Steve Bennett Hi Fi

When the beautiful FS68 speakers first arrived at our store, here in Geelong, we were instantly impressed. Deftly unboxed and hooked up to a nice Cambridge Audio electronics package, we were quite taken by their fine, extended treble response and impressive ability to fill a room with ease. 

How the FS68 achieves this is no small feat. It actually requires the same precision and design ingenuity that ELAC usually lavish on their costly designs. So here's what goes into an FS68 loudspeaker, "from the top..."":

A 25mm silk-dome tweeter is wound with ultra-lightweight aluminum wire and ferro-fluid cooled/damped. An additional cooling element, attached to the magnet, aids power-handling and controls frequency response. The tweeter is housed in non-resonant plastic and it is 'sheathed' with a steel mesh that allows for an even dispersion across a broad listening area.

The midrange and bass units share a technology ELAC refer to as an 'aluminium sandwich'. A paper cone diaphragm is reinforced with an aluminum 'dish' in a bond that combines high rigidity with high internal damping - ideal characteristics for mid and bass driver cones. The midrange driver is surrounded by a rubberised cloth, double-asymmetrical, corrugated surround which reduces vibration at the cones edge. Bass units are fixed in 6-places and the result is beautifully natural reproduction of bass-through-midrange frequencies which integrates seamlessly with the high end.

The Speaker cabinet is an integral part of the FS68's success. Front edges are tapered to reduce diffraction (a distortion that adds an edginess to high treble frequencies) and results in smooth wide-band treble. An integrated plinth with unique floor spikes or soft feet shifts the centre-of-gravity, adds stability and improves the resonance control of the overall cabinet design.

The Elac crossovers provide high power handling with poly-switch protection. It's mustn't be impossible to blow-up an ELAC speaker - but we've never seen one (that's not a challenge!). With a nominal impedance of 6ohms, ELAC speakers are easy to drive with any amplifier designed for 4-8ohm loads. The Cambridge Audio 650A works very well!

The FS68 is equipped with 2 rear-firing bass ports. Large ports achieve the deep 30-40Hz bass reinforcement that we love to hear with floor-standing speaker designs, but sometimes that low bass lacks control. Elac solve that by dividing their large ports into 2 - and then some! Each Port comes with a foam 'bass tuning' ring and plug. Where traditional speakers are moved toward and away from a wall to achieve a smooth bass balance, ELAC speakers can be left in situ and their bass performance tuned with the use of these 4 control devices. You hear great sound wherever you choose to place your speakers. 

ELAC's 60 series comprises 4 designs. The 3-way FS68, a 2.5 way FS67 floor standing design, the BS63 bookshelf speaker and a centre-channel speaker for surround sound applications. We have enjoyed many hours of musical satisfaction from ELAC speakers. We can't wait for you to hear yours at home.