Help asap. Wharfdale evo 4.4 or Fyne Audio F501

[Stuart83]

I'm in a rush this morning hence I will further detail the post sending and add to it but for now to be brief.

But please bare in mind this is not a post to initiate "debates on anything" other than to quickly acquire a shortlist to demo😊........

I do like some of the debates on here until they turn to arguments that is.
I have become rather fond of the people here now 🤫 so appreciate the help that little bit more.

As some know via my somewhat regular posts one of my all time favourite speakers for sound were the little mission mx3s which is surprising in regard to them being much cheaper than the others I've had and have.

Well I've just blown the favourite pair on all four drivers with "the clash" of all music to do it with.

Of course it's not that simple as they were second hand and a 2016 build, so age and usage played it's obvious part.

I'm now not looking to mission for anything other than perhaps the Cyrus line.

I had both the 760i and 763i when mission remained built here and they were heavily, heavily abused for 25 plus yrs before one driver failed and a rubber surround on the prior mentioned 760i.

I've had 2 pairs of mx3s because of a sound that's just gorgeous "imo" both failing and a pair of LX 5 that had a crossover completely fail after a few months so I'm done with mission.

Again its not a debate starter, it's my findings.

I as the regulars know like to drive my hifi hard, always pushing to volumes to where I enjoy the music viscerally and at the higher end of the dial.

I have the comfort of a semi detached bungalow with a understanding neighbour who's mostly out when I'm in due to our life patterns.

I'm now looking for replacements and need your help in a short list to demo.

My preference is after many yrs of experience are they must have/be
• Around 450-1200
• 6 inch drivers or above
• Be floorstanders
• Be 120W or over
• Not Dali
(Don't get me wrong, they absolutely are quality speakers just not to my taste)
I'm not a fan after having a pair oberon 5 and my father having a different model I wasn't keen on either.

I've also demoed other Dali's at richer sounds before replacing the Oberon 5 with Q Acoustics which I much prefer.
They all seem to have an inherited sound I'm not personally keen on.

My preferences and why/how I've acquired them are not of concern, I'm just wanting to build a shortlist to demo from the people Ive come to respect.

I've so far chosen the wharfdale Evo 4.4 and fayne audio f501 which I'm going to demo shortly.

Anything else you think I should be looking at within my set parameters will help me vastly as I'm overwhelmed with choices.

I have a fancy for the Klipsch R-800F but I'm not reading great things about them.
I'm looking into the possibility of a home demo with richer sounds.

I have an acram sa30 rated 120W and although it's in practice noticeably more powerful than the roskan k3 it replaced yet even at that it's adviced they need 150W to avoid clipping issues.

Peter Tysons customer service said that acram sa30 is known to him personally, and will drive them with ease etc but I'd have to hear them first.

I do not breach manafacturer specifications as a general rule.

PS I love the wildcards if anyone has any

 

[Din5]

Please let us know your audition impressions of the Evo 4.4 and Fyne F501

 

[nopiano]

I’m a big fan of Q Acoustics 30x0i series, and own a pair of 3020i. You know how the 3050i sound in your room. The newer 5040 at £999 seems to be very different, with an elevated high range, more like a Monitor Audio or B&W. But do try to hear them in case you like them.

As well as the Wharfedale you mention, the slightly smaller 4.3 is worth hearing, as well as the completely different Linton, unless you cannot tolerate stands.

I don’t know the rivals by B&W and MA, but unusually for me I did like PMC’s fairly recent Prodigy floorstanders. As you rock a bit they might be just the job.

 

[AJM1981]

The AMT tweeter of the Evo series is really well implemented and received and they seem to offer a bit more clarity...

The downside to that is that some people don't like AMT tweeter systems because they are far more directional than conventional tweeters and the "sweet spot of listening" weighs in. So, I would like to recommend to audition both and also walk around and stand / sit at different spots in the room at both speakers to hear what I mean.

I am biased towards the Evo nonetheless.

 

[Stuart83]

Of course I will.

Please let us know your audition impressions of the Evo 4.4 and Fyne F501

I'm going Saturday to audition both and whatever they have in that remit.

 

[nopiano]

Had a thought earlier today. The KEF Q series. I’ve not heard them for a while but they’re big and great value, so if you like the sound…!

About a grand for the Q750, and there’s a bigger 950 too.

