Honest, smooth, transparent,deep, music conveyers

None in my mind

After reading many reviews and searching for a DIY kit I stumbled on the SalkSound website. Jim is a real gentleman! His prompt responses to emails and insight moved me to try the Ellis 1801F's.Because of my limited wood working skills and time constraints, I decided to commision him to build as waiting a long period of time from Mr. Ellis wasn't feasable. These are the floorstanding models. I was a little unsure as to what I was going to hear when the speakers arrived. Some have said that the 1801's are very detailed. Does that mean very forward or harsh? Some have said that they are a little lean in the bottom end. Does that mean thin? Well...they are MUSIC! What a great relief to hear such a smooth,articulate,coherent presentation. They are detailed but not forward. They are invisible performers! They just disappear and let the music flow. The bass is there when the recording presents it, and BOY is it there! Scarey tight and deep! Just the right combo, never boomy, just right. OK, sounds like the three bears fairytale. These speakers get it just right! I listen to a varity of music. No classical.Just Rock,Jazz and Blues. Unfortunately, for my wife, I am glued to the stereo these days. Like most audio junkies, I have had an almost never ending varity of speakers come through my home. This makes for one unhappy wife. When deciding whether to try these my wife said, as long as you think these will make you happy. I am one happy camper!! These are honestly the best speakers I have ever owned! All I can say is, Dave you got it right! Great job of offering a no B.S. speaker at an attainable price for the masses. I only hope you can survive at the prices you charge. Much success in the future Dave.

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None, this is in a different league

Many here have commented on the designer of these fine speakers, David Ellis. I decided to buy these speakers based largely on reviews here as well as Dave's contributions to audiocircles.com and e-mails we exchanged. To understand his speakers, you need to get to know Dave better. The best way to describe him is knowledgeable and straightforward. I would describe his speakers exactly the same way. These speakers for me are my first foray into the audiophile world. The sound these speakers produce are incredible: detailed, transparent, excellent soundstage. They present the music as close to 'live' as I have experienced. The music is there in front of you to enjoy and listen. Since I find myself drawn to jazz and female vocals, these speakers are what I consider to be the perfect match. Some have noted that there is a lack of 'bass' but I don't notice it missing. Who would when the vocals, guitars, horns, and drums are front and center stage? I can't imagine: 1) getting a better speaker for this price range, 2)dealing (and learning from) a guy as knoweldgeable as David Ellis, and 3) supporting a true audio pioneer. The equipment I use with my Ellis 1901bs are the following: -Musical Fidelity XA-1 (at 50 watts) -Ah! Tjoeb 99 -sanely priced interconnects and speaker wires

Well, how should I start? Building quality is AWESOME. Jim's job on these speakers is incredible. Have a look at his web-site and you will understand me. How do they sound? Well, in the last 8 years I was keep trying to find a bookshelf/monitor that will please me sonically and my wife estethically. And I bought or extensivelly listened to what I thought were the best "commercial" speakers. Just to give you an idea what I had in my system in the last 8 years: - DYNAUDIO Contour 1.3 SE - JM LAB Electra 907 Be - B&W Nautilus 805 - PROAC Tablette Signature - JM REYNAUD Trente - VULCAIN Aida - APERTURA Mini-Kal - DAVIS Nikita - CHARIO Academy Millenium 2 - MAGNAT All Ribbon 12 Well, all these speakers were good in their way, but still I had the feeling that was something that is missing. Ellis 1801b simply demolate them. I couldn't believe it. I am so happy with them. Finally I speaker to keep for a lifetime. A smile is on my face now. If you will have the chance to get an Ellis 1801b you will never regret it. Sound beautiful, plain, bass is having slam, dynamics and transient are properly represented. BTW I use to be a bass guitar player in a progressive rock band - my main complains about the "commercial" speakers wew exacllty these: lake of naturalness, lake of dynamics and transient and lake of slam. Ellis 1801 is the first one to deliver all these in the most pleasent and musical way that I ever encountered.

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- DYNAUDIO Contour 1.3 SE - JM LAB Electra 907 Be - B&W Nautilus 805 - PROAC Tablette Signature - JM REYNAUD Trente - VULCAIN Aida - APERTURA Mini-Kal - DAVIS Nikita - CHARIO Academy Millenium 2 - MAGNAT All Ribbon 12

Clarity and detail, yet smooth with no signs of harshness. Easy to listen non-fatiguing sound without being too laid back. Nice wide soundstage. Surprisingly deep, and clean, bass for the speaker size.

