What is the opinion of Reddit about the
ELAC Uni-fi UB5 Bookshelf Speaker (Black, Pair)?

A total of 25 reviews of this product on Reddit.

2 points

·

17th Jul 2018

I like the Kef Q100 a little bit better, and I saw it at 250 at amazon, but the center channel is realllly hard to find. For that reason, I would go with the Elac Debut 2.0 B6.2. The Elac Unifi B5 are actually 350 right now also, and I like that better than both of these (usually 500). If you can stretch a little, I think it would really be worth it

EDIT: Here is the link. The Center channel UC5 is 350, but since you want 2.1, this will sound amazing (I mentipon the centers in case you ever want to expand)

https://www.amazon.com/ELAC-Uni-fi-Bookshelf-Speaker-Black/dp/B01CRYWVG2/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1531864644&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=elac+unifi+ub5&psc=1&smid=A17IVE6SUAZA2P

1 point

·

1st Feb 2020

And it went up to $769.99 for us here in Canada. They give the U.S. a sale price and marks up the price for us here in Canada from what it normally is priced at on Amazon. In the end they aren’t losing any money from having a “sale”.
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01CRYWVG2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_OZonEbY2H6YFT

1 point

·

17th Jul 2018

I’m planning on getting ELAC Uni-fi UB5 (soon for that price of $350!) for my smart tv to use for movies and general streaming music listening. I’m new to this and was wondering if I needed an AV receiver if my source will only be from my TV? and if not I’ll need an amp, but I don’t know what to get. My ideal budget is under $100 but I’ll be willing to extend it up to $200. I’ll definitely be up to get something used.

1 point

·

20th Nov 2017

269 is a great deal for that deck and cartridge, leaves you with lots of room to play with for speakers and an amp. I would pair it with these: Elac UB5 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CRYWVG2 for a steal at 350 and smsl AD18 (145) will drive them well and give you a DAC to play with also. You could also upgrade the amp to the Emotiva TA-100(399) or Onkyo A-9010 (200). I’d go with the Emotiva, they’ll have a good black friday sale too.

1 point

·

31st Mar 2017

I’m looking to upgrade my setup. My setup right now is a stock Pro-ject Debut Carbon, Schiit Mani pre-amp, and Audioengine A5+ powered speakers. Am I correct in assuming the speakers are the weak link here?

I was thinking about selling the A5+s getting these since they’re $100 off right now, and also an amp/receiver to go with it. Would this be a decent upgrade in sound quality? If so, any recommended amps/receivers to go with it? I don’t really know too much about what kind of amps are needed to drive speakers. I was thinking of spending maybe around $100 on an amp and $400-500 on passive speakers.

4 points

·

25th Nov 2016

Elac UB5 is on sale over at Amazon for $400. I have to admit I too, like many others fell victim to the hype and became giddy and incontinent with excitement when they were released.

I mean, even Patrick Norton sounded like a Justin Beiber fanboy when he interviewed Andrew Jones for Tested. Squeee!

Unfortunately, I was of the 2 people that weren’t blown away by the UE5 (/u/strategicdeceiver was probably the other). To me the super-innovative engineering (did you see the crossover inside the belly of this beast?) did not match the way the end-product sounded. It’s a perfectly competent sounding speaker, just not one of the greats.

Having said that, it’s a very good choice for folks looking for a decent pair of bookshelves for $400.

And having said that, there are other options with different sound profiles on sale right now for around the same price though, for example the MA Bronze 2 and the KEF Q300

1 point

·

6th Mar 2022

Hey there. I have a pair of the first ELAC Jones B5s bookshelves:

https://www.amazon.com/ELAC-Uni-fi-Bookshelf-Speaker-Black/dp/B01CRYWVG2/ref=asc_df_B01CRYWVG2/

I wasn’t 100% clear on what the proper pairing for a simple amplifier is and I bought this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077GWVHHN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00

It seems the max power of this amp exceeds the speakers – should I be worried? I can return the amp but i’m pretty happy with the sound. I’d rather keep it but obviously not if it means I could blow the speakers.

1 point

·

26th Oct 2021

Deal link: Amazon

1 point

·

24th Mar 2019
1 point

·

29th Jul 2020

Are these available? They’re on sale right now. Might need to go to the Elac website directly.
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01CRYWVG2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_dexiFb8S4BREX

1 point

·

25th Dec 2018

The great ELAC Uni-Fi just went on sale again. ELAC Uni-fi UB5 $320 and the ELAC Uni-fi UC5 Center $240. Though you will need a 4 ohm rated amp/receiver.

