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Equipment Review
ELAC
200 Series Jet
Loudspeaker System
How To Say
“Premiere Loudspeaker System”
In German
O H N
K
O T C H E S
Introduction
ElectroAcustik GmbH, more conventionally known as ELAC, has
been in the hi-fi business almost literally since there was a hi-fi
industry. ELAC’s official entry into the business dates back to 1926,
although its current ownership “only” dates back to 1982. Among
the noteworthy accomplishments in ELAC’s history is the invention
of the moving-magnet system in 1957, which has been used on
countless millions of phono cartridges in the nearly 50 years since
its invention.
“They deliver incredible sound, and the
various available finishes will make
them a welcome resident in nearly every
décor.”
Present day ELAC focuses on loudspeakers, and all drivers are
built in-house. Their broad product line ranges from a $599 5.1channel loudspeaker system to a flat panel loudspeaker with artwork to conceal their true function, all the way up to their top-of-theline “Spirit Of Music” loudspeaker retailing for $7,195 each. Having
such a broad lineup of products allows ELAC to compete in nearly
every market segment and has made them Germany’s second
largest loudspeaker manufacturer.
The ELAC 200 Series JET loudspeaker system arrived in
February 2004, several weeks after the 2004 International
Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The ELAC 200 Series JET loudspeakers are priced from $1,190 per pair to $1,895 each (depending on which loudspeaker in the lineup is chosen). My ELAC review
sample consisted of six of the model FS 207.2 ($1,100 each) floor
standing loudspeakers: two for the front right and left channels, two
for the left and right side channels, and two others for the surround
left and right channels. The CC 200.2 ($965) was used for the front
center channel, and a pair of Sub 211.2 ESPs ($1,895 each) were
used for the .1 LFE channel.
Finish And Driver Technology
Because of the proximity in time to the CES, I was shipped samples that were used as static demos in ELAC’s booth in the Las
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S P E C I F I C A T I O N S
J
FS 207.2 Floor Standing Loudspeaker
Frequency Response: 36-50 kHz
Crossover Frequencies: 350 Hz (bass woofer),
2.7 kHz (mid/bass woofer)
Nominal Impedance: 4 Ohms
Sensitivity: 89 dB/2.83v/1m
Power Handling: 120w RMS / 160w peak
Drivers: (2) 6-inch Paper/Aluminum Sandwich
Woofers, 2-inch (square) JET Ribbon Tweeter
Cabinet Design: Bass Reflex
Finishes: Matte Black, Beech, Cherry, Silver
Shadow (at additional cost)
Dimensions (WHD In Inches): 6.7 x 36.8 x 11.2
Weight (In Pounds): 33
Price: $1,100 each (+10 percent for Silver Shadow
finish)
CC 200.2 Center Channel
Frequency Response: 52- 50 kHz
Crossover Frequencies: 300 Hz (woofer only),
2.4KHz (mid/bass woofer)
Nominal Impedance: 4 Ohms
Sensitivity: 87 dB/2.83v/1m
Power Handling: 100w RMS / 130w Peak
Drivers: (2) 4-inch Paper/Aluminum Sandwich
Woofers, 2-inch (square) JET Ribbon Tweeter
Cabinet Design: Bass Reflex
Finishes: Matte Black, Beech, Cherry, Silver
Shadow (at additional cost)
Dimensions (WHD In Inches): 16.9 x 5.3 x 13.7
Weight (In Pounds): 19.8
Price: $965 each (+10 percent for Silver Shadow
finish)
SUB 211.2 ESP Subwoofer
Frequency Response: 24-240 Hz
Driver: 10-inch Paper/Aluminum Sandwich,
12-inch Paper/Aluminum Sandwich passive
radiator
Crossover: 2nd Order, variable from 40-180 Hz,
Phase Control: 0 (+) or 180 (-) only
Amplifier Power: 250w RMS / 300w Peak
Cabinet Design: Bass Reflex
Finish: Matte Black, Cherry, Beech, Silver Shadow
(at additional cost)
Dimensions (WHD In Inches): 13.2 x 16.9 x 15.4
Weight (In Pounds): 50.6
Price: $1,895 each (+10 percent for Silver Shadow
finish)
Manufactured In Germany For U.S. Distributor:
Trian Electronics, Inc.
