FM Acoustics XS Speakers

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
The off-axis is exceptional with XS speakers - If 5 people is sitting in a wide sofa, all of them will hear the same sound, not only the person sitting in the middle - that's because of the special drivers and grill.
I've never heard any other speakers sounded better than XS-1B.

There is no phase deviation error at any sound level and every driver is tested against each other - only 0,2dB difference between them (other highend brands has 1-2dB)

Dare I ask what MSRP is Wizard
 

FrantzM

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The off-axis is exceptional with XS speakers - If 5 people is sitting in a wide sofa, all of them will hear the same sound, not only the person sitting in the middle - that's because of the special drivers and grill.
I've never heard any other speakers sounded better than XS-1B.

There is no phase deviation error at any sound level and every driver is tested against each other - only 0,2dB difference between them (other highend brands has 1-2dB)

Hi

Can you please show us some directivity measurements for the XS? Any independent measurements? As for the 0.2 dB variations between speakers, canyou provide us with some measurements, some substantiations. This is a discussion forum after all. Claims such as these must be substantiated...
 

rockitman

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Sep 20, 2011
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For best results one need to buy the 268 preamp and two 1811 amps at $430'.

Or if you have unlimited funds buy two pairs of 118 at $660', but two 1811's is more than good enough.

That is a bit steep don't you think ? These have to be one if not the most expensive loudspeakers available ? I find it hard to believe that these relatively small speakers could be a sonic match for the top line from Magico, Wilson or Rockport...talk about sticker shock. Thanks for the info Wizard.
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
you haven't heard them Christian. Either have I but I have heard FMA and consider it to be amongst the very best (if not THE best) electronics in the market place. I would be willing to bet that this system really delivers. You just need to pay a king's ransom and wait a few years for your order to be completed
 

FrantzM

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you haven't heard them Christian. Either have I but I have heard FMA and consider it to be amongst the very best (if not THE best) electronics in the market place. I would be willing to bet that this system really delivers. You just need to pay a king's ransom and wait a few years for your order to be completed

Steve

Really Steve ... The best you have heard? .. and where have you heard them? At shows? Superior to Lamm? To anything you have heard? I have to step aside ...
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Never heard the speakers but have heard their electronics several times, most recently at RMAF and loved it. Was in my top 3 rooms

Better than Lamm? Certainly more expensive even though my ML3/LL1 are far from inexpensive
 

FrantzM

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Syeve

... FMA are likely very good. Calling them THE best is to me a stretch from hearing them in a show. An alien environment. BTW Lamm is expensive at the very top but these days the price of the second tier Lamm would be said to be almost "normal" what with the 18-watts SET at less than $40K... :)
THen $350K for a speaker ?? IS this speaker superior to the X-2? To the Magico 7, to the MM-7 to the Genesis Dragon? Rockport top of the line VSA -VR-11 .. and a long list of uber-speakers ...??? A way to this is a review some comparisons. Or am I asking too much?

@Wizard still waiting for some numbers or graphs or do I have to take your word for it?
 

LL21

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Dec 26, 2010
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Syeve

... FMA are likely very good. Calling them THE best is to me a stretch from hearing them in a show. An alien environment. BTW Lamm is expensive at the very top but these days the price of the second tier Lamm would be said to be almost "normal" what with the 18-watts SET at less than $40K... :)
THen $350K for a speaker ?? IS this speaker superior to the X-2? To the Magico 7, to the MM-7 to the Genesis Dragon? Rockport top of the line VSA -VR-11 .. and a long list of uber-speakers ...??? A way to this is a review some comparisons. Or am I asking too much?

@Wizard still waiting for some numbers or graphs or do I have to take your word for it?

Does FM even publish numbers or graphs on these speakers? Do they even care to, other than what Wizard has quoted? Not even Wizard may be able to source such measurements without taking a pair home himself and measuring?

FM dont even seem to advertise these speakers let alone release them for formal reviews. Frankly, its sounds like they do not need to...they are already getting 'best of' accolades by word of mouth (as evidenced here) and are clearly in the 'vaunted list' of high end equipment without any ads (i have ever seen) in HiFi+, Stereophile, Soundstage, Ultraaudio, SixMoons, etc...
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Frantz

I guess I waffled when I said "amongst the very best (if not the best). Yes I heard it at RMAF but in a very large room with very good speakers (not FMA). It was darn good and I went back several times each day. Not trading my Lamm in any time soon however for FMA. Iwould like to gear the speaker in a complete FMA system.
 

FrantzM

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Does FM even publish numbers or graphs on these speakers? Do they even care to, other than what Wizard has quoted? Not even Wizard may be able to source such measurements without taking a pair home himself and measuring?

FM dont even seem to advertise these speakers let alone release them for formal reviews. Frankly, its sounds like they do not need to...they are already getting 'best of' accolades by word of mouth (as evidenced here) and are clearly in the 'vaunted list' of high end equipment without any ads (i have ever seen) in HiFi+, Stereophile, Soundstage, Ultraaudio, SixMoons, etc...

LLoyd

If you believe they are the best and greatest. That is fine and Ok. Not a problem. When one claims that their directivity is exceptional. I beg to ask what makes their directivity exceptional in term of numbers. The cliam is no longer a subjective one e.g "I love it and find it the best" but an objective one: A parameter, directivity is said to be exceptional. Since that parameters is a set of numbers, how exceptional are those numbers? 360 degres as in the case of the MBL 101? Constant within dB from 1 KHz to 20Khz ? What? exactly?

To me a discussion about the best cannot be held in a vacuum even if it is a subjective discussion. If the product is that good and great.. release numbers. If one is a believer no number is needed just the incantation of the faithful. For a discussion forum we need more.. All that IMHO, YMMV etc...

Like cars there is a point where the rubber has to meet the road ..
 

andromedaaudio

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I reckon that if FM would put a price sticker on it at a mere 150-200 K (just like other top end speakers ) it might not be appealing to the upper niche , marketing ???
Its gotto be different off course , its hard for me to believe its going into materials /construction.
Ah well, i still prefere that than 90 K audiophile cables :D, in the audiophile world anything is possible
But doesnt the price include amps /cables ??
 
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LL21

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LLoyd

If you believe they are the best and greatest. That is fine and Ok. Not a problem. When one claims that their directivity is exceptional. I beg to ask what makes their directivity exceptional in term of numbers. The cliam is no longer a subjective one e.g "I love it and find it the best" but an objective one: A parameter, directivity is said to be exceptional. Since that parameters is a set of numbers, how exceptional are those numbers? 360 degres as in the case of the MBL 101? Constant within dB from 1 KHz to 20Khz ? What? exactly?

To me a discussion about the best cannot be held in a vacuum even if it is a subjective discussion. If the product is that good and great.. release numbers. If one is a believer no number is needed just the incantation of the faithful. For a discussion forum we need more.. All that IMHO, YMMV etc...

Like cars there is a point where the rubber has to meet the road ..

Hi Frantz. I did not say i believe anything...frankly, i have never heard ANY FM equipment. I merely pointed out that the measurements may not be available, and frankly FMA may not care. If they dont need to advertise, dont need to publish, dont need reviews...to sell people $1M systems of FMA...who wait months to get them...why would they bother? Which only comes back to the point that we may not have the measurements available to us to commence any judgments. There are few of us who have ever heard these speakers.

The only thing i have to go on here is Steve Williams and Gary Koh who have heard and seriously praised their electronics...which certainly makes me interesting in hearing them someday.
 

Elberoth

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Dec 15, 2012
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I reckon that if FM would put a price sticker on it at a mere 150-200 K (just like other top end speakers ) it might not be appealing to the upper niche , marketing ???

In any case, you don't get much of an amp for your $420k ...

3572278697_aebb60cd8d_o.jpg
 

FrantzM

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LLoyd

A friend of mine had FMA. heard it and it was good but not superior to anything and everything I heard then. My point is not so much that they could be good. They likely are. IT is the automatic assumption that they are better. So you find Audiophiles with superlative equipment deferring quasi-automatically to FMA without having heard it one either in their system nor a system with which they are familiar ... Underlying this is the audiophile tendency to equate price with performance. IOW if it is that expensive it must be good ... Since FMA occupies likely the exosphere when it comes to pricing then performance must reside in the same stratum :rolleyes:

Still waiting to know what makes the XS so superior ... ;)
 

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