audiorich

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Price Paid:  $700.00 from Dave Ellis

Summary:
I have had and listened to these speakers for more than a year now and I really enjoy them. I built them from the kit because I thought that would be fun. Because of some good guidance from Dave Ellis via e-mail,on the couple of questions I had, it was fun. As others have said they are really terrific sounding speakers. In a nutshell I find them detailed, transparent, tonally accurate, and three dimensional. I can compare them to a pair of Magnepan MG1.5's which I liked a lot but my wife hated, because of their size. I think the 1801's have the same clarity of tone and transparency but with a more solid bottom end. I see no need for a subwoofer for music listening with these. I was using a pair of Axiom M22i's while I was building the 1801's which are good value speakers in themselves and when I first heard the 1801's I couldn't believe the quality of the low end. Others have commented on their imaging which I agree is excellent. It is uncanny how they disappear in my room and project a solid center image when listening to vocals. This is as good as I need my speakers to get. Very highly recommended and outstanding speaker regardless of cost.

Strengths:
Tonal accuracy and transparency. I play the piano and know how it is supposed to sound. The 1801's nail it for me. Dave Ellis (no affiliation) is a solid guy with a quick response to any e-mail question. It was only after putting in the time to build the cabinets myself that I realized how great a deal they are built by him for the price he asks.

The cabinets are rock solid and beautiful to look at. I build mine in oak and they came out good for a novice woodworker. But oak is a rather ordinary looking wood material for a speaker of this sonic quality. I am now redoing them in cherry because I intend to keep them forever.

Weaknesses:
None that I can see or hear.

Similar Products Used:
Magnepan MG1.5's, Axiom M22ti's, Ohm Microwalsh Tall's,

BrianM

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 2.00 votes

Price Paid:  $1800.00 from Salk Sound

Summary:
These speakers are amazing. Anyone with a small to medium sized listening room owes it to him/herself to try these out, as they deliver astounding bass for a 2-way. I had planned to consider a subwoofer; that idea is certainly on the back burner now. Bass is plentiful and has slam. 40 Hz happens to be just below the bottom string of a bass guitar, but that only tells half the story - these speakers will satisfy all but the most bass hungry of listeners. The midrange and tweeter are absolutely world class. With good electronics the speakers completely disappear, leaving you with the naked soundstage in front of you. Detail and imaging are "you are there." Crossover is undetectable. For well under $2K, these speakers need to be heard to be believed.

So before you blow a wad on some big fancy floorstanders, by any means try the Ellis 1801s. I am convinced that a lot of people would be completely satisfied with them and never bother getting another speaker. Designer Dave Ellis and crossover engineer Dennis Murphy have hit a home run.

I purchased my pair from Jim Salk of Salk Sound. He does beautiful cabinet work. Charges a premium over Dave Ellis, but the waiting period is considerably shorter. Consider upgrading your electronics; these speakers are at the level to notice the minutest of differences in your upstream components. They can play very loud, are relatively inefficient and thus appreciate a healthy power supply. My amp produces 160 wpc which is more than adequate.

The Ellis 1801s excel reproducing all types of music. Whether you prefer orchestral, jazz, rock, Afro pop or whatever, you're going to be wallowing in how good these speakers are. DIYers can order the kit from Dave Ellis for half price.

Treat yourself!

Strengths:
World class midrange and treble, excellent bass
Will reproduce recordings with utmost fidelity

Weaknesses:
Will reproduce recordings with utmost fidelity...bad recordings will be exposed, while good recordings will leave you stunned.
Won't play the bottom octave - but this is seldom an issue.

Price Paid:  $1850.00 from Salk Sound

Summary:
These are the first 2-way monitors I have tried and owned, and I have a feeling I picked an awfully nice pair of guinea pigs. In short, the Ellis 1801s need to be heard to be believed. There are more than 40 other positive reviews here, so I'll confine myself to adding to the chorus of "Yes, they really are that good."

My prior speakers, for perspective, were Revel F30s, a 3-way full range floorstander that retailed for around $4 grand. The Ellis 1801s outperform the Revel F30s in every area except low bass. That said, if you have a smaller sized listening room you will likely find absolutely no need for a subwoofer. The 1801s do play to 40Hz, and the quality of the bass may shock you. The quality of everything else is world class; these speakers totally disappear.

My 1801s were built by Jim Salk of Salk Sound in Michigan. He receives the kit from Dave Ellis, and his cabinet work is superb and fully customizable. DIYers can order the kit from Dave for half the price; or, you can have Dave build them for you for less than Salk, though with a considerably longer wait period.

Strengths:
Detail, imaging, world class tweeter and midrange, astoundingly good bass for a 2-way

Weaknesses:
Will not play the bottom octave

Similar Products Used:
none

Guilhermejs

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
2.75 of 5, 4.00 votes

Price Paid:  $855.00 from Ellis Audio

Summary:
I decided to build the 1801b loudspeaker because I already know very well the Hiquphon OWI tweeter and the Seas Excel midwoofers, they are very, VERY good.

With the excelent cabinet construction and crossover components, the 1801b can't be nothing but extremely good! And that's what it is! This is a serious speaker, it "sounds" like a really TOP loudspeaker that might cost thousands of dollars. I said "sounds", because it doesn't have a sound, it's neutral and reproduces every instrument "timbre" with extreme fidelity.

It's a very low cost compared to the performance, trust me! But it will need excelent electronics to take 100% of it.

It's the result spected for the very best components in the market.

Attention, it is NOT that speakers with a lot of detail but not a vivid sound. It is VERY musical! You can spend hours and hours listening with no audio fatige!

Strengths:
Extremely detailed, open sound. Reproduces ALL kinds of music, it just need to be a good recording. Then the instruments and voices will go materialize itselfs.

Tight bass, goes very deep for a bookshelf. Excelent mids and high's, very balanced. Every instrument caracteristic is revealed.

Weaknesses:
Nothing, just that bad recordings will sound bad.

But sometimes, CDs that you thought that were bad recorded, sounds surprising good. So listen everything!

Similar Products Used:
B&W's, Dynaudios, and other speakers that not worth the price.

stuartnaramore

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
3.33 of 5, 3.00 votes

Price Paid:  $1300.00 from mail order

Summary:
They say that all good things come to those who wait. Well, I had to wait for a full year to get my 1801's, and it was worth it. These are certainly the best speakers I have ever owned and I have owned quite a few in the last 35 years.
I do not intend to comment about how good these sound or explain why; this has been more than adequately done by all the below reviewers. Instead I would like to mention several items that may be of interest to those contemplating purchasing these fine speakers.
My amplification is a Prima Luna Two with 40 watts per channel of power. I was somewhat concerned that this would not be enough for the 1801's since they have a room sensitivity of about 84db. My concerns were totally unwarranted. I have way more than enough power to play these beauties loudly. I have never had to turn up the volume control past the 6 o'clock position in my average-sized living room. By-the-way, the Prima Luna Two is a fantastic integrated and mates nicely with these speakers.
David Ellis was a pleasure to deal with. He is very knowledgable and helpful. He says that his speakers need very little burn-in time, and he is correct. However, I personally found the sound better after about 45-50 hours of use. Whether this was due to burn-in, or just my getting accustomed is up to debate.
When these speakers first arrived I unhooked my sub-woofer since the 1801's do a great job with bass. But after a few weeks my wife (who loves bass) asked me to re-hook the subs. The sound of my speakers seemed to improve after this move! Perhaps the drivers could handle the midrange better being released of the duty to produce the really low frequencies. Perhaps it is all in my head.
Be that as it may, I am very happy with these speakers. I will contentedly listen to my music with them for years to come.

Strengths:
Great sound; accurate reproducers of what is on the source material. Beautiful finish and great to look at.

Weaknesses:
None.

Similar Products Used:
Axiom M22ti, Paradigm 20's; Dynadio 25.