Audio brands are well aware there’s been a resurgence of interest in gear among younger listeners looking to graduate to better components. Speakers have become seriously sought – and priced – design objects, with countless social media channels dedicated to spotlighting new and vintage loudspeakers alike. With this renewed interest has come an aesthetic informed by the past while designed around technology attuned to listener habits today. A prime example of this trend is German brand ELAC’s Adsum + ELAC debut Designer Series ConneX DCB41-DS Speakers.
Original Debut ConneX Powered Speaker prior to the Adsum design makeover
Originally launched in 2022, the Debut ConneX DCB41 arrived as an unassuming pair of small desktop speakers with greater sound than expected, popularized by their high performance-to-price value. ELAC would eventually invite New York clothing brand Adsum to give their diminutive desktop duo a monochromatic makeover. This sparked the inaugural launch of ELAC’s Designer Series.
The refreshed design begins with a new fingerprint-resistant white finish (thankfully without the original ConneX DCB41’s overly conspicuous badge), alongside a new minimalist and magnetic grille design. Adsum also literally elevated the design by giving each speaker their own custom one-piece bent metal speaker stand. The entire setup quietly puts forth a Marcel Breuer-meets-Dieter Rams feel that we’re all about.
ELAC wisely brought product success from previous components into the ConneX DCB41-DS. Two 50-Watt Class D amps are more than sufficient to fill a normal room with sound via the speaker’s contrast black 4-½” woofer and ¾” tweeter. A long excursion woofer pushes out a surprising breath of bass (but bass lovers will appreciate a subwoofer output that allows further deepening), with a plethora of connections accommodating wired and wireless connectivity for easy listening or part of a home theater setup. Equipped with USB Audio, HDMI eARC, Bluetooth AptX, Phono Preamp, Analog, and Optical Inputs, these are the definition of small but mighty loudspeakers.
And just like that, ELAC had on their hands a highly desired design object… $650 speakers that sold out instantly, snatched up by hypebeasts everywhere as much for their aesthetic as for their versatile sound.
Tune into this and future releases by visiting elac.com.
