What Hi-Fi Reviews Fyne Audio F8SP Sound System
Posted by The Sound Organisation on Feb 28th 2023
While we generally focus on two-channel stereo systems, there's truly something special about a room-encompassing AV system. Whether you're enjoying a theater-quality surround sound experience when watching a film or you just want a multi-directional sound system to transport you back to the opera house or front row at a concert, having multiple loudspeakers and subwoofers shape the audio around you can be transformational. To achieve this effect, you'll need a cohesive system (and a multi-channel A/V amplifier to power it). Fyne Audio has unveiled their newest A/V sound system based on the popular F501SP and F502SP tower speakers. To round out the system, Fyne Audio brings two F3-12 subwoofers and the new F57SP-8 center channel speaker. What Hi-Fi? recently had the opportunity to give the full system a spin and here are the results.
The main advantage of the F8SP sound system is the technology Fyne's audio engineers have packed into every piece of this package. With the exception of the subs, all the speakers feature Fyne's advanced IsoFlare drive unit array. These drive units are unique as their point-source, dual concentric design gives the listener the most accurate time alignment possible and improves the tonal imaging. The main speakers of the group, the F502SPs, each feature an 8" IsoFlare driver with the 25mm magnesium compression tweeter matched with an 8" mid/bass driver. They also feature Fyne' BassTrax bass diffuser with assists in offer precise bass response throughout the listening room. The rear speakers, the F501SPs, come with smaller 6" IsoFlare drivers with 25mm magnesium dome tweeters paired with the 6" bass driver and also feature the downwards firing BassTrax diffuser. The new darling of the group, the F57SP-8 center channel speaker feature three 8" speakers: 1 with the IsoFlare tweeter, one regular bass driver, and 1 electromechanically damped Auxilliary Bass Radiator (ABR) that can be adjusted to fine-tune your listening experience and unlock the full potential of the system. Finishing up the series, the F3-12 subwoofers feature massive 12" multi-fiber cone drivers with Direct Digital Amplification and an advanced on-board DSP system with Bass Boost to give you a movie-theater like experience in your home.
(Image courtesy of What Hi-Fi? Copyright 2022 Future)
But how does it all sound? In their listening test, What Hi-Fi's reviewer watched 2018's A Quiet Place, 2022's The Batman, and switched to Dire Straits' 1981 single Romeo and Juliet for a music-based test. During the first film, the front speaker combination of the F502SP and F57SP-8 created a wide-soundstage and brought out even the tiniest sounds while maintaining the effect of the dynamic range. However, the rear F501SP speakers seemed to get lost in the power of the frontal set. A similar effect happened in the second film, where the center channel accentuated the dialogue and added depth to the intentionally-dissonant sound effects. But, the F3-12 subwoofers didn't offer as much punch as the reviewer would have liked. Of course, these issues could have been partly due to the AV receiver. With a little extra care in kit selection, perhaps the thematic quality of the speaker set could have been unlocked. Ending the test on a musical note, the reviewer loved how the system could handle the Dire Straits tune, but notes that it would require additional care in receiver pairing to get the best effect:
"Switching to music with Romeo And Juliet by Dire Straits, the deft timing of the system’s Isoflare drivers is highlighted by the distinctive finger-picked style of Mark Knopfler. High transients like the snare can verge toward insistent at louder volumes, but overall the system manages to tread a fine line between exciting and irritating. This is a speaker package that drips with charisma. However, its pizzaz can be a little draining to listen to for long periods and will require careful pairing with an AV receiver to get the best performance."