Fluance Signature Series Speakers Preview

[theboogeydown]

Thanks for that Kurt. I'll be damned (and kind of a fool imo) to turn down a free, in home trial with my own rig, and that's essentially what I've been doing with the Fluances and the Tektons. The SVS Ultras are my next stop. I don't have any experience with "dual horizontally-opposed woofers", are there any different positioning tips/rules of thumb to consider?
Gene has been "upselling" me with his very generous and thoughtful suggestions but I'm not sure I can pierce the $2K ceiling.

 

[KEW]

I don't know how much clearance you should leave for the woofers.
That is a question best answered by the guys at SVS. If they have a manual on line, it may address that.
Be prepared when you call to speak with someone that knows their product well, not just an "order processor".
SVS (and PSA) are the "best of the best" for customer service (there are probably others, but those are the two I have dealt with)!

 

[theboogeydown]

Yes it is! You're absolutely right. These speakers handle that track better than anything I've heard in this price range.

What about creating a crowd-sourced, Tidal or other, playlist of just test tracks? Gene, you could throw up a preliminary and others can tack on. I know I'm always eager to read what others have found from the far corners of the universe that make their rigs sing!

 

[John Melnicoe]

Great idea, I second that! One of my favorites is by Drala, a track called "Child of Illusion". It is mostly instrumental, has some voice, and is close to 14 minutes. It is slow to start off and builds. It is basically a long jam session. It is a normal CD but sounds pretty good, nice to show what a system can do.

 

[gene]

I pulled some measurements and now think I have a good understanding of what is going on with the lower mids of this speaker. Emailing Fluance now hoping they can make some changes to improve. This is a bit tragic to me b/c this speaker does so many things right but they made a few glaring errors IMO.

 

[speakerman39]

I pulled some measurements and now think I have a good understanding of what is going on with the lower mids of this speaker. Emailing Fluance now hoping they can make some changes to improve. This is a bit tragic to me b/c this speaker does so many things right but they made a few glaring errors IMO.

Bet Dennis Murphy could easily fix that. Would love to see that.

Cheers,

Phil

 

[gene]

If anyone owns the Fluance Signature speakers, please try reversing the leads for the Mid/Tweet section and let me know if you like the sound of the lower midrange after doing that. This is a band aid fix for what I've found but there is an overall better solution that I hope Fluance can make a running change.

This speaker would RULE the internet in the $800/pr category if they make the xover improvements I am suggesting. Fingers crossed.

 

[3db]

If anyone owns the Fluance Signature speakers, please try reversing the leads for the Mid/Tweet section and let me know if you like the sound of the lower midrange after doing that. This is a band aid fix for what I've found but there is an overall better solution that I hope Fluance can make a running change.

This speaker would RULE the internet in the $800/pr category if they make the xover improvements I am suggesting. Fingers crossed.

I'm confused Gene. With the leads reversed, there's a big dip between 1k and 2k . Would'nt that make them sound more recessed in the midrange in a boom and sizzle kind of way?

 

[gene]

I'm confused Gene. With the leads reversed, there's a big dip between 1k and 2k . Would'nt that make them sound more recessed in the midrange in a boom and sizzle kind of way?

Not likely since it's a high Q dip vs a broadband dip at 500hz in default wiring. I haven't actually listened to it reverse phase yet so that's why I suggested owners to try it.

 

[Dennis Murphy]

Bet Dennis Murphy could easily fix that. Would love to see that.

Cheers,

Phil

Well, if someone wants to order a pair and send them to me first, I would be happy to diagnose the issue and offer a revision if Gene thinks the individual drivers are of sufficiently high quality to justify the exercise.

 

[KenM10759]

Well, if someone wants to order a pair and send them to me first, I would be happy to diagnose the issue and offer a revision if Gene thinks the individual drivers are of sufficiently high quality to justify the exercise.

YOU da man!

 

[Dennis Murphy]

YOU da man!

I probably didn't provide enough detail for anyone to make an intelligent decision. Again, all this depends on Gene's appraisal of the inherent quality of the individual drivers. There's only so much crossover tweaking can do if the drivers have serious limitations. But if they're pretty solid, and someone would like to have a pair sent to me, I would redo the crossover, install it, and ship it back to the buyer at no charge other than shipping.

 

[gene]

I probably didn't provide enough detail for anyone to make an intelligent decision. Again, all this depends on Gene's appraisal of the inherent quality of the individual drivers. There's only so much crossover tweaking can do if the drivers have serious limitations. But if they're pretty solid, and someone would like to have a pair sent to me, I would redo the crossover, install it, and ship it back to the buyer at no charge other than shipping.

I didn't take the drivers out and measure them individually as the front baffle has rings around them to hide the screws. I just didn't want to damage the speakers as I was thinking about giving away my review pair in an Audioholics contest.

That said, the bass drivers are excellent. They don't bottom and they dig deep enough for satisfying two-channel music with no sub. The midrange I can't really tell with the way the XOVER is implemented but the tweeter seems pretty good, very open and airy. These speakers play loudly without faltering so that's a good sign.

