Quad S2 : Fyne Audio F500: RP600M Speaker Shootout

Time to give everyone my impression of the speakers recommended by my viewers! I know there were some other speakers some of you guys wanted me to buy, but studying the specs, these two new speakers looked like the best choice to replace my trusted RP600Ms.
This is wholly subjective but in my honest opinion, there is a clear winner!
More speakers are on the way for a future review.
The Quad S2 is on closeout at music direct for $795. I have no affiliation with them, just supplying a link for my viewers.
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[@raeelliott8880]

The ultimate tool for testing speakers are our ears! And all ears are callibrated a little different, not absolutely even between left and right. I love your no nonsense approach. No hype no gimmick, just plain honesty. And that is good enough for me!

[@supercompooper]

I find that in addition to ears, like you say, foot rubs work as well as a nice tea with some rum in it. Also very helpful are certain funguses and warm blankets and neck massages while you listen. These are the tools one must master to become a professional speaker reviewer. 😊

[@SuperMcgenius]

I love how involve your audience in your growing experience with different products, designs and philosophies. Instead of telling people what to think you are sharing, and you never come from an arrogant point of view, that’s a bit of a superpower, and I respect it. I have a deep background and many of these things and I’m always still a student after 63 years.

[@SkunkieDesignsElectronics]

I'm definitely still learning, almost daily!

[@quma001]

I'm using REW with an affordable measurement microphone and it really helped with positioning my speakers. I got rid of a peak at about 55 hz by moving the speakers step by step into the room. At one point it didn't get any better, which was about 3 feet from the wall. It's a fun and cheap way to get better sound quality and learning to understand what's happening in the room.

[@robinkleinsteuber5217]

The Quad's are a wonderful choice. In fact, all the Quad speakers I've heard so far through the years have been a truly nice listening experience. BTW, your listening descriptions were fine! Transparency is a very good descriptive word for the Quads. Happy listening! 😊👍🎶🎶🎶

[@WeeWeeJumbo]

i never realized the RP-600s were so big! on seeing these three, i immediately guessed you’d favor the Quads. last year i bought my first pair of ribbon equipped speakers, and they made me a convert. i’d never heard the like before. every music hobbyist needs to listen to ribbons at least once

[@Luckiestmanalive-bb1mi]

I love that you've found the pair of speakers that work best for you and your space! I love the excitement you get from music when you find a step up in sound quality!

[@mddawson1]

When you do the Klipsch crossover upgrade, you should only upgrade one for a short test period using some good mono recordings to compare the differences.

[@louiesipes2257]

I think you’re hearing the lack of “smear” in the upper freq’s. The Fyne uses a 1st order crossover on the tweeter. I’ve fooled around with DIY speakers for 40 years. It’s only been when I threw the computer out the window and went back to researching 1st order crossovers. Mainly because of a cryptic comment I got from Peter Lederman about them. Quad doesn’t say what they use, but looking at the Stereophile test, it’s not conventional 2nd order. Speakers are a lot like circuits, measurements don’t tell all the tail. Good descriptions of the sounds you heard.

[@SkunkieDesignsElectronics]

I am willing to bet putting too much stuff in the signal path might make the measure good, but the magic disappears.

[@steveparks9196]

Don't forget the importance of ribbon tweeter.

[@yellow_noise3]

I completely agree. Simplicity in the crossover is the key. But. It require well designed speakers. Without breakup and or resonance in the band you tailor it to. If speaker is good, using 1st order is disturbing the sound less than 2nd or 3rd order of course. It is not only storing energy in caps or inductors, it is about phase shift which is equation of many variables. To some extent managable but never ideal...

[@SkunkieDesignsElectronics]

Like most things in audio, there are so many different things going on at the same time!

[@louiesipes2257]

@@yellow_noise3 SB Acoustics are what I used when I first tried again. Low Le and very reasonably priced. You might be interested in an abandoned patent I found. Search Ian Howard Knight crossover….you’ll find it.

