Review on 🔊 ELAC Debut 2.0 B6.2 Bookshelf Speakers in Sleek Black Finish (Pair) by John Twardowski

After 20 years of constantly upgrading and sifting through speakers found at thrift stores and Craigslist, a living room redesign forced me to get rid of some vintage floor stands and to buy them. new smaller speakers. I don't have a surround cinema, only two channel stereo for music, but I needed two matching pairs, one for the kitchen and one for the living room. Ever since I started downsizing, like every other speaker buyer on this planet, I've been looking for bookshelves with good bass. I soon discovered that my inner compulsive cravings were swirling down the amateur audiophile rabbit hole. At first glance the Elac 6.2s seemed perfect - they got mostly rave reviews, they were reasonably priced and had a front port that made them more forgiving. But then I read that the Elaki don't forgive bad sources. Another reviewer said they were uninspiring and another said they were finicky and only worth buying if you enjoy customizing and customizing your gear. If you're not a fan of tuning, he recommended the more forgiving, down-bore Wharfedale 225s. And of course, I couldn't help but notice that the Q Acoustics 3030i, with its fantastic bass, seems to have dethroned the Elac 6.2 as king of the bookshelves. It also came in white, which is sure to look classy in the kitchen. And those French speakers, the Triangle BRO3, had great two front ports, a special tweeter design and a certain "je ne sais quoi". And when you get the BRO3 money, you can't ignore the highly regarded Elac Debut Reference anymore, right? I bet I was watching two dozen videos and reading tons of articles, and just when I didn't know how to make a decision, a wonderful thing happened: A very nice lady who was ending a relationship sold her ex's home theater equipment to Craigslist . (I know it makes me uncomfortable just thinking about it.) I bought a brand new pair of Elac 6.2s for $150. I took them home and listened to them and you know what, they were amazing! I liked them so much that I immediately bought a second pair from Revain. The vocals are fantastic, the highs are crisp and clear and the bass is much cleaner and fuller than my old floorstanding speakers. Tom Waits sounds like he's at our house, which can be a little disconcerting; I hear every Keith Jarrett grunt as he tickles the ivory; and I feel every bit of Thom Yorke's fear, desperation and anger as I launch Radiohead. I couldn't be happier. I also learned something revolutionary about speaker placement. I realize that we should all place our speakers on speaker stands two to three feet from the wall. But since I live in the real world, I stuff mine on shelves in the corners where they will always be in my house. I know it's going to come as a shock, but due to my terrible layout I actually get a bit more base, which isn't too bad for a bookshelf speaker. Is it bloated or boom? There's no way you would have noticed if you hadn't started thinking about whether your bass is bloated. And there's more good news. Obviously, if bass bloat is becoming an issue, despite all the high-tech engineering that goes into making speakers, it's now acceptable to put foam plugs in the ports (feels wrong to me). If you start to get bass bloat, you can always make one out of pool noodles or a dirty sock. To be honest, we all have our obsessions - if the audio gear is yours and you enjoy it, dive in. Rabbit hole with failure. But if you're like me and don't have a dedicated listening position and your image anxiety is often overshadowed by the sounds of the dishwasher or chatting with friends over cocktails, then I have great news. These are great speakers at a great price and I am very happy with mine.