Elac Debut Series B5 OR B6

[benz]

Hello all,

I am venturing into Hi-Fi music for the first time, and my journey started about a year back. I got lot of guidance from this forum about choosing the right instruments, and the inputs have been always very valuable to me.

I bought a Raspberry Pi 3 couple of days back and Allo Boss DAC. After able to configure it to play music using Volumio and Runeaudio, I was pretty sure that I can use it to source my music, which consists of my own CD's (ripped to flac) and borrowed flacs.

After that I bought Marantz PM5005 amplifier, which I will receive in a day or 2.

Now comes the most difficult part for me and that is choose between ELAC B5 and B6.

So far I could not have an audition of B6, and have only listened to B5 (not paired with Marantz though) and have found the sound to be very good. I have heard different types of music in Elac B5 and it has pleased me a lot.

Now the confusion is - B6 is being recommended by the store guys and it seems it has a better frequency response and sounds fuller. Well I am not at all aware of that as I have not had a demo of B6, and unfortunately B6 is not available for demo.

I have read few FMs here own B6, and have auditioned B5 and got home with a pair of B6.

I request if experienced members can please throw some light which one would be preferred among Elac B5 and Elac B6.

The system is only for music listening in about 160 Sq feet room, coupled with Marantz PM5005 stereo amplifier. Type of music - mostly classic rock, jazz, blues,Ghazals and occasionally contemporary Bollywood.

Thank you

 

[sriram_shol]

Hello all,

I am venturing into Hi-Fi music for the first time, and my journey started about a year back. I got lot of guidance from this forum about choosing the right instruments, and the inputs have been always very valuable to me.

I bought a Raspberry Pi 3 couple of days back and Allo Boss DAC. After able to configure it to play music using Volumio and Runeaudio, I was pretty sure that I can use it to source my music, which consists of my own CD's (ripped to flac) and borrowed flacs.

After that I bought Marantz PM5005 amplifier, which I will receive in a day or 2.

Now comes the most difficult part for me and that is choose between ELAC B5 and B6.

So far I could not have an audition of B6, and have only listened to B5 (not paired with Marantz though) and have found the sound to be very good. I have heard different types of music in Elac B5 and it has pleased me a lot.

Now the confusion is - B6 is being recommended by the store guys and it seems it has a better frequency response and sounds fuller. Well I am not at all aware of that as I have not had a demo of B6, and unfortunately B6 is not available for demo.

I have read few FMs here own B6, and have auditioned B5 and got home with a pair of B6.

I request if experienced members can please throw some light which one would be preferred among Elac B5 and Elac B6.

The system is only for music listening in about 160 Sq feet room, coupled with Marantz PM5005 stereo amplifier. Type of music - mostly classic rock, jazz, blues,Ghazals and occasionally contemporary Bollywood.

Thank you

I have both B6 and B5 connected to Yamaha receiver. Both are equally good. When paired with a stereo amplifier, B6 can handle bass, mid and highs effortlessly.

B5 would be good at mid range and highs whereas B6 can confidently play lows without a need for a subwoofer.

 

[benz]

I have both B6 and B5 connected to Yamaha receiver. Both are equally good. When paired with a stereo amplifier, B6 can handle bass, mid and highs effortlessly.

B5 would be good at mid range and highs whereas B6 can confidently play lows without a need for a subwoofer.

Thanks for sharing.

How is the bass of B6 is it boomy?

For music without connecting a sub, which in future also I will not connect, B5 good enough to give some bass effect, in both high as well as low volume ( like night listening, or background listening)?

I am skeptical of B6 because I am under the impression that it will boom effect.

Both B5 as well B6 can easily fill up about 200 sqft?

Thanks



Sent from my Redmi Note 4 using Tapatalk

 

[sriram_shol]

Thanks for sharing.

How is the bass of B6 is it boomy?

For music without connecting a sub, which in future also I will not connect, B5 good enough to give some bass effect, in both high as well as low volume ( like night listening, or background listening)?

