ELAC Carina BS243.4

I am haunted by the these speakers. I ended up returning them, for reasons that I'll explain in a bit, but am seriously contemplating buying them again. I purchased these to replace some older Def Tech Mythos 2 speakers for my family home theater setup in hopes of improving mid-range performance. For music listening, these are the best speakers my untrained ear has ever heard. That AMT tweeter is incredible and the amount of bass these little guys produce when properly placed is just amazing. This is the first set of speakers I've ever owned where putting my Yamaha Advantage AVR into "Pure Direct" mode actually made a subtle difference. I compared these to both my Def Techs and some older Klipsch towers I had laying around and there was no contest. Def Tech's, while still quite good lacked both mid and low end, while the Klipsch's just sounded veiled and boomy. Bi-amping the speakers (perhaps predictably?) did not improve sound quality to my ear. I also hooked the speakers up to a cheap Aiyima Class-D amp and they similarly impressed there. So why'd I return? As mentioned, these are intended to serve dual duty for music and home theater, and with my existing M&K sub just couldn't rationalize the cost. Ended up getting new Def Tech towers with built-in sub amps, but for a pure music setup, you can't beat these. If I can find a place in my home for dedicated music listening, I'm buying these again.

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Lively and transparent

I wanted to refresh my sound after owning and listening to a pair of 20 year old Spendors SP2/3. I was under the impression that the ribbon JET tweeter would provide more lively high end. I was right! These speakers sound transparent and engaging, better sound staging in the mid and upper frequencies and overall a very listenable, non fatiguing sound. I have them paired to a couple of ELAC 10 subs. Alone, they would lack some bottom end, but together, the sound is very, very satisfying.

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Small but mighty!

Wonderful speakers! I love how they are physically smaller than other bookshelf speakers but sound much larger than they are. The speaker is very wide sounding and really envelopes you with sound. I also love how they look and the port on the bottom with opening was a genius move by Andrew Jones. I'm running these off of outlaw monoblock amps and they sound fantanstic.

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ELAC Carina BS243.4

Amazing clarity and sound stage with ample bass even at lower levels. Elac Carina BS243.4 & NAD C700 !!!!

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Great Value and Great Looking

I've have both the ELAC Debut 6.2 and 5.2 pair. Love them. I thought it might be time for an upgrade so I bought the Carina's at a scratch and dent price. The speakers were beautiful as delivered. I love them. More defined highs and lows. They sound great and look great. Another awesome purchase at Crutchfield!

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ELAC Carina BS243.4

Great customer service, great products. Would definitely recommend to friends and family!

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Great Product. Great Experience.

After having several audiophile friends tell me Elac speakers are the way to go, I did my own research and came to same conclusion. So, I called Crutchfiled and spoke to one of their experts who also recommended Elac, and was amazingly helpful with respect to my technical questions. In the end, I upgraded my purchase and got a killer deal. Everything arrived on time and in tact. I love these speakers for both their sound quality and aesthetic. I'll certainly put Crutchfield at the top of my list for future purchase considerations.

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ELAC Carina BS243.4

Best loudspeakers I have ever owned and listened to! I also got free ELAC speaker stands.

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Beatiful and amazing

Amazing sound warm and balanced !

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Just what I wanted

I decided to upgrade the speakers I use in my home office. I was using some Definitive ProMonitor 1000s that had been a part of my surround system before I upgraded it. When I saw the KEF Q150s on sale for $300, I thought they might be the ticket. But they weren't. I couldn't honestly say they sounded any better than the 1000s. If I had to describe their sound in one word, it would be "thin". This was especially true at low volumes, which I often want as I am working. Then I got the Crutchfield summer catalog, and it had an article comparing three speakers, one of which was the ELAC Carina. The description of their sound intrigued me and so I ordered them. I've only had them a little over a week now but I'm in love with the sound. If I had to describe them in one word, it would be "rich". The sound is clean without being fatiguing. The soundstage is wide and the imaging precise. I can't comment on the bass too much because I use a subwoofer, but the two give me a clean, precise low end. For years I had heard about ELAC speakers, but these are the first I've heard. IMHO, Andrew Jones deserves his amazing reputation of listenable speakers.

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Upgrade to Debut 2.0

These speakers sound really good. I got these as an upgrade to the Debut 2.0 B6.2, another fabulous ELAC speaker. In my setup, highs are cleaner and there's less boom to the bass.

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Happy purchase

I've never had bookshelf speakers so I didn't know what to expect. Especially with no sub. I was very impressed with the lows. Really punchy without being boomy. I could stand for a little more detail in the highs. My home theater has Paradigm 800f with SVS PC-4000 sub so it has better bass. But I would say the Carina's have better detail and clarity. I got these marked down $500 plus they came with free stands. With my Crutchfield bucks, I only paid $917. I'm very happy with that. At the full $1,600 price plus $500 for the stands, I'm not so sure.

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Amazing speakers

Paired the Carinas as a single speaker output (Speaker A only) from Yamaha AS2100. The sound was good, the treble was good, but the bass was a little thin. Comparing to Revel M16, the M16 had better bass. I was about to return the Carinas, but remembered it had bi-wire option. So gave it a try with the AS2100 speaker A+B bi-wire option. My goodness, the Carinas really came alive, the bass became much tighter and the music from these speakers became much more enjoyable. I could now understand the rave over the JET tweeters, it is very smooth and accurate and easy to listen too. I could listen to these speakers all day, non fatiguing. I heard that Elac's were power hungry, but did not believe it until now. I was surprised that single speaker output from the AS2100 was not enough to power these speakers. As others have stated, make sure your you have enough amp for these speakers.

