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John
ELAC Americas has today announced v2.0 of their Uni-Fi series of loudspeakers. We previewed the US version here, the Euro version here, reviewed the Euro standmount here and the Euro floorstanders here.
The new Uni-Fi series brings with it new drivers, new waveguides, new cabinets and new crossovers. In other words, v2.0 is a complete overhaul and once again comes from Andrew Jones.
The most obvious change is the bass reflex port that has been moved to the front baffle — that’s trying to reconcile front wall proximity and its attendant bass loading. The cabinet is made from MDF and covered in a black vinyl finish. (There’s no word yet on the existence of satin-finished European versions).
From the press release: “Specially located internal bracing adds stiffness and strength to the cabinet’s outer walls, reducing the cabinet vibration that causes unwanted coloration.”
Uni-Fi 2.0’s newly-developed 4″ Concentric Driver carries the same size tweeter as the original but with a wider surround that according to ELAC enhances its high- and low-frequency extension for better blending with the surrounding midrange driver, which in turn carries a larger diameter voice coil, a new low-profile surround and new Neodynium magnet assembly. The crossover point between the two coaxially-aligned drivers now sits at 2kHz; 600Hz lower than the original.
For the lowest frequencies, ELAC has specified a newly-developed “single-piece aluminium dished” cone with an oversized magnet, large diameter voice coil and extended pole piece that sum to “improved accuracy and bass dynamics”, according to the Californian company.
Three new drivers necessitate a completely reworked 3-way crossover, here an ‘enhanced design’ that nets a 6 Ohm nominal impedance — a full 2 Ohms higher than the original version to offer better compatibility with AV receivers and lower-powered stereo amplifiers.
The new range of Uni-Fi comprises the UB52 standmount (US$599/pair), the UF52 floorstander (US$1298/pair) and the UC52 centre channel (US$399 each) which will fulfil home cinema applications.
The Uni-Fi 2.0 series is shipping now.
Further: ELAC Americas