[@riccitone]

I had the quad S2’s and they were pretty wonderful- once you dialed them into the room. Your impressions are dead on. Hit way above their price level. I just needed to move to sealed speakers to make my small space work better as a listening room. My only issue with them was that they needed more room than other speakers to get the right coherency relative to the ribbons’ dispersion. Can’t get too close to the S2 🙏🏼

[@SkunkieDesignsElectronics]

Yeah, I would NOT use these as desktop speakers! Don't let their small size fool you into thinking they are nearfield speakers.

[@stevenford4719]

I am Really looking forward to Seeing you do some crossovers. Of your own design that the rest of us can try with speakers that have matching specs to the speakers that you have their .

[@jamestartaglia7686]

Your channel is rocking !!! This is getting great 👍

[@adamfrandsen]

So awesome, those Quad speakers are truly magnificent. The Decware speakers you ordered look really sophisticated, looking forward to hearing how you find their sound.

[@beslemeto]

I was not quite impressed with them! My Epos ES14 are simply destroying them in any way!

[@adamfrandsen]

@@beslemeto The Decware?

[@beslemeto]

@@adamfrandsen No the Quad S2.

[@adamfrandsen]

@@beslemeto I have not heard the Epos ES14, maybe they are wonderful - they seem to be very hard to find. I see used ones in poor condition. With an original retail price of 4200 euro for the newer N model, you can buy many pairs of the Quads for the same price. But still, the Epos simply destroy them? I highly doubt it… Not much does in terms of size to be honest, at least amongst the speakers I have listened to.

[@nc3419]

@@beslemeto Didn't care for those either. Fun with movies. Not with music. Took the life out of music. Could be I don't like Kevlar.

[@frankgeeraerts6243]

Beyond measuring .........indeed and well said !

[@thelowprofile9767]

Your topics get me interested and anticipate the next videos everytime. Keep doing what you're doing.

[@steveparks9196]

Wow! Well Said, your discription of the differences in the sound of these spearkers is spot on. I also watched PS Audio's "sound of tweeters". You and Paul are singing in the same choir. Thank you!

[@petermartin6919]

I've got the Quads with the Audio lab 6000a + CDT, they sound great.

[@joenovak6393]

Cannot wait for the Decware DM945 review. I have a pair of Decware/Lii Song Zen Master ZF-15L Open Baffle that I will be hooking up as the Demo was at another level.

[@ronchambers3713]

Excellent review/explanation I have Fyne f502sp speakers and am pretty happy with them, I dont have a Quad dealer near me but I aspire to hearing the quad amps and speakers one day

[@mddawson1]

I may have mentioned this in the past but if you come across a cheap working pair of the original NHT SuperZero speakers (c1995), you should give them a go. There is nothing really special about their design although they do have a very solid cabinet and are intended to be used with a subwoofer. It could be this fact that allowed the designers to optimise the mids and highs which is why they sound so good.

[@charlesnr]

Well described . Music Direct's Mobile Fidelity distribution is the importer for the Quad speakers.

[@jacobpaternostro9109]

A British Audiophile (Tarun) reviewed the Quad Revelas and liked them a lot.

[@user-mk5mt3fg8m]

Thanks for an objective review on a subjective matter. In other words, your opinion is what counts to us.

[@terryhu57]

I have the quad too. I have it with my Vincent SV 500 amplifier and a REL t/5 sub. I doubt it gets better for a mid room set up. I agree with you wholeheartedly.

[@thepracticalaudiophile]

I did the gr-research upgrade on my klipsch rp8000f's, and it sounded way more detailed around the 2k mark. Air core inductors are just better.

[@RennieAsh]

It's also due to the frequency response changes..

[@EskWIRED]

I am very excited to watch the videos you will make as you change the components in the crossover of the RP 600. I am very curious as to the things that you will notice.