I am skeptical of B6 because I am under the impression that it will boom effect.

Both B5 as well B6 can easily fill up about 200 sqft?

Thanks



Sent from my Redmi Note 4 using Tapatalk

It is certainly not boomy. Again it depends on the amplifier you connect and the audio settings.

It can very well handle 200 sqft room. But trust me, with a good amplifier, both of them are killers, they produce wonderful output.

 

[benz]

It is certainly not boomy. Again it depends on the amplifier you connect and the audio settings.

It can very well handle 200 sqft room. But trust me, with a good amplifier, both of them are killers, they produce wonderful output.

I have already bought the amplifier, marantz PM 5005. 40 WPC output.
Dac will be Allo BOSS.

Will it pair well with the above combination?

When I have heard Elac B5, it was paired with Cambridge audio Topaz AM 10, undoubtedly the sound was very good, Vocals were clear. But the volume knob was about 11'o clock position for normal listening in the showroom.

I have read somewhere Elac requires a powerful amp.

Marantz PM5005 will be able to drive both B5 as well as B6 equally well?

It's really encouraging to know both of them produce good sound and fill up my listening area.

Sent from my Redmi Note 4 using Tapatalk

 

[sriram_shol]

I need to read about Marantz PM 5005 and Allo BOSS.

My B6 and B5 are connected to AVR because I most often use them for movies only. I listen to the music in my soundbar with its subwoofer.

Both B5 and B6 are meant to produce great soundstage. Their technical spec is alike except the frequency response, sensitivity and the physical dimension. You can view a lot of videos on the same on Youtube.

They being 6ohm speakers with 100W RMS, they need the powerful amplifier which your Marantz should handle effortlessly.

I use B6 for fronts and B5 for surrounds in my 5.1 setup.

 

[newlash09]

Hi Benz.....

Both the B5 & B6 are supposedly good speakers. You wont go wrong with either paired with the Marantz.

Coming to the booming part, it will depend on how close you place them to walls. If you place the B6 in a position where it will boom, then 99.9 % of the time, the B5 will also boom when placed in the same location.

So, if your preference for music is more than movies, go for B5. Otherwise go for B6.

And let me come from a different angle too. No speaker manufacturer designs each speaker individually. They design a speaker, and optimize the drive units for that particular speaker. Then they use computer modelling to extrapolate & intrapolate for the other models in the range.

For example, the entire KEF R series was modelled around the R700. And the results of that research were used to end up with the R100, R300, R500, R700 & R900. And even reviewers claim that R700 delivers the best sound in the entire KEF R series.

So if the above is any consolation, you will be relieved to know that the first model designed by Andrew jones in this series is the B5. This was rolled out first. This is the piece on which maximum research was done. So technically this should be the sweetest speaker in this range. All the best

 

[benz]

So yesterday after reading this thread, I started to watch the youtube sound demo of Elac B5 and B6. Unfortunately not the same uploader has provided demo of both the speakers so had to go by what was there on youtube.

Everytime we liked the vocals in B5 compared to B6, so we decided that as music is our primary thing we should stick to B5, and thought that the decision was finalized and I slept well considering will buy B5.

But got up in the morning confused again, as my wife says, she would also love to watch movies too abandoning our current SONY HT system (5.1, with BD Player, all in one package). But at the same time will not take consider to go for a full HT system, but only on a pair of bookshelf. As movies will be secondary and music is primary for both of us.

Now this has made me consider B6 again , as what ever sound demo I listened on youtube and the various reviews in this forum and on the internet, it looks like with B6, one will not feel the need for a sub.

Now my interpretation after listening to the youtube sound demos, B5 is outstanding when it comes to music, so will the B6 be say 90% of what B5 is when it comes to music?

OR

Will the B5 be good enough for the movies, that is say will it be about 90% of what B6 is for movies ?

I hope I am able to express myself properly.

