I am in the period of break-in of the Arche FR2 speakers - very interesting, but too early to offer judgement. A possible problem with the Audience as well as the Arche is that they are actually "overperforming". Or, put another way, they sound good on the desktop but much better placed on stands a bit out from the wall and so on, with more volume. This has been stated by reviewers of the FR2 and Robert Harley said the same in his TAS review of 1+1.
cf https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/audience-clairaudient-11-v2-loudspeaker
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I took one of the FR2 speakers down to my main listening/living room, connecting it to my Atma-sphere MA1 amp. No surprise - according to reviews - with a better amp, this speaker sounds even better. At first I was amazed, Here was this tiny speaker, on a chair between my big floorstanders - what was it doing, sounding this big?
After a while, listening with my wife, we became more accustomed to it, finding more faults, although remaining of the opinion that it sounded way out of its size, very good indeed, on that level. We found that the FR2 speaker had most of the characteristics it also displayed in my office system, driven by the Arche amp, though it sounded more fleshed out and smoother, driven by the MA1.
The sound profile of the speaker was mainly the same, with the MA1, as with the Arche D50A amp. That is - good recordings and low dynamic music sound very good with these speakers. Playing rock, my wife said, this is not as good (compared to acoustic and jazz).
Returning the FR2 speaker back to its position on the stand on my desktop, amplified by the Arche amp, my first reaction is, this amp is in fact quite well tuned to the speakers, and even if the speakers can sound big time in a large room and a big sound system, they are indeed more at home in the Arche desktop system.
More run-in is needed, and the Arche system challenges some of my preconceptions - but there is now no doubt that I will keep it. At first, I thought that it was all too bright and hard, but this is not so clear, now.
The FR2 speakers do sound better with the MA1 amps - no big surprise, but showing the speaker potential. The Arche D50A amp is not in the same class as the MA1 of course, but seems well matched with the speakers. It is harder, more solid-state, more flat - but not too bad.
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The Arche FR2 speakers now have some more playing time, and sound better, more mellow, less congested than in the beginning. At their best, they sound remarkably clear and coherent - just like I wanted, from single driver speakers. With suitable material, not so dense / high dynamic music, well recorded, they sound very good indeed, offering a huge listening space, even if I am sitting just a meter in front of them. Maybe it is not just the speakers, but me also, needing some play or break-in time. Getting used to Korean sound philosophy? They thrive on Lana del Rey, but not so much on Deep Purple. The speakers are still a bit light and bright, in the treble, but for what they do, they are very good indeed - and they can be filled in, by a small subwoofer. I have now got a low cost Fostex Submini2, which is very adjustable, and seems to do the job quite well, filling in - but not smearing - the image from the FR2 speakers. I tune the sub and speakers, streaming The Doors from Qobuz, music I know by heart. With the Submini, the speakers no longer sound lacking in terms of rock music.
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I compared to my wife’s Elac AM50 active desktop speakers, borrowing them to my own desktop. Conclusion: The Arche one-way FR2 speakers with a properly tuned sub (like a Fostex Submini2) are clearly superior in most respects. Especially, they sound more pure, less «mid-fi», than the two-way Elacs. My wife thought so too. I can give more detail, if anyone is interested.
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I have no interest in this, except as an audiophile - but if you want pure desktop sound, the Arche FR2 speakers are excellent. You will need a sub, but even a low-price Fostex Submini2 does fine. The speakers are "bright", cutting off at 100 hz, but this also means that sub integration is quite easy. And the brightness, which also sounded hard / harsh at first, is clearly reduced with the sub, plus more break-in time, maybe 60 hours now. A zero cost solution is a piece of cloth, or paper, in front of the drivers, to curb their over-eager treble. Maybe, with more break-in, not needed. The FR2 have amazing top end content, somewhat reduced by my temporary damping.
With these speakers, you can really tune in your listening - move them a little, and the soundscape changes. You can get the mono image in stereo recordings precisely tuned. OK, they are a little bit like over-bright LED lights, at least at first - compared to the speakers in my main system. But they do a good job, for the price, and offers a different "take" on the music.
Very much recommended - if you are willing to experiment and tweak a little. I get the best sound with the speakers on 18 cm stands on my desktop, with 10 cm or more to the wall. They need room to breathe. The pc screen in between is probably not a sonic bonus, but I can’t hear any clear detrimental effect.
I am now into experiments, small position changes. Only possible, with these "sharp" speakers. You know rightaway if their toe-in or distance from your ears is wrong. This is interesting not just at my desktop, but also, for my thinking regarding development of my main music system.
As you would imagine, with this "sharp" system, good recordings sound especially good. I am enjoying Prefab Sprout, from Qobuz. I have not heard it so good before - although I still prefer the vinyl records, in my main system.
Check out Swans, on Andromeda heights - crystal pure, on these speakers. Top sound for a penny.
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My impression so far, testing single driver desktop speakers:
If you want pleasant subdued background music at your desktop, look elsewhere.
If you want sound that grabs your attention, these single driver speakers are leaders of the pack.
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Ok there are problems with single driver speakers, but compare this new debate on speaker x-overs - quite a long list of problems...
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Sorry about the "look elsewhere" statement! Obviously a too broad generalization. And not even true for all the single driver speakers I have tried.