[@rodduncan1183]

I thought I might throw another part to the equation. The leads to the speakers can also add another dimension to your listening experience A friend of mine had the original Quad amp setup, it totally blew my picture that a group of little boxes could produce such incredible sound. Kiwi Rod

[@SkunkieDesignsElectronics]

I plan to talk about my speaker cable experience soon.

[@cured808]

Upgrade the crossover on the Klipsch. I put Auricap XO in my RP5000f and it was a nice change. Then I tried Jantzen Z and it was like a whole different speaker. I just got some Omegas and while good/different, they didn't put the Klipsch to shame.

[@SkunkieDesignsElectronics]

I've tried several other speakers in the under $2000 price point, none sounded like these Quad S2. I do plan to upgrade the crossovers, worth spending $150ish to see what it does.

[@louiesipes2257]

Oh, I’ve had the Sierra NRt version, be interested in what your ears hear😊

[@robertpollak6572]

Three different types of speakers will sound different. When you upgrade the horn based Rp 600s, maybe consider the sheets of No-Rez and a set of Tube connectors. The co-ax the emt tweeters, as well as the horns, are almost always going to have their own sound characteristics. Yes, you should be hearing a difference. And it seems like you're hearing the differences that are generally common to hear. Your ears seem to be right on track.

[@SkunkieDesignsElectronics]

I agree, but also disagree. Those Swan DIY 2.1 speakers I build with the soft dome tweeters sound very similar to the RP600M, yet are a very different "type" of speaker.

[@michaelwright1602]

Never heard of these Quads... And a great price too! Great find! And agree on the bay window, I have sheers on mine, they do have a positive effect on the music. And agree with your photography analogy, spot on. And you need to try a pair of Zu's... No crossover and measure all over the map... But they sound so good with tubes. ;-)

[@SkunkieDesignsElectronics]

Sadly I know they are just way too large for my space. Maybe in the future Zu will make some smaller speakers.

[@bartvanransbeeck1341]

Nice approach of testing❤

[@middleearthltd]

I enjoy your speaker reviews especially because of your reference point being your speakers and how they sound to you Looking forward to your continuing speaker evaluations Now that I am fully tube based thanks to you I am building speakers with high sensitivity, 90 plus, full-range speakers and live cabinets per Real World Audio inspiration I really have become a devotee of what Real World Audio KZbin channel is up to

[@318ishonk]

Interesting review, thanks for sharing! For choir recordings I recommend the album "Light Eternal". On some speakers you hear weaknesses in resolving the singers from each other, on some you even hear nasty resonances (IMD) when multiple Soprano singer's voices overlap.

[@SkunkieDesignsElectronics]

I'll check it out! Found a sealed copy for $6 on Ebay :)

[@michaeldina1103]

You did your homework with trying out these speakers. 👍🏻 for the ascend acoustics and decware. Really look forward to your findings with them. Edit: Wanted to see if you had heard of Philharmonic. That’s another speaker company that’s kinda obscure but seems very special.

[@SkunkieDesignsElectronics]

Sadly they are all 4 ohm.

[@michaeldina1103]

@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics Ah! Too much of a power hog for tubes.

[@RennieAsh]

Some of hearing more high frequency detail can be attributed to having a more narrow directivity. There is less smearing, because you are not getting so many early reflections.

[@traceysheneman8652]

Iron core inductors typically show lower dc resistance (dcr) compared to air core inductors of the same inductance. A lower dcr is preferred to preserve damping factor (low amplifier output impedance). At high power levels with bass content, an iron core coil will saturate, with increased levels of distortion. But, high quality laminated steel or toroidal inductors can handle very high levels of power. A general rule of thumb is: Use air core coils for tweeters, iron core for woofers.

[@SkunkieDesignsElectronics]

The cheap iron core inductors use small gauge wire and have the same or higher DCR that a large gauge wire air core one. Most of the time it's about $$$ to hit a price point.

[@traceysheneman8652]

@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics Definitely. 👍

[@tothemax324]

What I like about a good ribbon tweeter they don't have a 'sound' the clarity is natural.