In the mean time I am trying to take a demo of both B5 and B6 together, which might not happen as most of the dealers do not have the provision for both. I have called up the dealers in Mumbai too and they also currently do not have both the pairs for demo. If I could have had demo at the same place with same setup would have been much easier to decide, or even if youtube sound demo had both the sets at the same setup would have helped.

So I have to rely on text and experiences of senior members of this forum before I can go ahead with my purchase of the speakers.

Apologies to bother everyone here, and really thank you all for your valuable inputs.

 

[newlash09]

Hi Benz...
Good morning again

You are most welcome to air your doubts and concerns here. Feel free...no issues at all.

First and foremost, let me say that nothing beats auditioning. The very fact that there are a plethora of 5 star speakers at very price point is proof that almost all speakers are good. But will wary in their sound signature and presentation. So auditioning is the only way to know, which suits your ears.

From the specs of the B5 & B6. The B5 goes down to 46hz, and B6 to 44hz. That is a difference you wont really make out when playing. However, the B6 with the bigger cabinet has more sensitivitiy of 87 db as compared to 85 db. This will make it easier for amp to drive the B6, by a slight margin. But not much. So considering that both are so close, you shouldn't loose much by going for either.

As regarding home theater performance, a difference of 2hz in bass is non existential. Both will need a sub to plumb to sub bass depth. However, it is very difficult to integrate a sub into a 2 channel setup. And you will have to go for a sub with line level input and high pass filtered outputs. These kind of subs are not available in the budget range, as they have to have a quality cross over in the loop. So, best to stick with a 2 channel setup, unless you want to get a AVR in the future for subwoofer integration.

And as I mentioned at the top, please do audition for yourselves and decide which sounds best. All the best

 

[benz]

Hi Benz...
Good morning again

You are most welcome to air your doubts and concerns here. Feel free...no issues at all.

First and foremost, let me say that nothing beats auditioning. The very fact that there are a plethora of 5 star speakers at very price point is proof that almost all speakers are good. But will wary in their sound signature and presentation. So auditioning is the only way to know, which suits your ears.

From the specs of the B5 & B6. The B5 goes down to 46hz, and B6 to 44hz. That is a difference you wont really make out when playing. However, the B6 with the bigger cabinet has more sensitivitiy of 87 db as compared to 85 db. This will make it easier for amp to drive the B6, by a slight margin. But not much. So considering that both are so close, you shouldn't loose much by going for either.

As regarding home theater performance, a difference of 2hz in bass is non existential. Both will need a sub to plumb to sub bass depth. However, it is very difficult to integrate a sub into a 2 channel setup. And you will have to go for a sub with line level input and high pass filtered outputs. These kind of subs are not available in the budget range, as they have to have a quality cross over in the loop. So, best to stick with a 2 channel setup, unless you want to get a AVR in the future for subwoofer integration.

And as I mentioned at the top, please do audition for yourselves and decide which sounds best. All the best

Hi,

Sorry for the late reply, was bit tied up with work.

Yes I am trying to arrange an audition, if that happens then well and good.

Else if buying it without audition, I have decided to take home B5, as primarily need it for music.

I will update in this forum the status, hopefully by next week the system should be set up

Thanks everyone here for the help in choosing the instruments. Highly appreciate.

 

[MaSh]

Hi,

Sorry for the late reply, was bit tied up with work.

Yes I am trying to arrange an audition, if that happens then well and good.

Else if buying it without audition, I have decided to take home B5, as primarily need it for music.

I will update in this forum the status, hopefully by next week the system should be set up

Thanks everyone here for the help in choosing the instruments. Highly appreciate.

Great option for speakers. The elac B5 or b6 are great speakers as long as you feed them with lots of power. They are low impedance, b6 is rated to go down to 3.2 ohms and loves power to sing to its potential.

MaSh

Sent from my Redmi Note 3 using Tapatalk

 

[amit11]

Hi,


Else if buying it without audition, I have decided to take home B5, as primarily need it for music.
.