None that my gear can reveal.

I've been using the Ellis Audio 1801s for a couple of months now paired up with a Denon CD player used as a transport into the DACS of an Anthem AVM 20, audio power supplied by either a Yamaha M-80 amp or Levinson #23. The 1801s have a level of detail I am not accustom to hearing from my Definitive Tech BP10s or BP30s. The entire range of sound from mid-bass on up to the highs have articulation/clarity to die for. Quite frankly, they blow away my speakers in these regards. Even towards the lower end, these speakers are quite good I think. No, they do not produce earthshattering bass, but I REALLY was surprised how low and clean they go. It took me a while to actually recognize just how well these speakers do at bass given their size. I had been somewhat used to the bloated sound of the mid/upper bass of the Definitives, and of course they are much larger, so my inital impression of the 1801 bass was that it's weak - but that was wrong. The size of the 1801s gave me a bit more latitude in positioning so I cannot entire fault the Definitves in the bass response. If you are looking for a smaller speaker, you at least owe yourself a listen to the Ellis Audio 1801s. I seriously doubt you'll be disappointed or find it wasted time.

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None, have always had larger floorstanding speakers.

Even with less than perfect caps these speakers smoke most everything out there.

Lead time if you are not making your own cabinets, but they are well worth the wait!!!

I wrote a review previoustly on this product, but as I cannot revise it, and as it may mislead some people, I think it important that I revise it. When I purchased the 1801b's I had never heard SoniCaps. I had listened to a large number of caps, and had found AuriCaps to be the best ones I had heard. Not being much of a gambler, I told Dave I would buy AuriCaps. Dave insisted on sending some SoniCaps for me to try. I really had no desire to try them, so as time passed, Dave and I both forgot about the SoniCaps. As I was doing mods on other equipment though, I did finally try SoniCaps and found them to be superior to AuriCaps. I found the bag with the SoniCaps Dave sent me, and renenbering that I had not paid him, I got in touch with him and settled the account knowing that one day I would be installing them. Needless to say, months again went by, and I had not replaced them. I got some Paradigm Active 40's in for mods. When I hooked them up and realized just how colored my speaker were, out came the AuriCaps, and in went the SoniCaps. Much improved sound to be sure. So, in case anyone is wondering, no, I do not recommend AuriCaps for the 1801's, or 1801b's.

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Bunches. They are in a virtual dead heat with my JH3 References, I love them both.

Details, equilibrated frequency range, no audible distorsion, dynamic, image, strong bass. Listening results only depending on source and electronics qualitys.

none, hum...sensitivity? (for those having SS 2X15W, for the others: none)

Hey all, Globaly I consider there are two types of (good) speakers: those having a typical acoustical signature (i.e. Klipsh) and others having less/no (i.e.Wilson-Audio). The 1801b is obviously from second type: this gear is very neutral. When looking for a speaker, "neutral" is for me the target because I prefer much more giving a "character" to my stereo through the electronics than trough coloured speakers, even those like noticed on top, that often became tiring due to there distorsions concentrated on a frequency's range parcel. As soon as speakers completed (in a few days, cabinet is easy to build and Xover too), I listened to one speaker, with only one channel on well-known stereo CDs. This test allows me to peak out the most obvious listen characteristics, easier than on both speakers and channels. At this point, three things were amazing: - transition between the two drivers was perfect, giving musical coherency. - a lot of details on the total frequency range, particularly on slight sounds, those present on the other channel with higher level when listening to the two channels. - strong bass, considering the relative big air-volume loading the woofer. Then, I listened in stereo, with the two speakers, on many CDs and kinds of music, from single human voices, to blues, jazz, clasical quartets, symphonic orchestrals, including church organ. First impressions were confirmed: accuracy, details, coherency, dynamic, soundstages and image were present like on a few high-end speakers I know. What is very interesting is that the 1801 is fully detailed, and , in the same time, gives absolutely no hardness or fatigue, even with relative bad CDs. This is very uncommon !!! Those who could be affraid by the 4000hz peak present on the unfiltered SEAS woofer can be tranquilized: uppermid is as sweet as from big mid-domes I know, maybe more detailed. In the same way, tweeter is astonishing in this sense that I don't hear it; even top-class soft 1.5" domes have acoustical signature: this driver: no. In an a/b test between my little Goldmund amp, an Air-Tight tube ATM4 and a Rodgers e40a tube class A, sounds differencys were amazingly obvious. IMHO, big high-end speakers don't go far away, except in sub-bass, thanks to their big woofers. In conclusion, 1801 is for me a "miracle" at this price, which allows me to buy big electronics, to make music explode in my listening room. In combination with real musical electronics, 1801 gives me such an emotion I'd never feel since I listen to recorded music. THANKS TO DAVE ELLIS. THANKS DAVE.

