Audio First Fidelia on Erin’s Audio Corner

[kyuu]

Personally I’d like a 3-way design as this is how you get real SPL and low distortion. Or at least a 2.5-way which could be a similar width floorstanding variant of the Fidelia with an additional 3 or 4 woofers playing up to around 400Hz. This would allow the 4-5dB baffle step penalty to be regained, making 2.83V/1m SPL in the high 80s and at probably around 12dB more overall headroom.

Yes, but an MTM gets you most of the way there without being as large and expensive as a 3-way.

 

[Mnyb]

You could expand with a 6,5” variant but then its time for towers a pure midrange with the same tweeter and WG and dual 8” would be interesting ?

 

[Everett T]

Nice measurements but reminds me of the SB Bromo kit (without the waveguide) and that kit is under $700 from Madisound.

Do not recall seeing any Klippel measurements for the Bromo as yet though.

SB hit a home run with that woofer for value to performance.

 

[a4eaudio]

The Audio First used the 5" while the Bromo uses the 6-1/2".

 

[Mr. Widget]

This looks to be an excellent speaker design. Similar to the Ascilab C5B although DIY construction.

Audio First are local to me so I am tempted to try and get a demo…

What an awesome DIY kit!
If I was in the market for a miniature, moderate output speaker, the order would already be placed!

 

[Everett T]

The Audio First used the 5" while the Bromo uses the 6-1/2".

Understood and my reply hopefully wasn't confusing. If you look at what Mr. Murphy has done with the 5" SB woofer and with a traditional tweeter alignment, it's pretty impressive for the price.

 

[Audiofirstdesigns]

Financial reasons I believe, less money invested, less money needed to run the business.

There was an interview somewhere, I don't recall where exactly.

Hi Kharan,

You are correct! The main reason why I started with kit products is because, well, as a one-man show, I don't have enough capital to invest in mass-produced finished products, rent a warehouse to store them, etc.

Kits, on the other hand, is a lot more flexible. I can produce small batches as I need with a few local suppliers. The other reason is... I just think it is funny to make a "DIY Kit" that performs better than many other expensive commercial speakers, haha!

With the financial support from my consultancy work and the Fidelia kit, I can continue developing products that I love. I have many ideas in my mind, but I only have limited time per day, so gradually I need to expand the team. And with that, I am going to slowly shift to making finished products in the future, including active designs.

Renting an anechoic chamber is expensive here in the UK and it's quite a big hassle, so I really look forward to the arrival of the NFS and what I can bring to the market with it.

As staticV3 mentioned in his comment the lead time of NFS is loooong, so no NFS for Christmas... Unless Santa push one down my chimney !

​

 

[Everett T]

Hi Kharan,

You are correct! The main reason why I started with kit products is because, well, as a one-man show, I don't have enough capital to invest in mass-produced finished products, rent a warehouse to store them, etc.

Kits, on the other hand, is a lot more flexible. I can produce small batches as I need with a few local suppliers. The other reason is... I just think it is funny to make a "DIY Kit" that performs better than many other expensive commercial speakers, haha!

With the financial support from my consultancy work and the Fidelia kit, I can continue developing products that I love. I have many ideas in my mind, but I only have limited time per day, so gradually I need to expand the team. And with that, I am going to slowly shift to making finished products in the future, including active designs.

Renting an anechoic chamber is expensive here in the UK and it's quite a big hassle, so I really look forward to the arrival of the NFS and what I can bring to the market with it.

As staticV3 mentioned in his comment the lead time of NFS is loooong, so no NFS for Christmas... Unless Santa push one down my chimney !

​

Thank you for commenting, always appreciated.

 

[totti1965]

Breaking News: Danny will have an upgrade ready before Christmas. Fancy caps and tube connectors, etc. Gotta get rid of those cheesy components. Just kidding…

LMAO!

 

[totti1965]

What an awesome DIY kit!
If I was in the market for a miniature, moderate output speaker, the order would already be placed!

Me to!!!

 

[kemmler3D]

If the measurements above are of the company “making do” then pretty much every comparable speaker company are gonna be shitting themselves once Audio First get their NFS,

Very impressive for the money

Given the man's background, and the results from this kit, I think he's got what it takes to shake things up, especially with an NFS at hand.

What I honestly don't understand is the logo. The brand's called Audio First but the logo looks like AD or maybe AP?

 

[diddley]

Thanks for your introduction, and for doing the wonderfull work al KEF. I wish you luck on your newest adventure and remember that good stuff sells itself.

 

[Audiofirstdesigns]

Thanks for your introduction, and for doing the wonderfull work al KEF. I wish you luck on your newest adventure and remember that good stuff sells itself.

Cheers!

 

[8bits]

@Audiofirstdesigns would you consider offering the kit in an active version with the Hypex plate amp and dsp?

 

[xray]

What I honestly don't understand is the logo. The brand's called Audio First but the logo looks like AD or maybe AP?

I think it's AudioFirst Design so it's AD.

 

[Dave_Reite]

To me, the performance envelope of this speaker doesn't look any better than my LS 50 Metas, particularly since I can cross over to my two SVS SB 2000 subs. Still has the same issues with power handling and distortion at higher volumes one would expect with a 5.5 inch mid-woofer.

Yes, absolutely. This is yet another variation on the same, limited, small-box design that's existed for many years. There are about 6000 of them out there.
'Not acceptable unless augmented with a proper woofer setup and/or usage within limited SPL demands.

Dave.

 

[BeeKay]

I think it's AudioFirst Design so it's AD.

If you use the ^ for A, the ^(tilted) and the . for 1st, and the D for D you get the full name

 

[Rednaxela]

Welcome Harry @Audiofirstdesigns! Congratulations on the excellent EAC review. What an entrance!

I greatly enjoyed watching your assembly tutorial video the other day.

As a DIY kit it looks super well thought out, offering a very a doable project for just about anyone who can follow instructions and handle a screwdriver and a glue clamp.

Are you or will you be offering a removable grille option? I believe this would be an easy way to expand your target audience, as some (me) can't do without. A grille that matches the specialized shape of the front baffle would be something I think I'd be willing to pay a premium for. Perhaps one data point for your consideration.

Good luck and looking forward to seeing more of your work.

 

[thewas]

And here comes Audio First Designs, as the name suggested it is all about sound quality. Growing up in Hong Kong, where the living space is small on average, I always wanted to design something compact, and Fidelia is what I would love to have back in 10 years ago (Now I can create what I want!). It is designed for a small to mid-size space and is suitable for a short listening distance.

Also from my side congratulations on your excellent work, both with this fantastic kit and at KEF.
One question though, since you probably still have good connections to Hong Kong, wouldn't it have made the kit cheaper if your production and distribution would be from there or generally Asia instead of the expensive and high custom tax UK (even more after the Brexit)?

 

[DanielT]

Really good job Harry Yeung. Damn nice speakers I must say.

Whatever Henry has up his sleeves I’m intrigued.

Personally I’d like a 3-way design as this is how you get real SPL and low distortion. Or at least a 2.5-way which could be a similar width floorstanding variant of the Fidelia with an additional 3 or 4 woofers playing up to around 400Hz. This would allow the 4-5dB baffle step penalty to be regained, making 2.83V/1m SPL in the high 80s and at probably around 12dB more overall headroom.

I thought the same.

And if you have good speakers such as Audio First Fidelia, for example, with modest SPL capability and like to play at a higher volume, here are some tip on bass drivers:

If you are on the DIY track for a three-way, then you should preferably choose SB26ADC as tweeter, SB15NBAC or SB17NBAC as midrange (with tiny back cavity for higher sensitivity) and a meaty bass driver like BMS 12S305 or Dayton RSS315HF. Split frequencies preferably approx. 200-300 Hz and approx. 2-2.2 kHz. A rounded baffle and/or waveguide is also a good idea.

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Subwoofer is of course also available as an option. I have two subs where the highest crossover frequency is 140 Hz. If I use them in stereo, it becomes ..well pretty much like a three-way speaker/solution, roughly. But I think that for those who have the time, opportunity and desire to build bass boxes, it would probably be preferable. Some advantages; flexibility regarding building these boxes in the same style as the speakers, suitable height for placing the speakers on them, choice of box width (a 12 inch bass drivers vs two 8 inch for example) and so on.
(plus extended possibilities with setting the appropriate crossover frequency boss boxes - speakers)