395 Del Monte Center, #192
Monterey, California 93940
Tel: 831 667 03228 / Fax 831 667 0324
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equipment Review
Vegas Convention Center. Since my review
sample was sent directly from the show
floor, the loudspeakers I received were
dressed in all of the finishes that are available for the ELAC 200 Series JET system,
which include matte black, beech, cherry,
and a “Silver Shadow” finish. The Silver
Shadow finish does carry a cost premium
over the other three finishes but does look
quite stunning in its automotive silver
design. The matte black finish also looked
great but the only downside was that fingerprints showed up more often than on the
other three finishes. For most people this
isn’t an issue since loudspeakers aren’t
moved around as much as in a reviewer’s
system. Additionally, the FS 207.2 loudspeakers come with a medium gray base to
improve stability of the narrow footprint,
which matches a textured gray inset to
each loudspeaker. The grill cloths are
removable, and are a very dark gray. A little
detail that ELAC has gotten right is their
spikes. The center portion of the spike is
removable and can be either a soft, siliconlike material for use on hardwood floors, or
a traditional spike. I wish more companies
would give more consideration to their
spikes, as ELAC has.
What about the drivers? Surely there’s
something interesting there? Indeed, there is!
Perhaps the most unique feature of these
loudspeakers is the JET tweeter. The JET
tweeter is a direct descendant of the Heil
Air Motion Transformer. This “Heil
Transformer” technology was gained when
manufacturer A.R.E.S. was purchased by
ELAC in 1993. The current iteration, the
Series III JET driver is listed as having a -3
dB point of 50 kHz. The driver is still built by
hand as the work is too delicate at this time
for a mechanized production process. The
aluminum foil is “concertinaed” as in an
accordion concertina, which places a series
of intricate folds into the membrane—so
that the final result of the tweeter resembles
the bellows of an accordion. The size of the
folds (.84 mm) requires the use of a microscope and undoubtedly very steady hands
to perform the operation. After folding, the
tweeter is placed onto a 2-inch square
assembly plate (also by hand), then moved
robotically into place for gluing. Driving
force is provided by Neodymium magnets
on either side of the foil, and yes, this driver
is in the ribbon category. Frankly, the construction of the driver is to me a marvel of
dexterity. I have tremendous respect for the
skills of the workers assembling this delicate piece, especially knowing just how
poor my own manual dexterity is.
The 150-mm (approximately 6-inch) bass
driver is constructed of a pulp fiber cone on
top of which a 0.2-mm-thick aluminum disk
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is glued. The dual materials form a sandwich membrane and the outer aluminum
driver has a striking visual appearance.
There’s more to this decision than aesthetics—the sandwiched membrane is said to
reduce partial oscillations of the driver and
reduce overall distortion.
The Loudspeakers
Now it’s time to discuss the loudspeakers
themselves, starting with the floorstanding
FS 207.2 loudspeaker. I used six of these
loudspeakers plus the CC 200.2 and the
pair of Sub 211.2 ESPs to create a 7.1
channel system. I received my additional
two channels of speaker cabling about a
week after the loudspeakers arrived, so initially I set up a matched quintet of the FS
207.2s, which was a great way to get a feel
for their performance. The FS 207.2 is a two
and a half-way loudspeaker with three drivers. ELAC, among all the other loudspeaker
manufacturers, is rare in using this design.
In a two-way system, there is a bass driver
and tweeter. In a three-way system, there is
a bass driver, a midrange driver, and tweeter. In a two and a half-way system, two
bass drivers are employed. One 6-inch driver is employed as a bass driver only, while
the second is used as a bass/midrange
driver. In the FS 207.2’s case, the bass driver resides on the bottom of the tweeter
which is crossed over (and removed from
the acoustic picture) at 300 Hz. The upper
driver is allowed to run in the
bass/midrange spectrum before being
handed off to the JET tweeter at 2.7 kHz.
While the drivers are placed in a typical
D’Appolito configuration, the fact that it is a
two and a half-way loudspeaker keeps it
from exhibiting the lobbing and beaming
characteristics that can occur with a true
D’Appolito array. The FS 207.2 is a bass
reflex cabinet, with a pair of ports on the
back of the enclosure. WBT five-way binding posts are provided, and the loudspeaker is capable of being bi-wired or bi-amped.
