Полочная акустика — ELAC Elegant Line 300 BS302

The ELAC BS302 of the Line 300, also listed as BS 302, is a miniature two-way passive speaker for shelf or wall from ELAC of Kiel, Germany. It replaced the BS 301.2 in the range, bringing a revised magnet system and a modified crossover to the same compact concept, and it comes in high gloss black, grey or white paint over an aluminium enclosure.

Key specs that matter

A 20 mm cloth dome tweeter works with an oval AS cone woofer measuring 78 by 108 mm in a closed box. Frequency response is stated as 80 Hz to 35,000 Hz, with sensitivity of 86 dB at 2.83 V and 1 m. Nominal impedance is 4 ohm, falling to a minimum of 3.5 ohm at 1,200 Hz. Power handling is 60 W nominal and 75 W peak per channel, and ELAC recommends amplifiers delivering 20 to 120 W per channel. The cabinet measures only 91 mm wide, 121 mm high and 111 mm deep, and each unit weighs 1.3 kg.

Engineering and use context

The crossover network does two jobs. Besides dividing the signal between woofer and tweeter at 2,390 Hz, it contains an integrated high-pass filter, which keeps the lowest frequencies away from the small oval driver. That built-in filter is the reason the lower limit of the response sits where it does, and it defines the BS302 as a satellite that expects a subwoofer to handle the bass below that point. ELAC chose aluminium for the Line 300 cabinets because it is rigid and light and allows a narrow profile that reduces diffraction, and the metal carries a painted high gloss surface. Magnetic shielding allows the speaker to stand directly next to CRT screens or devices with magnet-sensitive hard drives without causing interference. Connection is made through 5-way metal binding posts, and a metal grille is supplied in the box. The rear panel is prepared to accept an optional wall bracket, so the speaker can be hung on a wall as well as placed on a shelf or table. The oval shape of the woofer lets ELAC fit more cone area into a narrow front baffle than a circular cone of equal width could.

Pairing

Because of the built-in high-pass section, a system built around the BS302 needs a subwoofer, either with its own crossover or fed from an AV receiver bass management output. Given the low nominal and minimum impedance, the chosen electronics should be rated to drive 4 ohm speakers.

Alternatives

The ELAC BS312.2 is a larger bookshelf model of the same Line 300, combining a JET 6 tweeter with a 115 mm AS-XR woofer in a bass reflex aluminium cabinet.