B&W FPM "flat-panel" speakers

D

dubsac

Audiophyte
Dows anyone happen to have these speakers, or have any of you heard them before? If so, what is your opinion of them? I am looking at mounting these speakers on a wall with a 50" plasma display, mostly due to the aesthetics.
 
U

Unregistered

Guest
I've heard of them and saw them at DefinitiveAudio in Seattle area. I went and audition the speakers and was very impressed. $700 a speaker for the FPM4, $800 for FPM5, and $900 for FPM6. When I audition it, they probably drive the speaker through a Rotel amp so it sounds very convincing. I was listening to Diana Krall cd and I was like, wow.. sounds great for a little bugger. Of course they look very nice too. I wouldn't mind buying these speakers if I can spare the cash, but it's a tad stiff for me.
 
U

Unregistered

Guest
Unregistered said:
I've heard of them and saw them at DefinitiveAudio in Seattle area. I went and audition the speakers and was very impressed. $700 a speaker for the FPM4, $800 for FPM5, and $900 for FPM6. When I audition it, they probably drive the speaker through a Rotel amp so it sounds very convincing. I was listening to Diana Krall cd and I was like, wow.. sounds great for a little bugger. Of course they look very nice too. I wouldn't mind buying these speakers if I can spare the cash, but it's a tad stiff for me.
Actually, Martin Logan topped B&W FPM series with their Fresco line as reviewed in Sound and Vision magazine.

http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/article.asp?print_page=y&section_id=3&article_id=544&page_number=4&preview=
 
T

TT-

Audioholic Intern
Unregistered said:
Actually, Martin Logan topped B&W FPM series with their Fresco line as reviewed in Sound and Vision magazine.

http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/article.asp?print_page=y&section_id=3&article_id=544&page_number=4&preview=
Well, before I went to DefinitiveAudio, I did stop by MagnoliaHifi to audition the Fresco. I found the Fresco sounds a bit TOO bright, and harsh. It lacks the traditional MartinLogan sweet sound and easy listening. However, I think the Fresco did not drive by any external amp while the B&W I listen to were connected to a Rotel amp. At least I didn't see any amp near-by when I audition the Fresco.

At any rate, the reason I went auditioning the speakers was because I did check out the SoundAndVision review. I went in and expected the Fresco to blow away the B&W but it wasn't the case. So I was a bit disappointed. I was always a big fan of the MartinLogan speaker 'till I listen to the Fresco.

Anyway, anyone who's buying these speakers should really audition it for themselves. Review and word-of-mouth sometime aren't as reliable as it should. :rolleyes:
 
U

Unregistered

Guest
I do not think it would be a fair comparison if the ML Fresco was driven by an inferior amp. You'll have to make sure that both the speakers should be driven by the same amp. The B&W would sound better if driven with a particularly excellent amp like the Rotel. I would think if the amps were swapped, you'd hear a better sound out of the Martin Logans. Have you auditioned the Vienna Acoustics line? Magnolia AudioVideo is also selling them and they are an even cooler looking speakers. I heard them playing there one time and they sounded pretty good even without a sub.
 
U

Unregistered

Guest
Oh yeah, and the Omnisats from Mirage (sold at Good Guys) had very good reviews as well.

Mirage Omnisat Micro Loudspeakers
http://www.onhometheater.com/product/20040201.htm

Vienna Acoustics Schonberg series
http://www.sumikoaudio.net/va/idx_awards.htm
Also got great reviews from What Hifi magazine and AVguide.com

I think if the reviews are pretty consistent in that they all agree on what the speakers sound like, then one should put that particular speaker on their shortlist for auditioning.
 
J

Joris van Grafh

Audiophyte
I do have the FPM 6 and 4. I have 3 FPM 6's and 4 FPM 4's on the Yamaha DSP z-9. This coupled with the Denon A-11 and the pioneer 434 plasma gives a sound and picture I didn't believe at first sight. Subwoofer Rell strata III makes it complete. Yes, I know, it did cost a few euro's but for the next few years I'm all set.

