Compare
Contents
In the meantime you already get an idea on how this speaker sounds and performs but without comparison with some of its competitors a review is not complete in our opinion
Let’s take our Vienna Acoustics Haydn Jubilee (1200 euro), one of the most complete monitors in this price range. He is not picky about amplification and very easy to install. Two important advantages over the Russell K Black 50. With the Haydn Jubilee, the low runs a little deeper and there is a little more punch. In terms of speed, both speakers keep pace and the Haydn Jubilee plays a little more forward. At the Haydn Jubilee we sit a bit more on the edge of our seat while we relax a lot more with the Black 50.
The Haydn Jubilee sounds a little less open than the Black 50, a surprising observation! But the intelligibility is just even higher with the Black 50. Unbelievable! Details come through just as well, but the Haydn Jubilee is a bit more turned on in the high end, which makes it look a bit fresher. The Black 50 sounds calmer and less hectic than the Haydn Jubilee which is a bit more urgent. The Russell K Black 50 shows more feeling, nuance and intimacy compared to the Vienna Acoustics Haydn Jubilee that wants to pop and has a bigger fun factor. These are two very different speakers.
A second reference in this price range is the Elac Carina BS243.4 (1000 euros). This monitor has a ribbon tweeter and a separate bass port. A completely different construction and again a completely different speaker. He plays very ‘smooth’ and shows quite a bit of detail. The sound of the Carina is also rounder and fuller so less perfect recordings are not mercilessly punished. The Black 50 just quietly does his thing and really puts no emphasis on anything. It goes without saying that this is perhaps the most appropriate term for the Black 50
If we play The Orb on the Carina, the Jet tweeter rewards us with a lot of insight and the emphasis is on the ‘bleeps and bops’. The Black 50 better describes the atmosphere on the album of Bridget Mae Power and her voice sounds more honest. Vocals are really the forté of this speaker. Only when you connect another speaker you realize how well the Black 50 scores on that level. Vocals sound so unconstrained that it makes you quiet.