[@1mctous]

$100K could buy 1 Klippel speaker measuring system or 2 Ron Brenay sound sheds. Since Ron's highly treated room can also produce good measurements, he got the better deal. That said, I still trust Erin's subjective judgment.

[@EskWIRED]

I think that what you are hearing and describing is the decay structure of each note.

[@alwilliams5177]

As a custom color lab tech at a large photo store (Showcase), I got to see different glass. While there are a lot of factors, the bokeh is where you really appreciate the extra $.

[@SkunkieDesignsElectronics]

Yep and that's not something people measure. Especially things like the focus transition next to the focus plane. That's where glass like the Nikon 58mm f1.4G shines, but in testing doesn't measure well. And if this was Showcase in ATL, I used to go there all the time :)

[@alwilliams5177]

@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics I thought you must have. It was an amazing place to work for anyone serious about photography. I got to print form some pretty amazing negatives.

[@alwilliams5177]

@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics my favorite lens is definitely my 135mm f/5.6 Nikkor. 😎

[@SkunkieDesignsElectronics]

Now I hang out at Wings Camera :)

[@junkmangeorge6363]

I'm not trying to rain on any parades here, and it is highly unlikely I will ever be spending in excess of $1000 for 2 speakers, but while we are not doing much of anything, watching U-tube, this is worth a look. I just checked out a review on the KLIPSCH OJAS KO-R1. $8500 worth of self indulgence.

[@SkunkieDesignsElectronics]

These S2 are on sale for under $800 :) But yeah, I can't see spending $8500 on speakers anytime soon.

[@galactusgalan4233]

Great review! Were you using your low powered tube amps with the Fyne F500? That’s great to hear if the F500 run with low powered tubes. Thx!

[@SkunkieDesignsElectronics]

Yes I am!

[@thomasfi1275]

Are you able to listen to the Willsenton amps with these new speakers? Great stuff as always.

[@SkunkieDesignsElectronics]

That's next, I have some new tubes to try in the R8. Also need to swap in the ISO tranformers!

[@matytinman]

I suppose the bay window is double glazed so it must be much less problematic than the old single glazed ones.

[@Keith-ux9ku]

Loving my Fyne Audio F500. Klipsch are fatiguing for me.

[@SkunkieDesignsElectronics]

The F500 are VERY nice sounding speakers!

[@paulgood2218]

I think A Waterfall graph showing the decay and ringing . Would show the difference in what your hearing

[@rickg8015]

Stereophile published them for Quad S2 ribbon tweeters.. They have a very clean response.

[@RennieAsh]

It could be early reflections from the room; depends on treatment. Wide dispersion like the Quad ribbon will have more reflected sound even if the tweeter itself is clean. If the room is suitably treated however, there may be less differences in regard of clarity

[@ohyesitsme]

An interesting comparison. When it all comes down to which speakers I think measurements are not the criteria for making a decision it's all about how they sound in your listening room. Question: would the Quad S2 work well in a 16ft x 10ft room with an 8W tube amp.

[@SkunkieDesignsElectronics]

They are sensitive to positioning and it woiuld depend on the SPL you are wanting, but they should. The Sq Ft of my room is similar.

[@williammeincke9071]

Ribbon and amts are known for having worse vertical off axis response. Iron core is definitely known for sounding worse unless its for a woofer playing only up to 100hz or so.

[@alwilliams5177]

I had mentioned PSB and never got back to you. I have Alpha PS3's which crap out at about 53Hz. People still ask if I'm using a sub. I listened to Henry Kloss Baby Advents for 20 years. Someday I would love to hear a pair of Pasif 50's ... especially bi amped with monoblocks. I couldn't really find any PSB's for your criteria. Too little bass and too little impedence.

[@lysippus]

are you going to do any DIY soon? there hasn't been many "designs" lately

[@SkunkieDesignsElectronics]

Yeah, sorry I haven't been doing enough work for the channel lately... Maybe I can clone myself?

