Fidelity Acoustics

[janmike]

Have any of you folks run across a company called Fidelity Acoustics based out of Vancouver. I listened to some speakers the other day in Vancouver and was very impressed. The day before, I listen to some Proac D38's with Mark Levinson mono blocks and CD player. Nice stuff. I am returning to the shop that retails the speakers from Fidelity Acoustics. I think they deserve a second listen. They are relatively new and can be found at:

www.fidelityacoustics.com

Thanks folks.
Michael

[phoneisbusy]

Hi Michael,

Not getting too wet are you? ;) Let us know what you think of the speakers? Where'd you find the proac dealer?

regards

Dave

[Zero]

Cool - let us know what you think.

[janmike]

+5 and rain (Vancouver) instead of -28 and snow (Yellowknife) is definitely a change.

[beardog03]

doesn`t the rain freeze at that temp..?
Have you moved to Vancouver..?

[janmike]

+5 = No Freezing
0 = Freezing

No, just down in Vancouver for 9 days of business and FUN. Man has been a hoot so far. Met some great people, a lot of business opportunites, and the listening experience today was sensational. Those speakers from Fidelity Acoustics teamed with gear from Naim (amp, pre-amp, & CD player) were out of this world. They really changed my mind about speaker selection. Listen to some B&W's, Proacs, and Sonas Faber speakers, but the new found speakers are really high on my list. Will try and do a little review later.

[madmax]

I'm a little bothered that they don't show all their products on their website. Maybe I'm just not looking in the right place?
madmax

[janmike]

I think the company is relatively new (one year) and may only have the one speaker at this point. Sounds a little funny, but I understand that they will be releasing more this year. I am hunting down a little more info as I move forward. My understanding is that some independant reviews have been done, so I am tracking them down. Actually I heard them, so the little info does not really bother me.

[phoneisbusy]

So, what's the pricing like for the fidelity acoustics? Competitive? Cheaper? More expensive?

I think you heard them at the HiFi Centre downtown? They've been there for decades so I assume they're not going to take any line on without some serious consideration.

Regards

Dave


+5 = No Freezing
0 = Freezing

No, just down in Vancouver for 9 days of business and FUN. Man has been a hoot so far. Met some great people, a lot of business opportunites, and the listening experience today was sensational. Those speakers from Fidelity Acoustics teamed with gear from Naim (amp, pre-amp, & CD player) were out of this world. They really changed my mind about speaker selection. Listen to some B&W's, Proacs, and Sonas Faber speakers, but the new found speakers are really high on my list. Will try and do a little review later.

[janmike]

Very professional shop Dave. I dealt with Phillip at HiFI Centre over the past 2 days and he was great. The price was in the $4k - $4.5K range. If you have the time, head down and have a listen. I think you will be impressed.

[F1nut]

Michael, if you're going back and have a camera, take a few shots for us.

[janmike]

As I indicated, I had the opportunity to visit a couple of local audio shops here in Vancouver and have enjoyed every second of the stay. I will attempt to convey my feelings of the speakers I auditioned.

Here are the speakers:

1) Proac D38
2) B&W 703
3) Sonas Faber Grand Piano Domus
4) Fidelity Acoustics RFM-2

All systems were reviewed with a large array of music. We threw music that the store provided and even provided a good cross-section of our own. A fellow colleague accompanied me who owns, gentlemen be nice now, some Denon (ok) and Bose speakers. He said he really like them.

I had it in my head that one day I would own a pair of Proac speakers. Years ago I had listened to a pair of Tablette 50’s and really enjoyed what I heard. The Proac D38’s were not a disappointment. As I sat in the chair selecting some music I inquired about the gear driving the speakers. Mark Levinson Mono Blocks (550 wpc each) and Mark Levinson CDP. The room was filled with fullness and the detail was elegant. At at $11K a pair, they should sound half decent.

The B&W and the Sonas Faber did not do a lot for me. I found the bass weak and often sounding muffled at times. I actually thought that both lacked definitive soundstage and I wondered if my Rti100’s sounded better. For my ears, these were not the ones.

The Fidelity Acoustics RFM-2 speakers were about half the size of the other speakers we listened to and we were told they only come in 2 colours (maple and wenge). The speakers also come with a concrete base (spikes included) with finishes of linen, shitake, and cinder). Plain, but very appealing. The speakers were backed with all Naim gear (amp, preamp, and CDP).
The initial music was the basic stuff that stores have available and some piano music, which I had requested (We left our CD’s in the hotel). These speakers were awesome. The bass definition was clear and precise. The soundstage was amazing. I sat there, closed my eyes and thought I was at the concert. My colleague asked where the sub was and the gentlemen responded that he did not have one connected at that point, but if we wanted one he would go out and grab the REL Strata II. No sub, WOW.
The highs and mids were outstanding in my opinion. Listening to full orchestras and complex music seems to be a great test. Where are the cello, the bass guitar, the violin, the trumpets, and cymbals….. I could picture them all.
After 3 or 4 selections we began to ask questions. The drivers used in the Fidelity Acoustics are the Scanspeak Revelator bass units and Vifa Ring Radiator Tweeter.
After the first day (2.5 hours) my colleague and I strolled back to the hotel. A lot of conversation in 30 minutes. As we arrived back at the hotel I told him I had to go back for a second listen. He indicated that he wanted to go back as well.

The second day we brought some of our music as well. They are open from 12:00 to 5:00 on Sundays and we arrived at 12:10. We left at 4:30. I cannot remember how many selections we played that day but it was all over the map. We played classical, country, rock, classic rock and what the hell he even put a little Elvis on. I can honestly say that these speakers blew me away. I do not know if I have ever heard such precise notes on a piano. Listening to the artist hit one note on the piano and then a second and a third and being able to hear the original notes plus the 4th, 5th, and 6th notes that result from consecutive key striking is what a piano sounds like. I have never heard that before.

My opinion for speaker selection has changed since I left Yellowknife and arrived in Vancouver. And, my colleague is up for the challenge as well. And he thought those Bose sounded good. He said Michael, I have never heard definition like that before. The search could go on and on but everyone has his or her price range. This may be a new company, but I think they have produced an amazing product. These speakers sounded better than ANYTHING I listened to. In my honest opinion, I think they sounded better that the Proac D38’s at less than half the price. I will do my continued research on these speakers and company, but the Fidelity Acoustic speakers are on the edge for me. And they will be backed with Naim gear. That should provide me with the 2 CH system I am looking for. Thanks for listening.

[dorokusai]

They remind me of Totem speakers, at least the RFM2 does. VIFA is becoming extremely popular in alot of designs....neat. If they are new, FA that is, they are certainly worthy of a closer look. Their lineage and history prior to becoming a manufacturer is solid.