Elipson Planet L Performance speakers
Following the success of its rather unusual looking Planet coaxial loudspeaker, French brand Elipson launched an improved version; Planet L has an audiophile filter and uprated internal cables. Now we have the even better Planet L Performance range which boasts an upgraded crossover network and new driver. But is it a sonic step-up?
French connection
The history of Elipson is inextricably linked to its general manager, Joseph Léon who joined the Multimoteur company in 1946. A small company, it specialised in electric motors for toys and miniature electrical equipment used in transformers, generators and alternators. Elipson’s first audio research was in 1940 and led to the BS50 Chambord sphere with elliptical reflector. The arrival of Joseph Léon to head of the company in 1948 brought new energy, and they started extensive research into reflectors and resonators. Finally, in 1951, Multimoteur became Elipson, a contraction of ‘ellipse’ and ‘son’ or sound.
In 2008, a young entrepreneur in love with the brand took over Elipson with his partner, Eric James. Philippe Carré wanted to revive the avant-garde design and sound perfection that had made Elipson so successful and repositioned the marque to embrace the world of home interiors. A new creative director, Jean-Yves Le Porcher, and designer Jullien Thaler, created a raft of new models beginning with the 4260 loudspeakers, followed by the Planet L and Planet M, spherical speakers which resulted from in-house investment and development of a wideband coaxial drive unit. An extensive range of electronics accompanies the speakers.
Elipson has its R&D facility in the Paris region of Champigny-sur-Marne where it undertakes work on transducers, crossover networks, cabinet modelling, electronics and various projects in conjunction with research institutes. Manufacture of its high-end products, including amplifiers, Legacy range and Chroma turntables, is in Burgundy at Saint-Fargeau.
Design
Central to the Planet L design is the coaxial point-source driver housed in a spherical housing which should eliminate the enclosure reflections and edge diffractions that plague conventional four-sided speaker cabinets, even those with similar drive units. The Planet L Performance driver combines a damped 165mm cellulose-pulp membrane bass/mid unit having Kapton support for cooling and double asymetric suspension, with a 25mm central silk dome tweeter in a horn cone with a neodymium magnet. This arrangement boasts a frequency response down to 46Hz and extending to 20kHz, with the crossover point at 2.9kHz. The design creates a healthy 90dB sensitivity and 8 Ohm impedance, making it a comfortable load for amplifiers. To the rear is a small, angled reflex port and a pair of cable terminals.
This latest version, the Planet L Performance, has increased power handling, now 100W RMS, up from 60W on the standard Planet L. This allows it to be paired with more powerful amplifiers, up to 120W rather than 80W say Elipson. The opportunity has also been taken to improve the crossover network and uprate the internal cabling. High-quality components include MKP polypropylene-film capacitors, a parallel capacity MKT polyester-film inductor with low internal resistance plus a precision resistor with a metal oxide layer alongside OFC wiring.
There’s also a larger range of finish options from the Performance product, spanning matt satin in four colours, a gloss finish in three colours and a Planet L Performance Gold Edition that’s available in four colours. While the Planet L comes as standard with a circular ring stand allowing placement on any flat surface (be that a table, sideboard or traditional speaker stands) optional accessories include a wall bracket, a dedicated stand and a ceiling suspension mount.
Installation and first thoughts
Without recourse to the dedicated stands, I used the rings provided to site the Planet L Performance units atop my go-to Custom Design FS104 Signature stands used sideways to reduce the depth of the top-plates. Elipson recommend a run-in of at least 100 hours and, preferably, 150. Although the review pair were said to be ‘ready to go’, I left the speakers connected to a Hegel H190 streaming amplifier and played a variety of music and white noise for several days.
It is so simple to make even minor adjustments using the support rings, a slight tilt up or down, or toe-in alternation as they swivel with ease. Elipson’s manual suggests a pronounced toe-in (up to 30-degrees) although I found the off-axis response to be such that this wasn’t necessary since the wide dispersion of those coaxial drivers doesn’t create a stereo hotspot, rather it generates a sweep of sound with superb imaging and focus.
Other features of immediate note were a deliciously delicate sound with exquisitely detailed treble, a natural midrange that made voices sound very realistic and more bass output than I was expecting given the size of the drive unit, the compact cabinet and small port.