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Scan-Speak revelator 5.5" and tweeter (no more used since 1801) Dynaudio upgraded gemini with esotar mid and tweeter (no more used since Scan-Speak)

Open sound Beautiful cabinet Getting to know David Ellis

None

The last time I thought about what determines a good speaker was a quarter century ago. I have owned the 1801s for 20 months. I had B&O S45 speakers that were 24 years old and suffering from acute rubber surroundis. In their day, the S45s were quite good and I wanted new speakers that would make me smile again. My budget was about $1000. I live in a small city with limited choices. The best speaker locally was a $750 Paradigm floor stander which IMO did not sound as good as the B&O S45s at their best. In retrospect, I realize that I divided speakers into two classes. With my limited experience that was the best I could do. Class 1 were open speakers that disappeared sonically while Class 2 were speakers that sounded trapped as if there was a good speaker put inside another enclosure waiting to get out. I say in retrospect because I never really heard a Class1 speaker until I bought and heard my own 1801s. Buying the 1801s was a bit of a gamble and I understand the trepidation others feel purchasing an expensive item off the internet. However, by doing the usual research I was convinced that the 1801s were a least a quality product that I could resale if I did not like the sound. Of course I loved them. Opening up the box that contained the 1801s from David was great fun and confirmed immediately that they were a quality pair of speakers. When I finally heard them- they made me smile. A Class 1 speaker was in my own living room. I think of these speakers as finely made musical instruments. These are speakers that ultimately will be part of my estate. I initially drove the speakers with an Outlaw 1050 which did a fine job at sane volume levels. I decided to buy a PS audio amp (and use the pre-outs of the 1050), hca-2, which gave the spls but more importantly added the detail I crave at the reasonable volumes. As others have stated, these speakers go down to 40 Hz which is fine for most music but will miss the really low frequencies found in HT. I am currently looking for a sub for HT. I am not certain how easy it will be to integrate with the 1801s for music, which I may decide is not important, i.e. sub off- line for music. Recently I have heard other speakers. I heard a pair of Swans (Class 2) that Dennis Murphy (designer of the 1801s crossover) was freeing from its outer enclosure with a crossover. The only other speaker that I have heard that is in the same class as the 1801s was Salks Veracity speaker. However, I prefer the look of the 1801s. An added bonus of this process was getting to know David Ellis and the crossover man Dennis Murphy. Both are Class 1 individuals.

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B&O S45

Mids & Upper end - beautiful Bass - tight and clean Crossover component quality - unbeatable

Likely embarrassment of your existing speakers

I've just completed building my own set of Dave Ellis designed 1801s, and I felt compelled to add to these reviews with my own experience. I undertook a challenging first woodworking project when I decided that the 1801s were for me. The equipment was all new to me, and took some getting used to before I felt like I was mastering it. Preparing all the MDF and bracing was relatively straight forward, and eventually I worked up the confidence to attack a beautiful piece of Jarrah (Australian native wood, similar in colouring to Mahogany I think) which was to be the front baffle. Anyway, the whole process took some 4-months, mainly due to my day job getting in the way of things! The results were impressive beyond my expectations - well and truly. I had read with much interest the previous reviews of the Ellis Audio 1801s on this site, and in particular the reference that one reviewer made to the way the 1801s made his existing speakers sound. Indeed, my experience was very similar - the 1801s have made my existing floor standing speakers (which cost more than the 1801s did) sound muddy and almost incoherent. Sure, there was a warmth there, but at the expense of clarity, crispness and presence - all three of which are more important in my opinion. The 1801s delivers on these and more. My source gear is not brilliant by any stretch - A 100wpc Yamaha integrated amp that's seen 10 years hard labour, and the Denon DVD 1600 player that plays CDs perfectly as far as my ears can tell. But what these speakers have done for our listening pleasure with this source gear is hard to put into words. The bass is astounding for what is a moderate sized box, and it's so clean - the cabinet walls being at least twice as thick as my existing speakers, and braced beyond the point of any audible movement. The mids and upper end are astonishing as well. Percussion, and string instruments sound like they are right there in the room with you, and what the 1801s do for well recorded vocals must be heard to be believed. But they also respond superbly to rock music, and the soundstage is awesome. I can confidently say that I haven't heard any better speakers than these, and while they might exist somewhere, I won't go looking any longer. For the price, they are unbeatable, but that's understating how well they perform. If you get a chance to test them out, do so. If you don't, read these reviews and take a chance - you won't be disappointed. As a final note - Dave Ellis is just an amazing guy as well - how he finds the time to build speakers for people, respond to constant enquiries from pesky Australians building the boxes themselves, contribute to debates around such diverse things as amplifier matching, speaker stands etc, has me beat! It is an obvious signal to me that he believes 100% in his product and his reputation as a leader in the Hi-Fi world, not that he would ever admit that he is, because he doesn't believe in this kind of hype. Well I am happy to hype his speakers - they are everything the critics claim them to be and more. If I hear a better set of speakers for less than 5 times the price, I'll know then that I'm in heaven.

