Many of the best wireless speakers are functional, designed with only their audio performance in mind. But others are designed to be looked at as well as listened too. That's definitely the case for the rather beautiful speakers pictured above, the Adsum and Elac Debut ConneX DCB41 speakers.
The rather clunky name is because these speakers are a partnership between the German high-end audio brand Elac and the Brooklyn fashion house Adsum. The speakers are based on Elac's award-winning powered bookshelf speakers, the Debut ConneX – and in this edition they've been supplemented with custom magnetic speaker screens, a custom one-piece metal stand and a custom speaker box and controller. They're also the only fully painted model of the speakers you can buy.
Adsum and Elac Debut Connex DCB41 Speakers: substance as well as style
Of course, there's no point in having pretty speakers if they don't deliver on the audio front. But this pair should. They boast twin 50W Class D amplifiers, and there's support for a wide range of audio sources including Bluetooth (aptX), HDMI ARC, Analog/Phono, Optical and USB (High-Res 96Khz 24-bit for Mac/Windows). In a nice touch there's a built-in phono stage so you can connect one of the best turntables directly without first having to put it through a separate phono stage.
The speakers use Elac's proprietary Xbass Enhancer, which can boost the lower frequencies without overpowering the rest, and if you need even more low-end presence there's a subwoofer output too as well as a speaker output for even more kit. The drivers here are 4.5" polypropylene woofers and 3/4" soft dome tweeters.
The price? $649 / £650 – but there's a catch. These speakers are only available to customers in the US and Canada. However, if you can live without the Adsum revamped style, the standard ConneX DCB41 are widely available elsewhere, and currently retail for £399 in the UK.
You can find out more about the Adsum and Elac Debut Connex DCB41 Speakers at adsumnyc.com.