The panel assembled and immediately noted the lack of LF grunt from the Planet L Performance. I only wish I had had a sub-woofer to hand to satisfy their bass cravings. Having been brought up on BBC studio monitors, which could not exhibit LF power for fear of disturbing adjacent studios, I thought the overall balance quite normal. Certainly, it was more than sufficient to enjoy a raft of material from chamber music, drama, situation comedy and spoken word recitals.
The panel deliberates
Taking into account not only the compact nature but also the price point, we soon overcame any sonic shortcomings there might be in the lower-bass region and enjoyed a lengthy session; what the Planet L Performance do, they do well. These are highly accomplished loudspeakers which make listening to music really enjoyable and involving; the more so when one panel member removed the attractive, magnetically-attached grilles for the remainder of the session. Sans bezels they came alive even more.
We went back to the ‘60s with The Crazy World of Arthur Brown’s Fire. Lummy, this track has got everything, including the kitchen sink. We enjoyed sound effects, hard-pan stereo; loud vocals, soft vocals and a whole tapestry of musical shades.
This ground-breaking and influential song, with pioneering use of theatrical performance and psychedelic rock elements, retained so much of its magic via the Planet L Performance. Following the initial powerful explosion, the track’s vocals came across crystal clear with amazing levels of focus and imaging from what are diminutive loudspeakers, the soundstage was much larger than might be thought possible. Timing was also strong and we wallowed in an immersive soundscape. On many systems heavy organ overpowers this song but the Elipsons managed to hold it all together such that the catchy melody was prominent throughout and the oddball lyrics retained clarity.
Moving to the 1980s and Paul Hardcastle’s hit 19 and I was anxious to hear how much musical detail would be retained. I need not have worried, there was sufficient undercurrent bass to keep the thing moving, our feet tapping and the samples from the documentary Vietnam Requiem in full effect. We moved the Planet L Performance closer to the wall (but still well away from the corners) without any ill effects and managed a noticeable bass uplift which simply added to the overall enjoyment. They worked so well here that I think we can probably ascribe true ‘bookshelf’ category to them with accuracy since we didn’t experience any boominess. Panel members noted the speakers’ dynamic abilities as being greater than expected, proving that their looks are indeed deceptive.
From the late sixties we enjoyed Paul Mauriat’s L’amour est bleu (Love Is Blue), a French instrumental to acknowledge the Planet L Performance’s design origins. This pop classical crossover came only fourth in the Eurovision Song Contest, but sold over two million copies in the USA alone and became the first French recording to top the American charts. The balance here was light and airy with all parts of the spectrum well-integrated thanks to the choice of components in that all-important crossover network. The panel noted a dynamic flair to the presentation of the memorable melody and orchestral arrangement. The Planet L Performance are clearly non-fatiguing with a gentle yet accurate balance that doesn’t try to stamp its own mark on the music. Something I noted is how easily tunes flow, everything sounds effortless and unforced.
We ended on classical repertoire and Strauss’ Don Quixote, Variations 5 and 6, with Yo-Yo Ma in James Mallinson’s fine digital Boston production on CBS. I had already established the Planet’s abilities on such material and it was a delight to have this endorsed by the panel who remarked “wow, the coherence is phenomenal.” They’re right: on complex, well-recorded material such as this one soon realises just how well integrated the overall sound is via the Planet L Performance. Okay, we don’t’ have the bass extension that many are used to from larger enclosures and bigger drive units so we lose some LF texture; and the highs are not as extended as from loudspeakers costing twice as much, but that ensures we don’t suffer from nasties such as unwanted sibilance albeit at the expense of extreme crispness. These spheres will play modestly loud and would be fine for smaller-scale parties if not for full scale block rocking. But it is the refinement and three-dimensionality that is just a joy to behold, along with the natural sound and a midrange that makes them hard to beat with voices.
Conclusion
There are so many applications in which the new Elipson Planet L Performance loudspeakers would be just the ticket. These range from TV listening, since they are such a step-up from in-built speakers, kitchens, studies, student rooms and side/rear-channel surround use. Every home should surely have at least one pair. The output is refined, transparent and detailed. The treble and midrange deserve special mention and the transducer is clearly extremely well engineered and built.
These balls of sound probably won’t be used as main loudspeakers in audiophile systems, but that’s to do them a disservice, they are more than a lifestyle product, far more. The Elipson Planet L Performance are certainly up to the job and, paired with a suitable sub, they really would suit me for everyday use. Their value-for-money and engineering prowess means they clearly warrant a Best Buy badge.