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Impressive

Bought these to replace my 20-year old B&W CM4's that retailed for about $1600/pair. They are really impressive sounding speakers. They have amazing bass extension considering their size. I am powering them with a Cary SLI-80 tube amp (80w channel ultra-linear/40w triode) and they will shake the walls albeit in a relatively small listening space. Another great Andrew Jones designed speaker that outshine my old floor standers by quite a bit. The matching stands are over-priced but came as part of the deal through Crutchfield. Awesome pricing and delivery.

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ELAC Carina BS243.4

Great speakers and a vast improvement over my Polk CS! 100s.

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Easy to place. Look and sound great

I bought these as a blind upgrade to my previous system and am in love. In my setup they excel at things that I didn't know I was missing. Male vocals sounds crisp and clear as if the recording studio was my living room. Rock is super-interesting and detailed in a way I didn't know possible. The craziest part is I am still awaiting my speakers stands, so I have them sitting on a dresser, too close to the wall. They sound wonderful all day. I have further tinkering to do with my setup, but these speakers will stay. As a bonus, they also sound very good at low volume. I can put the kids to bed and enjoy my music at night. Setup: Spotify > Apple TV2 (Optical Out) > Cambridge CXA60 (onboard DAC) > ELAC Carinas

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Small bookshelf, Big sound.

First impression, very musical speaker with clear sound. Also, it's not fussy about placement.

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ELAC Carina BS243.4

good speaker with detailed sound.

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Beautiful pair of speakers

It is beautiful pair of speakers. It provides sweet neutral sound that I can listen to all day without being tired. Music is clean and bass is not bad with its size. Subwoofer is recommended.

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EXCELLENT!!!

The spekers sound spectacular. It met my expectations.

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The unpopular Elac

Oh, this little gem in the not so popular department. Please see photo I have a lot of things play around with. First and foremost, even though it assembled in china the build quality is most certainly German. This has a different sound to them and will only appeal to those who have the electronics to back it up. You should get the recommended stands as they assist with the bottom port. Bass, Bass is precise and quick, these are for fast heavy rock. That's not to say it will not respond to soft, pop or others. Adele sound like her on these. Mid-range is smooth like a fine single malt. This is their swan song. Mids. are even better than my KEF's that really surprised me. The tweeter is smooth and sweet, almost silk like. If you listen to Lindsey Stirling, her Violin open in your room and is loud without being fatiguing, yes these can get loud for such a small set. But... you will need a good amp. Your AVR Will not do this justice. I used a Musical Fidelity M3... Hegel H90 and the Arcam SA20 All sound good, but the Arcam ran away with this one. I put my Yamaha avantage and nope, that was a big no go. With the power of the Arcam the sound is fast, precise, and very true to its dementor. The music is just good and even is a mid-size room. If you can find them, it's a great speaker and your ears will thank you. Jason

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Definite upgrade

replacing my Polk Audio S15, I wasn't able to listen to music with the polks, they sounded bland and dead, I just got the carinas today, I know they aren't broken in yet but they sound amazing, I almost don't need my subwoofer, but I love the sub-bass, the highs are very clean and natural, just like the reviews

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ELAC Carina BS243.4

I've never owned speakers as sweet as these they make me want to stand 12ft away dead center of the two. I'm thinking of another pair.

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Elac Carina BA243.4 Review

I am very impressed by these bookshelves. I'm currently using them as surrounds in my HT setup. The bass on them is excellent and really makes for excellent impact in HT use. I've also played multi channel stereo through them and they sound very clear, defined and warm. I'd highly recommend for surrounds or stereo use. I'm strongly considering a second pair for a stereo setup in my office!

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Wow!

Amazingly high quality sound from these little speakers. Wow!

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Wonderful speaker

Excellent speaker. Amazing detail. Surprising bass, Bottom porting helps with room placement. Spacious, great soundstage.

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Keepers!

I used these speakers on all of my solid state equipment and was about to return them. For kicks I hooked them up to my Decware tube amp and holy realism! I didn't think 30 watts per channel would be able to drive a speaker with this low sensitivity but I underestimated my amp AND Elac! These folded ribbon tweeters love tubes! They sound detailed and delicate with beautiful mids and upper bass. Running mine with a sub for the very bottom. A+ on the speakers and on Crutchfield for some of the best service out there.

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Very goid bookshelves

These sound great. The highs are crisp supple & detailed. The bass is full. They are not the loudest or most roon-filling.

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Better Than LS50W!

I traded in a pair of KEF LS50Ws to get these because the treble sounded shrill and prevented me from really enjoying those speakers. Couldn't be happier! Bass is great, mid is loud and clear, and the treble is smooth and detailed. Perfect match for my Cambridge Audio CXA81. Highly recommended!

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ELAC Carina BS243.4

An audiophile friend recommended these speakers and Crutchfield confirmed my friends recommendations. Chatting with Stone and the crew at Crutchfield and finding out Andrew Jones, (the designer of these speakers) actually visited Crutchfield and showcased them with the crew at Crutchfield, helped me with the decision to buy them. Along with the Carina Center and bookshelf speakers, running through my A2080 receiver, I put on Dark Side of the Moon remastered album from Alan Parsons, and it brought me to tears on how beautiful of a sound these speakers put out. And they are still in the break in phase. Thanks Stone and the crew at Crutchfield for the time you took to help me with my purchase.

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