[@lysippus]

@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics maybe you could say "skunkie reviews electronics'. lol

[@SkunkieDesignsElectronics]

Just be patient! I'm working on those 6C33C amps today :)

[@ywsx6489]

12:55 I don't think it is beyond measurements. Many frequency response of speakers have heavy smoothing applied ( 1/3 octave or more ). the claim is that smoothing removes artifacts and those narrow dips and peaks are not heard by our ears. i think it is used to hide flaws which we can actually hear.

[@SkunkieDesignsElectronics]

Now that makes sense, and possibly what sounds good to out ears won't look good on a graph? Also testing using a single frequency at a time isn't the same as how something reproduces multiple frequencies at the same time.

[@futtejustesen6723]

perfect speakers for your valveamps.....try old B&O speakers from start 1968 - 1975 that is all about musik, Biiig warm airy vibrating liquid sound then you can skib all that talk about little there and litle there and micro ditail there.....just lean back with a big smile and enjoy

[@JeyDeeSweden]

Subjective speaker compairsons is interesting. But i have come to the conclusion that for me, the by far most important aspect of them all is: How musical is the end result? No toetapping? Thats the definition of a completely worthless music playback system in my opinion. 😊

[@zombielandiii2711]

Nice take !

[@SkunkieDesignsElectronics]

100%, what I call the smile factor.

[@roa5359]

Got to say to these eyes the Fyne’s are really ugly. The Quads look amazing. P J Comeau of IAG has decades of speaker design experience and some have become iconic. He knows his craft and with the might of the Audio Group behind him they can do things at prices other smaller boutique brands can only dream of. Everything manufactured in house too. I had Quad 11L Classics for a long time and loved them in different systems and rooms. Anyway, great impressions thank you.

[@toddhupp]

perhaps it is the amt tweeter.

[@erwinvangrinsven9345]

It is a ribbon tweeter, not amt.

[@SkunkieDesignsElectronics]

Yeah they advertise it as a "True ribbon".

[@rodduncan1183]

Is your listing room cluttered ????? LOL Kiwi Rod

[@SkunkieDesignsElectronics]

My whole HOUSE is cluttered!

[@rodduncan1183]

@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics Their's me using my psychotic ability

[@StrangeBrewReviews]

you really need to hear the details in the midrange of tekton speakers with the midrange tweeter array, See if Erik at Tekton will let you demo a pair of Dynamite Monitors....I know what your getting at, There is so much missing in the midrange details and dynamics in virtually all speakers especially these small 2 ways.....You won't believe how tektons sound, the separation and details is astounding . You literally won't believe what your hearing and that you've missed it all these years.

[@SkunkieDesignsElectronics]

I have heard his speakers, they didn't sound anything like these Quad S2. And honestly, I don't care how good his speakers are, he is a jerk and I don't want to have anything to do with him. If I don't give his speakers "The best ever" glowing recommendation, he will demand I take down the video and will threaten legal action.

[@StrangeBrewReviews]

@SkunkieDesignsElectronics AMT and ribbon tweeters offer their own magic on the top that nothing can touch. They only lack vertical off axis. But in near and midfield they are unreal in detail...look at elac carina also.

[@jimfarrell4635]

​@@SkunkieDesignsElectronicsQuite right. That man's behaviour is disgraceful and he is entirely unrepentant. Also his speakers look home made, and not in the artisan sense.

[@SkunkieDesignsElectronics]

That was what shocked me: his "response video" and the ugly disdain towards someone as honest/Kind as Erin is.

[@matytinman]

August 25, 2020 Tharbamar: Quad S2 or Wharfedale Evo 4.2 Speakers? [4K video/AAC 192kbps] kzbin.info/www/bejne/n3LPp6GjmLydhq8

[@rodduncan1183]

THAT IS GOING TO BE A REALLY REALLY CAN OF WORMS 🪱 LOL Some call it snake oil, a friend of mine lifted his speakers cables about 6" of the concrete floor of his listening room & it made quite a difference. Kiwi Rod