Multitest – Floorstanding speakers – 1000 Euros

Listening!

Fenton

We came across the Fentons online. There was a “super-offer” at an online shop. For 200 Euro including shipping, they were in Haarlem a day later. No complaints about the shipping!

What we do have complaints about is the incredibly lousy build quality. The base was cracked, the rings around the woofer spontaneously falls off when we start measuring the speaker and the tweeter also just fell out when we removed the front cover. That doesn’t bode well. We have some more surprises when we start measuring. More on that later.

Lots of mids!

The Fenton does not sound balanced. Not on the Pass Labs, not on the Creek. In particular, something seems very wrong with the speaker’s phase. The imaging is not stable and very fuzzy.

In addition, we mostly hear a lot of mids, almost no bass and the treble seems rounded. In short: not a nice speaker to listen to.

Now you may say, “yes, but it also costs only 200 Euros! That’s right. But it is 200 Euro you are flushing down the toilet.

When the three of us talk about it for a while, all three of us come to the same conclusion: don’t do it. Save up for something decent. And that this doesn’t have to cost a fortune either, becomes clear when we put down the next speaker.

Specifications Fenton

DALI Oberon 5

We know DALI by now at Alpha Audio. We’ve had quite a few DALI’s in the listening room. Your author himself has had Epicon 2 at home. A wonderful speaker. But what about the entry-level ones?

The Oberon 5 costs around 700 Euro per pair. That’s almost four times more than the Fenton. However, you get ten times more music. That becomes apparent after the very first notes. What an insane contrast this is! This small speaker really hits the Fentons right back into their corner.

What the DALI does well is translate the flow and rhythm of the music. Martijn often finds the Creek 4040A to be a better match than the Pass. Your author – And Geoffrey, too, for that matter – doesn’t quite agree, but this is largely taste. It’s all about what you are looking for in music. The fact is: the DALI flawlessly reveals the differences between amplifiers. And that’s just impressive for a pair of 700 Euro speakers.

The DALI Oberon 5 is a real bargain. For 700 Euro you get a very good speaker in your living room.

Specifications DALI Oberon 5

Acoustic Energy 120.2

Like DALI, we also have a lot of experience with Acoustic Energy. Colleague Geoffrey has played with an AE speaker system for a long time. And for good reason. Recently, we tested a 500 series. However, all three of us are more pleased with this AE120.2. This is another very solid speaker with a particularly pleasant character.

If we go to the measurements later, you will see that AE has found a very fine balance with the AE120.2. The very heavy-duty cabinet is certainly part of that. At 19 Kg, this is the heaviest speaker of the bunch. And that pays off in a very quiet, tight and controlled character.

The AE120.2 matches well with the Creek as well as the Pass X150.8. We hear more resolution and looseness with the Pass, but even with the Creek it goes down heartily and we don’t really miss anything at all. Except with the Gino Vanelli track. There the Pass really knows how to keep a much better grip on the speaker. Tricky track that can really stress a system quite a bit.

If you are looking for a decent speaker with a lot of control and a more serious character, the AE 120.2 is a great product.

Specifications AE120.2

Focal Theva N2

Focal is once again a good acquaintance within Alpha Audio. For years, your author has used the Sopra No1 as a reference. A gem of a speaker with a wonderful tweeter. Also the TAD E2 has a Beryllium tweeter…. bit of an addictive material perhaps.

The Focal Theva N2 does not have a Beryllium tweeter. Of course, that’s not possible in this price range. What it does have is the famous inverted dome tweeter. The woofers are of very light “slate fiber” which we also see in the Vestia and Chora. The Aria series has flax units. And above the Kanta, Focal uses to the W-cone drivers.

The new Theva N2 clearly shows the Focal signature: open, fast, airy. It is a totally different sound from, say, the DALI Oberon, which plays much more conversational and shows a warmer signature. The Focal acts more neutral and transparent than both the DALI and the Acoustic Energy. Your author likes that. The point is: you have to match well with very transparent equipment….

And the match with the Pass and Creek is a little less optimal than with the other candidates. Focal is tuned to Naim equipment. And we hear that. An amplifier with lots of grip and rhythmic character fits well with this Theva N2. But the British Creek 4040A knows how to handle it just fine on its own. A Rega or a Cyrus would also go well with this Focal, we estimate. Ideally, we see a Uniti Atom combined with these Theva’s.

Focal puts down a fine series with the Theva N2. It is a fast, airy speaker with an open character. Be a little careful with matching, though…. this speaker is not good friends with all amplifiers!

Specifications Focal Theva N2