ELAC - Adante... what’s the verdict?

That doesn’t sound good.  They should sound 90% of what they will sound like broken in....  no impressions yet? 

So you weren’t that impressed until you changed the speaker cables out?  Care to go into more detail?

Audio Doctor will of course happen to think the speakers are amazing since he now sells them.

Let’s be realistic here.

I don’t want to down talk the speakers, because who knows — maybe I’m an elac dealer myself. However, I will say this... the Debut and Uni-Fi series are dramatically more impressive for their price.

I think there is a reason we aren’t seeing many reviews for these HIGHLY anticipated speakers. I respect CNET for posting an honest review. People should not be buying a speaker based on hype.

Also — hificrazed — try not to be so obvious that you work at ELAC or are a dealer.  One look at your post history makes it GLARINGLY obvious.  Please don’t insult everyone’s intelligence by denying it.  I’m sure there’s a chance that you aren’t, but it’s highly unlikely.

Sure. I’ll take some tomorrow.

Pay attention though — I never said I owned them personally. I do however likely have more time spent listening to them, setting them up in various rooms, setting up an entire theater based on them, etc than anyone in this thread.

I thought they sounded great at Axpona.

Based on that I recommended them, stupidly, based on the little I heard and the hype (like Audio Doctor, who just brought them in, without even hearing them).

I heard a lot of promise with them, but kept noticing lots of things that bothered me about the sound. Part of what kept me going was the hype, and what I heard at Axpona. However that was carefully selected tracks in a noisy environment with tons of people. Also the psychological aspect of expecting Andrew’s new speaker to kick ass gave me expectation bias.

I’m really happy you got the speakers without listening to them and want to like them, and I can tell you’re trying hard. Why don’t you, instead of trying to “debunk” me and question my credibility, go listen to them some more?

I’m sure you will have zero issues with anything our resident advertiser (Audio Doctor) has to say, because it will of course be positive, making you feel better about your purchase.  Funny how that works.

Looking forward to a 43 paragraph response from him soon too... 

I was surprised by it only due to the fact that I am under the impression that reviewers aren’t really “allowed” to truly down talk speakers they review for various reasons. I bet his impressions of the speakers are actually worse than he wrote, but he had to tone it down as to not trash or bury the company.  Usually reviewers use “read between the lines” negatives, like the other review that was posted right after by another member that mentioned the bass being nothing special (you have to wonder why no one else has done the same active/passive design after it was tried at KEF) and the response variances between the review pair being pretty bad.

I’m really curious to see how the Argo speakers sound, because right now there is just no synergy or house sound with ELAC. Each line has almost noting in common looks/sound wise. Maybe it’s just due to the driver layout on the prototypes, but I’m hoping the Argo changes that. I still absolutely do not understand why they would not also make passive versions of the Argo either.

James, you seem like you have some comprehension issues. Are you REALLY suggesting I haven’t had the extensive time spent with the speakers I am saying I have? I told you I will show photos tomorrow if you’d like.

You took me saying “I heard them at Axpona” and assumed that’s all the exposure I have with them.  Not very smart.

I have had easily 30+ hours of ACTIVE listening and tweaking of these speakers. That doesn’t include the 200+ hours of break in (XLO break in disc) they have had.

That must be it.  I must be an “Unanointed Sustem Builder.”  Let me find my cape...

I’m sure you will be totally honest.

The fact that you speak as if you are the only people capable of accurately assessing their sound almost made me laugh out loud.  

The hificrazed posts however, do make me laugh out loud.  Companies and dealers are getting desperate these days.

Dave and Troy - just out of curiosity, do you guys consider the average speaker to sound great (80-90% if it’s full performance) with almost any amp/preamp/etc, or do you truly believe every speaker is like this Adante, where you (supposedly) have to seek out the perfect synergy to get them to sound good?

Obviously, I think any good well designed speaker should and will sound 80-90 to its potential with virtually any setup behind it, even cheap gear.  

You simply have to be joking...

The versions at Axpona were quite different from what the production versions are.  Although, they are supposedly improved since then.  Mainly a new tweeter.

......oh my lord.

Or someone is deaf.

Funny how a random person with one post signs up to rave about them and bring the topic back into the light, and then we get another right after.  Weird.

I would highly recommend the emerald physics over the Adantes.  If a “famous designer” wasn’t behind the Adantes, no one would look twice at them.  

Arned, they will not.  I absolutely promise you that they will sound the same after 2,000 hours as they do now, unless you move them.

Did you buy them without hearing them?  The midrange is extremely shouty in a lot of cases.  It doesn’t go away.  I know that ELAC changed the design a bit compared to the first run of speakers, but apparently they didn’t fit that issue.