That ELAC is an old model.
They recently introduced the ADANTE, at right around 5K, which has been getting very good reports from the electronics shows. But it's not on Amazon...
Looking for speaker recommendations that I can purchase on Amazon.com
"Personal Preferences: I am looking for non-fatiguing, warm, musical qualities. In another discussion topic here on this forum, @mtrot and I agreed about "smooth, sweet, soft, silky treble" and "shimmery, airy cymbals" as goals." Sorry, but I don't think there are too many people here who'd read this and then recommend a "professional" grade amp. Pro amps are generally made for durability, affordability, and overall power delivery capabilities -- not refinement. Almost the polar opposite of what you're looking for. The reason the 5000 was priced similarly to the 3500 is probably that the 3500 uses a transformer-based power supply and the 5000/7000 use a switching power supply -- probably for cost, efficiency, and weight savings, not sound quality. I think you may be fighting an uphill battle reaching your goals with this amp. I'd dump it and move on to a more synergistic amp/speaker pairing for your specific tastes and goals. Sorry to be the bearer of negative news, and best of luck. |
Have you looked at Emotiva speakers? Their Airmotiv T2 tower speakers are fantastic and fit your budget with room to buy much more. If you don’t know the company, don’t let the price fool you into thinking they are not high end quality. They sound amazing, especially with their XPA amps. Emotiva sells only online (no brick and mortar store in the middle which is part of their ability to keep prices low.) They do sell some through Amazon though I only see their T1 on there now. (I believe they have sold through Best Buy in the past but haven’t looked now.) I suspect they could still arrange for you to buy through Amazon whether you see what you want there or not. Just call them. Look at their DC1 DAC too. I LOVE mine. https://emotiva.com/product/airmotiv-t2/ |
@twoleftears Thanks for the info about the Elac af-61 Adante speakers. Looks like they just came out about 2-3 months ago. The reviews are indeed very positive. These seem like fantastic speakers. I will add them to my list. Maybe they will show up on Amazon (or BestBuy) soon. Being so new, maybe it will just take a little longer? In the mean time I could order the KEF R900 and try them for 30 days... with free shipping both ways if I decide to send them back. |