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Fluid Audio Image 2 Review (Monitor Speaker)

Shadrach

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That is a very interesting loud speaker. It will be interesting to see what changes the company makes having had a prototype measued.
 

MZKM

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Does filling in the response below 28 Hz really account for 1.3 "points"? What kind of frequency response does "with sub" assume?
Play the opening of Edge of Tomorrow with and without a 15”/18” subwoofer and report back your preference.

I made this parameter to allow a theoretical perfect speaker to score roughly a 10 (not actually possible though). The LFX (-6dB point relative to avg SPL of the listening window from 300Hz-10kHz) is set to ~14.5Hz.

Others computing the scores who also do a “with sub” score may/do have different frequencies to use, for example 20/21Hz as that’s the lowest Amir (and I assume Erin) measures. That will have less of a boost, but it is saying that the speaker isn’t flat down to 20Hz, and wouldn‘t makes sense for a speaker who’s raw response is more extended (a handful of speakers measured have had such deep bass that they aren’t hitting the -6dB threshold by 20/21Hz.
 
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DSJR

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I know they're judged expensive by two or conventional three way standards, but for estimated £3600pr they're still cheaper than the better domestic 'traditional' two way passives selling for this amount or more and half the price of other domesticated active-capable speakers from the likes of Kudos (titan range)..

I wish them well and hope companies like this, as well as Neumann (rather than Genelec here, which has a generic house style in the popular models), can offer a nod to the more knowledgeable domestic user side when it comes to gently 'styling' future models (without messing the tech performance). I don't mean shiny wood veneers, but grilles of some sort would be nice as well as dust protectors for the drivers perhaps? I've seen too many older ATC's with once sticky mid domes all covered in a layer of dust you can't remove easily if at all :D
 

3125b

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Well they‘re gonna be in a tough spot at that price.
Performance is fine, but not remarkable in that price bracket even compared to much older designs.
It seems to offer digital inputs but no DSP or other advanced features.
And then there is just the fact that probably not many people willing to spend Genelec/Neumann-type money would be willing to take the dive and go with a much less well established company if they don‘t get anything very special for that.
 

thewas

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Puzzled why fluid needs to outsource the measurements, one would have expected precision measurements and tests to be part if their development cycle.
It is clever free marketing.

This loudspeaker measures quite fine, on the other side its biggest problem is the existence of the Neumann KH310 which costs the same and does everything even better and has also a known product quality and reliability. If these would cost around one grand I could see them as a mid step and great recommendation between the Kali IN-8 v2 and the KH310 but this way I don't know, although on the other hand even the studio monitor market segment isn't spared from irrationality so it might be a commercial success.
 

DJBonoBobo

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Zvu

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Kef LS60 wireless day after day just looks better and better.
 

Zvu

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OMG again and again, a week ago some people said that Elac uses Dayton or sort of part-sex-press cheap drivers (Elac were making AMTs before it became mainstream), now that. All AMTs look pretty much the same but they are different and made by plenty of companies...

Actually, most of small format AMT's used in commercial loudspeakers are made in couple of factories from China and Taiwan. HEDD audio and Adam audio (but with Adam only in most expensive series) are the only that say are making their AMT's and have footage to prove it.

I never found Elac makes their own AMT's. Aluminium paper sandwich cone drivers, yes. Andrew Jones said in an interview that they didn't have the time to make their own so they outsorced it.
 

DSJR

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Kef LS60 wireless day after day just looks better and better.
Six grand, I think they look awful and, like all these speakers with naked drivers, expensive temptation for little fingers (I was stung like this twenty years back and it still hurts :D ) Our house isn't 'stylish' enough for modern KEFs I'm afraid. It's more vintage 104ab's here :D :facepalm:
 

Zvu

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Six grand, I think they look awful and, like all these speakers with naked drivers, expensive temptation for little fingers (I was stung like this twenty years back and it still hurts :D ) Our house isn't 'stylish' enough for modern KEFs I'm afraid. It's more vintage 104ab's here :D :facepalm:

Well, that's all about perception.