I did not utilize either of these techniques
during my review of these loudspeakers.
The CC 200.2 center channel loudspeaker I received was also finished in ELAC’s
signature Silver Shadow and it found a
home atop one of my Sanus Systems’ center channel stands during its tenure in my
system. Like the FS 207.2, the CC 200.2 is
a two and a half-way loudspeaker with a
pair of 115 mm (4.5-inch) sandwich membrane drivers flanking the JET III tweeter. As
before, one bass driver is crossed over at
300 Hz via an applied low-pass filter. The
other bass/midrange driver is crossed over
to the JET tweeter at a slightly lower 2.4 kHz.
The CC 200.2 is also a bass reflex design
and has four very small ports on the front of
the cabinet, rather than venting to the rear
of the loudspeaker. The CC 200.2 has no
provisions for bi-wiring or bi-amping, sporting only a single pair of WBT binding posts.
The pair of Silver Shadow-finished Sub
211.2 ESPs subwoofers were placed
towards the front of my room, at symmetric
locations, approximately one-fifth of the way
down the length of the room. The Sub 211.2
ESP utilizes a 250 mm (10-inch) active driver as well as a 300 mm (12-inch) passive
radiator, both of which employ the same
sandwich membrane construction as the
other loudspeakers in the 200 Series lineup.
A passive radiator is an alternative to porting an enclosure, and both the port and the
radiator perform the same functionality. The
active driver is on the front of the enclosure,
while the passive radiator is on the bottom
of the cabinet. This allows for relatively tight
placement to the wall where required.
The Sub 211.2 ESP is powered by a digital switching amplifier rated at 250 watts of
sustained output, with peaks of 300 watts. A
non-defeatable crossover is continuously
variable between 40 and 160 Hz. Since my
Meridian 861v4 handles all bass management crossover duties, the Sub 211.2 ESP
was set for 160 Hz to avoid cascading
crossovers. Unusual, in a great way, is the
inclusion of three sets of five-way binding
posts. This allows use of a single Sub 211.2
ESP as a shared subwoofer between left,
center, and right channels. In addition, a
single RCA input for connection from a
processor is included. I think the utility of
the three binding posts is negated by the
lack of inclusion of three sets of RCA inputs
so that the Sub 211.2 ESP could be used
between a preamplifier and amplifier for
those who so desired. Still, it is a nice feature that is definitely worthy of mention.
Listening (And
Lasting) Impressions
As always, a substantial fraction of time
(roughly 25 percent) was spent listening to
the 200 Series JET loudspeakers in a stereo
context. Imaging in multichannel surround
was also considered with tonality and timbre matching across the front soundstage
and with the surround field, but my first task
was to critique this system in a stereo-only
configuration.
For stereo listening, imaging of the FS
207.2 floor stander is superb—nuances in
the stereo image on studio-based recordings is very, very good. On great recordings, apparent width expands well beyond
the edge of the loudspeakers and a few
feet in front of the loudspeakers’ positions.
A splendid example of this imaging comes
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equipment Review
from the “Full Of Grace” track in Sarah
McLachlan’s Surfacing album. There is a
verse where the lead vocal is imaged deadcenter in the mix followed by the chorus.
The chorus uses a multi-track dubbing of
Sarah McLachlan singing an intricate harmony that spreads well beyond the loudspeakers. The effect is tremendous. The
sonic result is as if the room is expanded
and contracted based on the number of
vocals present.
As previously mentioned, I first set up the
loudspeakers, in a 5.1-channel configuration consisting of five of the FS 207.2s. With
this setup I felt better satisfied with the
matching set of five loudspeakers for front
L/C/R and surround L/R. The resulting
soundfield approached the holosonic™ ideal
of seamless 360-degree imaging. Tracks
that demonstrated this capability to image
correctly in multiple planes included 5.1
Entertainment’s Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat
Band’s Swingin’ For The Fences, where
“Sing, Sang, Sung” always gets a spin in
my system. This is an aggressively mixed
multichannel surround disc and those who
don’t enjoy this particular method of surround mixing should probably avoid this
disc. Various sections are aligned front to
back along one side, or along the front trio
of loudspeakers. As an instrumentalist takes
a solo, they are brought up to front and center where the mix focuses on the player—
including super-swinging Eddie Daniels taking several choruses on clarinet.
