In case there are still folks wondering whether this company is legitimate, I created an AVSForum thread to document the Fleetwood Sound Co., its speakers, reviews and YouTube posts -
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Thought I’d share some details on this thread…though maybe I should’ve created a new one…?? Anyhoot, I took a leap and went and grabbed the SQ version. Sharing my experience for those who are interested. Deville SQ There have been a couple of reviews done with the SQs already, both on YouTube and Stereophile, but I wanted to share a normal ole bloke’s experience with them. Right off the back this speaker walks the listener down the path of it being closer to a truth speaker. But I wouldn’t call it a truth or neutral speaker. It definitely lends to itself more ‘hifi’ sounding than the standard versions.
Whats different now? Check the site or the videos, all I can say, if you really thought these were conversation starters, then the SQ just steps it up in color tones…so it becomes visually striking and adept. I chose the dyed color and not the roasted option. None of the natural wood finish is exposed where as the standard, you have more of the natural wood options lest the body is black (not worth mentioning the other color options since I owned the standard black). You can argue and say my colorway takes away from the reason to adore the look of natural woods in your home…but it matches my decor more…to each their own, its all personal anyway.
Sonics: (the good parts, eh? ….where everyone gets bent out of shape? :)) Topend The Standard Deville had this noticeable slight rolloff at 16k or a steeper one at 18k - give or take. God bless you if you can hear this, some people think I’m crazy lol! The SQ has more of a flatter response from 16k and beyond. There is information up here folks, and in some ways, can give the illusion to an extended ‘open-ness’ with the sparkle or the airiness of an instrument(s). In music, your brain will process together the topend with the frequencies just below it and you achieve this sense of top end extension and naturalness. I cant get over the fact when folks say they they dont want a detailed speaker - that it translates to a brighter sounding speaker. Well not if those freqs are flat and well controlled. What you’re hearing on brighter sounding speakers are a boost or untamed FR. *face palm* Dont be afraid of the details :)
The upper range sounds more open and airy. It’s difficult to EQ for this characteristic, I speculate (will be doing this a lot) that this translates to the silver wire they are using…I also notice a greater sense of holographic-ness in the sound stage - again, silver wire influencing it…? Maybe not the only factor….
The decay….Ohhhh the decay! - I absolutely adore this sonic characteristic…! One thing that is so memorable are the edges of instruments sound more delicate and softer. They remind me of very good Be drivers but without the distortion at high levels. Without knowing all the change in parts, this also might attribute to the upgraded crossover delivering the upgraded sound quality in this department. I also suspect an adjustment in the crossover points - see speculation below.
The mids and the midrange: (this might get a little technical) Compared to the Standard, I sense a ‘clean up’ in the region from 500hz to 1.6k. My ears are sensitive to the nastiness that can happen around 1k. When this is troubled, then 500hz-800hz can also sound cloudy almost muddy in my opinion. Vocals start to sound too forward and shouty. Second order harmonics can become a tad overwhelming.
If I were to describe the sonic differences through a tangible example, I would explain it as if I were using a PEQ…I’d visualize that the XO points are tuned differently (from the Standard Deville). The difference could be in the HP of the horn and the LP of the woofer. They either adjusted this by using a shallower slope, for example -6db to -12db at both f(0)’s. Or…they adjusted the f(0)’s to play a lesser range…? Lets say for example, the horn would play 2k-20k on the Standard Devilles with a -6db slope on the HP, now the SQ would be at 3.2K-20k. So essentially you have the drivers playing less of the spectrum but at the same time, finding a better coherent balance between the two drivers. The same adjustment would apply to the woofer - affecting its performance cause it does have to not work as hard, so energy is ‘better’ spent on the lower mids from 63hz to 125hz. When this region plays cleaner, your male voices from 400hz-800hz sound GREAT and realistic! (250hz is tamed, no muddiness here). And then your vocals start to open up and sound more isolated, clear and prominent, hearing more lips smack and the tiny breaths in between. But also with the mids playing less of the spectrum, the bass sounds more articulate, denser and are now floating in space between those speakers, more so than ever before…you get to hear the depth and placement of the instruments playing in this region. Hearing a more profound initial bass attack up to 4K and resonating at 100hz is an eye racing experience!
