Breaking free 

What would happen if a team of loudspeaker engineers felt constrained by their employer from exploring new product technologies, materials, and form factors and decided to forge their own path? According to the folks at Scotland’s Fyne Audio, that’s what happened at Tannoy, thus leading to Fyne’s creation in 2017.  

Fyne is headed by Dr. Paul Mills. Along with his design team, Mills has been busy putting together a deep catalog of speakers, culminating in the company’s flagship F1 series. The F1-8 ($10,500 per pair/all prices USD), reviewed here, is the largest of that series’ standmount models. Let’s dig in. 

A new direction 

The F1-8 is a two-way, 91dB sensitive speaker with a coaxial design. This means that the speaker’s tweeter and woofer are mounted on the same axis. Tannoy too uses a coaxial design.  However, as described below, Fyne has developed a bevy of technologies that differentiates its products from Tannoy’s. 

The F1-8 features a 1” magnesium dome compression tweeter that sits inside and at the center or “throat” of Fyne’s proprietary 8” multi-fiber, paper midrange-bass cone. As a result, the midrange-bass cone shares a common center with the tweeter. Fyne states that this type of driver configuration, which it calls “IsoFlare,” time-aligns the low and high frequencies in a way that emulates a single point source.  

Fyne views a critical aspect of the IsoFlare design to be the annular waveguide that it states loads the high frequencies in a way that shapes their physical wave expansion. The company has developed several types of waveguides, the appropriate one for any given speaker being depending on its driver configuration. 

According to Fyne, many point source drivers are not optimally designed. For example, Fyne states, they often set the high frequency domes too far forward. Fyne states that IsoFlare’s benefits include exceptional stereo imaging, transient response, accuracy, linearity, and on- and off-axis performance.

Encircling the F1-8’s midrange-bass cone is a surround that features what Fyne calls its “FyneFlute” technologies. Computer-modeled notches are carved into the surround, which is made of a rubber-like material that Fyne states is a major improvement over widely used fabrics. According to Fyne, FyneFlute creates a non-homogeneous interface on the surround. That interface, in turn, is said to eliminate mis-termination effects that occur when energy is not fully absorbed by the surround and is then returned to the cone. According to Fyne, FyneFlute reduces coloration and improves accuracy. 

The crossover point between the F1-8’s tweeter and the midrange-bass cone occurs at 1.8kHz. Slopes are first-order for the tweeter and second-order for the cone. Fyne hand-selects high-quality crossover components and cryogenically treats them in its own cryogenic chamber before the speaker is assembled.  

The F1-8's bass port fires downward into what Fyne calls a “BassTrax” diffuser.  According to Fyne, this diffuser distributes low-frequency energy in a 360-degree wavefront. Fyne states that the result is improved low-frequency performance and no-fuss room placement. The BassTrax diffuser is housed in a machined aluminum plinth that supports the entire cabinet.   

Below the F1-8’s coaxial driver on the front panel sits a silver knob, labeled a “Presence Control.” It permits frequencies between 2.5kHz and 5kHz to be tapered or boosted to accommodate a room’s unique sonic characteristics and the user’s personal preferences. The speaker’s back panel has two sets of WBT NextGen binding posts, thus allowing for bi-amping and bi-wiring. 

Form follows function 

Unboxing the F1-8 revealed that it’s larger than the typical standmount speaker. As a result, it doesn't visually melt into the background as do many smaller bookshelf speakers. Fyne’s optional FS8 metal stands ($1,750 per pair) should be considered a must. They match the F1-8’s design sensibilities.  Moreover, since they are bolted to the speaker, they make it very stable.   

What I next noticed about the F1-8 is its coaxial driver system, which is larger than on most speakers, a heavily curved cabinet that contains non-parallel sides, and a rounded front baffle. The net effect is an unusual, some might even say awkward, aesthetic. Still, the birch-ply and multi-hardwood cabinet is gorgeously veneered in walnut and finished in a piano gloss. And the area where the driver system connects to the cabinet is finished with a luxurious leather accent. In fact, I found the speaker to be quite handsome. 

Dialing it in 

Setting up the F1-8s in my room was indeed easier than with many other speakers. I started with the F1-8s positioned about 40 inches from my room’s front wall, at which point they sounded a little light in the low end. Moving the speakers a foot closer to the wall added the needed weight that is required for drum strikes and other percussive sounds. After some experimentation to optimize the soundfield’s width and depth, I spaced the speakers eight feet apart and eleven feet from my listening chair. Also, I wound up with a slight toe-in on each of the speakers. 

No pun intended, but dialing in the Presence Control knob indicated that my Boomer ears preferred a slight treble bump-up. This brought the knob to about the one o’clock position. I chose not to bi-wire, instead opting for jumpers and single speaker wiring. 

