Elac Hits The Road With Debut 2.0 – AXPONA 2018

If you frequent this site then you most likely are aware of the presence of Mr. Andrew Jones on the audio show circuit. His presentation is top notch and his new angle for budget speakers appeals to the masses in much the same way his legendary Pioneer efforts did. The Elac project launched with the entry level Debut series, and it appears that Andrew isn’t looking to abandon the principals that helped usher his name to the lips of every audiophile across the world anytime soon. While the focus of the past few years has wandered into higher territory (Adante) the Debut Series 2.0 pulls the picture back to the bargain basement floor where it all began.

So where do the new speakers land? In the bookshelf size the 5-1/4″ Aramid Fiber woofer B5.2 is $250 with the 6.5″ B6.2 hits at the $300 mark. Both options utilize a 1″ cloth dome tweeter and a two-way design. The most obvious change up from an exterior glance is the reorientation of the port from back to front, also giving the new range a slightly higher profile by comparison.

The wrap around the speaker is still a black brushed vinyl, but at this cost everyone should agree the money is better spent on build and parts than finish. Those looking for alternative veneer options can usually find them on some of the higher models for a small additional cost. Still, Andrew may well love to own the idea of “best value for the money” in any given sub $500 category, and the new Debut 2.0 looks to own that birthright as well.

The B6.2’s were the speaker of choice on display at AXPONA this weekend, most likely the sweet spot for most parties concerned. Andrew always has a killer list of demo’s prepped, and not all audiophile classics either. Pushing the front end was the ELAC EA Series Integrated amp ($700), a slight switch up from many previous shows that featured full Audio Alchemy amplification. The Alchemy brand has now been integrated into the Elac umbrella and named the Alchemy Series, which is available for purchase direct from the Elac site as well.

The entire package in the 3rd floor room still pushes the boundaries at a mere collective $1k, a great starting point for any budding audiophile. The Debut series is already up and waiting for you on the company site and Amazon. The full run of options includes a 5″ and 6″ floorstanders (3 woofers and 1 tweeter), the same sizing pair for centers (2 driver and 1 tweeter), a 400W sub, on-wall variations and Atmos Modules. Its a formula that is familiar for the new Elac, but one that appears to work well for the budget darling. Please Mr. Jones, keep ’em coming.