Elac Miracord 60 and Connex Adsum DCB41-DS Review
In October, the iconic Elac Elegant BS312.2 were put to the test. This time, for our turntable special, the Kiel-based company sends us a smart combo system consisting of the Miracord 60 turntable and the Connex Adsum DCB41-DS active speakers.
It’s been 98 years since Elac was founded in Kiel. Back then, the company was still called Electroacustic GmbH – hence the known abbreviation Elac today. The company’s origins lie in underwater acoustics. Then in 1948, Elac shifted focus to cartridge systems and corresponding turntables, and not even 10 years later, Elac, along with Dual and Perpetuum-Ebner, became one of the German turntable manufacturers known worldwide.
After some economic ups and downs, Elac produced its first speaker in 1984. Over time, turntables disappeared from the lineup, until 2017 when, on the occasion of the company’s 90th anniversary, they found their way back into the Elac catalog under the legendary name “Miracord.” We’ve already had the chance to extensively test four of these modern-era Miracords in 7Review, each earning at least a “very good” rating. Now, the Elac Miracord 60 is up for review.
Miracord 60
The manual turntable arrives well-packaged and can be assembled in just a few minutes. All we need to do is place the platter, pull the belt over the motor pulley, and adjust the tonearm. If desired, the plastic cover (included) can be mounted.
As a purist record player, the 60 replaces the Miracord 70 in Elac’s lineup. The latter still came standard with a cartridge (Audio-Technica AT95E). Elac has now omitted that with the Miracord 60 and leaves the choice of a matching cartridge to the customer.
Its chassis is made of 50-millimeter-thick MDF, which is also damped to avoid vibrations and feedback inside. Four rubberized feet decouple the turntable from the table. They are not height-adjustable, but sufficiently flexible so they can ensure a level position even on uneven surfaces. The top and sides of the chassis are finished in glossy black, while two aluminum trims provide a retro-esque industrial look. Most of the other elements are largely dark or black.
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For instance, the 22-millimeter-thick cast-aluminum platter is black, with only the metallic reflective polished edge adding a chic accent. A similar design can be seen on the small wheel we use to control the motor’s rotation speed. The motor pulley is covered by a black metal cap, making the belt almost invisible. The plastic cover also follows this dark color theme. All in all, the Miracord 60 is cohesive and commendably built. The spindle, the platter, the tonearm, the connections – everything sits rock-solid. On the back, you’ll find the usual connections. The Miracord 60 has standard RCA with a grounding pin. There’s also a small power button and a jack for the 12V power supply.
Technical Details
The Miracord 60 is based on its higher-priced sibling, the Miracord 90, and Elac wants to deliver that successful design in the around $ price range. It’s a manual turntable driven by a belt. To power the platter in style, the Kiel-based company relies on a servo-controlled DC motor. A sensor and the associated electronics determine the motor speed up to 500 times a second and adjust it accordingly. The Miracord 60’s wow and flutter values are accordingly very low, which in turn delivers clean playback.
Furthermore, Elac equips the Miracord 60 with a gimbal tonearm. It’s manufactured in Taiwan and has a carbon-fiber tube. This tube is ultra-light and allows agile movement. The bearing, on the other hand, is made of stainless steel.
For easy mounting of the headshell, Elac uses a bayonet connection. Normally, the Miracord 60 does not come with a factory-fitted cartridge. However, since we’re testing a user-friendly Elac combo here, Elac was kind enough to provide the in-house D96 cartridge (MM). It costs about $329 and is a suitable partner for the roughly Miracord 60.
Elac Connex DCB41
As a powerful partner to the Miracord 60, the Kiel-based company gives us the Connex Adsum DCB41-DS. We already know these relatively small active speakers from a previous test, so we’re quite familiar with them. They come in two variants, which are largely identical in technical terms. On the one hand, there is the Connex DCB41 in the standard version for about $582, which we tested. They then reached a final score of 8.5 out of 10. Since this year, there’s also the Connex Adsum DCB41DS version, which is about $132 more expensive than the standard model. Note the “DS” suffix, which stands for “Design Series” and indicates that this is a special design edition from the New York streetwear label Adsum. It brings revisions to the look and finish and thus achieved a score of 8.9 out of 10 in our test.
Since we’ve already tested the Elac Connex DCB41 twice individually, we won’t go into full detail about this active speaker. The detailed tests of both versions can meanwhile be found on 7Review. However, for readers who haven’t yet heard of the DCB41, here’s a brief look at the designer edition.
Adsum Design Edition
The Elac Connex DCB41-DS is quite a compact bookshelf speaker or, better said, desktop speaker, since the special edition comes with two mini metal stands for your desk or dresser. Overall, Elac has succeeded in creating a very stylish speaker with subtle retro accents in the Connex DCB41-DS. You can’t deny the expertise from Adsum, and it makes this speaker one of the most confidently stylish and attractive bookshelf speakers in the lifestyle segment. For instance, it has magnetic front grilles made of perforated metal that really catch the eye – they immediately reminded us of classic Braun speakers.
