Ellis 1801’s Review after two weeks
Purchased Directly from Dave Ellis: ellisaudi.com
Cost: $907.50 per pair as tested. Standard crossover model is $775.
This is my first review so please keep that in mind!
The Ellis 1801’s are available as a kit and fully assembled. I originally planed to build the speakers as a kit, however decided not to after checking out Dave’s craftsmanship and realizing that I could never come close to building a pair as nice as the one’s pictured on the website. Plus, I thought the fully built model was a better value. Also, Dave is a really good guy to deal with. He is a Captain in the US military and builds speakers out of the sheer “love of the game” (okay, I’m from Chicago and that’s an expression commonly associated with Michael Jordan, I can’t help it…). The crossovers were designed by legendary speaker guru Dennis Murphy.
Specifics: Ellis 1801’s are two way, bass reflex (rear ports), stand mount speakers. They use a Seas Excel W18E001 Mid/woofer and a Hiquphon OW1 Tweeter. Drivers are measured and matched at no additional charge. I opted for the upgraded crossovers, which use Alpha Core foil inductors, Mills Resistors, Audio Cap Theta capacitors and Goertz internal wiring. The binding posts are the high quality bi-wireable, and gold plated variety. The cabinet of the 1801 is 19" tall, 9" wide, and 14 1/4" deep. Ports were “tuned” by Dave, however I ordered them taped (not glued) to allow for individual customization to my room’s size and acoustics.
Workmanship: Dave’s workmanship is second to none. My cabinets have extensive internal bracing and the front baffle is made of ¾” walnut glued to ¾” MDF. The rest of the cabinet is made of ¾” MDF with walnut veneer. They are as solid as tombstones! Wrapping on the side or top with your knuckle produces no resonance whatsoever. I removed the woofers to look at the internals. The crossovers are very well laid out and the internal bracing and workmanship is very good. I believe it takes Dave a couple of weeks (maybe three) to make a pair. No commercial speaker manufacturer makes a cabinet this solid or well constructed, to my knowledge.
The speakers were delivered in a large, well padded “crate” made from wood and the foam material commonly used on the outside of newer homes. Very well packed, but difficult to drag into my house. Each speaker weighs about 40 pounds. The first thing I noticed was the beautiful grain on the baffle and sides. I have never seen commercial speakers that look like this! My speakers do not have grills, although they are available.
I was looking for a pair of speakers that were very fast, “liquid”, and, detailed. Midrange response (particularly vocals) and overall natural realistic (non hi-fi) sound reproduction was my most important criteria. The days of impressing my friends and irritating my neighbors with my (beloved!) Klipsch Forte’s and 1000 watts of amplification are behind me. Over the last two years, I auditioned several commercially available speakers along with some available internet-only. I have listed speakers I have auditioned and several that I have owned over the years. All of the speakers in the group have specific strengths and weaknesses (as does the Ellis). I have some comments next to the one’s. Please note, my memory isn’t as good as I seem to recall! I liked a lot of things about the speakers I tested. Some may not have had the right upstream to allow them to sound as good as possible. Also, the dreaded WAF was a very realistic consideration…
Speakers Tested:
Paradigm Studios (40’s, 60’s, 100’s): Probably best HT speakers for the $$$. A little “hot” for my musical taste.
Quad ESL’s: Really fast, great soundstage. Like them a lot. See WAF comment..
Magnepan (1.6, 3.2, MMG): See Quad comments.
nOrh (SM 6.9, Ceramic 4.0): I own Prism 3.0, and drum 3.0.s, very cool!
Audio Physic (Spark, Yara): Sounded pretty good. Didn’t “wow” me.
B&W (everything): Not my cup of tea…
Dynaudio (Audience, Contour lines): Prefer Contour line, but overall, not my bag…
Klipsch: Sound pretty good with proper amplification. I like the dynamics, but don’t like their imaging.
Martin Logan: I have never heard these sound good. Plus WAF rules them out!
Wisdom Adrenaline: Sound = WOW. Price = Ouch! Out of my league.
Talon: See Wisdom.
JM Lab: Expensive models are cool. Ones in my price range were too “hot” in treble.
ProAc: Liked overall sound. Models I liked (Response 2.5 and above) were too expensive for my budget.
