Audiophilepure

The in-room measured frequency response at 1-meter was extended in the treble to at least 20kHz and fairly uniform to a bit below 300Hz, where room modes began to dominate the response. The lower midrange was slightly recessed, mainly through the power range of the orchestra, covering the octave from 200 to 400Hz, which is pretty typical for stand-mount speakers. In-room bass extension was reasonably flat to about 45Hz. The measured impedance minimum was about 6 ohms, which translates into a tube-friendly, easy-to-drive 8-ohm nominal load. The rated sensitivity is 91dB, which means that even a 30–50Wpc power amp should do fine. Setup was quick and simple: For best imaging be sure to allow a few feet of breathing space behind the speakers, and toe them in so that the driver axes intersect in front of the listening seat.

As the audio gods would have it, I happened to be listening to the Tannoy System 1000 studio monitors when the Fyne F1-8 arrived on my doorstep. This late 90s Tannoy design features a 10-inch coaxial driver and conventional bass-reflex loading. In my estimation, that entire series represents the last great set of passive studio monitors marketed by Tannoy. I was quite interested to find out if Dr. Mills was involved in the System 1000’s design, so I asked him about it. His response: “Yes, indeed, I was involved with those monitors. Those things can rock.” And we certainly agree on that score.

https://www.hifinews.com/content/triangle-antal-40th-anniversary-loudspeaker

There’s a lot going on here (violin, double-bass, and mandolin too), but the celebratory Antal admirably coped with the chop-and-change of timbres and left my foot tapping. Meanwhile, Lee Haslam’s ‘The Future’ [Slinky Concepts; Tidal] made brilliant use of the loudspeaker’s wide, full-range soundstage, its electronic soundscapes leaving me feeling almost pinned to my chair.

Finally, with ‘Georgia’ [The Seven EP; n/a cat no.], a sparse production by singer/songwriter Emily King that seems designed to mainly highlight her vocal talents, the loudspeaker put her right in front of me, all breathy and close-mic’d. Admittedly, this is the sort of song we’ve all heard countless times at hi-fi shows, but I was surprised by how this floorstander made it sound so intimate and articulate. And it wasn’t just King’s presence. Other details – acoustic guitar, gospel-style backing vocals, a gentle kick-drum – stood back a little, creating an image with an easy-to-visualise depth.