 

[gasolin]

Fyne F501 (whathifi)
Require judicious system-matching
Sound best at reasonable volume

They should go deeper

fyne-audio-f500sp response in the highs

Wharfedale EVO 4.4 (whathifi)

Need a large room to shine
Almost half price of the fyne speakers

lots of energy in the upper midrange lower tweeter from the smaller models = fatigue sound ?




My triangle titus are very soft in the highs with my amp, so if you don't want to much highs try a pair of Triangle Esprit Antal Ez

 

[Stuart83]

Fyne F501 (whathifi)
Require judicious system-matching
Sound best at reasonable volume

They should go deeper

fyne-audio-f500sp response in the highs
View attachment 6527
Wharfedale EVO 4.4 (whathifi)

Need a large room to shine
Almost half price of the fyne speakers

lots of energy in the upper midrange lower tweeter from the smaller models = fatigue sound ?

View attachment 6528


My triangle titus are very soft in the highs with my amp, so if you don't want to much highs try a pair of Triangle Esprit Antal Ez

The fayne audio are cheaper than the wharfdale Evo 4.4.

There's a pair for 899 I'm looking at today.

Anyway thankyou for the information, I'm going today to demo them and a few others.

I'm taking my amp with me if course and have the added plus that the demo room I've used in the past is almost the same size as my bedroom/main listening room.

 

[Stuart83]

Had a thought earlier today. The KEF Q series. I’ve not heard them for a while but they’re big and great value, so if you like the sound…!

About a grand for the Q750, and there’s a bigger 950 too.

Thanks 👍

I did look but was initially put off with what I read especially with the driver array only containing one powered and the rest being ABR's (bass radiators).



But that said it's in the how they sound.

 

[nopiano]

Thanks 👍

I did look but was initially put off with what I read especially with the driver array only containing one powered and the rest being ABR's (bass radiators).



But that said it's in the how they sound.

Exactly. I think there’s actually a 6.5” driver with coaxial tweeter, plus a 6.5” bass only, plus two ABRs. So should shift a lot more air than a LS50 for example, though with an earlier generation driver assembly.

 

[gasolin]

The fayne audio are cheaper than the wharfdale Evo 4.4.

There's a pair for 899 I'm looking at today.

Anyway thankyou for the information, I'm going today to demo them and a few others.

I'm taking my amp with me if course and have the added plus that the demo room I've used in the past is almost the same size as my bedroom/main listening room.

Shure it's for 1 pair not 1 speaker

it's stil not fayne, it's fyne

 

[Stuart83]

Shure it's for 1 pair not 1 speaker

it's stil not fayne, it's fyne

I'm absolutely sure.
"it's (STIL) not fayne, it's fyne"

Still (correct spelling) thanks for pointing my spelling mistake 😂

The pitfalls of "predictive text" again respelling fyne to fayne.....

They are on offer at 899 or 1100 (the pair) at richer sounds where I'm going now but richer sounds are willing to price match.

It's another reason I like to deal with them over other sellers.
I'm not sure why anybody would want just one speaker 🤷

They matched the Marantz CD 60 for me when I brought it to their attention it was only recently repriced with peter Tyson.

There are two models looking similar, I'm assuming you perhaps mean the 502's.

The 501 I mention prior had almost the same launch price as the wharfdales although an older and launched in 2018.

But thank you for your effort in your reply I really do appreciate it

They have them ready now with a few others so I will photo them as "Din5" would like to know my impressions although I can only give my personal opinion with preferences.

 

[gasolin]

Even with a discount the price is 1550 pounds or 1330 euros for a pair

 

[Stuart83]

Even with a discount the price is 1550 pounds or 1330 euros for a pair

But it's not.
Suffice to say your seemingly misidentifying them for the "sp" version (I did not mention)

I'm on my way now to demo them so will further post a picture of them with price just for further clarification.

 

[gasolin]

Wouldn't buy any of them, the evos can have to much upper midrange,lower tweeter and the fyne F501 has to uneven highs, which i didn't like to much when i listened to the F302

 

[My2Cents]

Here's a wildcard:
A pair of these QSC's might be just the ticket for the Clash at high volume, no chance of blowing them up and enough clarity to hear spit bounce off the stage.
Yamaha DZR's are almost hi-fi quality too!

 

[Din5]

The Fyne F501's are an excellent buy at the moment, great airy clarity / detail with exceptional bass, high quality cabinets and attractive design. I auditioned them recently and liked them so much that I bought a pair !
Splendid speakers.

