Fyne Audio F701SP

The idea behind Fyne Audio's 'Special Production' models is simple yet so alluring.

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Standmount speakers

£6499

Take a well-performing standard product, in this case the excellent F701 standmounter, keep the basic cabinet but let the engineers loose on everything else with a view to maximising performance and improving cosmetics. Also, bump the price up accordingly; in the case of the F701SP, the difference between the two versions is around £1500.

The new Fyne F701SP features an upgraded driver array, the very same Isoflare assembly we so enjoyed with Fyne's high-end F1-8 (£7499). In the case of these standmounters, Isoflare positions a 25mm horn-loaded magnesium dome compression tweeter at the centre of a 20cm multi-fibre paper mid/bass cone. This arrangement offers all sorts of benefits over traditional separated drive-unit configurations, from more consistent dispersion characteristics to improved time alignment and integration. KEF has remained faithful to its similar Uni-Q arrangement for the same reasons.

That more manufacturers don't follow the coaxial driver approach probably comes down to cost, together with big challenges regarding mechanical, acoustic and magnetic interactions between the two drivers. The engineers at Fyne and KEF have worked hard over decades to minimise the negatives and each has made their take on the arrangement work extremely well. This isn't an easy thing for others to emulate. You can find out more about coaxial drivers on p46.

The mid/bass unit's surround has indents all the way around (called 'FyneFlute') to damp down any cone resonances more effectively, and the unit's low-frequency performance is tuned by the brand's 'BassTrax' system.