Review Details

Reference High Performance 3-Way Floorstanding Loudspeakers

Product Rating:

Product Review (submitted on December 16, 2019):

The new reference series speakers were delivered right on time and in very sturdy packaging. The speakers have a nice heavy feel and you can tell that they are a very high quality construction. The black gloss looks very classy. They are replacing 20+ year old DCM floor speakers that were a huge monstrosity in our living room. These look sleek and elegant.
The connections were very easy to make and the all metal wire posts are very good quality. There is no plastic and they also appear to be gold plated. My teenage son actually made the wiring terminations. He even commented on how much nicer these posts were than the ones on the DCM speakers.
Now for the real test. How did they sound? One word - AMAZING! The first thing we played was Nat King Cole's Christmas album on a CD. My wife teared up at how good Nat sounded. It was almost like he was in the room with us. You could hear the timbre in his voice like we'd never heard before. Probably the best word I could use to describe it would be organic. The horns sounded beautiful and real, like they were in the house. There is no sterile sound.
We then put on a movie and watched MI6 and Star Wars (original trilogy). We have a Polk Audio subwoofer, but the bass in our system has never sounded better than with these new Reference Series speakers. The bass was pumping into our chests like never before. The down-firing subwoofer really pushes the bass into the entire room. The sounds bring you into the movie and make it come alive. My kids commented on hearing background noises they had never heard before. It is like being in a theater but better, you're at home! This will take family movie night to a whole new level.
Then for the real test. How do they do with vinyl? We put some Fleetwood Mac on with my Fluance RT82, and it was incredible. The highs have a bell like pristine quality. There is no shrill ear piercing with the highs even at high volume. Just sweet notes and crystal clear separation between each passage. The bass doesn't sound boomy or loose like it is falling apart. It holds the groove together and hits hard, but stay tight and not distracting. The mid range is not overpowering allowing the entire frequency range to envelop the sound stage.
There are much more expensive speakers out there that will sound incrementally better I'm sure. However, at this price point there is nothing better. You are getting a high quality product that will revolutionize your listening experience at a price point that won't break the bank. The best part is that they will only get better as they break in. I couldn't be more satisfied with this purchase.
Thank you Fluance!