ELACDebut ConneX 4-1/2" Powered Bookshelf Speakers with HDMI ARC, Pair of Bookshelf Speakers for Home Entertainment System, Black

Worth every penny. They worked right out the box. I’m able to listen albums after more than 40 years without the need of a separate amplifier.

Good Power, Good Look, Good Fit. Beware the firmware update! At some point, it just stopped working, but the fix was a simple firmware update.

The basics first: this pair of ELAC powered bookshelf speakers sounds terrific. Obviously the compromises of their very small form factor are still present — the level of bass they provide is not going to fool anyone into thinking you have a massive subwoofer, but the sound is very well-rounded, full, and uncompromised considering the speakers' small size. They're able to fill a decent-sized room and all kinds of music sounds lovely, comparable to a decent stereo system, coming through their small grilles. I test-listened to everything from classical piano sonatas to guitar-driven rock to hip-hop and found myself enjoying it all through the ELACs more than I expected. I would totally recommend them for use in a kitchen or bedroom, or with a computer or TV.The quibbles: They're still far more expensive than they should be, compared to some of the competition, and have a slightly odd array of inputs. There's no user manual at all included, so it's a good thing operation is mostly self-explanatory; there's an HDMI cable in the box but no USB cable, somewhat annoyingly, and you'll need to find one with the big old-fashioned "B" connector that was mostly used for printers (it'd be far nicer for a brand-new device like this to come with USB-C). The remote is required for changing sources, annoyingly; the volume knob/button on the back of the powered speaker doesn't reliably do it. There's also no AirPlay 2 streaming support, a really annoying omission that would've done more to justify the premium price. The "walnut" finish is extremely fake-looking, a plastic veneer that appears even less like real wood than the cheapest Ikea furniture. The speakers come with stick-on rubber feet that you must apply yourself, another very cheap-seeming feature in a premium-priced product.With similarly high-quality competitors like Audioengine A2s priced at less than half what these ELACs cost, I can't really see buying them as a first choice; their main feature that other powered speakers don't have is the HDMI ARC connection, which is easily available on any good "sound bar" system if TV/home theater use is the target. Still, there's nothing wrong with them; they sound good.

These are great sounding speakers with an attractive feature set, but are not suitable for PC speakers.Sound:Excellent for the price (at least at 400). Needs to be paired with a small subwoofer to really round out the sound, as the 4.5" drivers simply don't go low enough. Not a mark against the speakers, just basic sound physics. Fortunately, they have a sub out, and it works fine.Problems:ON USB INPUT: There seems to be about a 1/4 second delay between when a sound signal first gets to the speaker, and when the internal amp starts working. This means that all notifications and short sounds in windows just don't work. You get a slight hiss, but that's it. If the amp is active (i.e. music is actively playing), then it all works fine.However, I ran into an issue with Wo Long, where the sound in game would just stutter and cut out every few seconds, on an irregular interval. Further testing showed that this was actually affecting the WHOLE SYSTEM. Switching to my Sennheiser EPOS USB headset, problem goes away. Using direct line out from the onboard DAC on the computer to a pair of wired headphones also worked fine, so this issue is strictly on the ELAC speakers.On PHONO/LINE IN: There is a constant hiss from the speakers when using line in, I'm guessing this is because the amp is always active. Even if there was no sound coming from the input, still a hiss. Really unacceptable.On OPTICAL/SPDIF: This is what I am currently using. No hiss, but still a delay (albeit smaller). Most importantly, I have not run into the issue of sound cutting out across the system.If you're buying these to use in lieu of a sound bar for a TV, I think they'll be fine. But definitely do not buy them for use as a PC speaker. Who knows, maybe it works fine on mac.

Well composed and surprisingly clear.

I think it competes well with the best sub-$200 active speakers like NEUMI BS5P-ARC and Sanyun SW206.Some expensive speakers like the KEF LS50W2 justify a big price premium over cheap stuff, but this one just didn't for me, I returned it.I would buy it at $200-300

Particularly shine with a subwoofer.

Removed the soundbar and got more sound from Elac~