Полочная акустика — ELAC Debut Reference DBR62

The Debut Reference DBR62 is a two-way bookshelf speaker that Andrew Jones designed for ELAC as an upgraded version of the Debut 2.0 B6.2. Its public debut came in September 2019 at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest with an estimated price of USD 499 per pair and reached the market in November 2019, followed by a further showing at ISE 2020. For this model the cabinet construction is all new, and ELAC gave the cabinet, drivers and crossover equal priority in the design, a first for the Debut family.

Key specs that matter

A 1 inch soft dome tweeter and a 6.5 inch aramid fibre woofer are joined by a crossover at 2,200 Hz. Frequency response is 44 Hz to 35,000 Hz, sensitivity is 86 dB at 2.83 V and 1 m, nominal impedance is 6 ohm and maximum power input is 120 W. Each speaker is 359 mm high, 208 mm wide and 275 mm deep and weighs 8.2 kg. Two finishes are offered - a walnut cabinet with a black painted front baffle, or an oak cabinet with a white painted front baffle - and the tweed cloth grilles are held on by magnets.

Engineering and use context

ELAC builds the box from CARB2 rated MDF with thicker panels than the standard Debut and a full perimeter brace that ties the top, bottom and side walls together to reduce cabinet vibration. Bass reflex loading uses a dual flared slot port across the bottom of the front baffle, a layout intended to lower port noise. The woofer is mounted in a new cast aluminium basket that adds stiffness and reduces resonance, and its custom aramid cone is tuned for greater stiffness and damping. The tweeter receives a new waveguide and a more open grille in front of it. The crossover network is more complex than in earlier Debut models, aimed at smoother integration of the two drivers around the handover frequency. Connections are made through 5-way metal binding posts, which accept spades, bare wire or banana plugs. Compared with the B6.2, the DBR62 is 16 mm shorter but heavier, reflecting the thicker walls and cast basket.

Pairing

The moderate load and modest sensitivity point to an integrated amplifier or receiver with some reserve, and the maximum input rating caps how large an amplifier should be used. The front-mounted port makes the DBR62 less sensitive to a nearby rear wall than a rear-vented box, which suits placement on a shelf or media unit as well as on stands. The walnut and oak versions can also be matched to the DFR52 floorstander of the Debut Reference family for a larger system.

Alternatives

The ELAC Debut 2.0 B6.2 is the standard-series bookshelf model with the same driver sizes in a black ash vinyl cabinet.