PS Audio sent Erin their speaker??!!

[Pearljam5000]

"non-woven carbon fiber PMI (rohacell) foam sandwich cone, advanced magnet structure"

This foam is usually the core of a driver , with some other material covering the it so I doubt it's just the foam

 

[Penelinfi]

It does also mention non-woven carbon fibre and "sandwich", indicating more than one material?

Non-woven carbon fibre :

 

[Pearljam5000]

It does also mention non-woven carbon fibre and "sandwich", indicating more than one material?

Non-woven carbon fibre :
View attachment 368770

Somewhat similar to Focal's drivers

 

[Penelinfi]

In a way Focal made the surface look "prettier". But maybe they use more resin ; the surface doesn't show any of the long fibre

 

[ErVikingo]

YMMV, I listened to a set and they are spectacular to my ears. Thanks @Chris Brunhaver for pushing the development.

A friend listened to the Fr5? “Bookshelf” and came back with a similar conclusion.

I have been a very long time listener of planar drivers and deep bass speakers. Mine are old tech by now (totally restored and in spec!).

If I ever decide to to replace my speakers, the Aspens are very high on my list.

 

[Penelinfi]

I wonder how "Mark & Daniel" speakers would compare to the fr5. They say you can play some of those AMT down below 500Hz . I've only heard an older model .

 

[dfuller]

In a way Focal made the surface look "prettier". But maybe they use more resin ; the surface doesn't show any of the long fibre

There's a layer of some kind of paint on the front of the W cones. Very thin.

However tbh I don't think the drivers are "all that" - they're lowish distortion and reasonably controlled but they're nowhere near the top tier stuff e.g. Purifi or Neumann.

 

[multichannel_guy]

Hi guys,

Yes, I am the speaker designer for PS Audio and have been participating here on ASR for 2-3 years. As I was mentioning in the other thread about the new speakers, we sent Erin these speakers for review.

It looks like the HifiNews review is out this month (technically their April issue). We got on the cover again (as the first review of them) and I'm happy that they liked them.

If you want to read that review (that has some measurements too), the magazine is available at Barnes and Noble where I live but you can also purchase single issues at places like this:

Hi-Fi News - June 2026

Buy subscriptions and issues of Hi-Fi News - June 2026. Available on Desktop PC or Mac and iOS or Android mobile devices.

pocketmags.com

As far as polar measurements go, our planar drivers are a taller and more directional vertically versus a typical dome tweeter/cone midrange so expect to see some narrower vertical coverage. However, I did work to try to achieve a neutral tonal balance in-room and Erin's initial impression of sound quality seemed good.

The midrange and tweeter have other benefits though, low distortion, rather high output and low stored energy/quick decay and good spatial qualities.

Friend of mine recently got this fr10...I swear to god I heard detail in some tracks I've heard 100s of times...never before heard in any of my speakers or even a pair of Magicos he also has. Your ribbon midrange is cool man.

Now, I need to switch to Ramen noodles for a few months and sell some sht so I can buy your speaker.

 

[Gringoaudio1]

I find it to be a very attractive speaker.

 

[ahofer]

I find it to be a very attractive speaker.

Can't say I agree with that one bit, but chacun à son goût

 

[Soria Moria]

Friend of mine recently got this fr10...I swear to god I heard detail in some tracks I've heard 100s of times...never before heard in any of my speakers or even a pair of Magicos he also has.

This is usually because of elevated frequency response in certain areas making things pop-out more

 

[multichannel_guy]

This is usually because of elevated frequency response in certain areas making things pop-out more

It comes down to the impulse response of the driver, is it a very low mass or not and what frequency range it is covering. A low mass tweeter taking over at lower crossover frequency under 2khz is usually a recipe for more detail heard. A low mass mid driver taking over at a lower cross over frequency is usually a recipe for more detail heard.

But, if someone looks at frequency response simplistically, he may think it is an elevated response in some area that made something pop out more.

An elevated response could make things bright, but not detailed. Some guys who think in a simplistic manner might think bright is detailed. Bright does not mean detailed. Some manufacturers can deliberately do that to make a simplistic guy think the speaker is detailed.

Out of curiousity, where was this speaker elevated in the FR on Erin's measurement? Where do you think there was some elevation in FR that made it detailed?

 

[ahofer]

An elevated response could make things bright, but not detailed. Some guys who think in a simplistic manner might think bright is detailed. Bright does not mean detailed. Some manufacturers can deliberately do that to make a simplistic guy think the speaker is detailed.

Is this "simplistic" in the sense that frequency response and noise measurements don't capture a differing frequency response? Because that sounds like where you are going. Perhaps I am misinterpreting, but the use of "simplistic" several times here sounds a lot like an audiophile fiction reader engaging in unjustified condescension.

 

[Deleted member 43957]

... the use of "simplistic" several times here sounds a lot like an audiophile fiction reader engaging in unjustified condescension.

What a rhythmic turn of phrase... it's a lost art.

 

[multichannel_guy]

Is this "simplistic" in the sense that frequency response and noise measurements don't capture a differing frequency response? Because that sounds like where you are going. Perhaps I am misinterpreting, but the use of "simplistic" several times here sounds a lot like an audiophile fiction reader engaging in unjustified condescension.

I have sat next to audiophiley guys in rooms who said simplistically that some speaker was detailed. All i heard in such instances was bright, not detailed.

It can take a lot of focus and time with familiar material to discern the difference between bright and detailed initially. After training one's ears, it becomes quick to discern.

 

[Chester]

I have sat next to audiophiley guys in rooms who said simplistically that some speaker was detailed. All i heard in such instances was bright, not detailed.

It can take a lot of focus and time with familiar material to discern the difference between bright and detailed initially. After training one's ears, it becomes quick to discern.

So that’s a yes then?

 

[multichannel_guy]

So that’s a yes then?

Hope you learned something new today. Good luck.

 

[ahofer]

It can take a lot of focus and time with familiar material to discern the difference between bright and detailed initially. After training one's ears, it becomes quick to discern.

I think you are evading my question. Is this a difference that can be quantified in measurements or not?

 

[Chris Brunhaver]

Friend of mine recently got this fr10...I swear to god I heard detail in some tracks I've heard 100s of times...never before heard in any of my speakers or even a pair of Magicos he also has. Your ribbon midrange is cool man.

Now, I need to switch to Ramen noodles for a few months and sell some sht so I can buy your speaker.

Thanks! I'm really glad to hear that both of you like them. That's a great friend to have (who is also into HiFi)!

 

[MKR]

Friend of mine recently got this fr10...I swear to god I heard detail in some tracks I've heard 100s of times...never before heard in any of my speakers or even a pair of Magicos he also has. Your ribbon midrange is cool man.

Now, I need to switch to Ramen noodles for a few months and sell some sht so I can buy your speaker.

I haven’t heard those particular planars in the FR10, but have spent extensive time with another design planar midrange and can fully attest to the increased detail! Heard stuff in recordings with those drivers I have never heard with any other speaker. And it is not due to them being tipped up as some have stated, at least in my case the design measures flat, not at all fatiguing. All that to say, not at all surprised with what you heard.