pete_mac
Super Member
Whilst I sense that Chinese audio gear is polarising for some people, I'm an enormous fan of some of their better-quality brands. I've owned a number of audio-gd DACs over the past few years, and now own a pair of ELITE Aesthet 1 MK II speakers. I figured it wouldn't hurt to get the word out there, as there is very little discussion or knowledge of these speakers on English-speaking forums. Availability is obviously an issue and involves overseas shipping and whatnot, but the ratio of risk vs reward is just phenomenal.
I snaffled these speakers second-hand last week. They are just over 12 months old. Having listened to them extensively, and owned (or borrowed) a number of very good speakers from Dynaudio, PMC, Lenehan Audio, Focus Audio, Usher Audio, JM Lab/Focal and ProAc, I can honestly say that these speakers are the best speakers that I've had the privilege of hearing in my own system.
They are supremely coherent from top to bottom. The bass is deep yet tight, with no boom or overhang, and the articulation of bass notes is fantastic. They've nailed the driver integration perfectly IMHO. The midrange and treble is clean and clear. Importantly, the timbre and tone of acoustic instruments is juuuust right. The realism of vocals is stunning. Yes, I'm dribbling a bit... but credit where credit's due!
The drivers are the same genuine Scan Speak drivers as used in the ProAc 2.5 floorstanding speakers.
The build quality is SUPERB... the birdseye maple veneer is immaculate, the hard gloss finish is impeccable, and the cabinet is weighty and inert. The crossovers use quality components and I've read that the crossovers weigh just shy of 2kg (4.5lbs) on their own!
The main specs are:
Frequency Response: 42Hz-20kHz
Sensitity: 86db/1M/2.83V
Nominal Impedance: 6 ohms
Power Handling: 50-150W
Tweeter: Scan Speak D2010-8513 3/4" tweeter
Woofer: Scan Speak 18W-8545 7" carbon impregnated paper 'crinkle' cone
Crossover Elements: Large diameter OFC hollow inductors,Solen MKP polypropylene capacitors, Imported pure copper connection wires
Cabinet Material: Multiple layered MDF
Finish: Birds eye maple
Dimensions: 420H x 225W x 310D mm
Weight: 13.8kg each
There are a few suppliers of these speakers with the pricing seeming to range from $USD699-799 or thereabouts. Cattylink is one such website eg. http://www.cattylink.com/page135.html Shipping obviously jacks the price up a bit.
Floorstanding versions are also available, but I'm a bit of a standmound guy myself.
If anybody has the opportunity to hear or buy a pair locally (or if you live in a country which does offer these speakers), do yourself a favour and check them out.
The only downsides that I can see are the lack of wider availability (you can't purchase them in-store) and the lack of brand cache - you can't brag to your mates about your latest DynProAcPMCHarbeth acquisition. Trust me on this one though... all is forgiven when you drop that first track
Personally, I'm really enjoying having speakers which aren't BLACK in my Sansui and audio-gd based system. The birds eye maple veneer really lifts the vibe of the room and contrasts with the rest of the gear.
I snaffled these speakers second-hand last week. They are just over 12 months old. Having listened to them extensively, and owned (or borrowed) a number of very good speakers from Dynaudio, PMC, Lenehan Audio, Focus Audio, Usher Audio, JM Lab/Focal and ProAc, I can honestly say that these speakers are the best speakers that I've had the privilege of hearing in my own system.
They are supremely coherent from top to bottom. The bass is deep yet tight, with no boom or overhang, and the articulation of bass notes is fantastic. They've nailed the driver integration perfectly IMHO. The midrange and treble is clean and clear. Importantly, the timbre and tone of acoustic instruments is juuuust right. The realism of vocals is stunning. Yes, I'm dribbling a bit... but credit where credit's due!
The drivers are the same genuine Scan Speak drivers as used in the ProAc 2.5 floorstanding speakers.
The build quality is SUPERB... the birdseye maple veneer is immaculate, the hard gloss finish is impeccable, and the cabinet is weighty and inert. The crossovers use quality components and I've read that the crossovers weigh just shy of 2kg (4.5lbs) on their own!
The main specs are:
Frequency Response: 42Hz-20kHz
Sensitity: 86db/1M/2.83V
Nominal Impedance: 6 ohms
Power Handling: 50-150W
Tweeter: Scan Speak D2010-8513 3/4" tweeter
Woofer: Scan Speak 18W-8545 7" carbon impregnated paper 'crinkle' cone
Crossover Elements: Large diameter OFC hollow inductors,Solen MKP polypropylene capacitors, Imported pure copper connection wires
Cabinet Material: Multiple layered MDF
Finish: Birds eye maple
Dimensions: 420H x 225W x 310D mm
Weight: 13.8kg each
There are a few suppliers of these speakers with the pricing seeming to range from $USD699-799 or thereabouts. Cattylink is one such website eg. http://www.cattylink.com/page135.html Shipping obviously jacks the price up a bit.
Floorstanding versions are also available, but I'm a bit of a standmound guy myself.
If anybody has the opportunity to hear or buy a pair locally (or if you live in a country which does offer these speakers), do yourself a favour and check them out.
The only downsides that I can see are the lack of wider availability (you can't purchase them in-store) and the lack of brand cache - you can't brag to your mates about your latest DynProAcPMCHarbeth acquisition. Trust me on this one though... all is forgiven when you drop that first track
Personally, I'm really enjoying having speakers which aren't BLACK in my Sansui and audio-gd based system. The birds eye maple veneer really lifts the vibe of the room and contrasts with the rest of the gear.