Why can some speakers disappear so effortlessly? (Fritz's Carbon 7 SE Mk 2)

I own a pair of Fritz...different model (REV7 SE). No argument with their basic bookshelf box shape but they look nice in person. My baffle measures a hair under 2 inches & she is solid..lined with no-rez as well. 

Yeah, they may be "standard" ScanSpeak drivers but still better than what some other companies use as their proprietary drivers.. of equally & more expensive priced speakers. 

But in the end it's the crossover design, driver capabilities, & enclosure all together  that makes the Fritz different than other bookshelves. And there is a difference. When it comes to crossover design he has found a formula that works well. The speakers will sound great with any amp of decent quality. Any topology, low power, high power, class D to Tubes. That is my personal experience anyway. Great dispersion laterally & vertically. And yes.. they disappear well. The one characteristic or subjective perception I have that is hard to explain but easy to identify vs many other bookshelves is the ease & effortless sound. Maybe that seems like a corny thing to say but there is just something different going on. Whatever it is I personally dig it. 

So while maybe there is some legitimate argument over enclosure & price of drivers the end result gets no argument from me. No criticisms. We all have personal preferences in sound & performance so I'm sure they aren't for everyone. I do think you could do a lot worse for the money though. 

For a lot of us the subjective visual or soundstage perceptions of a speaker is a big deal. For me it's the best part of putting an audio system together. I think the Fritz do a good job of this. 

@mattw73 

Exactly.

But in the end it’s the crossover design, driver capabilities, & enclosure all together  that makes the Fritz different than other bookshelves. And there is a difference. When it comes to crossover design he has found a formula that works well. The speakers will sound great with any amp of decent quality. Any topology, low power, high power, class D to Tubes....Great dispersion laterally & vertically. And yes...they disappear well. 

And especially this:

The one characteristic or subjective perception I have that is hard to explain but easy to identify vs many other bookshelves is the ease & effortless sound. Maybe that seems like a corny thing to say but there is just something different going on. Whatever it is I personally dig it. 

@deep_333

I’ve tried cheap speakers. They are light years away from the Fritz. Parts matter, designs matter -- but everyone has their taste. I like Wagyu beef whereas you might like Walmart ground beef -- but if you say you can’t tell the difference, who am I to disagree? 

And note, I didn’t just say that *all* the speaker does is disappear; it’s also the glorious sound. 

As for the Fritz looking "so homedepot/menards/ace hardware" -- in that case, I also don’t have your taste. I’ve had three different versions of the Fritz in my home. They all exhibit a level of finish that I consider excellent and commensurate with the price. I don’t need bells and whistles on my equipment -- I prefer most of the $$ to be put into design. But again --- to each his own. If there’s a pretty $300 speaker out there for someone who loves it, well, they should make themselves happy.

@scotandholly 

My experience is with Merlin TSM’s, Trenner and Friedl Art’s and a couple of ACI’s back in the day. They all throw a huge soundstage that defied their size.

Totally cool! I’ve heard great things about those speakers and glad to know they do that for you! Thanks for sharing.

You see this? My spouse has a pair of these in her office these days. It sounds immaculate

https://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio_visual/speaker_systems/ns-600a/index.html

This is a legit honestly priced 3000 dollar pair of bookshelf speakers. In-house drivers dev'd fab'd from scratch..lots of money spent in engineering, tooling, etc.. comes with their exquisite finish.

Buying drivers from whoosit, throwing it in a very basic homedepot box, the price just doesn't add up in my books.

The grumpy Utah guy also got his drivers from whoosit and threw them in a basic homedepot box, but, atleast he got his pricing right at $300..made it a cheap garage cutie, bwaahaha

I am not questioning how your Fritz sounds,...but, the pricing has to be relatively honest.....RELATIVELY ( mas o menos) honest.

@hilde45 wrote

@deep_333

I’ve tried cheap speakers. They are light years away from the Fritz. Parts matter, designs matter -- but everyone has their taste. I like Wagyu beef whereas you might like Walmart ground beef -- but if you say you can’t tell the difference, who am I to disagree? 

And note, I didn’t just say that *all* the speaker does is disappear; it’s also the glorious sound. 

As for the Fritz looking "so homedepot/menards/ace hardware" -- in that case, I also don’t have your taste. I’ve had three different versions of the Fritz in my home. They all exhibit a level of finish that I consider excellent and commensurate with the price. I don’t need bells and whistles on my equipment -- I prefer most of the $$ to be put into design. But again --- to each his own. If there’s a pretty $300 speaker out there for someone who loves it, well, they should make themselves happy.

@deep_333  you should read better books 

Buying drivers from whoosit, throwing it in a very basic homedepot box, the price just doesn't add up in my books.

Fritz makes legit, honestly-priced $3K bookshelf speakers.