AsciLab F6B Bookshelf Speaker Review

[Grotti]

I wish the speakers were available in the days I bought my Amphion Argon 3s. They sell for 3000 (!) Euro a pair and they measure not even close to the Ascilab speakers. Eagerly waiting for the purify-equipped bookshelf s to be measured here.... Very well done!!!;

 

[BeeKay]

Eagerly waiting for the purify-equipped bookshelf s to be measured here.

Same here. Totally different price points for sure. And just to reassure myself, I would probably go for the more expensive version. But on that already great level - would I be able to actually hear the expensive difference or just enjoy the better FR plot??

 

[Endibol]

This is a review, listening tests and detailed measurements of the AsciLab F6B stand mount speaker. It was sent to me by the company and costs US $835 for a pair (shipping included).
View attachment 455756
In black, the F6B seems formal with a very clean design. It feels solid with sense of precision. Compared to its F6Bs sibling which I just reviewed, we now have a passive radiator in the back which should extend the low frequency response:
View attachment 455757
Let's measure it with our Klippel Near-field Scanner and see what we get (company measurements correlate with mine).

AsciLab F6B Speaker Measurement
As usual, we start with our anechoic frequency response graph:
View attachment 455758
This is a type of result that puts a smile on this reviewer. On-axis response is a good studio monitor flat but with a slight downward slope. Early window and power response almost mirror the on-axis from 700 Hz or so, indicating excellent off-axis response and a room friendly speaker. Drilling down we get another good result:
View attachment 455759

Resulting in predicted in-room response that is just like on axis, but with more of a slope down:
View attachment 455760

Signature should be a warmer sound.

Near-field measurements show very well behaved elements:
View attachment 455761

Beamwidth measurements shows how well controlled the directivity is:
View attachment 455762
Like the F6Bs, its about 20 degrees narrower so would result in a more focused image. Directivity shows smooth transitions:
View attachment 455763

Even vertically we have more room than we typically do with 2-way, non-concentric speakers:
View attachment 455764

I heard no distortion at 86 or 91 dBSPL during the sweeps. But the 96 dB did start with some:
View attachment 455765
View attachment 455766

The F6Bs didn't have this issue because it a) had a high-pass filter and b) didn't play this low. But again, the response was very clean at 86 and 91 dBSPL.

Impedance is typical of modern speakers at 3.5 ohm:
View attachment 455767

Sensitivity is as low as F6Bs meaning you need 2 to 3 dB more power. I would try to get an amplifier that is above 100 watts, preferably more.

Waterfall plot shows a single resonance that is actually visible in the anechoic measurements as well at 700 Hz:
View attachment 455768
Step function is so smooth:
View attachment 455769

AsciLab F6B Speaker Listening Tests
Just like the F6Bs, the immediate impression was warm and ultra clean detail. Here, the F6B went lower, producing a full range response. It actually played my sub-bass track at low to almost medium level. Above that, distortion in bass sets in and gets out of control. Normal music doesn't have such content and there, you could blast the speaker pretty loud levels with almost no bass distortion. And this is with one speaker!

I felt no need to change anything with EQ. Every track in my reference library was produced with excellent fidelity, making me want to just sit there and listen. Alas, I had to stop and come and share the results with news with you!

Conclusions
Th level of refinement oozes from every aspect of the F6B from external design to objective measurements. It is nearly perfect given its physical size. Compared to F6Bs, it brings good level of bass response but with a loudness limit. You could dial in a high-pass filter and get more loudness out of the bass region especially if you have a sub.

When you include the price in the equation, I am at a loss to recommend alternatives to the F6B. It is that good!

I am happy to recommend the AsciLab F6B speaker.
------------
As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome.

Any donations are much appreciated using: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-support-audio-science-review.8150/

I think the price you mentioned is excluding shipping costs. Including shipping the are 1,145 US per pair (see their webshop). They recently changed their prices to include shipping costs.

 

[AsciLab]

I think the price you mentioned is excluding shipping costs. Including shipping the are 1,145 US per pair (see their webshop). They recently changed their prices to include shipping costs.

The price you saw maybe our C6B. That reviewed speaker is F6B. $835 including shipping cost is right.

 

[Endibol]

The price you saw maybe our C6B. That reviewed speaker is F6B. $835 including shipping cost is right.

Thank you for correcting me. @amirm My apologies..

@AsciLab I get the impression that the names of your fantastic products are a bit confusing. I notice that I am not the only one mixing up models.

 

[amirm]

Indeed. The naming is simultaneously logical and confusing.

I think the fact that there is no sticker on the unit makes things less clear as to which speaker is which.

 

[BeeKay]

@AsciLab I get the impression that the names of your fantastic products are a bit confusing. I notice that I am not the only one mixing up models

Which turns out to be the one small point of criticism even possible. Everything else is just spot on

 

[AsciLab]

Thank you for correcting me. @amirm My apologies..

@AsciLab I get the impression that the names of your fantastic products are a bit confusing. I notice that I am not the only one mixing up models.

Code naming tends to be confused at first. But after understanding the meaning, it will be easy to distinguish. We'll try to announce the meaning of our names in our website.

 

[Waxx]

Thanks for your kind words.
Yes. Thanks to ASR we can compete with big brands.

But there is an opinion that I don’t agree.
The waveguide we designed is not like usual waveguides. Usually most of waveguide is axis symmetry circle waveguide while we use different shapes by angles. You can see the different curves in the surface.

The main purpose of that shape is to put square in circle. The different curve at 45 deg can hides the corner edge diffraction. This is important to get smooth and constant directivity around 2~4kHz. If you use simple circle waveguide with same dimension, you can see easily diffraction around 2~4kHz.

Additionally, deep waveguide like ours usually makes throat diffraction occurring messy high frequency above 8kHz. The throat design with optimized phase plug makes wide dispersion without messy error in top frequency.

As the waveguide is top notch design that we put a lot of efforts, I wanted to explain what is different and better.

I'm not saying the waveguide is easy to develop, but it's easy to make when you have the design. The difference you make is the well studied and detailed design, not a bunch of expensive materials or a complicated build like a lot of "high end" speakers do. If i have the design, i can copy it easely (i won't, don't worry) with the limited tools i have. Your focus is on a good design with standard parts, not a complicated build with expensive materials or production methods. It just shows that those are not needed for good sound.

 

[JSmith]

I think the fact that there is no sticker on the unit makes things less clear as to which speaker is which.

Yeah, there should be a plate on the back with brand name, model number and a serial number for that specific speaker. @AsciLab this would really help not only for identification but as a piracy measure as well, so when people sell them 2nd hand for example the buyer can check the serial number with Ascilab to ascertain they are genuine.


JSmith

 

[ENG]

I wish the speakers were available in the days I bought my Amphion Argon 3s. They sell for 3000 (!) Euro a pair and they measure not even close to the Ascilab speakers. Eagerly waiting for the purify-equipped bookshelf s to be measured here.... Very well done!!!;

I also bought a pair of Amphion Argon 3s 5,5 years ago. They were ment to be in a room where it was impossible to get a distance to the wall. I subjective like the sound. But of course I will prefere Ascilab C6B!

 

[AsciLab]

Yeah, there should be a plate on the back with brand name, model number and a serial number for that specific speaker. @AsciLab this would really help not only for identification but as a piracy measure as well, so when people sell them 2nd hand for example the buyer can check the serial number with Ascilab to ascertain they are genuine.


JSmith

There is a serial number at the biniding post. But yes, we'll consider another plate written our brand and product name for easy to be known what the product it is.

 

[Purité Audio]

Thank you Amir ( again) and AsciLAB.

How to Speak AsciLAB :-

S= Signature model, using all Purifi drivers.

A= Purifi Aluminium woofer and ceramic-aluminium tweeter.

C= Ceramic Aluminium woofer and a ceramic-aluminium tweeter

F= Fibre woofer and an aluminium tweeter.

B=Bookshelf

C=Cardioid

The middle number represents the diameter of the main driver in inches.

The final letter denotes the type of enclosure.

BX8C and BX10C are the Sub bass cardioid extension modules.

 

[Bleib]

So based on Erin's and Amir's reviews. Is F or C better in terms of low distorsion?

 

[Koeitje]

I think the price you mentioned is excluding shipping costs. Including shipping the are 1,145 US per pair (see their webshop). They recently changed their prices to include shipping costs.

Which is still a very good price imo. I paid €1100 (pair) for my Revel M106 and I thought that was a steal. These speakers have better looks and the performance is also up there or better (too lazy to compare the measurements, tweeter seems to be better for sure).

 

[AsciLab]

So based on Erin's and Amir's reviews. Is F or C better in terms of low distorsion?

C series is higher class.

 

[Endibol]

Code naming tends to be confused at first. But after understanding the meaning, it will be easy to distinguish. We'll try to announce the meaning of our names in our website.

A clear explanation would certainly help. But still the item codes look too much alike, in my opinion.

 

[Endibol]

Which is still a very good price imo. I paid €1100 (pair) for my Revel M106 and I thought that was a steal. These speakers have better looks and the performance is also up there or better (too lazy to compare the measurements, tweeter seems to be better for sure).

These Ascilab speakers are pretty comparable to the Ascend Sierra 1-v2 I think. They look pretty similar (even wider horizontal dispersion) and look gorgeous (in walnut).

Ascend Sierra-1 V2 Speaker Review

This is a review, listening tests, EQ and detailed measurements of the Ascend Acoustics Sierra-1 V2 bookshelf speaker. It is on kind loan from a member and costs US $998 for a pair ($948 on sale). The finish is nice enough. The cabinet feels quite heavy for its size and especially in the front...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[BeeKay]

Design-wise (sb acoustics, PR, box size, wave guide, quality xover) it’s comparable to Buchardt’s 400 line which again is more expensive and(!) measures worse.

 

[ENG]

Design-wise (sb acoustics, PR, box size, wave guide, quality xover) it’s comparable to Buchardt’s 400 line which again is more expensive and(!) measures worse.

Don't forget Amphion Argon 3s, which is in the same construction ideaform. And very expensive !