In my opinion, if in these days and age you make black/gray square block loudspeaker and claim acoustic superiority - you've learned nothing. As aesthetic appeal to older audience - i can understand the urge.

I have children 5 and 7 and a bunch of different speakers around and never had a single problem. I payed attention what they did and prevent accidents when they were younger. Now they just want to play their child songs through system and amplifier is much more interesting to them than speakers. Turn to knob, it goes louder :)
 
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tktran303

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Well, that's all about perception.

In my opinion, if in these days and age you make black/gray square block loudspeaker and claim acoustic superiority - you've learned nothing. As aesthetic appeal to older audience - i can understand the urge.

I agree. I get the technical superiority of minimal baffle. But not quite sure of the sales numbers.

I have listened to the Blade 2. And Muon. And as much as I wanted to like them; I didn’t like them as much as I wanted to. And maybe they do sound different to, say the Revel F328Be; but I think I like the F328Be more; despite it having square edges.

Do you remember years ago a car manufacturer had a bubble shaped car. Lots of soft edges: good for aerodynamics. But it was very polarising. And then manufacturer canned it.

The problem is that all listening is sighted. And sighted listening skews the preferences. That’s science.

A) What the ideal loudspeaker cabinet shape, from an acoustic’s point of view B) will people like it/buy it.
 

sarumbear

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The main weakness I find in most active monitors is lack of power/response when in deep bass and this remedies that.

Distortion is kept well under control until you go way down in frequency:
View attachment 210672
In my book off-chart distortion is not a definition of "distortion well controlled." Why would anyone accepts a speaker that distorts horrendously at most bass frequencies (anything below 60Hz) at normal monitor levels? No wonder they add a mute sub switch as without it you are hearing just distortion. Do an FFT of 50Hz and see!

I would love to see the charts with subwoofer off as it looks like a great speaker otherwise.

Conclusions
A lot of times folks say, "just add a sub." Well that is easier said than done. Getting that integrated with the rest of the speaker is not easy and at any rate, is yet another box to manage and integrate. The Image 2 includes the sub and hence provides the deep bass response which I consider critical to good sound reproduction.
As I said above I don't think producing off-the-chart distortion is not the way to integrate a sub to a small bookshelf speaker. Yes, that is the laws of physics at work here, but why try the impossible? This is yet another marketing driven product. No engineer would have accepted such high distortion from the part of the speaker that is meant to be its USP.
 
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sarumbear

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Fine. The only thing I would expect to be better is LF distortion (considering the two 8" drivers).
The score does not take into account distortion. (I assume you are replying to the score difference of with sub.)
 

tktran303

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As I said above I don't think producing off-the-chart distortion is not the way to integrate a sub to a small bookshelf speaker. Yes, that is the laws of physics at work here, but why try the impossible? This is yet another marketing driven product. No engineer would have accepted such high distortion from the part of the speaker that is meant to be its USP.

Well what’s the alternative? Who wants 100+L litre cabinets in the living room?

Not everyone has a American or Australian living rooms in suburban estates that can accomodate four 12” woofers.

And I’m not even talking subwoofers… I have separate larger drivers for that…

When you’re in an apartment in Tokyo or Vancouver this speaker is too big. But at least it can play “full range”. You’re not missing out much; apart from high/live like dynamics.
 

respice finem

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The score does not take into account distortion. (I assume you are replying to the score difference of with sub.)
No, not the score, just this (2x8" woofer)
vs. this (1x8" woofer)
I would expect lower distortion from the 2-woofer solution (more surface, less "throw" for the same SPL), but it isn't the case.
 

sarumbear

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Does filling in the response below 28 Hz really account for 1.3 "points"? What kind of frequency response does "with sub" assume?
Play the opening of Edge of Tomorrow with and without a 15”/18” subwoofer and report back your preference.
May I ask a number that represents an answer to the question asked, please?
 
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