PS. My speakers of choice are the Ascend CBM-170 which I like better than the Q100.

Also All available Infinity Reference speakers are on sale again

5″ bookshelf – R152 – 150$ – https://www.harmanaudio.com/speakers/REFERENCE+152.html

6.5″ bookshelf – R162 – 180$ – https://www.harmanaudio.com/infinity/REFERENCE+162.html

2 way center – RC252 – 150$ – https://www.harmanaudio.com/infinity/REFERENCE+RC252.html

3 way center – RC263 – 180$ – https://www.harmanaudio.com/speakers/REFERENCE+RC263.html

3 way tower – R253 – 200$ each – https://www.harmanaudio.com/infinity/REFERENCE+253.html

12″ sub – R12 – 180$ – https://www.harmanaudio.com/infinity/REFERENCE+SUB+R12.html

1 point

·

10th Dec 2018

Elac UB5

Klipsch RP-160m– These are much more expensive in Canada

Polk S55

Price to performance I would save the money and get the Emotiva B1’s myself. Theyre very nice theater speakers. The RP-160m’s are a bit better (and will definitely play louder) but not $300 better. Not sure if you can order from the US and if so what that pricing looks like.

1 point

·

25th Nov 2018

Just sayin’, you should buy these soon if you’re going to get a pair of speakers. Get them and a power amplifier, which if you decided to get the speakers I’d be MORE than happy to recommend https://www.amazon.com/ELAC-Uni-fi-Bookshelf-Speaker-Black-x/dp/B01CRYWVG2

1 point

·

18th Jul 2018

The R15 are ok for $125. Possibly similar level to the B5. A step below the Q100 or B6.2. I would give the BIC Venturi DV62si $120 a try at that price point since I prefer 6.5″ mid-bass on budget speakers and definitely the Philharmonic Audio AA for $200 (+$15-$30 shipping) if you don’t have the budget for the B6.2 or the discounted ELAC Uni-fi (4 ohm) for $350.

1 point

·

22nd Jul 2018

Either this if you don’t necessarily need a sub

https://www.amazon.com/ELAC-Uni-fi-Bookshelf-Speaker-Black/dp/B01CRYWVG2?keywords=Elac+ub5&qid=1532253524&sr=8-3&ref=mp_s_a_1_3

Or this with a sub.

https://www.amazon.com/KEF-Q100-Bookshelf-Loudspeakers-Black/dp/B0047K3X1M?keywords=Elac+ub5&qid=1532253524&sr=8-4&ref=mp_s_a_1_4

As for a receiver it really depends on your upgrade path. Do you think you’ll eventually want to do surrounds someday with the same receiver?

A good receiver will get you right up against your limit.

If you don’t ever care to do surround sound I’d get a solid used receiver.

People are trying to get rid of their pre atmos receivers at bargain bin prices.

If you go used then you’ll have much more money left on a sub. You don’t really need anything that fancy if you’re just running 3.1

1 point

·

3rd Jun 2018

Would this make a good setup for my living room? Would be mainly for Movies, video games, and streaming music.

I would like a 5.1 set up but I don’t like the idea of having wires running visible around my living room. Was thinking that having good quality bookshelf speakers and having a center speaker added in the future would be good enough.

Any recommendations on what should be added or changed? This is my first time buying a home theater setup.

ELAC Uni-fi UB5 Bookshelf Speaker (Black, Pair) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CRYWVG2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_YnffBb8JSFQPD

Denon AVRS730H 7.2 Channel AV Receiver with Built-in HEOS wireless technology, Works with Alexa https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XYHTQTH/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_toffBb0E7J2ZW

Silverback Speaker Wire by Sewell with Silverback Banana Plugs, 10 ft ,12 AWG, OFC, 259 Strand Count, Terminated https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009RTC62K/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_MoffBbTWW7VB3

1 point

·

26th Mar 2018

They’re $399 now, prices don’t last long these days. xD

https://www.amazon.com/ELAC-Uni-fi-Bookshelf-Speaker-Black/dp/B01CRYWVG2

1 point

·

6th Jun 2017

I’m sorry, life picked up real fast and I have been too busy to do the research. I did check your Craigslist after originally planning on some extreme floorstanders, a dedicated amplifier with receiver, until I realized in your situation it would likely be better to get bookshelf speakers and a subwoofer.

