ELAC Debut ConneX 4-1/2" Powered Bookshelf Speakers with HDMI ARC, Pair of Bookshelf Speakers for Home Entertainment System, Blue

There are some really good points on these speakers.The sound quality when connected via HDMI or USB is fantastic. There is plenty of volume available and I don't feel like I'm lacking much in the mids and highs.The black finish seems OK enough - I skip wood faux finishes because I find that most of them look pretty bad, and the black color hides much of the fakeness.I don't like the available volume that is available for Bluetooth devices. I thought something was broken with how quiet it was. With Bluetooth mode, you can only control volume with the Bluetooth device, not on the speaker itself. This is normal for the BT standard, and many devices do this, but the lack of volume is disapointing.The other thing that bothers me is the lack of USB A to B cable. This thing comes with an HDMI cable, but no USB cable. This isn't something super common with most people nowadays, so if you don't have one in a drawer, you aren't connecting this to a computer via USB. When connected, it works well and sounds great.The rubber feet being unattached out of the box threw me off, but since I am using some speaker stands that these would interfere with, it doesn't bother me as much as it did initially.For the price however, there is no reason this shouldn't have a cable for each input method that it includes. I also wish BT volume was adequate. Also, the indicator light for source is hard to see with the cover on, and there is no way to adjust source from the speaker itself, you have to use the remote.If you NEED HDMI ARC, or have a turntable you want to connect without a ton of space, these make a ton of sense. If you can live without those, there are tons of better more price competitive options out there.

Great sounding speakers, love the wood they are encased in. Full deep sound, with rich notes. No tinny sound, or washout. The only disappointment is the old school speaker wires that are needed to connect.

For the compact size, these speakers rock! They really do sound amazing! Nice level of mids, highs, and lows. Very compact. But these are pretty expensive, and I'm not to sure the quality outweighs the price! Now these speakers are loaded with a nice set of features, like HDMI ARC, and Bluetooth. But still doesn't justify the high price.

The basics first: this pair of ELAC powered bookshelf speakers sounds terrific. Obviously the compromises of their very small form factor are still present — the level of bass they provide is not going to fool anyone into thinking you have a massive subwoofer, but the sound is very well-rounded, full, and uncompromised considering the speakers' small size. They're able to fill a decent-sized room and all kinds of music sounds lovely, comparable to a decent stereo system, coming through their small grilles. I test-listened to everything from classical piano sonatas to guitar-driven rock to hip-hop and found myself enjoying it all through the ELACs more than I expected. I would totally recommend them for use in a kitchen or bedroom, or with a computer or TV.The quibbles: They're still far more expensive than they should be, compared to some of the competition, and have a slightly odd array of inputs. There's no user manual at all included, so it's a good thing operation is mostly self-explanatory; there's an HDMI cable in the box but no USB cable, somewhat annoyingly, and you'll need to find one with the big old-fashioned "B" connector that was mostly used for printers (it'd be far nicer for a brand-new device like this to come with USB-C). The remote is required for changing sources, annoyingly; the volume knob/button on the back of the powered speaker doesn't reliably do it. There's also no AirPlay 2 streaming support, a really annoying omission that would've done more to justify the premium price. The "walnut" finish is extremely fake-looking, a plastic veneer that appears even less like real wood than the cheapest Ikea furniture. The speakers come with stick-on rubber feet that you must apply yourself, another very cheap-seeming feature in a premium-priced product.With similarly high-quality comeptitors like  Audioengine A2 s priced at less than half what these ELACs cost, I can't really see buying them as a first choice; their main feature that other powered speakers don't have is the HDMI ARC connection, which is easily available on any  good "sound bar" system  if TV/home theater use is the target. Still, there's nothing wrong with them; they sound good.

These have some really nice powerful sound, especially for size. If you need something that might be able to accommodate different inputs or might be moved around your house for whatever reason, then the flexibility in the connection options is nice - it's just unnecessary for most people (typically people buy a speaker for a specific location and they know what inputs they need so an all purpose speaker like this is definitely different).Of all the connection types the weirdest is the USB which is USB A-USB B and it does NOT come with a cable for that one. It's bizarre for a couple of reasons - namely that's the same input as a printer would normally use. Most people don't have a printer cable just lying around so to not include it feels very odd (meanwhile many people would have a spare HDMI).No threaded screw holes on the bottom for speaker stands (not that it's required, you can still mount without, just noting that they're smooth on the bottom).

These speakers have a powerful and clear sound. I had some trouble getting them to connect to my 3 year old Samsung 70 inch curved smart TV. I first tried with the included hdmi cable and all that did was hum. Then I tried with an optical cable and had the same result. I finally was able to go into the TV settings and search for the speakers with Bluetooth and I had success. They come with a quick start guide that has four pictures, not very informative there is a scan code for the manual but I have no idea how to use those. All in all once I got them working I am very pleased with the speakers.