Description
Elipson is the oldest Hi-Fi manufacturer in France, and the Heritage XLS 7 carries that legacy with all seriousness. The youngest of the three sisters in the Heritage XLS line, the XLS is smaller in size than the XLS 11 and XLS 15 - but not in character. These are two-way bookshelf speakers that look like they were assembled somewhere between a JBL 4312 and a Pioneer HPM-100 in 1975, but sound with modern precision and French flair.
At the heart of the design is a 165mm full-range woofer/midrange with a cellulose cone. The material has been proven over decades: light, stiff, and capable of moving air quickly and accurately. Elipson has beefed up the magnetic system beyond what you would expect from such a form factor, allowing the XLS 7 to confidently reproduce low frequencies from 49Hz in a finished form.
The 22mm silk dome tweeter has been brought to the Heritage XLS 7 directly from the flagship Prestige Facet line. The rear cavity is carefully damped to minimize distortion and preserve detail at upper frequencies up to 25kHz. The crossover between the drivers is at 2400Hz with a 12dB/octave roll-off on both sides, making the seam between the woofer/midrange and the tweeter virtually imperceptible to the ear.
One of the highlights of the Heritage line, inherited from the vintage designs of the 70s, is the treble level control directly on the front panel. Three positions: –2 dB, 0 dB (Reference) and +2 dB. This is not a compromise, but a real tool for adapting to the room, source or personal preferences - without any equalizer in the chain.
The bass reflex port is located on the front panel with a smooth bell and is tuned to 52 Hz. This means that the XLS 7 can be placed close to the wall without the risk of "buzzing" - the placement is almost arbitrary. The cabinet is made of reinforced MDF with internal stiffness amplifiers, which minimizes resonances.
Walnut veneer on all side surfaces, black front panel, dark acoustic fabric with Elipson logo on magnetic mount - and no visible thread on the front. Retro aesthetics are maintained down to the smallest detail. The speakers are available in two finishes, with custom stands from Elipson available as an option.
88 dB/W/m and a nominal impedance of 6 Ohms — the XLS 7 requires a full-fledged amplifier with a power reserve. Recommended power is 30–120 W. With proper pairing, these speakers are capable of a wide, lively stage and dynamics that are atypical for this form factor.