Other speakers (more than I can remember): It’s kind of a blur at this point!
First impressions: The drivers are fully broken in by Dave prior to delivery, plus they are matched. I don’t know how much difference it makes, but the speakers sounded great out of the box.
My system: Foreplay Preamp (fully modified with active load circuitry, stepped attenuators, Doc’s magnet wire, and NOS 50’s era Tung Sol NOS tubes), Nordost Flatline and Alpha Core Goertz MI1 bi-wire cables, Goertz Micro purl IC’s, QDS-15 CDP (nOrh was sold out of CD-1!), Odyssey Stratos amp (non-cap upgrade), 24” Atacama stands filled with sand and buckshot.
Music: I listen to EVERYTHING, however I used the following CD’s to test speakers and associated equipment:
Grant Green: Idle Moments (Zen-like Jazz guitar, Grant was the master)
Diana Krall: Look of Love, the CD before that one (can’t remember, it’s in my car!)
Steely Dan: Two Against Nature, Aja (remastered)
Michael Brecker: Nearness of You (Awesome CD! Great reference recording.)
Sade: Lover’s Rock, Greatest Hits (don’t laugh, good stuff!)
Clapton: From the Cradle, Unplugged, Reptile
Lucinda Williams: Car Wheels, Essence (Lucinda, if you are reading this, I love you!)
Johnny Lang: Lie to Me
Gillian Welch: Time the Revelator (Is she talking about the tweeter?)
Los Lobos: Just a band from East LA
Santana: you know the one
Stevie Ray Vaughn: Live from MSG, Couldn’t Stand the Weather
James Taylor: everything
Paul Simon: his latest album. Good music.
Van Morrison: Too Long in Exile (great blues album), Astral Weeks, lots of stuff.
Mapleshade Samplers: if you haven’t tried these and you like jazz, what are you waiting for? Very good recordings.
Treble:
The Hiquophon OW1 is regarded by many as the best dome on the planet. It is a ¾” tweet that does not use ferro fluid and is very flat across its frequency spectrum. Who cares? I love the way it sounds. Unlike many tweeters that are this revealing, it causes no fatigue (to my ears at least) at all. Highs just sound “right”. I’m not a technical guy (you’ve probably already guessed that) and I will not dazzle you with HIFI-speak. The high frequency reproduction from the 1801’s is as good as I have heard from speakers at any price range. Listen to track 3 on the Brecker CD. The lightning fast cymbals are reproduced effortlessly.
Midrange:
The magnesium Seas midrange drivers are incredible. They have the speed and 3D imaging I have always associated with good electrostatic or ribbon speakers. They also integrate perfectly with the Hiquophon. There is NOTHING slow about these drivers. They provide the “slam” of the best cones along with the speed and transparency of the best ribbons or electrostatics. This is particularly apparent in the reproduction of vocals. Female vocals (Gillian Welch and Lucinda Williams) never sounded more real. Also, James Taylor’s vocals on Brecker’s Nearness album are stunning through the 1801’s.
Bass:
Bass is tight and realistic down to about 40 Hz. People who love deep “thumping” bass or who plan to use these in an HT setup will need a subwoofer. Dave made a conscious decision to sacrifice bass for midrange clarity and speed. I do not use a sub and do not feel one is necessary for musical reproduction. Bass reproduction is very fast and “punchy”. Your mileage may vary depending on your musical tastes.
Overall Sound:
My friends and I tested the speakers versus two very popular and more expensive models. While both of the other speakers had more low-end output, they did not have the balance and smoothness of the 1801’s. The Hiq and Excel driver functioned seamlessly allowing the 1801’s to do something very few speakers I have heard can do: completely disappear. Soundstage was huge and overall sound is extremely three-dimensional. They have a certain “liquid” characteristic that I have never experienced in this price range. Vocals in particular sound natural and real. Brecker’s saxophone and the vibes on Grant Green’s album literally “dance” above the mix. Goosebump factor is a ten! Don’t get me wrong, if you plan to impress your friends with sub-20 Hz bass notes and ear splitting 120 dB SPL’s at parties, you are looking in the wrong place. The 1801’s can play louder than I care to listen, however they will not shake the foundation of your house or allow you to recreate nightclub SPL’s in your living room.
Strengths:
See review! Awesome 3-D imaging, very wide soundstage, workmanship, top-notch design and components, best midrange and high frequency reproduction I have ever experienced. I am a vocal enthusiast and these play vocals better than speakers I have auditioned at any price. Dave Ellis is one of the best guys I have ever done "business" with. He is honest and classy. IMO, the 1801 is best value on planet!
Weaknesses:
Relatively low efficiency (I believe 85 dB), sub 40 Hz bass reproduction, stand mounted, not the “loudest” playing speaker, can very revealing with poor source material, long wait (4-6 weeks and possibly longer). I can't help feeling guilty like I took advantage of Dave and stole this speaker for the price I paid.
If you are in the Chicago area (as long as you are not a violent psycho or kleptomaniac!) and would like to stop by for a listen, please email me. Also, if you are a supermodel or adult movie star (female!) please hang up if my wife answers the phone. Just kidding!
Jack
[ This Message was edited by: Jackman on 2002-05-19 19:43 ]
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Jackman
Joined: 13 May 2002
Posts: 822
Location: Chicago
Posted: 19 May 2002 23:35 Post subject:
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Sorry, I figured out how to edit and don't need this addendum...
[ This Message was edited by: Jackman on 2002-05-19 19:44 ]
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asull2k
Joined: 04 Jul 2001
Posts: 537
Posted: 20 May 2002 04:42 Post subject:
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Just a short blurb.. the caps in that pair I believe are the Audiocap PPMF's, not Theta's.. oh and please direct any beautiful supermodels my way
_________________
--Alan
Current System: Surprise
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Jackman
Joined: 13 May 2002
Posts: 822
Location: Chicago
Posted: 20 May 2002 12:27 Post subject:
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Sorry, you are correct. I pulled one of the woofers off and looked at the crossover. No responses from supermodels yet...but they probably get up late.
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Jackman
Joined: 13 May 2002
Posts: 822
Location: Chicago
Posted: 19 Jun 2002 22:00 Post subject: Ellis 1801 update
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Over the past couple weeks, I have experimented with placement, my listening room, and wires. The most dramatic improvement came when I moved the speakers about three feet from the rear walls of the room and out into the room. My wife isn't thrilled by the set-up, but it has made a dramatic difference in the depth of the soundstage. The speakers totally disappear! It's kind of weird but notes seem to hang in the air. This effect is particularly apparent on Diana Krall's piano. Bass, which was always tight and detailed, is as good as ever and slightly tighter (less rear wall reflections?).
I’d like to say that these speakers sound better after break-in. Truth be told, they sounded great from the start. Dave Ellis matches and breaks in all drivers before delivery. Dave is a true perfectionist.
I am staying with Alpha Core MI-1's bi-wired. These wires work very well in my set-up. Jeff G. from Soniccraft.com did an excellent job putting them together with beautiful silver spades and banana plugs. The Goertz wires are much better than the Nordost Solar Winds and Flatline bi-wires I tried previously, and slightly better than the Synergistics (sp?) I also auditioned. They Synergistics were really cool looking. They have active shielding and little blue lights where they attached to the speakers. When I turned out the lights in my listening room, the speakers glowed an eerie blue, silhouetted by the lights. The effect was pretty cool and the wires complimented my system well. The Alpha Core wires however, gave me better resolution without harshness. This was a tough decision, also wires cost exactly the same. The guy at my local stereo shop offered to buy the Goertz from me if I wanted the other wires. He said the price Jeff gave me was very good as was the workmanship.
Also, picked up Cassandra Wilson's "Traveling Miles" and a couple older Michael Brecker records including "Time is of the Essence" (Metheny is absolutely stellar on guitar) as well as George Benson's debut album (all jazz, no singing!). He is a flat out smokin' guitarist. If you are in to Jazz guitar, I'd advise you to check it out. To all of those who know George from his recent stuff, you don't know him at all! I forgot how good he used to be on the axe. His band on this record is also very good.
I will provide a more detailed update including a comparison with other internet-only speakers (nOrh 6.9's, GR Paradox, etc.) over the next couple of weeks. I can't wait! Sorry, in advance for any spelling or grammatical errors! Too lazy to check today!
Lucinda Williams "Essence"
