I had a very interesting and unsettling experience that brings this hobby all together...or rips it apart. Recently, I bought a pair of Fluence SX6 speakers, on sale at Amazon for $120 pair. A small, black, two way bookshelf speaker. Highly-positively reviewed. My plan was to pull the drivers to use in another project. I couldn't buy drivers and crossovers like this for $120(More on this later)...Anyways, I was listening to my new kit amplifier, AKITIKA Z4 that I recently built...Streaming Quobuz...The Fluance speakers were set up next to the KEF LS50 Metas as I had used them previously to test yet another kit amplifier, Nelson Pass' ACA Mini.....For six hours I was simply amazed at how great the AKITIKA kit amp sounded. Massive sound stage, tight, well defined bass, some of the best vocals I've heard, the "AIR" around jazz instruments was fantastic!.....a system to behold...playing through my KEF LS50 Metas....Six hours later, after all types of music, it was time to call it a night (or early morning)....As I go to shut down the system, I realize that all night I was listening to the Fluance speakers!!! They were placed side by side with the KEFs. Do we really need any of this high end equipment to really enjoy the music!
Trust your ears and not the hype. That said, I was on a plane once and got talking to the guy next to me. He was the bass player for the David Nelson band. He lived in Hawaii and a neighbor was Willie Nelson. I don't believe it was Pete Sears though, no cockney in his speech. I believe it was like 2005 or so?
We talked music most of the flight. I asked him what sort of system he had at home? He wasn't too sure but was thinking it was just a little thing from Sony or something. Here is a guy that has made his living from music and didn't care 2 hoots about what he was listening on. He said that the music is either great, or it isn't. When we got off the plane, he introduced me to David Nelson. They were playing in Dayton, OH.
I enjoy my low cost second systems immensely, but they are nowhere near as good as my main system...but I could certainly be a happy music lover/listener if that's all I could have...
@hoosierinohio- Pete Sears was born in Kent and has lived in the US for many decades now, so he would not have had a Cockney accent. He's a great bass player though and has been with Moonalice for a long time now. Barry Sless who used to play guitar with David Nelson has also been a member of Moonalice for a long time, and he is a brilliant guitarist - kind of a cross between Jerry Garcia and Buck Dharma.
Let us not forget....This was not about "What Speakers Sounded Better"......This was about thoroughly enjoying 6 hours of intense listening to a new amplifier through what I thought was $1600 speakers....Speakers that I have been listening to for over a year and they always amaze me. I didn't question the sound....I thought the amplifier sounded fantastic "through the KEF LS50 Metas"......Man, was I shocked when I realized that I was auditioning a new amplifier through $120 speakers! So now the question.....Sell the KEFs??????
Does one need high end audio to enjoy music? No. Of course not. Those pursuing high end audio are very much the minority.
On the other hand I enjoy my Bose Quiet Comfort noise cancelling headphones while traveling. Not remotely high end sound… but under noisy conditions very enjoyable.
However, being in that minority and pursuing high end audio for over fifty years I have received increasing pleasure with every step in improved sonic performance.
@rbertalotto- First, I appreciate your candidness in sharing your experience. Not every audiophile would admit having done this.
I’d be most curious to see if you sat down to listen to the Fluance speakers again knowing what you were listening to would taint your experience. Clearly, the combination of the amplifier and speakers was good enough to draw you in, but I suspect that there was some expectation bias from the amplifier being what you were intending to evaluate.
I hope you find the KEFs to be an even better sound as one would anticipate should be the case.
First system my oldest son purchased was a little Yamaha IA and Fluence bookshelf speakers and that little kit kicked ass. He has it still in his garage.
To answer your final question (ended with an exclamation point), absolutely not. There are many companies who make high quality, great sounding gear that doesn’t break the bank. A lot of the high end stuff is a lot about the looks with D’Agostino as one example.
@rbertalotto-- Your accidental discovery highlights what I've been preaching to anyone that'll listen since purchasing my Fluance RT-85 Turntable in 2018. That is....Fluance gear punches WAY ABOVE its weight class and price point. Absolutely embarrasses some other bigger-named and much more heavily marketed competitors. Fantastic gear for both newbies to the hobby, and seasoned listeners putting together an extra "budget friendly" room.
I like my cars Bose system and listen to it for days on trips. I listen to my apple EarPods, HomePods for hours sometimes. My second system has a cheap dac, ps audio sprout 100 with revel floor standing speakers. I like this system over many I heard at last years Tampa Bay audio show that cost around $50k. I enjoy listening to any of these system for hours, but my system in my dedicated listening room far surpasses the sprout/revel system, but it should at 30x the cost.
When I go to audio shows, I’m more amazed how good the cheaper systems are compared to most of the high end systems. I thought most of the systems I heard in Tampa sounded terrible or mediocre for the money. But there are still systems in the high end that sound magical but the field is limited
So this is a nonsense post because you didn’t listen to the KEFs through the same amp, and, are both speakers the same ohm’s? Also, some speakers require a higher quality/powered amp to sound good.
Methinks you had some more comparing to do before you posted anything.
Methinks he should be able to post whatever he wants. I, for one, am always grateful for any info concerning this hobby and use it to further my own journey. That said, I would also be interested in your future findings on this revelation. Will your initial amazement hold up on repeated listening. My experience with my own system tells me that the frame of mind I am in, the time of day and many other external influences change how I perceive my stereo and its performance.
People always fall into the trap of if it cost more it must be better. Trust your ears don’t judge on only one listening session but most of all enjoy the music!
Okay, a relevant question, please? During you're evening's musical session, was there the possibility of adult beverages involved? I found (from experience) that the "correct" beverage can reduce the perception of upper midrange glare by 3 decibels while expanding the soundstage significantly. Other miinor sonic inperfections become quite tolerable and we may, in fact, embrace some of those "enhancements" -- like bass augmentation. If so, the KEF's deserve the same consideration.
@secretguy"I have a couple pairs of the super cheap Pioneers (Andrew Jones) that sound stupidly great."
I "hot rodded" a pair these with better crossover components and cabling a while back. They sounded so good I gave them to my Grandson to use in his system. I've been trying to get them back for years. He says: "no".
Betting this is an anomaly, a one-off. My second system is Peachtree integrated (with DAC) running ancient Henry Kloss Model Six bookshelves on stands, plus cheap Wharfedale subs. That system, in a smaller 18' x 12' room, is used only for a huge old library of rare cuts, a good FM tuner, and during main rig component replacements. The Model Sixes were just the ticket back in ancient times, and mine were eventually paired with a high-end amp. Only after replacement with Wharfedale towers, 10 years ago, did I realize how badly the amp's capability had been going to waste. So let's just say nothing in my experience confirms the phenomenon of a great amp turning budget speakers into magic-makers. Like other posters, I'm in the "must be other variables" camp.
@anotherbobI don't get your point? No where in his post did it say anything at all about comparing anything? He in his second post reiterated this was not a "comparison"?
It sounded like he was impressed by something he did not realize he was listening to at the time.
Doesn't seem to me that @rbertalottois the one posting "nonsense"!
In general. Is it really impossible that this new amp and speaker combo just possibly for some unknown reason. Happens to have good synergy? You every seen some kids ratty old Honda Civic blow the doors off a new corvette? It really makes the corvette owner mad when you say..."how much did you say you spent on that"?!
I have never heard the Fluance speakers but have no doubt that they sound better than what the OP expected, given the cost. We often have a preconceived notion of what something should sound like based on what it costs.
Realistically, the 2 way small box monitor speaker has been around for over 75 years. Clearly some advances have been made in the areas of materials used for drivers and so on. Sometimes you don’t need to reinvent the wheel to get a good result.
I think we sometimes don’t consider how much of the final price comes is derived from the costs of relatively smaller production, based in Europe/USA, cost of marketing, dealer mark ups, distributor mark ups, component manufacturer’s mark up, R and D.
So along comes a little speaker, made in Asia, cheap labour, nothing innovative but using well proven 2 driver concepts, mass produced, with simple distribution and less dealer mark ups and we are surprised that it sounds good.
Is it high end groundbreaking reproduction, probably not. But did it provide a satisfying a listening experience to someone used to more expensive speakers whose cost is representative of the traditional high end manufacturing/distribution scheme. Apparently yes.
So along comes a little speaker, made in Asia, cheap labour, nothing innovative but using well proven 2 driver concepts, mass produced, with simple distribution and less dealer mark ups and we are surprised that it sounds good.
On the back of the Fluance speakers it state..."Designed and Engineered in Canada".....No where does it say Made In China.....
The Pass Amp Camp amps do not provide anywhere near the power those greedy LS 50s demand. What about the new amp with the KEFs?
Good point. Maybe the Pass Lab ACA mini amp wasn’t doing the Kef’s any favours?
The Fluance SX6s are more sensitive and easier to drive than the LS50s and might be a better match.
In any case it looks as though the Z4 is up to the job of powering either pair.
From their website:
Now there’s a Z4 version of the GT-102. It’s specially configured for speakers with impedance of 4 Ohms and below. We guarantee that it will deliver 50 Watts per channel into 4 Ohm loads. It typically delivers more than 60 Watts per channel into 4 Ohm loads. It will even drive a 2.7 Ohm load without complaint. If you have low impedance speakers, we recommend that you buy/build the Z4 version of the GT-102.
I go along with the expectation bias theory for now. Longer term listening and switching back and forth will tell if Fluonce competes, beats or loses to KEF. I'm always mindful of expectation bias, long term listening and removing new variable by going back to original setup has meant progress not always achieved with new equipment, tweaks.
switching back and forth will tell if Fluonce competes, beats or loses to KEF.
I'll repeat....It is NOT about what was better.....It was all about the satisfying experience listening to a set of speakers that certainly are NOT as good as the KEFs, but none the less, for six hours I was very well pleased.....I reiterated this above so we don't get side tracked....
Never heard the Fluance speakers, but this is why I disagree that "high end" should necessarily be linked to price. I think it's a reflection of the maker's intent. If you're serious about making good sounding gear, it can be done at a fairly low price point.
No doubt the Fluances have limited deep bass & dynamic range, and other compromises necessary to stay in budget. No doubt, they are using the best components they can source with their cost constraints, and spent serious time voicing the design. I think all Canadian companies are allowed access to a national testing facility.
The KEFs were designed & built to a more stringent set of standards and a significantly higher budget was allowed for the final speaker cost. I have no doubt that they would out-perform the Fluances wrt those standards. Voicing, though, is ultimately partly subjective. Not everyone will agree with any design team's choices.
I can enjoy both my solid state Adcom with my cheaper speakers and my Tube amp with my Harbeths it’s a enjoyment for music either way I just get more joy from the glow of tubes💫
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