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The Arche FR2 speakers have now mellowed, with more break-in, and are perfectly capable of "pleasant subdued background music" as well as more in-depth listening experiences. I am impressed with these speakers. I am also grateful for the support from John at Arche, helping to fix a hum problem in the power supply.
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Thank you @soix and @russ69 - I will check out your suggestions!
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Again, thanks, to @dekay and @danager especially, with suggestions closer to what I ask for. The Arche seems like a single driver with a bit of bass port innovation, somewhat like in my current Sonys. The Decware tiny radials, and the Betsy, is up the same street, and the Decware betsy youtube clips sound good, though this speaker seems a bit big for desktop use. I am willing to consider two-way speakers also, of course. And I will try to check out all suggetions. Good performance with a low output tube amp is a plus. Few but "good" watts. For low level nearfield listening.
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@dekay - I contacted the Ebay Arche Fr2 seller, but got no answer. Maybe not operative? I wonder if anyone on Audiogon has tried the speakers. One thing that makes me hesitate, is that one of the reviewers wrote that they need quite a bit of volume/power to get going.
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Thanks to @mesch and others. I will try to check out all your good suggestions, that are obviously more informed than what you get googling "best desktop speakers" and the like. I may buy the FR2 plus their matching amp. Just to know how it sounds. Because their sound philosophy plus the reviews appeal to me. Maybe a total mistake. Time will tell.
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I have ordered the Arche audio desktop system, FR2 speakers plus amp. We’ll see. I am well aware that it will be a limited design but I am interested nevertheless.
For now, I want to notice the importance of stands and positioning, for desktop speakers. My active Sony speakers, that I hope the new system will outperform, would not have done half as good, if I had just placed them on the desktop. I have them on solid metal stands, so the driver is horisontal to my ears. Big improvement. If you can dampen your speakers from above, too, there may be one more improvement. I have tried this also with Audioengine speakers. In a bookshelf, they sounded bad, but with top damping (using books, "clamping" the speaker), it was somewhat better, and on stands, much better. Just my five cents free advice. Positioning and damping of speakers is important not just in the main rig but also at the desktop.
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yeti42 - interesting. Never heard the TD307. Is it sealed or with a bass port (like the FR2)? I note it has a 6,5 cm diameter driver, while the FR2 has 6,9 cm. I wonder if there is some optimal size for this type of single drivers, fit for desktops and small rooms. I saw some users of the Fostex Sub mini arguing that it sounds faster and cleaner than the bigger subs they used before (driver diameter is 11 cm as I measure it). I think there is a bit "give and take", but understand what they mean.
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I am testing the Arche speakers and amp with a Fostex Submini sub, at my desktop. Works quite well, and the speakers are mellowing, less hard and sharp now. I wonder if this front-firing sub sounds best - most in line with the speakers - , if it stands a bit in front of them, at the desktop. Good stands / feet, and room to breathe, also clearly improve the sound of the sub as well as the speakers.
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Case in point, listening to the Blow-up film soundtrack, Jane's theme. What more could I want.
I am going to shut my mouth, unless others chime in. I have no affiliations to Arche whatever, and can only report back, as one satisfied listener, happy to have taken this "non-conventional" road to a better desktop system. Especially, for me, this pinpoint single driver solid state system - quite different from the immersive tube system in my main living/listening room - helps me, deciding what LPs to buy, to be played in my main listening room. What was at first "too sharp" has become "detailed".
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Thanks, i will check the Eve, if I get the chance. This seems to be a conventional treble + woofer driver though. That these can do the job very good is no news to me. Listening e g to Aurum Cantus, Elac, and others. Yet my special interest, as stated, is in single driver speakers.
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I am enjoying the Arche system, and find it very good for home office listening and researching new music. My main system is full of tubes and have ’enveloping’ sound, while this one is s-state and pinpoint/single driver. Interesting contrast. If you order from them, make sure the hz setting of the linear power supply is correct for the voltage.
I know that the Arche speakers will sound even better with an OTL tube amp, like I have in my main system. But there is a point to using a s-state "standard" amp. This is what the music was produced with, etc. So in my case, the Arche advice - which I found in an obscure hifi review by a guy who liked single driver speakers - was correct. There is something special by just using single driver speakers, with their coherence and clarity, and then, adjusting a little front-firing sub precisely on your desktop, so it is coherent and basically ’disappears’ - the sound seems to be coming from the speakers only. With the sub, this is a in reality a two-driver speaker system, but user adjustable, for a low cost. Works for me.
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I have bought a new DAC for my office system - Topping E30ii, for ca 150 usd, here Norway. First impression - quite amazing, for this low cost. Much better than the older low cost DACs I used before (Steinberg Ur22, Zoom H6, Fiio x3ii etc). The Arche system clearly shows the difference - a better source means it performs better.
Over the last months, I have stopped worrying that the Arche speakers sound "bright". They have mellowed. But they remain very precise. The better the digital resolution - all else equal, the same recording, production etc - the better they sound. When they sound harsh, its mainly in the recording and the lower file format /resolution. CD format files usually sound more hard and flat. Allthough in some cases the CD mastering outperforms the rest. Both formats sound good with the Topping e30ii, but the step up is clear with the higher formats especially.
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