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None

Build quality, image/soundstage, inner detail, tight bass.

Need lots of current and a high quality stand.

I have had the recent pleasure of having the Ellis 1801's in my home for about 3 months. I want to say up front that Dave Ellis is a wonderful person in addition to his obvious talent in speaker design. The 1801's that I had [the travelling demo's] are of a slightly earlier incarnation than is available presently. I believe that the crossover has been tweaked a bit but ,other than that, it is still an accurate representation of these speakers offered today. Build quality is the first thing you'll notice. These things have a tank like quality to them. Using thicker walls and front/back panels and then beefing up the internal bracing, has resulted in a box that is more like a brick! You won't have any cabinet colorations from these babies. Incorporating some of the finest drivers available and then marrying them to a crossover, designed by a well known expert, has resulted in a high end speaker at mid-fi prices. But how do they sound? First, I will state that, for the last 20 years, I have owned B&W speakers and have become very used to that 'polite british sound' that the vintage B&W's have, unlike the ones they offer today. The first difference was the presence. The 1801's were much more forward than the 'brits'. They set the soundstage from the speaker forward into the room. It's like being in the first row at a show, in contrast to the B&W's 10th row sound. My wife preferred the 1801's immediately. Thanks hon. She then decide to test drive them with a few favorites. The opening tune just happened to prove the 1801's imaging capability beyond belief. The first few seconds of the song starts front center and then wraps around to the right until the sound was completely behind me in the right corner! I repeated this at least 6 times like a kid with a new toy. Surround sound with just 2 speakers. This was not subtle either. My position was 14 feet away from the speakers with another 8 feet behind me. My room is 24'x 24'. When it was my turn I played a Rick Braun tune that literally flowed from left to right. It was incredible. I just wanted to keep playing all my cd's. It was clear that the soundstage/imaging that these speakers are capable of is superior. It was common for sound to be thrown about the room providing it's on the recording. I also must point out the level of inner detail that these tweeters will extract. It seems as though I've been missing a lot in this regard. Every cd I played sounded unveiled and detailed beyond anything I've heard before. Vocals are hauntingly realistic, also. On a Jennifer Warnes tune, her breathing had an eerie presence to it. As far as bass goes, at first I thought it was lean. It turns out it was the recording. I put on TKO, a tune by Dave Grusin. This one will stress any system so you'd better have the current. Once again I was impressed. The 1801's are cabable of producing bass that is deep, tight and palpable that I find incongruous with an enclosure of this size. They made my B&W's sound like mud. At one point I decided to use my subwoofers [NHT]. Where this would make a big difference with my 'other' speakers, it seemed to make no difference at all with the 1801's. In a crowded market full of hype, gimmicks and high end pricing, it's refreshing to see that design through practicality and principle will still reign champion. I've been to a few 'high end' hifi shops and quite frankly the 1801's will kick the crap out of gear costing several times their price and size in many cases. While there is no speaker that is for everyone, the Ellis 1801 comes closer, I believe, to accomplishing this while maintaining a great price, looks and build quality second to none.

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B&W dm14's, matrix1's, 802's.

Mids and highs

Bass

Dave Ellis has a tremendous product. I had never built a pair of speakers. Even as a novice I built the 1801's in a couple of days with very good results. I am etremely happy with the final result. Mids and highs are world class. Norah sounds like she is in the room singing to you.

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DQ 10's Vandersteens signatures