Short answer: the ELAC Debut 3.0 DB63. It ranks #41 of 131 bookshelf speakers by sound quality at $499; the Tannoy Revolution XT 6 ranks #116 and costs $1100, so there is not much of a tradeoff to weigh.
What the ELAC Debut 3.0 DB63 offers: 1” aluminum dome tweeter with a distinctive partial-lens waveguide design paired with a 6.5” third-generation aramid fiber cone woofer, in a robustly built cabinet for the price. Shallow bass rolloff (F3 76Hz, F10 40Hz) allows placement close to a wall without excessive boominess, useful for smaller living rooms. Solid measured performance for the price: on-axis linearity within about 2.5dB, impedance dipping only to about 4.4 ohms (easily AVR-driven), and roughly 20-26dB of usable dynamic range. A clear improvement over its sibling ELAC DB62, which has a sibilance issue tied to the crossover that can’t be fixed with EQ. Wide horizontal radiation of about ±60°, giving a spacious soundstage. Distortion looks good at a moderate 86dB and still reasonable at 96dB. Takes well to EQ correction - the reviewer provides a specific filter set (a low-shelf boost at 650Hz plus peaking cuts/boosts at 550Hz, 660Hz, and 3kHz) that meaningfully smooths out its known deviations. Watch for: A dip in the lower midrange (300-600Hz, about 1.5dB) reduces vocal warmth and can make voices sound slightly hollow. A high-Q resonance around 650-750Hz shows up clearly in measurements, though the reviewer couldn’t reliably hear it in his own A/B testing. A dip around 2-3kHz (roughly 1-2dB) slightly reduces speech intelligibility and attack in the upper midrange. Directivity droops above about 2kHz as the midwoofer narrows toward its beaming frequency while the tweeter’s pattern behaves differently - an inherent trade-off of physically separated drivers that can’t be fully corrected without introducing other issues. Multitone distortion crosses the reviewer’s 3% threshold in the 200Hz-1kHz range, and adding a subwoofer at an 80Hz crossover only modestly reduces it. Toeing the speaker away from the listener loses noticeable top-end air and cymbal energy, giving a softer upper register. Practical loudness ceiling is around 90dB at typical listening distance before midrange distortion and bass attack begin to degrade. Still needs a subwoofer for extension below about 40Hz.
What the Tannoy Revolution XT 6 offers: Horizontal directivity is very good outside of a narrow glitch around 2.5kHz, meaning the coaxial design’s off-axis sound closely tracks on-axis within a +/-50 degree toe-in window. Vertical response is notably better than a typical non-coaxial 2-way thanks to the concentric driver, and the downward-firing, base-integrated port is a distinctive, functional piece of industrial design. Watch for: CEA2034 spinorama shows significant on-axis dips and rising amplitude above 3kHz, and distortion measurements are the headline problem - 4-5% distortion at 96dB SPL in the most sensitive part of the audible band, far higher than the Revel M106 comparison unit at the same level. Careful multi-notch EQ improved things but never fully resolved it. The reviewer’s conclusion: “I can’t recommend the Tannoy XT 6” - the coaxial design’s distortion should have been addressed by the designer, not patched after the fact with EQ.
Buy the ELAC Debut 3.0 DB63. It ranks higher for sound quality than the Tannoy Revolution XT 6 and costs less, so there is no real case for the other one.
If sound quality matters at all to you, skip the Tannoy Revolution XT 6. It ranks near the bottom of the 131 bookshelf speakers, so look higher up the list instead.
Specifications Side By Side
| ELAC Debut 3.0 DB63 | Tannoy Revolution XT 6 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $499.00 | $1100 |
| Ranked | #41 of 131 in Large Size Bookshelf Speakers | #116 of 131 in Large Size Bookshelf Speakers |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 40Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 60Hz (measured, Audio Science Review) |
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 76Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 85Hz (measured, Audio Science Review) |
| Dimensions | 13.3"H x 7.7"W x 11.7"D (337.8 x 195.6 x 297.2 mm) | 15.8H x 8.7W x 11.9D in |
| Impedance | 6 ohms nominal (4.4 ohms minimum, measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 8 ohms nominal |
| Sensitivity | 86.2dB (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 86.5dB (2.83V/1m, measured, Audio Science Review) |
| Drivers | 6.5" Aramid Fiber woofer, 1" soft dome tweeter | 6" dual-concentric multifiber-cone woofer with coaxial 1" PEI dome tweeter |
| Weight | 17.2 lbs / 7.8 kg each | 16.5 lbs / 7.5 kg each |
| Woofer Cabinet | ported, rear | ported, bottom-firing |
| Power Handling | - | 25-120W recommended, 240W peak |
Related Speaker Comparisons
More useful head-to-heads from the same speaker class:
- Emotiva Airmotiv XB2 vs ELAC Uni-Fi Reference UBR62
- Emotiva Airmotiv XB2 vs Revel Concerta2 M16
- Wharfedale Linton 85 vs Emotiva Airmotiv XB2
- ELAC Debut 3.0 DB63 vs JBL 4309
- AsciLab C6B vs ELAC Debut 3.0 DB63
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The Two Speakers In Full
ELAC Debut 3.0 DB63: $499.00 Amazon Crutchfield eBay
Pros: 1” aluminum dome tweeter with a distinctive partial-lens waveguide design paired with a 6.5” third-generation aramid fiber cone woofer, in a robustly built cabinet for the price. Shallow bass rolloff (F3 76Hz, F10 40Hz) allows placement close to a wall without excessive boominess, useful for smaller living rooms. Solid measured performance for the price: on-axis linearity within about 2.5dB, impedance dipping only to about 4.4 ohms (easily AVR-driven), and roughly 20-26dB of usable dynamic range. A clear improvement over its sibling ELAC DB62, which has a sibilance issue tied to the crossover that can’t be fixed with EQ. Wide horizontal radiation of about ±60°, giving a spacious soundstage. Distortion looks good at a moderate 86dB and still reasonable at 96dB. Takes well to EQ correction - the reviewer provides a specific filter set (a low-shelf boost at 650Hz plus peaking cuts/boosts at 550Hz, 660Hz, and 3kHz) that meaningfully smooths out its known deviations.
Cons: A dip in the lower midrange (300-600Hz, about 1.5dB) reduces vocal warmth and can make voices sound slightly hollow. A high-Q resonance around 650-750Hz shows up clearly in measurements, though the reviewer couldn’t reliably hear it in his own A/B testing. A dip around 2-3kHz (roughly 1-2dB) slightly reduces speech intelligibility and attack in the upper midrange. Directivity droops above about 2kHz as the midwoofer narrows toward its beaming frequency while the tweeter’s pattern behaves differently - an inherent trade-off of physically separated drivers that can’t be fully corrected without introducing other issues. Multitone distortion crosses the reviewer’s 3% threshold in the 200Hz-1kHz range, and adding a subwoofer at an 80Hz crossover only modestly reduces it. Toeing the speaker away from the listener loses noticeable top-end air and cymbal energy, giving a softer upper register. Practical loudness ceiling is around 90dB at typical listening distance before midrange distortion and bass attack begin to degrade. Still needs a subwoofer for extension below about 40Hz.
Full ELAC Debut 3.0 DB63 review and specifications →
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 40Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 76Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Dimensions | 13.3"H x 7.7"W x 11.7"D (337.8 x 195.6 x 297.2 mm) |
| Drivers | 6.5" Aramid Fiber woofer, 1" soft dome tweeter |
| Impedance | 6 ohms nominal (4.4 ohms minimum, measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Sensitivity | 86.2dB (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Weight | 17.2 lbs / 7.8 kg each |
| Woofer Cabinet | ported, rear |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
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- ELAC Debut 3.0 DB63 vs Arendal 1723 Bookshelf S THX
- ELAC Debut 3.0 DB63 vs Perlisten R5m
- ELAC Debut 3.0 DB63 vs Perlisten A3m
- ELAC Debut 3.0 DB63 vs JBL HDI-1600
- ELAC Debut 3.0 DB63 vs Ascend Acoustics Sierra-2EX V2
- ELAC Debut 3.0 DB63 vs Selah Audio Integrity
- ELAC Debut 3.0 DB63 vs Aalto Speakers Aalto 3 Passive
- See all 129 comparisons
Tannoy Revolution XT 6: $1100 eBay
Pros: Horizontal directivity is very good outside of a narrow glitch around 2.5kHz, meaning the coaxial design’s off-axis sound closely tracks on-axis within a +/-50 degree toe-in window. Vertical response is notably better than a typical non-coaxial 2-way thanks to the concentric driver, and the downward-firing, base-integrated port is a distinctive, functional piece of industrial design.
Cons: CEA2034 spinorama shows significant on-axis dips and rising amplitude above 3kHz, and distortion measurements are the headline problem - 4-5% distortion at 96dB SPL in the most sensitive part of the audible band, far higher than the Revel M106 comparison unit at the same level. Careful multi-notch EQ improved things but never fully resolved it. The reviewer’s conclusion: “I can’t recommend the Tannoy XT 6” - the coaxial design’s distortion should have been addressed by the designer, not patched after the fact with EQ.
Full Tannoy Revolution XT 6 review and specifications →
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 60Hz (measured, Audio Science Review) |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 85Hz (measured, Audio Science Review) |
| Dimensions | 15.8H x 8.7W x 11.9D in |
| Drivers | 6" dual-concentric multifiber-cone woofer with coaxial 1" PEI dome tweeter |
| Impedance | 8 ohms nominal |
| Power Handling | 25-120W recommended, 240W peak |
| Sensitivity | 86.5dB (2.83V/1m, measured, Audio Science Review) |
| Weight | 16.5 lbs / 7.5 kg each |
| Woofer Cabinet | ported, bottom-firing |
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons