Elipson Prestige Facet II 24F speakers
Elipson speakers from France have a long and distinguished 80 plus-year heritage and are perhaps best known for their spherical Planet speakers. However, the company today has an extensive range of speakers for hi-fi and home-cinema applications, as well as turntables, amplifiers, subwoofers and a streamer. However, the Prestige Facet II 24F is, believe it or not, my first experience of the brand’s speakers at home.
Joseph Léon joined the Multimoteur company in 1946. It made electric motors for toys and had started audio research in 1940, introducing the BS509 Chambord sphere speaker with an elliptical driver. In 1948, Léon moved to head up the company, which continued its work on acoustic reflectors and resonators. In 1951, it changed its name to Elipson – a contraction of ‘ellipse’ and ‘son’ (sound). In 2008, the company was taken over by a young entrepreneur, Philippe Carré, who heads up Elipson today.
Elipson design all of their product in-house at their factory in Burgundy. There they make the Chroma turntables, Legacy speaker range and the P1 and A2700 amplifiers. All other speakers, including the Prestige Facet II range, are now made in China.
The new Prestige Facet II 24F at £1,999 sits between the top-of-the-range 34F at £2,999 and 14F at £999. There are two bookshelf models below them, the 8B (£599) and the 6B (£499), as well as two centre speakers and a Dolby Atmos model for home-cinema applications. The new Prestige Facet II range sits below the Legacy range (from £2,749), with the Heritage (from £749) and Horus ranges (from £399) below it.
Multiple upgrades
The Prestige Facet II range, including the model on review here, has seen many upgrades over the original series. One of the major improvements is in the crossovers, which have been completely redesigned with ‘audiophile’ components – polypropylene film capacitors, metal film resistors and low series resistance inductors. Internal wiring has been upgraded to 2.25mm2 oxygen-free copper.
There have also been mechanical improvements, with additional reinforcement inside the cabinets to reduce parasitic resonances, improve bass response and achieve a linear response, even at high volumes.
They also have new metal decoupling feet/support arms that bolt securely to the underside of the cabinet. These are intended to provide better isolation of the cabinet from the floor and optimise low-frequency response. To improve visual appeal, the Prestige Facet II range is now in a satin rather than gloss finish, in either matt white, matt black or matt black with dark wood.
All of the drive units in the series feature the company’s signature faceted elastomer surround, which is said to provide a more linear response on- and off-axis, while all midrange and bass drivers also have metal ‘cones’ at their centre to provide better airflow, limit turbulence and reduce unwanted resonances.
What you get in the Facet II 24F
All of the Facet II series improvements mentioned above are to be found in the Facet II 24F, as well as silver-plated binding posts for bi-wiring/bi-amping or single-wire operation.
The Facet II 24F is a reflex-loaded 3.5-way floorstander with a 25mm silk dome tweeter, a 170mm midrange driver and two 210mm woofers. The mid and bass driver cones are made from a cellulose pulp and are manufactured by a third-party provider to Elipson’s exact specifications.
Although these two drivers in the Facet II range may look similar, Elipson’s chief technical officer Philippe Penna tells me that they have different voice coils and magnet assemblies. The Facet II 24F has a nominal impedance of 6 ohms and a high sensitivity figure of 93dB, which would make it an ideal partner for one of today’s many high-quality valve amplifiers.
Elipson recommend placing the speakers around 12in from the rear and side walls and slightly toed in. In my listening room, the sweet spot is usually around 12-15in from the rear wall and 15in from the side walls, and I found that this worked perfectly for the Facet II 24F. You should of course take the time to find the sweet spot in your room.
Proof of the pudding
While the details of technicalities and design are fascinating, it’s what the Facet II 24Fs sound like that really matters. And to find out, I decided to hook them up with an appropriate source, namely the excellent Hegel 190V streamer/amplifier. Speaker cables were Tellurium Q Blue. I had another pair of similarly-priced floorstanders in the wings to serve as a benchmark and help determine value for money.
First track on my Qobuz playlist was Hello Tomorrow from guitarist Larry Carlton’s excellent Discovery album. From the first few bars, it was clear the Facet II 24F had a good tonal balance, not overemphasising any part of the frequency spectrum, and it conveyed well the sound of Carlton’s acoustic guitar and how he was playing and shaping each note. The overall sound was crisp, clean and dynamic and the bass line was articulate, well controlled and well defined on its lowest notes. Drums were dynamic, clean and had real heft on the kick drum, while conveying the subtleties of the cymbal line. By comparison, the ‘benchmark’ speaker seemed coloured, slow and rather uninvolving.
Next I played the ballad Beautiful Fools from Jo Harrop’s Path of a Tear album. The Facet II 24F captured her vocal sound and style well, conveying the sensuality and rich tonality of her delivery. The keyboard and guitar elements backing her were much better defined than on the benchmark speaker, which was also really overblown on the bass line. The Facet II 24F conveyed the bouncy rhythm of the track well and you could listen into the various layers of the arrangement better. It also had a more expansive soundstage.
Switching to a current favourite of mine, Jon Allen, and the track Night & Day from his Deep River album, the Elipsons conveyed the guitar on the opening with great bite and definition, allowing you to hear the subtleties of how it was played. The benchmark speaker strangely seemed to overemphasise the guitar’s body resonances and made it sound muddy and bloomy. The Facet II 24F also captured Allen’s crisp, powerful vocal style without any glare or undue forwardness, while the bass line and the double-beat of the kick drum were crisply defined and controlled and cymbals delicate and open. The benchmark speaker was too overblown on the bass line for my liking and lost definition, while his voice seemed coloured. Finally I played the track Rio de Janeiro Blue by keyboard legend Joe Sample and vocal phenomenon Randy Crawford.
I was very impressed with how the Facet II 24F handled her vocal power and range without any harshness, and Sample’s piano was detailed, articulate, fluid and sharply defined. Percussion displayed good syncopation and movement, and there is no doubt the Facet II 24F significantly outperformed the benchmark speaker in every way.
A lot for your money
The Elipson Prestige Facet II 24F is an excellent speaker, displaying great musical coherence and subtlety, a fine balance with no rough edges, all combined with impressive dynamics, rhythmic energy and excitement. It will get your foot tapping along to the music every time.
There’s no doubt that the Facet II 24F is a lot of speaker for the money. It is well made and finished and, with its high sensitivity, should suit a wide range of amplifiers, including low-power valve amps. I liked it a lot and am happy to recommend it enthusiastically.
Pros
Excellent tonal balance – neutral and even across the frequency range with no obvious emphasis or colouration.
Clean, dynamic and articulate sound – crisp transients, controlled bass and strong rhythmic drive.
Impressive bass control and definition – deep notes remain tight and well managed rather than bloated.
Natural, expressive vocals – handles both subtlety and power without harshness or glare.
Wide, expansive soundstage – allows you to listen into complex mixes with good separation and layering.
High sensitivity (93dB) – easy to drive and well suited to low-power and valve amplifiers.
Well-engineered upgrades – redesigned crossovers, improved cabinet bracing and better internal wiring.
Attractive satin finish options – more understated and refined than the previous gloss versions.
Strong value for money – outperforms similarly priced competitors.
Engaging and musical presentation – combines coherence, subtlety and excitement.
Cons
Made in China rather than France – may disappoint buyers expecting European manufacture.
Large and imposing cabinets – requires careful positioning and enough space to perform properly.
Limited finish choices – only matt white, matt black or black with dark wood trim.