Once the last pair of the speaker cables
were in, I switched over to a 7.1-channel
configuration, with the CC 200.2 taking over
duties at front center. Of late, I’ve been
commenting on image height presentation
with typical center channel loudspeakers.
While I did find that there were some issues
with image height, it wasn’t as severe as
I’ve seen with other loudspeakers. Any disc
with discrete center channel for dialogue or
vocals will reveal this to you. To verify image
height with the CC 200.2 center channel
loudspeaker, I chose James Taylor’s JT on
SA-CD. The track “Traffic Jam” is a fun
change-up from the usual James Taylor
presentation, and as additional voices are
added in the recording, the front left/right
voices are presented about a foot or so
above the center channel in space.
For DVD movie soundtrack performance,
the timbre match between the CC 200.2
and FS 207.2 loudspeakers is outstanding
with very good effective panning around the
soundfield. As an example, shortly before
writing this review, my wife and I were
watching an HDTV broadcast of How To
Lose A Guy In 10 Days. Near the opening
of the film, the lead characters depart on a
motorcycle with a fast pan from center to
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right of the soundstage. The tonal character
didn’t change during the pan—this added
to the believability of the sound effect. This
example exemplifies my experience with the
ELAC 200 Series JET loudspeaker system:
outstanding timbre matching with effective
panning for a highly-effective listening
experience.
To critique the effectiveness of the ELAC
200 Series JET loudspeaker system with
movie soundtracks, I visited Contact—an
old favorite and may I add great demo
standby. This is one of the first films I viewed
when I had my first fully-functioning surround system and to this day it is considered an excellent example of a movie
soundtrack done well. In the opening
scene, where the reverse zoom pulls the listener through the solar system and out into
the universe, the ELAC loudspeaker system
highlighted the distance by altering the
soundfield in a dramatic fashion. As we
continually travel away from Earth, the surround field collapses from a fully immersive
and very active 5.1-channel surround mix to
two-channel stereo, and finally to a monophonic center channel of limited fidelity.
Additionally, in Chapter 11 where the alien
signal is first detected, the surround activity
in all loudspeakers was outstanding, as the
listener was totally immersed in the 5.1channel soundtrack.
Tonal characteristics of the seven main
channel loudspeakers was also very good. I
found myself spending extra time listening
to recordings to enjoy the “sound.” I think
this was most especially accentuated with
female voice. That being said, an example
of the tonal quality that was superb was
Linda Ronstadt’s What’s New on DVD-Audio.
Here, the nuances of her voice and recording—the qualitative difference between her
lower SPL and higher SPL singing is readily
apparent. On the track “Goodbye,” as she’s
really belting out the vocals, her voice takes
on a slightly harsh characteristic. Was she
overloading the mic preamp? Without talking to renowned producer/engineer and
audio equipment designer George
Massenburg, I will never know!
When speaking of the performance of
the Sub 211.2 ESP, I used a few tools
besides various selections from movies and
music to determine the wherewithal of the
subwoofers submitted for review. Starting
off with the “Whole Lotta Bass” track from
the PMI Performance Toolkit DVD showed
that each subwoofer peaked at 103 dB;
with both running, the peak was 106 dB.
Tactile and audible feedback both dropped
off rapidly below 25 Hz. By using a disc
with an organ track where I know content
exists at 16 Hz, I definitely felt the lack of
authority in this region. I have to be fair and
say that very few subwoofers can pull this
off, and I’m spoiled by the performance of
my SV Subwoofers PB-2+, especially in the
last half lowest octave. With the exception
of this last half-octave or so below 25 Hz
the Sub 211.2 ESP is very good. Kick and
bass drums in rock, jazz, and classical
recordings all were played back with accurate thump and pitch definition. On most
music reproduction, with the above noted
exception, I found the Sub 211.2 ESP to be
an admirable performer—neither never
calling attention to their presence in the
system
A Brief Detour Into
The World Beyond 5.1
Channels
With the introduction of Dolby® ProLogic® IIx, and the software update for my
Meridian 861v4, I was able to do my first
listening tests of this surround enhancement technology. I must take a moment to
distinguish between the various forms of
sound reproduction beyond 5.1 channels.
