Upgrade to Debut 2.0
Jesse Lorenz from Oakland, CA on 3/12/2022
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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1 of 1 found this helpful
Happy purchase
Dustin from Toledo, OR on 3/5/2022
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.
Pros: Lows
Cons: Full price plus stands is rather steep
0 of 0 found this helpful
Amazing speakers
Crutchfield customer from Colorado Springs, CO on 2/27/2022
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.
Pros: Amazing sound when powered properly.
Cons: Power hungry.
2 of 2 found this helpful
Impressive
Dean from Penfield on 2/25/2022
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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0 of 0 found this helpful
ELAC Carina BS243.4
Michael from Dumfries, VA on 2/4/2022
Great speakers and a vast improvement over my Polk CS! 100s.
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0 of 0 found this helpful
Easy to place. Look and sound great
Joseph from Chicago, IL on 1/28/2022
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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1 of 1 found this helpful
Small bookshelf, Big sound.
Martin from Pennington, NJ on 1/24/2022
First impression, very musical speaker with clear sound. Also, it's not fussy about placement.
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2 of 2 found this helpful
ELAC Carina BS243.4
Xiao from Allendale, NJ on 1/17/2022
1 of 1 found this helpful
Beautiful pair of speakers
Ebenezer from Gainesville, FL on 1/17/2022
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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0 of 0 found this helpful
EXCELLENT!!!
Carlos from Gurabo, PR on 1/11/2022
The spekers sound spectacular. It met my expectations.
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0 of 0 found this helpful
The unpopular Elac
Jason from Newark, DE on 12/23/2021
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
Pros: Great combo purchase. Tremendous sound quality Visually impressive. Just a good set of speakers. It will be hard to best them at the price.
Cons: You will need a good amp. Not everyone is into that.
7 of 7 found this helpful
Definite upgrade
John from Wappingers Falls, NY on 11/20/2021
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
Pros: Build quality and highs
Cons: none
1 of 1 found this helpful
ELAC Carina BS243.4
Crutchfield customer from Blaine, TN on 9/20/2021
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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2 of 2 found this helpful
Elac Carina BA243.4 Review
Crutchfield customer from Houston, TX on 12/13/2020
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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6 of 7 found this helpful
Wow!
Crutchfield customer from Hillsdale, MI on 11/13/2020
Amazingly high quality sound from these little speakers. Wow!
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3 of 4 found this helpful
Wonderful speaker
Crutchfield customer from Glendale, CA on 9/15/2020
Excellent speaker. Amazing detail. Surprising bass, Bottom porting helps with room placement. Spacious, great soundstage.
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5 of 5 found this helpful
Keepers!
Jedd from Chicago, IL on 7/25/2020
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.
Pros: Great sound
Cons: None
1 of 2 found this helpful
Very goid bookshelves
Crutchfield customer from Los Angeles, CA on 7/23/2020
These sound great. The highs are crisp supple & detailed. The bass is full. They are not the loudest or most roon-filling.
Pros: Detailed highs - full bass
Cons: Not the loudest or most room-filling
10 of 10 found this helpful
Better Than LS50W!
Crutchfield customer from Danville, CA on 6/9/2020
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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18 of 18 found this helpful
ELAC Carina BS243.4
joseph from Asheville, NC on 10/14/2019
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.
Pros: Amazing sound
Cons: None
28 of 35 found this helpful