I am hoping that Fluance actually does have a reference design with proper crossover but the units currently shipping had a mishap where they were being assembled in China. This is unfortunate but all too common when manufacturing overseas.

 

[speakerman39]

Well, if someone wants to order a pair and send them to me first, I would be happy to diagnose the issue and offer a revision if Gene thinks the individual drivers are of sufficiently high quality to justify the exercise.

Dennis, right now I am trying to add to my LFE as we speak. Down the road, I would surely be more interested in something like this. In fact, I have been eyeing your Philharmonitors and/or the BMR's for a while now. But if you did modify the Fluance Sigs, then I would be more interested depending on the final costs.

Cheers,

Phil

 

[Brian Mowka]

CNET absolutely hated my 07 Acura TL Type S. Meanwhile, the car drove solid, had great gas mileage, looked great, and I sold it for $10k less than I bought it for despite puting 75k miles on it in the 5+ years I owned it. It is now a classic in the Acura line up that is sought after since the replacement model is more expensive and somewhat bloated in comparison. The Acura was one of my favorite cars I've ever owned and if I went by CNET alone would have never considered it. Food for thought.

Lol, I have the 05 model of the same car! Like the ELS system in the car? Literally 11 years and not one problem.

 

[gene]

Lol, I have the 05 model of the same car! Like the ELS system in the car? Literally 11 years and not one problem.

The ELS system is good mostly b/c it plays DVD-A and DTS. I really miss playing my Procupine Tree DVD-A discs. However, the center channel sucks and the system didn't have quite enough bass.

My biggest gripe with the TL isn't the somewhat noisy cabin or rattles, or FWD, torque-steer was manageable with the 07TLS model, but the turn radius is horrible. It was nearly impossible to do a U-turn in that car. My wife's Honda Odyssey has a tighter turn circle! In comparison my Lexus IS350F sport turns on a dime. I wish Acura would stop giving us sedans with 40ft turn circles!

 

[theboogeydown]

I pulled some measurements and now think I have a good understanding of what is going on with the lower mids of this speaker. Emailing Fluance now hoping they can make some changes to improve. This is a bit tragic to me b/c this speaker does so many things right but they made a few glaring errors IMO.

REALLY curious as to their response.

 

[John Melnicoe]

I didn't take the drivers out and measure them individually as the front baffle has rings around them to hide the screws. I just didn't want to damage the speakers as I was thinking about giving away my review pair in an Audioholics contest.

That said, the bass drivers are excellent. They don't bottom and they dig deep enough for satisfying two-channel music with no sub. The midrange I can't really tell with the way the XOVER is implemented but the tweeter seems pretty good, very open and airy. These speakers play loudly without faltering so that's a good sign.

I am hoping that Fluance actually does have a reference design with proper crossover but the units currently shipping had a mishap where they were being assembled in China. This is unfortunate but all too common when manufacturing overseas.

Gene,
Are these speakers easy to take apart and work on? I have not taken apart speakers since childhood, but am fairly mechanical and able to fix basic things around the house and use a multi-meter with basic skills. IF Fluance, or you, come up with repair ideas, could I do this myself instead of the huge hassle of sending them off? Are the cross overs and wiring accessible without ruining them? Also, do you think Fluance will back this up and still honor the lifetime warranty if I do try anything? Can you approach them with such an idea? I would love to get the most out of these babies!
Thanks for all you are doing!

 

[gene]

Gene,
Are these speakers easy to take apart and work on? I have not taken apart speakers since childhood, but am fairly mechanical and able to fix basic things around the house and use a multi-meter with basic skills. IF Fluance, or you, come up with repair ideas, could I do this myself instead of the huge hassle of sending them off? Are the cross overs and wiring accessible without ruining them? Also, do you think Fluance will back this up and still honor the lifetime warranty if I do try anything? Can you approach them with such an idea? I would love to get the most out of these babies!
Thanks for all you are doing!

John;

Not sure as I didn't try to remove the rings around the drivers nor did I take out the terminal cup in the back. Once I found this measurement problem I stopped my investigation. It's possible that the review units are from a different batch than yours and only our samples were affected. This is why I am curious if you get a chance to please reserve the jumpers for the mid/tweet section on both speakers and see if it improves the lower midrange performance or not.

For now, I am suspending my review until I get stock properly functioning units.

 

[John Melnicoe]

John;

Not sure as I didn't try to remove the rings around the drivers nor did I take out the terminal cup in the back. Once I found this measurement problem I stopped my investigation. It's possible that the review units are from a different batch than yours and only our samples were affected. This is why I am curious if you get a chance to please reserve the jumpers for the mid/tweet section on both speakers and see if it improves the lower midrange performance or not.

For now, I am suspending my review until I get stock properly functioning units.

Gene, do you mean to hook up the wires to the speaker posts out of phase, (neg to pos)? Not sure if that is what you mean, or did you mean to do something inside of the speaker? Please advise? Also, would this be best to do, if that is what you mean, to only hook up the mids/tweeter, leaving the woofer off, (Bi-amp?)
Thanks, John