At this point, there is only one format which
supports discrete reproduction beyond
“5.1,” and that is DTS’® implementation of
DTS-ES® Discrete Digital Surround™ (which
uses six discretely encoded main channels). Some of the other processes for producing more than 5.1-channel surround are
solely matrix-based and include DTS-ES
Matrix Digital Surround, Lexicon’s Logic7®,
Ambisonics, and the ‘Trifield’ function on
Meridian processors.
With that being said, it is possible to
encode and decode material specifically to
take advantage of a matrix-based decoder
while not compromising playback on systems that don’t support extended surround
capability. I know of, and have heard
recordings and movies specifically encoded
for Ambisonics, Logic7, DTS-ES, and Dolby
Pro-Logic (Dolby Surround® and Surround
EX). While the results aren’t going to be as
good as discretely recorded materials, they
can still do a fairly remarkable job of
extending the surround field. In an odd convergence of fate, my room’s layout doesn’t
work easily with a single surround back
center channel, and my processor only
implements Dolby Pro Logic IIx in derived
7.1 (loudspeaker) mode. Following the
Dolby/THX® recommendations for loudspeaker placement of a derived 7.1-channel
system dictated that the side loudspeakers
be positioned roughly at a 100-degree included angle relative to my listening position.
When I placed the side loudspeakers at 180
degrees directly to my side, I found the
soundstage moved too far towards the side
loudspeakers. The back loudspeakers were
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equipment Review
placed at a 135-degree included angle relative to my listening position. This placement
worked very well for both movies and music.
The real question to be answered is this:
How does the new technology enhance the
surround experience for both movies and
music? For music, the result was mixed. A
disc where the results were outstanding
was Steely Dan’s Two Against Nature in 5.1channel DVD-Audio. Track 8, “Negative
Girl,” features a vibraphone solo which
pans across the surround channel soundstage, in emulation of the vibraphones playing. Without Pro Logic IIx engaged, the
presentation exhibited a well-defined image
that worked its way from solid surround
back, to just left of center back. When
engaging Pro Logic IIx, the reproduction
was immensely more enveloping, with
placement all the way between side-right
and surround left, as though the vibraphonist was playing across the back corner of
my room. Having spent many years with
percussion-like vibraphones played behind
me, I found it to be very entertaining. A disc
that didn’t work as effectively with Dolby Pro
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Logic IIx was from AIX Records. The A
Capella vocal group recording of Zephyr’s
Voices Unbound lost a little of its sonic
magic. I was genuinely surprised by this, as
I had expected Mark Waldrep’s recordings
would fare well. But in this case, the Pro
Logic IIx effect detracted from the overall
presentation.
For movies, I found that by and large I
was pleased with the results of the derived
7.1-channel system. The previously mentioned Contact was a splendid example.
The difference between 5.1- and derived
7.1-channels was noticeable and at least to
me, preferable. I found the soundtrack far
more enveloping with the addition of the
side loudspeakers than I did with just back
or side surround loudspeakers in my room.
The scene that brought this home to me
was in Chapter 16. Here, Ellie is driving a
car through the assembled craziness of
protestors, fans, and others gathering
around the Very Large Array (VLA) site and
I was far more enveloped, drawn into, and
immersed in this on-screen environment.
Conclusion
Pick your loudspeaker poison for the
main loudspeakers. Is it imaging? The FS
207.2s and CC 200.2 do a superb job of
placement, with a wide but still precisely
defined soundstage! Is it tonal characteristics of the various items to be reproduced?
Again, you will find that the FS 207.2s and
CC 200.2 are outstanding performers. Is it
engaging or involving performance? Once
again, these loudspeakers do very, very
well.
The FS 207.2s would definitely satisfy my
stringent requirements for an accurate reference loudspeaker system. They deliver
incredible sound, and the various available
finishes will make them a welcome resident
in nearly every décor. Don’t let the retail price
affect your choice of loudspeakers as you
will find that the ELACs are admirable performers in and above their price range. ■■
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