For sound production, the Connex uses a two-way system. There’s a fabric dome tweeter, which sits in a wave guide that improves dispersion and balance. Then there’s the woofer, which has an especially long excursion. Despite its relatively small diameter, it moves a lot of air, creating a high sound pressure level – even at low power. The Connex employs the proven master-client principle in this price range. That means only one speaker is active and drives the passive Speaker No. 2 via speaker cable. While the passive speaker has a classic terminal with two ports for speaker clamps and banana plugs, the active partner has a surprisingly well-equipped and versatile connection terminal. This is also why the Connex pairs so well with the Miracord 60. It has inputs in the form of RCA, optical, USB, and HDMI, plus an integrated phono stage. Impressive – as we remarked in our individual tests as well. For completeness, we want to mention that Elac includes a speaker cable and HDMI cable with the Connex, but not a phono cable with the Miracord 60 for connecting to the active speakers. Regardless, the two Elacs complement each other excellently on paper – so let’s finally move on to practice and our listening test of this compact Elac system.
Sound
Even though we know the Elac Connex very well, we won’t pass up the chance to stream some music briefly to get a feel for the speakers again. The active speakers are set up quickly, and we play “Continuum 1” by Nala Sinephro via Bluetooth. Despite the rather suboptimal streaming method over Bluetooth, the small Connex sounds captivating. Although it naturally brings limited bass due to its construction, what low frequencies it does produce are clean and tasteful. The mids and highs are once again the strengths of the Connex. The multilayered, trance-like instrumentation of this abstract jazz piece comes across punchy and three-dimensional from these small active boxes. Now we’re ready for the combination of Miracord and Connex. We connect the turntable to the Connex’s MM phono stage and off we go. We begin with Adele’s “Easy On Me” from her album “30.” The easy plug-and-play system is instantly present – and it sounds like a fully grown hi-fi phono setup in our listening room. Adele’s voice resonates clearly and naturally. We’re impressed by how good the Elac combo sounds right out of the box, without external aids or endless adjustments. We’d especially like to highlight the Miracord 60. It presents itself as an extremely stable and detailed source. Plus, this turntable offers a pleasing punch, eliciting lovely emotionality from the compact setup. The included Elac D96 cartridge also does a good job as part of this chain, creating a dry, spacious sonic image.
Next in our listening session is an electronic composition. We put on “Instant Crush” by Daft Punk. Here, the missing power in the Connex’s low-end becomes a bit noticeable, but is compensated by the clean high-frequency range. Once again, the Miracord 60 turntable shows its strengths. The transients are punchy, and the overall sound is wide and rich. The Elac turntable proves to be a real highlight. Hardly any turntable around the $1,100 mark sounds this full and complete, even if some motor noise is revealed because its motor isn’t isolated from the rest. However, that slight hum is only audible in idle mode. During playback, it’s practically undetectable.
The Miracord 60 merges in a particularly symbiotic way with the D96 cartridge and simply sounds lovely and balanced. It should be noted that this turntable also fits perfectly into significantly larger and more elaborate systems. There, it can fully realize its potential and paint stable sound images with its abundance of contours. However, if you want the convenience of comfort and are looking for a compact, hassle-free, versatile, and stylish-looking vinyl setup, you’ll be very happy with this plug-and-play system of the Elac Connex Adsum DCB41-DS and Miracord 60 turntable.
Tech Specs
General
- Device Class: Turntable
- Price Category: Mid-range
- Manufacturer: Elac
- Model: Miracord 60
- Price (RRP): from approx. $1,100
- Dimensions (W/H/D): 42 × 15 × 35 cm
- Weight: 5.5 kg
- Information: www.elac.com
Technical Data (according to manufacturer)
- Cartridge (installed): No / Elac D96 in test
- Motor: DC
- Drive: Belt
- Operation: Manual
- Connections: RCA, ground
- Integrated Phono Preamp: No
- Integrated DAC: No
- Bluetooth: No
Rating
- Sound Quality: 56/60 ≈ 9.3/10
- Features/Finish: 13/15 ≈ 8.7/10
- User-Friendliness: 13/15 ≈ 8.7/10
- Adjustments: None
- Interim Result: 82 out of 90 points ≈ 9.1/10
- Price/Performance: Very Good ≈ 9/10
- Overall Result: Excellent 91% ≈ 9.1/10
Conclusion
The Elac Miracord 60 replaces the Miracord 70 in the lineup and positions itself as a purist drive that knows precisely what’s needed for great sound. Elac’s in-house D96 cartridge (not installed at the factory) fuses beautifully with this turntable, delivering a three-dimensional, powerful sound full of contour and emotion. Simply fantastic!
Special Features
- Servo-controlled motor
- Carbon tonearm
Pros
- Stable, three-dimensional sound
- Very good workmanship
- Modern, classic design
Cons
- Cartridge not included
Rating
- Sound: 9/10
- Workmanship: 9/10
- Design: 9/10
- Overall: 9/10
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Elac Miracord 60 turntable
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Founded in July 2014, 7Review is a free audio resource for beginners, and we're dedicated to helping you create the ultimate movie-watching experience right at home. We pull insights from top audio magazines and trusted industry sources to bring you well-researched, reliable reviews and tips. Whether you're a home cinema pro or just starting out, we aim to give you the info you need to make the best choices for your setup.
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