Elipson Prestige Facet II 6 Active

Introduction

Elipson is a French company founded in 1938 that began by making electronic components. Today, it produces a wide range of speakers, amplifiers, turntables, and related audio equipment.

The Elipson Prestige Facet II 6 Active BT embodies the very essence of the new generation of the Prestige Facet II range, combining a sleek design with optimised sound performance. This 2-way bass-reflex bookshelf speaker incorporates both the technical and aesthetic improvements of the series while adapting perfectly to more compact spaces.

Like all models in this revamped range, the Prestige Facet II 6B features a satin-finished front panel, replacing the original glossy finish. This choice adds a contemporary and discreet touch while reducing sensitivity to fingerprints and smudges. Its compact dimensions (W207 x H340 x D323 mm) are deceptive, as the cabinets’ solidity surprised me when I opened the box and lifted them out. Build quality is excellent, and it’s a trait most manufacturers now consider mandatory if they want to be competitive.

Design and Setup

Equipped with a 25 mm tweeter and a 140 mm mid-bass driver, the Elipson Prestige Facet II 6 Active BT delivers a frequency response of 57 Hz to 25 kHz (±3 dB). The passive crossover has been upgraded with high-quality parts to improve performance, using polypropylene capacitors and metal-oxide film resistors. Oxygen-free copper wire is used internally. The bass frequency has been tuned to 60 Hz to control the bottom end and a relatively easy impedance of 6 Ohms. The silver-plated terminal allows for bi-wiring or bi-amping, offering extra flexibility for audiophiles seeking to optimise their setup.

I was sent the Walnut finish with a black baffle, which was very smart and attractive and would easily fit into most environments.  Grilles were supplied, but I used the speakers without them, as is my usual practice. I attached the rubber pads on the bases to protect the speakers and decouple them from my Atacama Moseco 24” / 60cm stands. The back panel of the active speaker, which is designated as the left channel, is full and well laid out. The bottom left of the panel has a rocker power switch, then a figure-of-eight mains input, and a set of speaker terminals to connect the right-channel speaker with the supplied 2-core cable, which can be upgraded, of course. The mid-section has an earth terminal for the phono input and a sub out RCA socket. The top section carries a three-position switch for the midrange vocal centred at 1000 Hz to boost or decrease to taste. Next to that is the volume knob, which is multi-functional. A short press selects an input; a long press enables Bluetooth pairing; and simply turning it increases or decreases the volume. There are two RCA inputs for a line-level unit and a dedicated turntable input for an MM cartridge. Then an SPDIF RCA digital coax input, optical digital input, a TV ARC HDMI socket for a modern TV and finally a USB-C socket input.

The front baffle carries a multi-coloured LED indicator and Bluetooth input sensor. The multi-coloured indicator tells what input you have selected, and the back of the plastic remote has a legend to guide you through the selections. It’s a typical multifunctional remote that most of us are very familiar with now.

Specification and Price

CD, Smart TV and Bluetooth

I first tried the Elipson Prestige Facet II 6 Active BT with my mobile phone to test its BT capability. Pairing was easy and worked well for non-critical music. I had my smart TV connected via the HDMI ARC input throughout my time with them, and they certainly improved the TV’s sound without needing a soundbar or AV setup. Switching was automatic as soon as I turned the TV on, and adjusting the volume was a doddle with the remote.

I hooked my Musical Fidelity CD player up to the line input and selected Haevn’s Holy Ground album. My initial impression was that the Elipson Prestige Facet II 6 Active BT benefited from being played at a reasonably high level, though not so loudly that the sound hardened or distorted. Once warmed up, they delivered greater soundstage depth and width. The orchestral arrangements on the Haevn album sounded natural, and the bass was sufficient in my room. In fact, on some tracks, I slightly reduced the bass. Tone controls are often criticised by audiophiles, but there are times when they are useful. Luxman and Accuphase include them on their preamps and integrated amplifiers. The Elipson Prestige Facet II 6 Active BT also has a defeat button on the remote to return to a flat setting.

MM Input

I tried the turntable input because it was there, and I was curious to see how good it was. I know it was overkill using my Technics SL1300G and a modified Shure V15 type 111 with a wooden body and a Jico VN-35E SAS/B (Boron). The Shure V15 type 111 might be a 40-odd-year-old design, but it still sounds excellent. I played The Commodores’ 1978 album Natural High as it is a well-balanced mix of sophisticated funk and lush, crossover ballads. Best known for Lionel Richie’s massive adult contemporary hit “Three Times a Lady,” the record remains a favourite of mine, perfectly showcasing the band’s peak crossover success. The turntable input on the Elipson Prestige Facet II 6 Active BT sounded pretty good with no hum, and detailing was fine. Ok, it wasn’t as sophisticated as a pure separates setup, but it didn’t disgrace itself and isn’t an afterthought. Normally, a user would hook up, say, a Pro-ject or Rega turntable in the £500-ish price range to good effect. I also tried Supertramp’s Crime of the Century LP, which is a fabulous recording, and I played it a lot back in the 70s. I have heard this album at shows sound terrible, but the Facets produced decent dynamics, detail and spread. I’m being critical here, but most buyers should be more than happy.

Overall

The Elipson Prestige Facet II 6 Active BT is a very versatile set of active bookshelf speakers that I can see being used with a laptop, gaming console, TV, turntable, or mobile phone via Bluetooth. Used in a study or office would be ideal. It is a competitive market area, and smaller active speakers are abundant now. Elipson are a very well-established company with a huge range of speakers for consumers to choose from.

I particularly admired their build quality, which instils confidence in buyers, and their versatility is commendable.

The Elipson Prestige Facet II 6 Active BT proves that acoustic excellence and compactness can perfectly coexist. With its technical upgrades, refined design, and balanced sound, it stands out as the ideal solution for those seeking a high-end bookshelf speaker suited to both small spaces and stereo or home theatre systems.