In this review, we will be comparing IW-DC51-W and 300 IW6 LCR, two Passive In-wall speakers from ELAC and Focal.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of ELAC IW-DC51-W and Focal 300 IW6 LCR first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
ELAC IW-DC51-W Key Specs
- 2-way Design
- 1" Soft-Dome Tweeter
- 5.25" Woven Aramid-Fiber Woofer
- 45-20kHz Frequency Response
- 87 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 6ohms
- Power Range:30-120watts
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 159.0" x 16.5000" x 3.3750"( 159.0 x 420.0 x 86.0mm )
Focal 300 IW6 LCR Key Specs
- 3-way Design
- 1" Inverted Hard-Dome Tweeter
- 2 x 6.5" Flax Woofer
- 40-28kHz Frequency Response
- 92 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 8ohms
- Power Range:50-150watts
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 572.0" x 7.5000" x 4.0000"( 572.0 x 191.0 x 102.0mm )
What size room are the ELAC IW-DC51-W and Focal 300 IW6 LCR speakers good for?
The size of the room in which you are planning to use these loudspeakers is an important decision
factor. Here we have compared their suitability to various sizes of environments considering their size
and max power parameters:
| Listening Environment* |
ELAC IW-DC51-W |
Focal 300 IW6 LCR |
| Near-field |
Poor |
Poor |
| Small Room |
Average |
Average |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Good |
| Large Room |
Average |
Average |
| Very Large Room |
Poor |
Poor |
(* Approximate Room sizes: Small < 100sq. ft / 9 m2,
Mid-size: 100-220 sq. ft / 9-20 m2, Large 220-400 sq. ft / 20-36 m2, Very Large: >
400 sq. ft / 36 m2.
Average Floor Height: 9" / 2.7m. Typical room sizes differ from country to country, and the actual
listening experience changes depending on floor height, room shape, surface materials, listening
position, speaker locations, etc.)
In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the ELAC IW-DC51-W and Focal 300 IW6 LCR compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one of these loudspeakers is the better choice for you.
**This post contains affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking
through my links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that IW-DC51-W is a 2-way design whereas the 300 IW6 LCR is a 3-way speaker. 3-way designs utilize a midrange driver in addition to the tweeter and woofer on 2-way designs. Designing a crossover for a 3-way speaker is a complicated process and generally increases the overall cost of the speaker.
| Driver |
ELAC IW-DC51-W |
Focal 300 IW6 LCR |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
- |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 5.25-inch
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
IW-DC51-W features a 1" Soft-Dome Tweeter and 1 x 5.25" Woven Aramid-Fiber Woofer . On the other hand, the 300 IW6 LCR features a 1" Inverted Hard-Dome Tweeter and 2 x 6.5" Flax Woofer .
Frequency Response
IW-DC51-W has a frequency range of 45-20kHz whereas 300 IW6 LCR has a frequency range of 40-28kHz. With a minimum frequency of 40Hz, the 300 IW6 LCR can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the IW-DC51-W's min frequency of 45Hz.
Below graphs depict how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average values of the Min and Max Frequencies of other speakers in the In-wall class in our database.
Low Frequency
In-wall Speakers
High Frequency
In-wall Speakers
None of these speakers achieves full range experience which is commonly agreed as 20Hz-20kHz. In order to achieve lower lows / deeper bass, we recommend you pair these with a subwoofer. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
IW-DC51-W is a 6 ohms speaker compared to the 300 IW6 LCR which has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. IW-DC51-W sensitivity is rated at 87 dB and the 300 IW6 LCR's is rated at 92 dB. This 5 dB difference makes the Focal 300 IW6 LCR a more sensitive speaker compared to ELAC IW-DC51-W, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
In-wall Speakers
Power Range
Power
range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. While using
an amplifier within this range ensures the nominal performance , inputting a power that is higher than the
max wattage can result in a damaged speaker.
IW-DC51-W can handle a max power of 150 watts RMS from the amp the whereas IW-DC51-W has a max power handling value of 120 watts RMS , 30 watts less than the 300 IW6 LCR.
Keep in mind that a higher max power handling value doesn't necessarily make that a louder speaker
compared to a lower max handling speaker. Loudness or the sound level is also impacted by parameters
such as Impedance, sensitivity and system efficiencies.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
IW-DC51-W features Spring post type posts and 300 IW6 LCR has a Spring post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Physical Specs
Size of a speaker can sometimes become an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare ELAC IW-DC51-W's and Focal 300 IW6 LCR's external dimensions. ELAC IW-DC51-W has external dimensions of 159.0 x 420.0 x 86.0mm ( 6.2500-inch x 16.5000-inch x 3.3750-inch) whereas Focal 300 IW6 LCR has external dimensions of 572.0 x 191.0 x 102.0mm ( 22.5000-inch x 7.5000-inch x 4.0000-inch) .
ELAC IW-DC51-W is 413mm shorter and 16mm less deeper than Focal 300 IW6 LCR but it is also 229mm wider.
What's in the Box of ELAC IW-DC51-W?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of IW-DC51-W:
In-wall center-channel speakerGrille
What's in the Box of Focal 300 IW6 LCR?
Here are the items that come with the 300 IW6 LCR:
One in-wall speaker1 metal-mesh grill (white)23.5