What's new

Fluance owners: Ever tear them apart? (1 Viewer)

Brett DiMichele

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Sep 30, 2001
Messages
3,181
Real Name
Brett
I was on eBay last night and I see Fluance is all over the
place on eBay (So is Pyle, and Dogg Digital etc..) I am not
in any way lumping Fluance in with those brands.

I am curious though.. Fluance does sell thier product at a
very low price point. I am curious about how well the boxes
are constructed inside, what the back of the drivers look
like and what the crossover boards look like.

If anyone cares to tear them apart (If you know what you
are doing) I would appreciate some pictures!
 

Brian Bunge

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2000
Messages
3,716
My first reaction looking at the specs on the website was that they've got to be made of particle board. But then I noticed the site says they're made of MDF. It's obviously not 3/4" so it must be 1/2" MDF. I've never seen a 3/4" MDF tower of this size that only weighed 33.45 lbs. so it must be 1/2" material.
 

Ted_Polzin

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Aug 12, 2002
Messages
81
I looked in mine (sx-htb) the towers. The crossover is a couple of caps and resistors .. the cabinet is MDF 1/2 inch ... drivers standard cheapies and same with tweet. It uses standard wood screwes for the drivers (with a nice black head) and stuffing. It has a few braces inside. I do not have any pics and this is all from memory it has been a few weeks. Not a badly constructed speaker.

Ted
 

Cam S

Screenwriter
Joined
Jan 11, 2002
Messages
1,524
Hmmm, they sure sound ALOT like the Nuance speakers, and is there any relation with the name? I've seen some "white van" speakers that have names similar to actual speaker makers, and this one is similar.
 

Alan M

Second Unit
Joined
Jan 3, 2003
Messages
454
fluance is in no way ,shape or form,part of ,related to nuance.White van speakers are crap,these are not.
With that said,have a good day all.
 

Rory Buszka

Supporting Actor
Joined
Jun 5, 2002
Messages
784
someone could, in theory, make a note of the high-pass frequencies and build a proper crossover with both high-pass and low-pass at the correct frequencies and make those speakers really sing.
 

Brett DiMichele

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Sep 30, 2001
Messages
3,181
Real Name
Brett
Alan,

No Fluance has no relationship to Fluance that is correct.
And no one stated that Fluance had any relation to the white
van scam speakers.

But this brings up an interesting point though. The White
Van "scam" speakers are not really a scam per se.. It's the
sales tactics that are shady. The speakers if purchased for
the normal price ($150-200 for a pair of Towers) are most
likely comprable in quality to Fluance believe it or not.
 

Alan M

Second Unit
Joined
Jan 3, 2003
Messages
454
Wow Brett,that really surprises me.After reading so many posts about those guys in the white vans,I look for them everytime I'm in a parking lot.I'm always looking for a good laugh.
Has anyone ever bought white van speakers and ripped them about to look for serial numbers or anything else,as a lead to find out who manufactures them.I'd be very interested If anyone has a lead on them(my interest is now peeked)
And thanks again for the correction Brett.
 

JustinG

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
May 21, 2003
Messages
114
I just received my ES-1s from Fluance.

I haven't hooked them up yet, but first impressions are:

1. WHOA these look sweet! They have piano black gloss base and top. The cabinet is forged aluminum, so it's silver metallic. They are sleek, slim and sexy.

2. Bi-wire binding posts came with no bridges. I am assuming since the posts are mounted on the gloss black base, that bridges would scuff it. (edit: Just got an email back from Fluance. Seems that you need no bridges on these because the crossover automatically detects the presence of biwires. Nice)

3. With teh grills off, they look even better. The yellow drivers on top stand out. The grill pins are nice and chrome. The drivers even have chrome rims to hold them in. Also, almost all the screws are allen/hex screws. Much better looking than phillips.

I guess the true test is when i hook them up.
 

Jim_Lindberg

Auditioning
Joined
Jan 17, 2002
Messages
10
And... have you hooked them up?

I just can't seem to get over the cost to performance factor.

The sx-htb specs aren't really eye popping. Sensitivity is somewhat low.

I am no audiophile, or expert, or anything audio. Just an average joe that wants a good HT experience. I WAS using bose am7's..and those, well weren't too great.

I always have this " you get what you pay for" in the back of my mind. This is why I can't seem to just pull the trigger on these, and take the chance I will be suprised. Limited budget's S.U.C.K! :frowning:

Can anyone else let us know if this is just plain garbage or a good risk? thanx.. j-bo

Forgot to ask... with the sx-htb on the fence for a HT package... what INDIVIDUAL fluance speakers would be an upgrade from the base package to put together a HT almost exlusively package? The center channel they offer, has better specs than the one included in the sx-htb. anyone?
 

Brett DiMichele

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Sep 30, 2001
Messages
3,181
Real Name
Brett
Justin,

Email Fluance again and have them explain exactly how you
can Bi-Wire/Bi-Amp these speakers without having 2 real
seperate sets of posts.

My guess is that the Crossover is the same as any other
Crossover and it's not Bi-Ampable. If it were then there
would have to be shorting straps between the posts because
if not, then not all the speakers would play.


They must just be "Bi-Wire" but not "Bi-Amp" posts. And
IMHO BiWiring does nothing. (From my experiance).
 

Brian Bunge

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2000
Messages
3,716
Brett,

Maybe the other set of binding posts are around the other side of the rounded back but can't be seen in the pics.

Justin,

(edit: Just got an email back from Fluance. Seems that you need no bridges on these because the crossover automatically detects the presence of biwires. Nice)
If this is what they actually said then that makes no sense. If you bi-amp/bi-wire a speaker you remove the straps. The straps are only there (on other speakers) to connect the two sets of posts together when you are only using a single pair of wires.
 

