Elac may be better known for its excellent, budget-friendly passive stereo speakers, but the company has now launched its first pair of active speakers, the Debut ConneX DCB41.
Already available in the US, they’re now making their UK debut and we’re more than intrigued thanks to Elac’s hi-fi pedigree and a spec sheet that offers a great mix of compact size and features.
Measuring 25cm x 14cm x 20cm, these are fairly small speakers that are perfect for small spaces and can easily be placed on a home office desk. They are much smaller than traditional bookshelf speakers and are closer to the small, award-winning Ruark Audio MR1 Mk2 desktop speakers.
Elac promises to deliver a “premium audio experience” with the Debut ConneX DCB41. These are active loudspeakers in a master and passive configuration, with one loudspeaker containing all amplification, power and inputs. Each speaker features a 19mm soft dome tweeter and a 10cm polypropylene mid/bass driver. They are powered by two 50W Class D amplifiers (housed in the main speaker), which are “acoustically matched” to the drivers.
To get enough bass out of such compact speakers, Elac includes its own XBass Enhancer technology (which can be turned off) and there’s a bass-reflex port on the rear that aims to deliver better low-frequency extension and “minimize vent noise”. For bass heads, there’s even a subwoofer output to add an extra subwoofer.
There’s a good selection of inputs, meaning the Elac speakers can be used with your laptop, TV, games console, turntable or smart device. Physical connections include HDMI ARC, USB Type B and digital optical inputs. You can also play hi-res audio files up to 24-bit/96kHz via the USB input.
The ConneX DCB41 has a built-in phono stage, so you can connect a turntable directly to the speakers. The analog RCA stereo pair input is switchable between line level and phono input.
While there’s no network streaming here, you can play music wirelessly from your smartphone or tablet thanks to aptX Bluetooth.
In the box you get a remote control, fabric grilles, rubber feet to protect surfaces and cables to get you started right away.
The Elac Debut ConneX speakers are available now for £529 / $595 / AU$900, in black ash, walnut and royal blue finishes.
Can’t wait to hear how the speakers perform? Watch out for Which Hi-Fi?today’s exclusive review.
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