Elac Debut ConneX Designer Series: Powered Speakers with Style

Elac Adds some Brooklyn Flair

If memory serves, Elac launched the $600 Debut ConneX speakers in 2022. These 2-way powered bookshelf speakers feature a 4.5-inch polypropylene long-throw mid-woofer, a ¾-inch soft dome tweeter with waveguide, 50 watts per channel of onboard power, and a host of digital and analog inputs, including HDMI and MM phono. Though they lack built-in streaming smarts, it’s easy enough to attach something like a WiiM streamer via the Elacs’ optical input. Reviews suggest that these $600 speakers sound very good indeed, but it’s easy to tell from photos that the fit-and-finish could be better. The vinyl wraps covering the cabinets don’t look particularly fresh, and the overall appearance is less stylish than something from Kanto or Audioengine. Perhaps that’s why the speakers are easy to find at a discount — authorized dealers are offering them for as little as $399 at the time of writing. Elac has been down this road before. The brand’s passive 3-way Uni-Fi series, designed by Andrew Jones, sounded terrific (as long as you had enough amplifier power to overcome the speakers’ relatively low sensitivity). But their squat proportions and vinyl finishes didn’t inspire pride of ownership. Luckily, the brand had also designed an alternate version of the Uni-Fi, originally intended only for European markets. Priced slightly higher, the so-called Uni-Fi Slim series featured more appealing proportions and a much nicer (painted) finish. As it turned out, even knuckle-dragging American customers were willing to pay a bit extra for improved style and attention to detail. Now, Elac appears to be taking a lesson from its own history book with the introduction of a special edition of the Debut ConneX, created in partnership with the Brooklyn-based fashion label Adsum.

New & Improved Elac Debut ConneX

According to Elac, the new-and-improved Debut ConneX Designer Series ($650/pair) is infused with “a unique blend of minimalist design and high-fidelity audio… (offering) the straightforward functionality and convenience of a soundbar while delivering the superior sound quality and visual appeal expected from top-tier powered speakers.” Although the speakers are functionally and sonically unchanged, the collaboration “transcends mere cosmetic changes,” according to Elac. The new version of the speaker represents a complete aesthetic overhaul, spearheaded by Adsum — a fashion house focused on “high quality manufacturing and design,” making products “inspired by the cities and countryside of the American Northeast.” Gone are the original version’s rounded edges and tacky vinyl finish options, replaced by freshly-painted cabinets with squared-off edges. The standout feature is surely the custom-designed tubular metal stand, which gives the Adsum version of the speaker a modernized aesthetic, aided of course by the exclusive magnetic detachable grilles. Little touches like a bespoke remote control and custom-colored cables complete the distinctive look, according to Elac. This design do-over was intended to transform a good-sounding but visually ho-hum speaker into “the ultimate audio companion for the space-conscious city dweller,” according to Elac. The new Debut ConneX is reportedly “the ideal speaker set for the city lifestyle,” ready for everything from watching movies, to gaming, to being your own DJ at your next party.

Elac and Adsum’s partnership melds advanced audio engineering with urban streetwear aesthetics, setting new standards for style and acoustics.

— Joe Riggi, CEO of Elac Americas Inc.

The Debut ConneX Designer Series speakers (DCB41-DS) are available now for $649.98, exclusively at Crutchfield, B&H, and elac.com.

More information: Elac Debut ConneX Designer Series