Brett DiMichele

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Sep 30, 2001
Messages
3,181
Real Name
Brett
Brian,

What I meant is that I am sure they used 4 posts but that
the actual Crossover Network is not seperated into LF/HF
but rather just a regular old Network with just an extra
pair of posts for looks (and for Bi-Wiring) but you couldn't
Bi-Amp if that's the case because that would cause problems
with the amps being used.
 

Chu Gai

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2001
Messages
7,270
HTF had an individual review them here.
For those on a budget or just needing something for the time being, they just might fit the bill as would certain offerings from JBL. Please don't take any offence, but I'd read somewhere that Fluance was shortened from Flatulance :D
 

Alan M

Second Unit
Joined
Jan 3, 2003
Messages
454
Dont know if I got the gest of the previous posts,but the mains on my sx system do have 4 binding posts(2 pos,2neg) with a gold strap across both sets of binding posts.These straps can be removed for biwiring.
Hope this helps.
 

JustinG

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
May 21, 2003
Messages
114
Yes, they do have 2 sets of terminals. I don't think I said they didn't. I just said they didn't have bridges. Fluance's response, was that the crossover picked up the presence of 2 sets of wires (bi-wiring) versus 1 set.

I did post a review of the ES-1s. Lots of views but only one response. So nyah! :)

Let me get the link. It's buried by now.
 

JustinG

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
May 21, 2003
Messages
114
well actually a couple of more responses in my review.

Also, I checked the base of the speakers when I got them, and all 4 terminals are wired into the speaker. Course, maybe they are all connected to the same 2 contacts on the Xover, but I doubt that.

I am not a true audiophile, looking for every little hit or miss. But, I would be able to tell that if they sucked or not. I do want great sound out of my system.

I do know that I don't miss the bass from my KX12's. Maybe there was never much coming from them, but the sub makes up for any lack of bass drivers the ES-1s have in movies and 2 channel music.

Maybe instead of second guessing, some of you should give them a chance. For anyone on an HT budget, I think these speakers beat any HTIB from Sony, Onkyo, Kenwood etc. Just look at the numbers. On an HTIB, how much cost is associated with the receiver/dvd combo versus the speakers themselves? I definitely think buying one of Fluance's HTIB sets at $250 is much better than the speakers you get in the HTIBs.

Do as you wish, but I've yet to hear any real negative reviews from Fluance owners on this board. YMMV
 

JustinG

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
May 21, 2003
Messages
114
"Forgot to ask... with the sx-htb on the fence for a HT package... what INDIVIDUAL fluance speakers would be an upgrade from the base package to put together a HT almost exlusively package? The center channel they offer, has better specs than the one included in the sx-htb. anyone? "

Jim,

If you want to check out the Fluance separates, look at the AV-5's and the separate center channel. Then add the bipolars for surround. That's like $200, $69, $99 respectively. Little under $400. JeremyJP got the AV-5s and center and loves them.

Brian,

Why wouldn't it make sense for the crossover to not be able to automatically separate the signals? A simple circuit with logic could detect the presence of the 4 wires. Then, it would send the signals to different sets of filters which lead to the different speakers. Actually, it's a pretty simple circuit design. Just curious as to why it doesn't make sense. :)
 

Brett DiMichele

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Sep 30, 2001
Messages
3,181
Real Name
Brett
Justin,

That's not how a Crossover works and it would be pointless
to design something that complex anyway.

I am not dissing Fluance in the least. I am just saying
that the binding posts ( 4 of them) are not needed.. They
are not Bi-Ampable because if they were the crossover would
have two descreet sections (High Frequency which would
cover the mids and tweeters) and (Low Frequency which would
cover the MidBass Drivers).

The only reason I can see that Fluance put 4 posts on is
because Bi-Wiring is "Trendy" and thus having the posts
makes the speakers seem to be in an upper echelon. The
truth is that MANY high end speakers don't have 4 posts and
most people believe Bi-Wiring to be of no benefit. Bi Amplification
is of course a completely different story.

Like I said.. Not dissing... Just stating the truth.. They
look like a very decent set of speakers for the money.
 

JeremyJP

Auditioning
Joined
Feb 24, 2003
Messages
9
Forgot to ask... with the sx-htb on the fence for a HT package... what INDIVIDUAL fluance speakers would be an upgrade from the base package to put together a HT almost exlusively package? The center channel they offer, has better specs than the one included in the sx-htb. anyone?
I have the Fluance AV-5 mains and the AV-SC center. These are paired with my Onkyo TX-SR800. They are hooked up w/ Monster ES-1 Biwires for the mains, ES-2 for the center. I hooked them about 3 weeks ago, been running them quite a bit and am blown away by the sound.

Playing CD Audio, DVD video and MP3 (256kbps rip, mostly). The sounds are crisp and full. I have not had any issues with a bright sound. The fill very nicely and don't need a lot of help from the sub listening to audio. The sound stage these create across the front of the room is amazing. When I initially started listening to music I had to get up a number of times because I could not believe that the center channel was not putting out signal.

My HT room is a bit small, and it is a condo, so I have not given them a full high-signal workout. However, I played the Omaha beach scene of Saving Private Ryan at 75dB (-8 reference on the SR800) and it was very impressive still. I did not detect any signal degredation over the full range, and the sounds put out by the center filled in the dynamic range in a way I had never heard watching that scene in the movie before.

I paid $311 for my two mains and center channel, directly from Fluance including all shipping charges.

Also, post-sales, because many people have asked me, I called them up and they verified that they do have a 7 day no-questions-asked return policy. However, it does not cover shipping either way.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Latest Articles

Forum statistics

Threads
356,810
Messages
5,123,551
Members
144,184
Latest member
H-508
Recent bookmarks
0
Top