New Fritz Carbon 7 bookshelf speakers review!

I own a pair of the REV7 SE with the Illuminator textile (soft dome) tweeter. The one thing I would say about the Fritz to anyone that has never listened to a pair is that they present the music in a slightly different way than your average box bookshelf speaker. You will get a sound that is a little unique. Which I feel that no matter your budget if you can afford them they are wholeheartedly at least worthy of a demo. 

It is the midband or vocal area that has an ease & non-analytical clarity to it. At first listen it can almost be a little odd or startling. I had a dedicated room but now being home during the day & doing a lot of work in the living area I needed speakers for streaming in my functioning living room. Needing to be wife friendly I had gone thru the Lintons, R3 Metas, the newer Martin Logans & the Elac Vela's over maybe a 2 year period.

All decent mainstream speakers for a functioning living room set up but didn't give me what I wanted. The Fritz are on another level in the clarity & ease of sound that emits from them. Those others couldn't match the Fritz in bass detail & nuance either. The bass & all that is good but I think the lower half takes the back seat while the vocals are driving & on display. Rim shots, horns, cymbals just slightly will stand out. The drivers in these speakers are top shelf quality & are going to perform well. But it is that upper half of the frequency response that grabs your attention. It's open & wide. Notes & instruments can easily be perceived in layers & in space. You just want to grab it sometimes. Seriously. 

I don't find  them to be bright by definition. Doesn't sound tilted upward in its response. With certain equipment that midband area can appear very forward. If you are in a lively or very reflective room it could be too much depending on your tastes. Like with all speakers the set up & room matters. I did not first listen to them & think Oh that's bright..I have never thought that. The Fritz  are almost soft in some ways. But that vocal area is on heavy display & if you don't dig it I suppose it could become fatiguing in a way. I don't have that issue in my current set up & the center image is not overly forward at all. But I have experienced this with these speakers in the same room with different gear. 

They are extremely amp friendly. You can get away with lower powered class A or tube amps that can sweeten those mids & highs even more. Your upstream components matter more than the amp you choose. They are Fantastic at lower volume listening. One of the better I've heard at lower volumes..& mine are like 87db sensitive. 

They won't be everyone's cup of tea. You will either like the effect that Fritz's Series Crossover has on the driver's or probably hate it lol. I think it's that simple. If anyone is looking for a bookshelf I think they should try a pair. To at least experience them. They might not be to your preferences or liking but you will probably still be thinking to yourself,...Those were different. My opinion anyway of the REV7 SE. 

@mattw73 

Great commentary!

A few reactions from me.

they present the music in a slightly different way than your average box bookshelf speaker.

For me, this is the way the instantly disappear. For many recordings, there are no speakers. It's eerie.

It is the midband or vocal area that has an ease & non-analytical clarity to it. At first listen it can almost be a little odd or startling....Rim shots, horns, cymbals just slightly will stand out. The drivers in these speakers are top shelf quality & are going to perform well. ...Notes & instruments can easily be perceived in layers & in space....I don't find  them to be bright by definition....The Fritz  are almost soft in some ways. 

Perfectly said. Agree 100%

But that vocal area is on heavy display & if you don't dig it I suppose it could become fatiguing in a way. 

I've not experienced this.

They are extremely amp friendly. You can get away with lower powered class A or tube amps that can sweeten those mids & highs even more.

Very true.

You will either like the effect that Fritz's Series Crossover has on the driver's or probably hate it lol. 

Gently disagree. I don't find them unusual enough to be hated.

@hilde45 thanks for the reply. It gave me a chance to re-read what I wrote & now back pedal a little bit on what I said. 

What I described as maybe being fatiguing is me just guessing or thinking out loud. Direct thoughts on what someone else mentioned about being bright. Now I have experienced the sound being a little forward with certain set ups but still not bright or fatiguing personally. But then I got to thinking about that series crossover and how it just puts no restraint on the music. Maybe there is something about it that doesn't jive with others? I probably should have just chalked it up to that we all have different preferences & ears & not tried to make sense of other people's experience. 

I like that you mentioned how well they disappear. I struggle with how to describe or characterize audio equipment in general but when I mentioned how my speakers layer instruments & sounds in space it's because of their disappearing effect that the holographic aspect is so good. 

I personally think that they are very easy to live with & listen to. Component matching is easy as well. They are not picky as long as your source is of decent quality. Yet they still scale well as you build up or surround them with better components. I might have said you will either love them or hate them but what's to hate? That's the comment I want to back pedal on..that was kind of extreme on my part. 

@mattw73 I like your edits. We're pretty fully aligned. People say taste is subjective but when there is significant, detailed, justified agreement, even aesthetic tastes turn out to be pretty much clear: "These are objectively good speakers."