That said, another speculative point, the woofer now plays more in-tune with the solid wood enclosure which is why its noted to have a certain tonal quality? I can attest to the bass notes really sounding lit up in space and not trapped in a box.
I also think there is a pull or cut at around 1k, cause now you have voices and instruments sounding like they extend further back into the stage adding to that creepy but crazy cool holographic-ness. A vocalist still is up close but there is this depth to how far the illusion appears. One would have to be careful cutting too much in this region with a wide Q or else it’ll sound like a huge hole in the reproduction. The SQs do this really beautifully without sacrificing much…
This step up in speaker seems to be playing at ‘friendlier’ frequencies so now you get this (more) obvious sense of ease as you listen to music. And this is what translates into a (more) calming experience but can easily excite you without the annoying eye blink during powerful and dynamic material. Bring it all together and you’re connecting to the music; this takes me beyond foot tapping…I’m air drumming or playing an invisible guitar/violin/piano, to body swaying with performers whom magically appear in the room with an intimate performance. (Dare I say tearing up, goosebumping and singing/acting along? Hey I listen to musicals! Okay I’ll dial the BS meter down a notch - NOT!)
This isnt something new or magical thats happening here. The DIY crowd, folks have been doing this for ages…the quality of the XO makes that much of a difference…subtle enough but so much there to appreciate! And thats where I could say the SQs has that extra pep in its step, notch up the “je ne sais quoi” touch from the standard ones. There is a YT channel that takes in speakers and upgrades the xo and internal treatments. This is exactly what is happening here (with the exception of the solid wood body)…the DIY crowd has been sourcing top parts since the beginning. Those amp and sound guys have been doing speaker builds for quite some time. Ojas also has some kit speakers that are probably worth opening up and playing with the XO. Hmm don’t give me ideas I just bought the SQs!!
So is there anything you dont want in the SQs? Well, thats tricky, I referenced at the beginning, it lends itself to sounding more hifi. It means, more detail, and it might, just might mean more annoying frequencies that bother some folks. Also, when its hifi sounding, maybe your preferred music/genres (say like symphonic) may not sound so immediate. I’ve played my usual genres (just about everything under the sun) through the SQs and to me, it all sounds gorgeous. I did get a little tickle on the higher frequencies I’ll be honest there….! So ymmv.
There is something to say here about what this company is doing and why they are so proud. They have a focus and are on a mission to share a formula on what it takes to reproduce good sound but also deliver in a non-me-too (whimsical) design. They take pride in the materials they use, are passionate in the manufacturing process, and stand tall in the labor and abilities to making a domestic product. The design….? Well thats very subjective, but I like it…its not even just the design but the overall function of the speaker/stand combination. The lack of it being a 100lb + monster makes it so practical to move them into a session for critical listening, and then just as easily tucked away so the missus won’t have a cow. The price? All subjective and relative right? :). The standard version is still crazy good. If I were to speak more nonsense and in fictitious percentages, I would say the SQs are that last 11%-17.5%, (until you get to the next class performer) depending on how resolving your system might be. I’ll say this, maybe I spent ‘enough’ for me to realize I reached my end speaker…a fool and his money? But this is a damn good one for me.
One thing to note - Synergy. I have to mention my 51R is a wonderful match for the Devilles. It never gets in the way of the music no matter how loud I turn it up. It has a fluid, lit up, see-through-the-window characteristic, along with what was mentioned in another (23R) review…when music elements come at the listener and then recoil back into the stage in a very controlled fashion. This creates such an engaging experience. Keeping my Deville SQs, if my 51R ever takes a dump, I would grab the 23R in a heartbeat. Current system details: Deville SQ Bakoon AMP 51R (can’t stress enough how good these amps are…!! YMMV) Dual REL Carbon Special (no longer in use…could be on the chopping block!) Lumin X1 (Nothing too special on cabling at the time of this writing) |
Congratulations @low325
Now I’m jealous. Love my standard Deville but would love to have the SQ version. Please keep your updates coming. Thank you. |
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