Escalante Fremont II


Anyone owning the latest revision (2 i assume) of Escalante Design Fremont?
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Having just written a post elsewhere on A'gon I'm pasting here too because it's relevant re Fremont II........
Bit of a time lapse in response!
Yes I've heard these speakers, it felt risky but I bought them unheard from a reliable and professional source in the UK where I live and I have not looked back. I use them with an AyonTriton III Valve Integrated usually on the Triode setting which pushes out 70W a side.
Given their 93db sensitivity this is loud and powerful enough to give me what I need from my music. The speakers are revealing and don't tolerate poor recordings. Dial a quality recording in from my sources...CD, DAB/FM Radio or Vinyl and the results are sublime. No need for a sub woofer, 12" drivers do the job great, the one's you can see, there is another 12" hidden within the cabinet. The scanspeak revelator tweeter is reputed to be one of the best in the business. I get it all....soundstage, musicality, pace, rhythm and yes....timing lol! The sound is clear, detailed, unfatigueing, true to whatever quality of recording has been achieved by the musicians and engineers. I play hand percussion Latin mainly so I'm very keen to hear the accurate reproduction of conga drums and the various hand techniques employed in the playing of those wonderful drums. The speakers were previously owned by the owner of a high end turntable manufacturing co who used them for a good few years to listen through to hear the various developments of his own products. He needed a reliable benchmark for that, these were it. Anyway my risk paid off, they are about 10 yrs old and are Fremont MkII. Greg Weaver and others put out reviews which I studied and together with the credibility of the first owner, although I took 6 months to decide, I plunged in to buy them. Piano black in colour, on matching purpose designed stands. I'm so glad the previous owner imported them, took such good care of them and I'm happy I was able o make the decision to buy and enjoy them.

This response is coming way too late to matter, as Escalante Design is long gone...however, I feel that it is important to clear the air.  The designer for Escalante was Tierry Budge, who had previously worked with Talon Audio and Wilson as well.  The top design that Tierry created for Escalante (ED), the Fremont, was far more advanced than most speakers, and it defied conventional wisdom/beliefs. 

The sound quality of the Fremont was amazing: it had transient response that was faster than an electrostatic speaker, yet had efficiency and dynamics that you had to hear to believe.  Detail retrieval, and microdynamics well superb.  Imaging was first rate, and the Fremonts could reproduce any type of music or scale that was given to them.  Their efficiency was rated at around 93dB, but their drivability was such that they could work well with small SETs of less than 5 watts.  On the other side, I’ve heard them reproduce 120dB+ SPLs with huge monoblocks, and never break a sweat.

I personally heard them in multiple systems, in various settings, and actually helped Matt, the company’s owner, set up and demo them.  They could be picky, and in at least one review, they were not set up correctly, resulting in less than ideal results.  They required the right upstream electronics; proper cabling; fastidious attention to placement and positioning…but were worth it.  I’ve heard the Fremonts in both tube based and solid state systems, and they were incredibly musical in both types.

The problem was, most people (audiophiles, engineers, etc.) have their own opinions, knowledge base, and experiences…and when something comes along that they have a hard time accepting, they will usually turn away (or worse).

Case in point: I demoed a pair of Fremonts for a gentleman at a show…played different types of music, at different volume levels…and asked his opinion.  He gushed at the utter musicality, dynamics, imaging, frequency balance, etc…then I took off the grilles. 

Shock!  Once he saw the 12 inch driver coupled to the single tweeter, all of a sudden his opinion changed: “I thought I heard a crossover artifact…there’s no way the dispersion could work – that would explain the lack of imaging…”

Incredibly, he refused to accept what his ears were telling him, once his eyes (and mindset) were engaged…and unfortunately, I cannot BEGIN to tell you how many people share that same view.

Just thought I’d clear the air.  But if you can find a pair of Escalante Design Fremonts or Pinyons at a good price, buy them.  They will, in my opinion, outperform anything near (or even above) the price.

I’ve owned many, many speakers in the 40+ years that I’ve been in audio, from large Infinity models to Apogee full ranges, to Ohms, Snells, Genesis, etc.  The list goes on…and yes, I own both the Fremonts and the Pinyons…but I’m not selling.  You’ll have to get your own.

Never too late to talk about Escalante Fremonts teecee1234, enjoyed your post thanks, keeping the legends alive!