were to quantify their quality by percentage, as others have done, I'd say the Elacs are 80% as good. If I were the casual listener I was in the past, I would probably claim 95%.
Thanks for the vid.
Thanks for commenting, I wish all of you can be here to listen to it.
Cleanest midrange? Really? Maybe no midrange at all, you mean? Try some piano on both, you see what i am getting at ;)
It's not possible to tell much difference between them unless you hear it yourself.
Elac has more bass. Otherwise very similar.
To my ears, Elac the winner, Kef - outsider
Bel Canto is nice gear! A bit above my pay grade as a Professor, though, lol!
Just finished listening to this through a set of Sennheiser HD600s, a reasonable choice for reference listening considering UA-cams compression algorithms. It is remarkable how close all three sound. BUT, there are differences.
The Dynaudios and the Elacs sound most alike, except for the fact that the Dynaudios are smoother and have a better driver integration, the Elacs are a tad rougher, less refined there.
The Dynaudios are, indeed, the smoothest of all three. But, neither the Elac nor the Dynaudios has the soundstage that the LS50s do. They expand the musical field and location of the instruments and voices the most. They are a little thinner on vocals than the other two, but not by much. It's very slight.
Again, this is a tough call over a youtube digital soundtrack. I was surprised I could even distinguish this much considering how awful youtube sound can be.
Also, there was some distortion on the Elacs on the Spanish Harlem piece, sounded like some kind of feedback, microphone-higher pitched? None of that on the other two speakers, though you could hear something like someone bumping or fussing with the mic stand when the Dynaudios were playing the same song! There was no distortion I could hear on anything else!
Your description is very accurate. Well, the Dyn soundstage can keep up, it;s just speaker placement. But the rest of what you said is pretty much how I feel. The Elac Spanish Harlem sound is caused by my cell phone :(
I agree totaly with you. True is :They belong a diffent levels, but the quality and finish and the sofistication of Kef is unbeateble
Apart from the KEFs horrible bass response, they sound nice.
The Dyn sound the best. Most expensive
dynaudio in my opinion.. more of a full range monitor
I do not know if they sound the same, but they undoubtedly perform "more or less" the same. The thing is that a 2000 euro speaker should not, by any means, sound "more or less" like a 300 euro one. In my very humble opinion the thing is, with today's level of expertise and technology around, it is possible to make a very (and I mean "very") good sounding speaker for a ridiculous price. Andrew Jones knows what he is doing when he makes a speaker.
Switch of the TV and gsm and don't take photo's when recording ;) Elac Debut. Good clear uncolored mids, tight bass and good price! Not much wrong with that.
KEF - brighter more revelling, DYNAUDIO - cleaner leaner more control less bright ,ELAC- just easy listen,
just guessing these speakers sound signature , I hope I'm close to accurate thank you Thomas.
Interesting. I preferred the Elac for Black Crow because of the bass. But both the KEF and Dyn had smoother midrange (maybe). However because of the better midrange, both the KEF and Dyn were better on Spanish Harlem with the Dyn beating out the Kef because of its more full sound.
The Imperial March was revealing. The Elac had deeper bass where it should not have been. It was almost muddy. Not quite as the bass did still sound smooth. The KEF sounded bass shy. But still had it when it needed the deep notes. It reminded me of the Buchardt vs the Sony Core demo you did....comparing the KEF to the Sony Core....the KEF had deeper bass where it needed it but the Sonys high end was better.
Here the Dynaudio shined and kicked the crap out of both the Elac and the KEF. It had the bass. Not too much like the Elac but much deeper than the KEF when the bass notes were supposed to hit. And the high notes were good.
I would actually like to hear a comparison between the Sony CS5 vs the Elac debut 6.2 since they are so close in price range.
Thanks, I don't have the Cs5 anymore, sorry.
Interesting test, I liked the Kef and Dynaudio but preferred the Dynaudio.
I can't afford more than the Elac's, that's probably what i'm gonna buy for my 5.1 system.
The Elac's are definitely the easiest to listen to. Btw nice video ;)
Thanks, they were on special on black friday and super cheap.
The KEF sounds best for me
Elac sounds very veiled in the mid-range
Dyaudio lacks definition at the top end and too laid back - not my cup of tea
If I have to rank them then: KEF > DyAudio > Elac.
ELAC the best
It sounds good for a $250 pair of speaker, I bet if the grills are removed they'll sound even better.
I couldn’t agree more!.
No way. Dynaudio in control !!
Thomas did you hear polk r200 and heco celan revolution 3(little rarer if you are outside of europe)?
No, I have not yet.
I own a pair of ls50s, but those elac are off the hook 👍
Elac more detailed and brighter ...but for long listening hours Dyn is the choice for me...but the price difference
The alone loose but with a small good subwoofer they are awesome
After having owned the KEF and Dynaudio, the Dynaudio is on a shelf of it's own. The only problem with them is that you need to spend the same amount on an amp that is capable of giving them what they need. The KEF are a great set of speakers as well and most people find them more of an all-arounder, and a more cosmetically modern look, but once you get that Dyn setup pinned down, you'll never want another brand again. Next thing you know you've got the Focus towers, and then the Contour limited editions... then your wife starts asking how much money you've spent.......
lol...yes Dyn need good front end to really shine.
Hey Thomas, The Magnapan MMG's seem like a good alternative to those speakers in this review and at $650.00 with generous upgrade option a bargain. Any thoughts's
Difficult to judge on YT, will sound different when you listen to them live in a room. Have heard a number of different brands, whilst they usually sound good. I find they still sound like you are listening to a speaker. Only a few brands have that natural sound that gives you that realism.
Which are the ones that sound natural? What about open baffle?
@@ThomasAndStereo ATC, Harbeth. My preferred brand is ProAc.
Not tried open baffles.
I have still yet to try ProAc. I am looking for a pair of D28. I noticed they have offset tweeters too. Do you know the advantages of offset tweeters?
@@ThomasAndStereo I think you will like the ProAc sound. It's to reduce the baffle area around the tweeter to minimise diffraction. You can play around with the orientation. Having the tweeeters on the outside gives a slightly bigger soundstage.
Ah, I see. What are the disadvantages then?
The KEF to me handled the more complex music better. Perhaps due to driver / crossover distortion in the other two. The extension of instruments not there on the ELAC with the Dynaudio as usual muddying the lower range. These distortions seem to be quite a challenge to speaker designers. The type of power cable into the amps might help with that.
Well, the dyn needs power to shine. Not sure how the other music came out but over here, its not muddy at all the Dyn relative to the 2 other speakers.
On the first track, there are distinct differences in the bass. The Elac's sound a bit hollow. The KEF and Dyn sound more well rounded with the KEF being more articulate. On that track, I prefer KEF then Dyn and Elac. The second track, I think the Dyn wins on smoothness with the KEF a close second, and the Elac's hollow bass still there. The third track is where things get more interesting. The Dyn clearly separates from the pack with clarity, while the KEF and Elac are both a bit muddy at points, through the KEF is still more articulate overall. For vocals, I think it would be a tight call between the KEF and Dyn. They both do it well with superior articulation to the Elac. If you get to more orchestral, pieces it seems the Dyn really pulls away. I'd be curious to hear a good jazz piece on the three. With my B&W's handling classical and orchestral well (and pretty much everything really) already, it's a tough call between KEF and Dynaudio as a second pair. Worth noting that I'm told the Bluetooth self-powered KEF's (LS50w's?) are waaaaaay better the LS50's (likely due to carefully chosen am[lification). Might have to check those out!
Yes, everything I read says the LS50w is way better but on the used market, it's 3 times the price.
Hi.How many ears , different opinions.Never will be the same, even when the speaker driver is the same.This is the most important thing.After we have this thing with the price of the gear , expensive doesn't make everytime the big difference noticed by human hearing.
This audio test demo prove it,
undoubtedly that less expensive gear in this case Elac speaker is NOT far behind of Dynaudio speaker , on the contrary is very close which does not justify buying the most expensive equipment from this 3 set of speakers.
To buy just for the sake of buying or bragging that you have the most expensive thing is hypocrisy.
This hypocrisy will never end.
Nah, audiophiles I know buy for the sound they like, no one to brag to.
Thank you kindly ✌🏼👍🏼
I listen to this video clip blindly
the first one ( Elac ) sound super harsh and so upfront
and ears get fatigue easily compare to the others
... , Kef is between the two not so upfront but kinda sweet in the mid range ,
, Dynaaudio is the winner if you like the balance neutral sound
The disparity of perceptions in these audio tests is fascinating to me.
I was very impressed by the Ls50 even through youtube.. seems to me in an entirely different league when it comes to mid range and response abilities, maybe lacks a tiny touch of bass but could be better closer to a wall.
Yeah, the ls50 is nice
"Star Wars" really tells the difference. The Elac is almost falling apart , to much going on and its loosing control,almost distorts. The KEF:s are much better , but the star of the show is Dyn. I dident care much for the ELAC pointed mids
Listen through USB-Dac , Akai 1055 and KEF Reference 101.
You dont get a LOT extra for the money asked, but KEF and Dyns are classes better. No wonder they are 2 of the best book shelf money can buy nowadays.
Well, i am spoiled. I hear the Emit M20 from Dynaudio live at a shop here and they sound awesome. Not one KEF could convince me; the high/mid were not near the brilliance of the M20. I also hear the bigger brother of the M20, the M30. Which sound very simulair but wins in the mid/low just because the M30 is a floorstander and have more air to move around. That makes all the difference; the M30 sounds more complete. But ofcourse, its atleast twice the size and price. So, the M20 do extremely well.
I have the Elac B2s and also Dynaudio Emit 20s. They both sound awesome but I prefer the Dynaudios.
Would love to hear the Emit one day.
With my cheap laptop and headphones I am pretty sure this front end makes a clear but, small difference when price is put in the equation. It Seems the Elacs gained the most notable improvement, the other two are still more defined and clean, I could never spend the extra cash for the privilege.
Was that cartoons playing in the background? The Dyns are going lower than the kefs and i didn’t see much of a difference in highest frequencies. So I guess they’re all priced right.
Probably Anime. I watch a lot of anime. Yeah, the dyn 160 is a better speaker in my opinion.
priceless preview
Thank you very much indeed!
First, thanks for the video.
My only thought is now how to improve the ELAC's !? DSP? Any chance to "pimp" them into another class?
The Elac scales well, so the better frontend you give it, the better it sounds.
What is the song at 3:50 "Spanish H" full name called,any one Know,please tell me-I like her vocal and lyrics
I don't know, but yes, that's the best version of that song i've heard. (there are lots of others, though.)
I found it: Spanish Harlem, Rebecca Pidgeon, CD title = "Raven." ua-cam.com/video/_RMTEWsGGEg/v-deo.html
Spanish Harlem by Rebecca Pidgeon. this recording by Chelsea Recording Studio one of best
:)
i have it in cd and sacd its just amazing resolution...
price to musicality ratio goes to ELAC
1_ Dynaudio. 2_Kef. 3_ Elac. For me.
Thomas, I think you can start a new business, providing sounding rooms via UA-cam :-) its the most difficult job to make sound listening tests at a shop for many reasons.. .here, all is equal. I can hear the differences, and definition of space was probably the biggest impact from elac up to dynaudio. ( I heard more of course, but space for me is important, the space to place the sound you hear - are the instruments all on top of eachother or are they higher, lower... or is the singer facing center, left of right... or moving as they sing...) I spend hours in stores to arrive at what I hear as you provided in 10 minutes.
But now we get to another important point, as you so well state "to your taste"... what you present for us is audio output using the same source, but what isnt' happening is the compensation of the speaker considering its inherent properties, which each have quite some differences. Meaning if we were to add a room compensation profile for each, then it would be more "equal" a comparison. the Elac would have quite a different eq curve to the ls50 to the dynaudio. And each are built for a slightly different goal as well, thus a profile would balance that out more. And I think that would allow the user to more easily arrive at their preferred "taste" (? maybe ?)
I am happy to geek out listening to your comparisons and discussions! Thanks for taking your time to do this for us!
I never thought about having a different EQ curve. I understand receivers can calibrated with a mic but if I were to do it thru a 2 channel setup, it would mean I would need to run some kind of software to do it ? I would not know where to start or even how to integrate it into Jriver. Thanks for commenting.
ELAC
DYNAUDIO
KEF
can you test ELAC BS 403 vs KEF R 300? & may be Rotel 1572 vs Vinsent 227-237?
I had the Elac 249 and KEF R700 so I already have an idea how they sound. I would say similar with Elac a bit more refined but bass was more punch on the R700 despite Elac 249 can dig deeper. Of course, I was comparing 2 speaker with a big price different but in short, they do sound similar, analytic and precise.
@@ThomasAndStereo And what shelf active acoustics would you recommend? Elac air-x 403, Acoustic Energy^ KEF LS 50 air or something else?
If I ever come across them at a good price. Elac, I already tried the FS249 so not sure if I would want to try the 403. KEF R300, maybe but I probably will look for a R3
I usually would recommend something after I try it, in this case, I have only tried the LS50w which I have made a video on. Please check it out.
You need to get your hands on the Dennis Murphy BMRs...they are amazing.
This is really helpful. Tanx
Glad it was helpful!
Dyn fir .elac second, kef third
Track 1 Dyna
Track 2 KEF
Track 3 Dyna
Am using a fiio E10 Dac and a Hd598 to listen to this and still hard to decide
Ok Dynaudio wins.
Actually if it is hard to decide, the Elac wins automatically just because of it's price :)
I always think amp metter most even more then speaker. Onnce again This video give me proof that I am right
Hi! I have dynaudio emit m20, which amplifier would be best match with it.
No idea as I never tried it, sorry.
Interestingly, to me, the Elac seems to benefit the most from the Bel Canto system, relative to the Onix amp. Those Elac sound fantastic for the price with the Bel Canto front end. The Dynaudio seems too "rolled off" in the highs for me. The KEF sounds good, but "thinner" than the Elac. Of course, all this might be completely different if I heard this demo in person.
Yes, the Elac demo had the advantage of being louder than the other two speakers, which should have been compensated for in the demo, but I did raise my playback level a bit for the KEF and Dyn, and I still think I may prefer the Elac overall.
The Dyn might be roll off in the recording but it absolutely lacks no detail and you can listen for very long time.
Yes it also seems to me that the dynaudio have softer highs with the Bel canto than in the cheap setup. This is after raising the volume to account for volume differences between elac
KEFs get congested, but they do some things really well.
5.25 woofer just can’t do it