Joris
 
MKW

MKW

Audiophyte
I know this is an old thread; however, I've had a pair of B&W FPM5's for many years, with the optional bookshelf stands. And when I setup a 2-channel system, these were available (sitting in the closet for many years. Since they don't dig into the lower frequencies, paired them with an old/extra DefTech sub and a Denon AVR-X3000 receiver that was replaced with Denon AVR-X6400H in the home theater system. I thought they sounded very good, but for the short entertainment center in the 2-channel system, maybe I could find better sound and not so high (FPM5's peak above a window sill). What I didn't realize was how hard it would be to find something else as good...

I read many good things about Elac Debut 2.0 F6.2, and purchased a pair (very fair price). AVR-X3000 has speaker A/B feature, and used that to compare F6.2 to the baseline B&W FPM5. And I can't believe how much better the FPM5 sound compared to F6.2. My 13-yr old nephew was visiting, and we enjoyed setting them up and demo'ing together. During the A/B session, he was the first to speak (after just a few minutes of listening), when he said, "The old ones sound way better". Score one for B&W FPM5.
Because the price of the Elac is so good, I kept those speakers, and hooked them to an old Sony AVR in the garage. They are more than sufficient for that purpose, and have excellent bass - so no need for sub taking up floor space in the garage.

So, not to be stopped in my quest, continued searching for the bookshelf that could defeat FPM5. I found a worthy contender in the SVS Ultra Bookshelf. Hooked them up yesterday, and sat down for a 2-hr listening session. The SVS Ultra Bookshelf is very good - much better sound overall than Elac Debut 2.0 F6.2, especially for 'airy' detailed highs. However, SVS Ultra Bookshelf is still not playing on the same level as B&W FPM5. I could tell instantly which sounded better, but to the credit of SVS, it took a few hours listening to many different genres to figure-out what exactly was the difference. The B&W FPM5's have a more natural midrange sound AND there is more detail at the same time. There was a track, where a voice sings in the background (my son happened to be listening with me, and he said it was vocal reverb/reflection), but the point is B&W FPM5's voiced it, while it was barely noticeable on the SVS Ultra Bookshelf. FPM5's reveal the sound of the pick hitting the guitar string, you can hear the vibration of the wood on the violin body, the subtle nuances of drum heads, etc., and in the end (to my ears) the FPM's are the more accurate and natural sounding speaker. Score another for the B&W FPM5.

Maybe I shouldn't be surprised, since (I just learned from the posts above) FPM5 were priced $800-each, and I'm comparing them to $100-each (Elac Debut 2.0 F6.2) and $500-each (SVS Ultra Bookshelf). Is this just a case of "you get what you pay for"?
Do I really have to get $1,000-each to outperform FPM5? These very old second-hand speakers (that spent most of their life sitting in a closet) are really surprising me. Funny thing is, I don't even like the sound of most B&W's, I usually think they sound too bright with shrill highs (not a fan of aluminum tweeters), but this particular set is proving hard to beat when compared head-to-head against new highly-rated modern-day alternatives.

I'm looking for typical-shaped black (gloss or woodgrain) bookshelf speakers to oust these FPM5's - any suggestions?
 
D

Danzilla31

Audioholic Spartan
My question to you is this if these speakers sound so good and even a fairly well regarded speaker such as the SVS ultra bookshelves can't top them why upgrade? If you love there sound why spend more to find that ever elusive vanishing small margin as you go up in price of better.

Or in other words what are you missing from these speakers that would make you pay so much more for better?

If I was you I'd save that money that 2,000 to 1000 youd spend chasing better speakers and put it towards a better sub to pair with those bookshelves and bring them out even further in performance or something you want to add to your electronics

That's just my opinion tho
 
D

Danzilla31

Audioholic Spartan
I'm in your dilemma with an
I know this is an old thread; however, I've had a pair of B&W FPM5's for many years, with the optional bookshelf stands. And when I setup a 2-channel system, these were available (sitting in the closet for many years. Since they don't dig into the lower frequencies, paired them with an old/extra DefTech sub and a Denon AVR-X3000 receiver that was replaced with Denon AVR-X6400H in the home theater system. I thought they sounded very good, but for the short entertainment center in the 2-channel system, maybe I could find better sound and not so high (FPM5's peak above a window sill). What I didn't realize was how hard it would be to find something else as good...