So, with that in mind, here are some ideas (I’m recommending new b/c it is the easiest, but this could also give you some ideas/a general perspective on price per component and etc.):

Speakers: Elac UB5 – some great sounding, resonably priced bookshelves. They have the neat feature of having a co-axial tweeter, meaning the tweeter is mounted inside the midrange’s cone, which helps blend the frequencies together (particularly important for vocals)

Subwoofer: SVS SB-1000 – This thing is both crazy enough to supply some serious low end, while still refined enough for a small room. You certainly won’t need any more bass with an option like this 🙂

Amplifier/reciever: There are many suitable options here, and for your price range being able to hook up your TV for home theater should easily be possible. A really nice Denon can run you $500 but comes with many features. The only one I see missing is “pre-outs” which are used to hook up bigger and badder amplifiers, which you probably won’t need.

That’s just one part-ed out system, that would sound excellent and last you many years. Typically the only thing that becomes obsolete is the receiver when new standards (like HDMI) become available.

EDIT: You’ll also want a USB DAC for your laptop, such as this Schiit Audio DAC which will sound leagues better than the headphone jack on the laptop.

1 point

·

18th Apr 2017

If you want to stick to powered speakers, I can vouch for Airmotiv 6S. They’ve come up in price since I bought them, but the AMT is great and the bass is more than enough for a smaller room. With the exception of movies, I think these are fine without a sub (I did add one later regardless, but still). Remaining budget can go towards a DAC.

Definitely don’t rule out passive speakers though, I’m an idiot and I got everything working great. Just watch some videos on how to strip wires and setup speakers. If you’re down to give it a shot, take a look at:

Leftover budget goes towards an amplifier, wire, and possibly stands. The Onkyo A-9050 is a pretty nice piece of kit that should last you even if you ever choose to upgrade.

1 point

·

27th Mar 2017

Elac UB5 might be a good option. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CRYWVG2 . This stuff is fine for speaker wire: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006LW0W5Y

Check Zeos’s reviews, he has a lot of reviews up for speakers in this price range https://www.reddit.com/r/Zeos/comments/4yd60f/guide_stereo_20_deskroom_setups_for_musicgaming/

1 point

·

24th Nov 2016

What is your experience with speakers? Cuz if you been driving a prius and immediately want to go to a bugatti veryon, without knowing why it is better than a ferrari or lamborghini, you are really wasting a lot of money. And audiophile realm is bullshit. Audiophile requires experience not a billfold. Sorry for the mini rant, but alot of inexperienced people buy equipment that is wasted on them lol.

I have not heard the Buchardt in person yet. But i believe zeos said the larger ones werent that good on a desk but the larger ones are fucking huge so it makes sense. Im guessing after shipping they are going to be a little north of $1000. Right now I would pick up the unviersally acclaimed ELAC Uni-Fi UB5 currently on sale for $400.https://www.amazon.com/ELAC-Uni-fi-Bookshelf-Speaker-Black/dp/B01CRYWVG2/ref=pd_lutyp_simh_2_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01CRYWVG2&pd_rd_r=B9XH2J9NAFSN6TV2SD5J&pd_rd_w=QW0KL&pd_rd_wg=Ydd70&psc=1&refRID=B9XH2J9NAFSN6TV2SD5J

or the jbl 530 while you can still get them for $600. I believe they are discontinued the the price will sky rocket to 800 easy. https://www.amazon.com/JBL-Studio-530-5-25-Inch-Bookshelf/dp/B00622STI0/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1479984218&sr=1-1&keywords=jbl+530

I have the jbl 530 and the SVS Ultras ($1000) and on a desk i prefer the jbl 530. They have amazing imaging on a desk.

Behringer a500 will power anything you through at it so not much to say on that.

I am gonna say schiit stuff is good (but i am having trouble with my modi 2 uber having usb error which is currently pissing me off) but you are paying a premium to being made in the USA. The magni 2 is a fine amplifier, it has served me well to power my my hifiman he-400 and mad dog pros.

For a preamp I would just go with a SCHIIT SYS i believe.

Then i just realized, what sound to you prefer? Netural, bright or bass? lol

But if you get the elacs or jbls with the rest of that equipment, i believe you would have a fantastic starting kit to become a proper audiophile. Down the road you can upgrade any piece of the kit and you will know why it is better.

And what is this desktop setup for? gaming station or workstation? cuz with the money you save if you go with cheaper speakers, i reccomend picking up a sweet 4k monitor/tv too lol.