How do they sound? 

I typically begin product auditions with a recording containing familiar lead vocals, particularly ones that are strongly centered on the soundstage. So, on went Linda Ronstadt’s “You’re No Good” and “Willin’” from Heart Like a Wheel (downloaded file, Capital Records ST-11358), where the F1-8s tightly focused the sounds of the singer’s voice. Further, they sonically spread out the other band members around her on the soundstage. Each instrument had space and good depth. The F1-8s also willingly conveyed the liveliness, energy, and emotions in Ronstadt’s performance. This was a good start.  

Switching to a live recording, I listened to “Mining for Gold” and “Misguided Angel” from Cowboy Junkies’ The Trinity Session, recorded in a church (downloaded file, RCA 8568-2-R). The F1-8s beautifully conveyed the venue’s immense width and depth. Lead vocalist Margo Timmins’ haunting and slowly decaying voice seemed to sonically melt away my room’s front wall.  All-in-all, the speakers nicely placed me in the venue. 

Trying to push the speakers’ dynamic limits, I cranked up the volume on the eponymously named track from Flim and the BBs’ Tricycle (download file, DMP CD-443). The F1-8s nicely scaled up this track’s spectacular dynamic range. Compared to the larger speakers that I have had in my room, they left a little in the tank when reproducing big bass drum whacks. However, they fared better than any standmounts. 

Turning to jazz, I cued up “Exactly Like You” from double-bassist Ray Brown’s Soular Energy (downloaded file, Concord Records APLP268-45B). Here, the instrument claimed its own space, and I was drawn into the performance in a new way. This type of performance is intangible. Yet, it’s one of the things that we doggedly pursue as music lovers. Also in the recording, Gene Harris’ piano sounded like it was in the room, with fast attack and vivid tonal colors. 

Finally, complex orchestral music may pose a hurdle for a smallish, two-way speaker. However, the F1-8s performed with scale, layered depth, and a wide soundstage on Erich Korngold’s Violin Concerto in D Major with the Dallas Symphony directed by Andrew Litton and featuring Ulrike-Anima Mathe (downloaded file, Dorian Recordings DOR-90216). The recording’s finale is full of difficult-to manage dynamic swings and the F1-8s deftly rose to the challenge. 

Compared to Acora’s SRB standmounts 

My reference speaker is Acora Acoustic’s SRB standmounts. At double the F1-8s price ($18,000, $3,125 extra for matching stands), that speaker extracted more details than did the F1-8, which was especially noticeable at the beginning of notes. The SRB also portrayed a more three-dimensional soundstage, provided more space between notes, and had a more refined and extended treble region.  

However, the F1-8s reached lower into the frequency range and conveyed drum kits with more impact. They also had a wider sweet spot and a slightly warmer tonal balance, the latter of which often rendered vocals to be nearly irresistible. Indeed, with its more “cozy” and comfortable sound, the F1-8s made numerous poor recordings quite listenable. These traits also made it perfect for extended listening sessions. 

Passion and Excitement 

If you are seeking a luxury standmount that acts like a floorstander, Fyne’s F1-8 might be your proverbial ticket. Its coaxial design aids sonic coherence and provides a wide sweet spot with precise imaging. Further, its ability to handle challenging dynamic swings makes many competing speakers sound compressed and boring. Tonally, the F1-8 is close to neutral, with a pinch of warmth. That might be why it makes vocals so endearing. And it is a sufficiently transparent and resolving speaker so that I was never left wanting more.  

Most importantly, the F1-8s delivered the musicians’ messages to me in ways that was so steeped in emotion that I embarked on long listening sessions with music that I hadn’t listened to in years. If you audition this speaker, you too might be smitten by their Scottish magic. 

Product: Fyne Audio F1-8 speakers 

Price:  Speaker: $10,500 per pair/all prices USD, Stands: $1,750 per pair  

Warranty: 7 years parts and labor 

Dimensions: 18’5” (H) x 11” (W) x 17.4” (D) 

Weight: 33.5 lbs per channel. 

Manufacturer: 

Fyne Audio Limited 

Bellshill, Scotland 

www.fyneaudio.com 

North American Distributor  

Harmonia Distribution 

La Verne, California 

www.harmoniadistribution.com 

Associated Equipment 

• Digital Source: Bricasti M3 DAC with network board 

• Preamplification: VAC Signature IIA 

• Amplification: Odyssey Kismet monoblocks 

• Loudspeakers, Acora SRB and SRS-M stands 

• Power conditioning, Synergistic Research PowerCell 

• Cables: Synergistic Research Foundation  

• Accessories: Synergistic Research Ethernet Switch, AC duplexes, and HFT room treatments, VeraFi Audio Vibration Black Hole footers, Snubway, and Swiss Digital Fuse Boxes