I was reading thru the posts and the confusion which you might be going thru. Though i have not heard any of these speakers i would appreciate your decision. B5 is something which you have already listened and liked. Buying something which you have not auditioned is risky. And it is not necessary that a latest model of speaker might be better than the previous one. Manytimes its just a marketing strategy for increasing the sales, by doing some changes to the base model. The changes may not necessarily result in more musicality. Just my thoughts.

Amit.




Sent from Note5

 

[benz]

Great option for speakers. The elac B5 or b6 are great speakers as long as you feed them with lots of power. They are low impedance, b6 is rated to go down to 3.2 ohms and loves power to sing to its potential.

MaSh

Sent from my Redmi Note 3 using Tapatalk

Yes looks like very good speakers ! Have read everywhere only good about them. Yeah and understand that they are power hungry (worried). Will my Marantz PM5005 amp good enough for them? As this is just an entry level amp by Marantz.

I have read some of your earlier posts too in which you have mentioned about Elac B5/B6 speakers

Thanks

I was reading thru the posts and the confusion which you might be going thru. Though i have not heard any of these speakers i would appreciate your decision. B5 is something which you have already listened and liked. Buying something which you have not auditioned is risky. And it is not necessary that a latest model of speaker might be better than the previous one. Manytimes its just a marketing strategy for increasing the sales, by doing some changes to the base model. The changes may not necessarily result in more musicality. Just my thoughts.

Amit.




Sent from Note5

Thank you for supporting my decision making, to be honest we decided exactly on these points that things which we have heard and have liked it better to stick to that. And as primary is music, going by FM's views it looks like B5 is a good option.
Also as highlighted in this thread by FM that all the designing was done around B5, so looks good to stick to B5.

 

[sriram_shol]

Yes looks like very good speakers ! Have read everywhere only good about them. Yeah and understand that they are power hungry (worried). Will my Marantz PM5005 amp good enough for them? As this is just an entry level amp by Marantz.

I have read some of your earlier posts too in which you have mentioned about Elac B5/B6 speakers

Thanks



Thank you for supporting my decision making, to be honest we decided exactly on these points that things which we have heard and have liked it better to stick to that. And as primary is music, going by FM's views it looks like B5 is a good option.
Also as highlighted in this thread by FM that all the designing was done around B5, so looks good to stick to B5.

As a fact, my decision to go for B5 & B6 was purely after talking to Mr. MaSh. I didn't get a chance to audition B5 or B6 but when I heard for the first time in the showroom, I was spellbound. I can affirm B5 or B6 will be value for money (In fact I got the brand new piece at a very good discount just before GST hyeah. So long as your amplifier supports driving a 6-ohm speaker, it can drive them like anything.

B5 & B6 are designed by Andrew Jones, for sure nothing to comment on its soundstage... Just freaking awesome!!

 

[Kannan]

I heard the B6 few months back at a showroom. Incredible lows for a bookshelf. Superb mids and some may feel highs are rolled off. I have been hunting for one ever since

 

[MaSh]

Yes looks like very good speakers ! Have read everywhere only good about them. Yeah and understand that they are power hungry (worried). Will my Marantz PM5005 amp good enough for them? As this is just an entry level amp by Marantz.

I have read some of your earlier posts too in which you have mentioned about Elac B5/B6 speakers

Thanks

Yes very good speakers. I used my Marantz NR series receiver mainly to drive them. In between used a Pioneer and a Nad stereo amp too. Nad which was least powerful of all, still brought them closest to to their potential as it could drive lower impedance. I let them go as I had no plans then to upgrade my receiver.

I think your Stereo amp should be okay to drive either of them upto moderate volumes (50% of Amp's max).