I read many good things about Elac Debut 2.0 F6.2, and purchased a pair (very fair price). AVR-X3000 has speaker A/B feature, and used that to compare F6.2 to the baseline B&W FPM5. And I can't believe how much better the FPM5 sound compared to F6.2. My 13-yr old nephew was visiting, and we enjoyed setting them up and demo'ing together. During the A/B session, he was the first to speak (after just a few minutes of listening), when he said, "The old ones sound way better". Score one for B&W FPM5.
Because the price of the Elac is so good, I kept those speakers, and hooked them to an old Sony AVR in the garage. They are more than sufficient for that purpose, and have excellent bass - so no need for sub taking up floor space in the garage.

So, not to be stopped in my quest, continued searching for the bookshelf that could defeat FPM5. I found a worthy contender in the SVS Ultra Bookshelf. Hooked them up yesterday, and sat down for a 2-hr listening session. The SVS Ultra Bookshelf is very good - much better sound overall than Elac Debut 2.0 F6.2, especially for 'airy' detailed highs. However, SVS Ultra Bookshelf is still not playing on the same level as B&W FPM5. I could tell instantly which sounded better, but to the credit of SVS, it took a few hours listening to many different genres to figure-out what exactly was the difference. The B&W FPM5's have a more natural midrange sound AND there is more detail at the same time. There was a track, where a voice sings in the background (my son happened to be listening with me, and he said it was vocal reverb/reflection), but the point is B&W FPM5's voiced it, while it was barely noticeable on the SVS Ultra Bookshelf. FPM5's reveal the sound of the pick hitting the guitar string, you can hear the vibration of the wood on the violin body, the subtle nuances of drum heads, etc., and in the end (to my ears) the FPM's are the more accurate and natural sounding speaker. Score another for the B&W FPM5.

Maybe I shouldn't be surprised, since (I just learned from the posts above) FPM5 were priced $800-each, and I'm comparing them to $100-each (Elac Debut 2.0 F6.2) and $500-each (SVS Ultra Bookshelf). Is this just a case of "you get what you pay for"?
Do I really have to get $1,000-each to outperform FPM5? These very old second-hand speakers (that spent most of their life sitting in a closet) are really surprising me. Funny thing is, I don't even like the sound of most B&W's, I usually think they sound too bright with shrill highs (not a fan of aluminum tweeters), but this particular set is proving hard to beat when compared head-to-head against new highly-rated modern-day alternatives.

I'm looking for typical-shaped black (gloss or woodgrain) bookshelf speakers to oust these FPM5's - any suggestions?
old 5 peice speaker set I bought off of Craigslist the Elan Theaterpointsthp650sl's I scored 5 of them for 75 bucks each. I use for 2 channel music or 5 channel surround in my bedroom setup. I've often thought of trying something different but they sound so darn good it's like why bother? I don't even want to think about how much Is have to spend to replace them with a better sound then the one I love already

I'd rather spend the money on a new projector and screen for my bedroom setup in the new place In moving into LOL

I'm never going back to Tv's now that I'm hooked on projectors if I can get away with it. Living rooms I hafta compromise nowhere else tho :D
 
Paul DS

Paul DS

Full Audioholic
The problem I have with auditioning speakers is that if you take the very same speakers, and place them in five different stores, you will get five different sounding speakers. It is almost impossible to audition a speaker in a store and tell how it is going to sound in your own home. Every time you change the room, the speakers sound different.
 
D

Danzilla31

Audioholic Spartan
The problem I have with auditioning speakers is that if you take the very same speakers, and place them in five different stores, you will get five different sounding speakers. It is almost impossible to audition a speaker in a store and tell how it is going to sound in your own home. Every time you change the room, the speakers sound different.
Agreed if and whenever possible you have to audition in your own room. It's almost impossible to know how your going to feel about them otherwise. It's not always possible for some though that's a tough position when someone can't audition in there space. You just hafta take a gamble at that point
 
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