 

[gasolin]

The Fyne F501's are an excellent buy at the moment, great airy clarity / detail with exceptional bass, high quality cabinets and attractive design. I auditioned them recently and liked them so much that I bought a pair !
Splendid speakers.

Update your signature

Is it that system with the Fyne F501 ?

 

[Din5]

Yes... same system.

 

[Stuart83]

Fyne F501 (whathifi)
Require judicious system-matching
Sound best at reasonable volume

They should go deeper

fyne-audio-f500sp response in the highs
View attachment 6527
Wharfedale EVO 4.4 (whathifi)

Need a large room to shine
Almost half price of the fyne speakers

lots of energy in the upper midrange lower tweeter from the smaller models = fatigue sound ?

View attachment 6528


My triangle titus are very soft in the highs with my amp, so if you don't want to much highs try a pair of Triangle Esprit Antal Ez

Shure it's for 1 pair not 1 speaker

it's stil not fayne, it's fyne

Even with a discount the price is 1550 pounds or 1330 euros for a pair

But it's not.
Suffice to say your seemingly misidentifying them for the "sp" version (I did not mention)

I'm on my way now to demo them so will further post a picture of them with price just for further clarification.

Wouldn't buy any of them, the evos can have to much upper midrange,lower tweeter and the fyne F501 has to uneven highs, which i didn't like to much when i listened to the F302

Oh.......
Well the speakers are for me 😀

I wouldn't put too much on "estimated room response graphs"
Considering its been estimated and the law of averages dictates your room will be different entirely.

Or would I prejudge a model by hearing a different speaker all together.

I will stay with my ears.

I would though, make sure you spell things correctly with your replies when pointing out others mistakes and also identify speakers correctly first when forcing people to accept the wrong price qoute.

I have been to demo the said speakers and others as said and found neither to be as you assume.

I don't have time to post my findings yet as I'm in the morning rush but will later for those who are interested.

But again thanks for your help

 

[Din5]

Yes, please let us know how the speakers in your audition compared...

 

[Stuart83]

Well I managed to get to richer sounds and another and demo a few different speakers including the said Fyne audio 501 and wharfdale 4.4 Evo.
I even tried a few amps aswell😀

I used my Acram sa30 for reference and an Acram radia amongst a few others.
In the view of keeping to the thread topic I wont go further with my opinions on other amps to rule out bad partnering.

I can only give my personal opinion within my preferences.
As you know speakers are a very personal thing.
I use reviews and advice as a ballpark to separate the seed from the chaff first then demo the shortlist.

Everything is of course "IMO" so please do not take offence.
I find it easier to almost write a disclaimer first.
Everything is of course"to my ears" and I don't want to be writing IMO after every sentence.
(Plus I like you guys, I would not force my view nor willingly cause offence)

The wharfdales that interested me the most came first.
The first thing I noticed was the drivers seeming much smaller than advertised.

It seems they too now use the circumference of the driver surround to boast a larger size.
They are 4.74 inches ( about 5" including actual integral driver surround) the rest is a surrounding aesthetic fascia.
So not the 6.5" specified size.

Once music commenced after the guy in richer sounds after recommended the fyne audio over them that is 🤷‍♀️ I was totally surprised by a lack luster sound.

I thought it was actually a set up issue, that much I found myself checking everything quickly before adjusting the volume and source.

Sitting back again I just knew within a minute they weren't for me despite my head telling me
"Hey they won stuff and are wharfdales they must be good 😂"

There just wasn't any excitement or urgency in anything.
I didn't find them directional because of the AMT tweeter nor fatiguing as assumed by another poster, quite the opposite.

They were very laid back as one or two reviewer's picked up on.
Not in the type of manner best suited to a low volume listening more akin to my father's type of listening preferences but rather in itself lifeless.

I won't go on as I'm genuinely not wanting to cause offence with those who like them.
Suffice to say alongside the floor staff (the ones that like hifi) I found the best polysemous word for them in my opinion is "dull" 🤔 within my personal preferences.

Second came the Bowers & Wilkinson 603 S3

To stay away from the usual elongated marmite wax lyrical style we've all come to know from magazine reviews etc, which all use the same words in a different order via a lazy fashion of getting through an entire page before describing the actual attributes.