MaSh

 

[benz]

As a fact, my decision to go for B5 & B6 was purely after talking to Mr. MaSh. I didn't get a chance to audition B5 or B6 but when I heard for the first time in the showroom, I was spellbound. I can affirm B5 or B6 will be value for money (In fact I got the brand new piece at a very good discount just before GST hyeah. So long as your amplifier supports driving a 6-ohm speaker, it can drive them like anything.

B5 & B6 are designed by Andrew Jones, for sure nothing to comment on its soundstage... Just freaking awesome!!

I think Marantz will be able to drive the 6 Ohm speakers, I do not understand much of the technicalities, but this is what its written on the specification

Power Output (8 / 4 Ohm RMS) 40 W / 55 W

Looking forward to hear the same music I have been listening for many years now in the world of hi-fi

I heard the B6 few months back at a showroom. Incredible lows for a bookshelf. Superb mids and some may feel highs are rolled off. I have been hunting for one ever since

Waiting eagerly to get my hands on too these master pieces. I feel lucky to venture into the hi-fi system at a time when some value for money speakers are available.

Hope you also get soon what you are looking for.

 

[svelc]

I have Denon X1200W and drives B5 fantastically. Marantz rating is more accurate than Denon, so do not worry if it is stated low.

Give enough space while placing. I placed them more than a feet from back wall, and nearly 7 feet between them. Toe in, play with volume. The more you give power, Debut speakers will charm you.

 

[newlash09]

Hi Benz....
Good morning again...

Excellent decision. Time to enjoy your new speakers now. Don't worry about the amplifier, it has enough juice for the elac B5's. So sit back and relax.

As 'Svelc' rightly mentioned, please do pay attention to speaker placement. Giving enough room around to breathe will usually reduce room interactions.
In my room, I have to pull my speakers well into the room for the best positioning. However, this is not domestically acceptable. So, my speakers usually reside at the back of the room, closer to the rear wall. And when I want to indulge in critical listening, I move my speakers to my main position, which is almost 2 metre from rear and 1 metre from side walls. I have this position marked with a insulation tape on the floor ( My wife hates it hyeah: )

You might have to find these two locations too in your room. One location which does not adversely effect the speaker performance and is domestically acceptable. Second, where it sounds the best in the room, don't worry about how deep it is into the room. This position will be for short critical listening periods only.

Apart from the above, speakers will need a break-in period. So they will not sound their absolute best, right out of the box. And will gradually improve on continued playback. So please be patient to get their best

 

[benz]

Hi Benz....
Good morning again...

Excellent decision. Time to enjoy your new speakers now. Don't worry about the amplifier, it has enough juice for the elac B5's. So sit back and relax.

As 'Svelc' rightly mentioned, please do pay attention to speaker placement. Giving enough room around to breathe will usually reduce room interactions.
In my room, I have to pull my speakers well into the room for the best positioning. However, this is not domestically acceptable. So, my speakers usually reside at the back of the room, closer to the rear wall. And when I want to indulge in critical listening, I move my speakers to my main position, which is almost 2 metre from rear and 1 metre from side walls. I have this position marked with a insulation tape on the floor ( My wife hates it hyeah: )

You might have to find these two locations too in your room. One location which does not adversely effect the speaker performance and is domestically acceptable. Second, where it sounds the best in the room, don't worry about how deep it is into the room. This position will be for short critical listening periods only.

Apart from the above, speakers will need a break-in period. So they will not sound their absolute best, right out of the box. And will gradually improve on continued playback. So please be patient to get their best

Hi and a very good morning to you too

Thank you for sharing those experiences and the tips. Will definitely try to find the sweet spot by placing the speakers at different positions.

And yes for critical listening, which is usually when no one is at home I do, so placement will not be a problem anywhere in the room.

I usually listen to long hours of music, and once the mood sets in it is very difficult to stop to play the next album. So that break in thing should not take many days hopefully, unless I get busy with work and then weeks pass on without listening to anything :sad:

I am not expecting much work till December, so I guess everyday 1 hour of music should be good enough for the beauties to break in for the new years eve. hyeah: