Short answer: the ELAC Debut 3.0 DB63 for better sound quality, the Tannoy System 600 for the lower price. The ELAC Debut 3.0 DB63 ranks #41 of 131 bookshelf speakers at $499. The Tannoy System 600 ranks #127 at $400, $99 cheaper.
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 System 600 offers: Impedance is well controlled, and the concentric dual-driver layout gives it consistent horizontal and vertical response relative to typical non-coaxial 2-ways of its era. Watch for: CEA2034 spinorama shows a large suck-out right at the crossover frequency where the two drivers fail to overlap properly, plus general peaking beforehand - the reviewer noted “no measurement seems to have been used to optimize this design.” Predicted in-room response is correspondingly poor. Amir ran out of time to perform a dedicated subjective listening test on this unit, but concluded from the data alone that it is “highly colored and really not something you want to put in your system.” Long discontinued; used-market only.
Buy the ELAC Debut 3.0 DB63 if sound quality matters more than the price. Buy the Tannoy System 600 if the price matters more than sound quality.
If sound quality matters at all to you, skip the Tannoy System 600. 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 System 600 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $499.00 | $400 Discontinued |
| Ranked | #41 of 131 in Large Size Bookshelf Speakers | #127 of 131 in Large Size Bookshelf Speakers |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 40Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | approx. 48Hz - low confidence, response never reaches a flat reference level (measured, Audio Science Review) |
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 76Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | approx. 73Hz - low confidence, response never reaches a flat reference level (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) | 8.7"H x 14.2"W x 11.4"D (220 x 360 x 290 mm) |
| Impedance | 6 ohms nominal (4.4 ohms minimum, measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 8 ohms nominal |
| Sensitivity | 86.2dB (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | approx. 84dB (2.83V/1m, measured, Audio Science Review - low confidence, no flat reference plateau) |
| Drivers | 6.5" Aramid Fiber woofer, 1" soft dome tweeter | 6.5" Tannoy Dual Concentric driver (type 1678) |
| Weight | 17.2 lbs / 7.8 kg each | 20.9 lbs / 9.5 kg pair (cabinet) |
| Woofer Cabinet | ported, rear | ported, flared tubes |
| Discontinued | - | Yes |
| Frequency Response | - | 52Hz - 20kHz +/-3dB (Manufacturer specified) |
| Power Handling | - | 50-150W recommended |
Related Speaker Comparisons
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- Emotiva Airmotiv XB2 vs Monolith Encore B6
- Emotiva Airmotiv XB2 vs Monolith Encore C6
- Emotiva Airmotiv XB2 vs StarkSound Beta 5
- ELAC Debut 3.0 DB63 vs Fosi Audio SP601
- ELAC Debut 3.0 DB63 vs Ascend CBM-170 SE
Prices on this page were last checked August 25, 2026 at 6:19 AM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
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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
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- ELAC Debut 3.0 DB63 vs Perlisten A3m
- ELAC Debut 3.0 DB63 vs JBL HDI-1600
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Tannoy System 600: $400 Discontinued eBay
Pros: Impedance is well controlled, and the concentric dual-driver layout gives it consistent horizontal and vertical response relative to typical non-coaxial 2-ways of its era.
Cons: CEA2034 spinorama shows a large suck-out right at the crossover frequency where the two drivers fail to overlap properly, plus general peaking beforehand - the reviewer noted “no measurement seems to have been used to optimize this design.” Predicted in-room response is correspondingly poor. Amir ran out of time to perform a dedicated subjective listening test on this unit, but concluded from the data alone that it is “highly colored and really not something you want to put in your system.” Long discontinued; used-market only. Discontinued.
Full Tannoy System 600 review and specifications →
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | approx. 48Hz - low confidence, response never reaches a flat reference level (measured, Audio Science Review) |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | approx. 73Hz - low confidence, response never reaches a flat reference level (measured, Audio Science Review) |
| Dimensions | 8.7"H x 14.2"W x 11.4"D (220 x 360 x 290 mm) |
| Discontinued | Yes |
| Drivers | 6.5" Tannoy Dual Concentric driver (type 1678) |
| Frequency Response | 52Hz - 20kHz +/-3dB (Manufacturer specified) |
| Impedance | 8 ohms nominal |
| Power Handling | 50-150W recommended |
| Sensitivity | approx. 84dB (2.83V/1m, measured, Audio Science Review - low confidence, no flat reference plateau) |
| Weight | 20.9 lbs / 9.5 kg pair (cabinet) |
| Woofer Cabinet | ported, flared tubes |
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons