Fritz Carrera or other possibilities!

@johnc5 I have the Fritz Carrera BE speakers in my home office system. I have gone through a number of speakers in this system and to date nothing has come close to Fritz at that price point. Of course, you can find better but you will have to spend double if not more. Last week, I moved the amp used in my main system (Audio Hungary a50i) to the office just to see how it works with Fritz speakers. Boy was I amazed! The holographic imaging, deep and wide soundstage and perfectly proportioned bass that I was getting from these little fellas ... almost like a floor stander. What this tells me is that the high quality parts and design allow these speakers to scale as you throw more expensive amplification at them.

Last year, I had done a shootout between Fritz Carrera BE, Harbeth M30.1 (which I had owned for a couple of years at that point), and Proac D2Rs. You can read my review here ... https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/fritz-carrera-be-vs-harbeth-30-1

To make a long story short, I sold my Harbeths and purchased the Fritz after a month of auditioning them. The sound quality, build, and value that Fritz offers in this rather unassuming speaker (in terms of appearance) is fantastic. And these speakers will match and scale along with much more expensive gear in the future should you go in that direction.

The one caveat that I can offer is that the tweeter in the BE series can be a bit hot on the top with some solid state amps, especially if they lean towards neutral or thin sounding. You will either need a warm sounding SS amp, or better yet, a tube amp. They are not hard to drive so even a moderately-powered tube amp will drive them well. To me, the tube and Fritz Carrera BE combo is very special. They are very balanced top to bottom and have more of a crisp modern sound with just enough warmth to make your music enjoyable. Also, the bass that comes out of these fellas is also quite something. Fritz offers a generous return policy which not only makes it easier to audition in your home but also tells you something about the confidence he has in his speakers.

A couple additional caveats: Since it’s a rear ported speaker you have to make sure you have at least 18 inches of clearance from the wall behind it. They can sound a bit boomy if placed too close to the wall. Also, the break-in can be rather long, but not unusually long. For me, it took almost 150 hours before they showed me what they were capable of.

You should definitely give them a chance. Made right here in the USA by a master craftsman who has been at it for almost 50 years now.

@clio09 

People kept looking around the room for the subs but found none. 

Yep, that sounds about right. With my previous speakers I was using a REL T9i to augment the lower frequencies. The bass that the Carrera BE's produce is so satisfying and balanced that I sold my sub. Not needed anymore.

arafiq,

Thanks, I did read your review with great interest. I just spoke to Fritz and he reassured me that with the room and equipment I am currently using, I should be fine with the Carerra's. 

jeffseight,

Thank-you! I will most likely go with the Carerra's!

@johnc5 Should be good!  While I've never heard the Carerra's personally, a few colleagues here have owned them and/or some returned them, to then refer back to them over and over about how much they liked their Fritz speakers. 

Seems to me the guy has found a real niche and design people can really latch on to and enjoy music listening. This is what I've read and not worrying or continuing to look for other speakers if you decide to keep them. This alone is worth it if you like the sound of them, no more looking, and to just sit back and listen, nice!