Sound
Contents
The Elac Navis ARB-51 plays surprisingly generous and round. More than we expected from such a compact bookshelf. It really is a rich sounding speaker. And that’s meant positively. Partly because of this character, the Elac Navis will also be able to come into its own in a lot of living rooms. A fresher sounding model or a speaker with a lot of detailing will be more difficult to combine. Not that this Elac does not have a lot to offer: we really do not miss anything. But honestly: there are models with more focus on letting us hear micro details.
Just play nice!
The focus of this system is simply to play music. We are not distracted by anything. And that’s a strength we don’t always hear. There are plenty of systems – expensive and cheap – where we look for balance. Not with these Elacs. These are truly plug and play. Throw them on a tripod, attach a source and enjoy the music. It’s wonderful.
To be honest, we are used to this from active systems. We recognize it in the DALI Rubicon C, ATC active systems and for example the studio monitors that we tested a while back. All are just easier to get playing nicely. No fumbling with matching or cables. That’s a relief sometimes to be honest. Yes… that from the mouth of someone who writes passionately about hifi!
We ran everything through the Cocktail Audio: Massive Attack, Steven Wilson, internet radio, Hip Hop, Metal… these Elac Navis ARB-51 really do swallow everything without effort. Can it handle Angel from Massive Attack? Yes, but obviously do not expect the deepest bass regions, but you will be amazed at what these speakers still push into the room. Partly due to the synergy of the BASH amps and the matching on the units, surprisingly powerful bass still comes through.
The mid and high feels smooth and excellently layered and controlled. The sweet spot is a lot larger than we are used to from traditional systems due to the coaxial setup. That’s kind of a nice feature of coaxial units. We do not really hear the horn effect which is sometimes the case with coaxial units.
Alright my friend. I bow down to your wisdom. 🙇🏻🙇🏻🙇🏻 I am actively on the road to being convinced of the folly of the passive life. And as I am totally new to this I have no reason to adopt such old skool outdated habits, right? 🥳 I totally understand the advantages. Even a neophyte like me sees what is plain as day: this approach is simpler to understand, easier to research and purchase, easier to set up (and tune to the room, also??), lighter, with less external wiring/cabling, AND with component integration that is more efficient (D supporting A/B) while producing excellent sound quality. And they look cool and modern. What’s not to love!
This is 3 years old though so I will check on its current state online. Thanks again for posting another helpful review.