To use key words.
I found them very detailed, bass rich with much much clarity.
Something ever there that would appeal to nearly everyone, I found nothing really wrong with anything
If playing it safe an ideal speaker to have indeed.

They are what I've always expected from B&W's and that's an air of quality that's immediately apparent.
They were a much better sounding speaker than the aforementioned wharfdales but are a tad more expensive to boot.
I couldn't see them disappointing anyone but I always look for something to stand out rather than blend in so decided against.

Next the fyne audio f501

Within a minute of the lumineers "stubborn love" an innate smile spread from ear to ear.
The music felt alive with all vicerale excitement i could cope with.
It made me think how much im in love with the lumineers music.

The speakers had me "hearing" the music once again instead of just analysing the sound.
I found myself enjoying the same music tracks (in the interest of fairness) exponentially more.
😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁
Everything I personally like was there.
Intoxicating Power and drive, so engaging beyond the other two prior mentioned speakers.
They are a very commanding speaker.
I thought that was enough and my decision was made.

At this point I'd heard enough until I saw the fyne audio F502 were on offer.

In they rolled on a trolley dolly nearly 4ft of them with the spikes on.

I sat back and admired the imposing look as the squeaky wheels we all know from the supermarkets moved them into place.
Being a DJ I've had many huge and still have an older pair of Mackie's in the loft (where they can stay) that dont carry such a domineering look.

High power monitors/PA's aren't "usually" good for anything but loud.
They can be very flat.
(There's a few exceptions)
I've had many and never considered them to be as good as their hifi equivalent.

The fyne audio f502 speakers had me sat in awe so much so that I'd forgotten about the two pairs of stand mounts I'd heard prior all together

I still can't remember what they were 😂

The 502's are Absolute behemoth's.
They were very similar to the 501 with everything I liked so much and more.
So much more depth and attack.
A much fuller lower end bass out of the 8" drivers but in a very quick and controlled manner.

They reminded me of an older favourite pair of mission 763i's of yesteryear that were very bass rich.
Coincidentally I like them that much they languish in a cupboard awaiting repair.

Everything was so fresh sounding with exceptional dynamics irrespective of the small room size in comparison to the speakers.

The "small" demo room at richer sounds is almost the same width as my bedroom come listening room although not as long.

I liked the fyne audio 501 so much I thought they were not able to be bettered within my set parameters.

That little 501 floorstander is an absolute hoot.
A joy to listen to.

I Switched to the track that was the end for the mission mx3's thus causing this whole scenario, The clash "lost in the supermarket"

I dialed it up to 52 on the Arcam after being somewhat egged on by the richer sounds salesman which to people who've heard one will tell confirm is very loud and the absolute limit for some smaller speakers and sat back.

It seems Arcam didn't over state their wattage unlike the Roksan k3 it replaced.

My limbic system was flooded.
I felt genuine "frisson" as I do regularly when music is loud with a quality sound.

The hairs on the back of my neck were stood up on end.

Absolutely what I was looking for without comprise.
I assumed it not possible at this price to get so much.

I read the backstory to the relatively new fyne audio formation suffice to say it shows that alongside their time at tannoy being of heavy influence they have added their own (iso) flare pardon the pun.

I can't describe how good these speakers sound as you might not have the same preference in sound or be even near.

Someone's bright might be somewhat shrill to another.
Another's leaning to warmer sounding speakers could sound too rolled off to different listener.

I can say I liked the fyne audio 502 that much I purchased them.

In terms of speakers I demoed I've forgotten the two stand mounts heard.
I know I relegated them quickly not finding what I was looking for in either.

I also demoed a few other floorstanders and amps but don't want to bore you any further with my attempts to explain what I thought of some the speakers I've demoed.
Suffice to say it isn't a review I'm trying to put forth just a friendly impression of what I think personally.

I couldn't get to demo some of the suggestions made as they were either to far afield or not stocked at all with the vendors I am willing to purchase from.

My partner did take a few photos as I was to impressed with both the fyne audio 501 and 502 to think beyond what I was hearing

 

[Din5]

Thanks Stuart for the update on your audition, very interesting. I considered the Fyne 502's a couple of months ago, they are an absolute bargain at the moment but there's just no way my wife would allow them into our lounge. I only just managed to persuade her to allow the F501's . Anyway just enjoy them, I'm sure they will be superb . I'm mightily impressed with the smaller 501's, the sound signature is pretty unique to me.