Loudspeakers, But In A Different Way
Not many manufacturers attempt to build speakers with such a fundamentally different approach as this brand.
Cabinets made from natural slate. Not easy, but the results are spectacular.
About the SN/SL 170
This is the first floorstander in the Fischer&Fischer range. It features the same silk dome tweeter as found in the SN/SL 70 but with two of the mid-bass drivers in a D'appolito configuration. As a result power handling is increased and sensitivity is improved.
But this increase in driver capability is matched by a corresponding increase in the characteristics of the ubiquitous slate cabinet. As a floorstander, with it's substantial slate plinth at the base, there is far more of an 'acoustic sink' effect from the significant increase in material. And it's not just about mass – it's also a singificant boost in the natural damping properties that are present in this larger speaker.
Tech Insight
The design here is the first in the range that uses the D'appolito configuration. The vertical layout of the two mid-bass drivers, with the tweeter in between, creates a particular dispersion pattern that remains more focussed in it's sound transmission towards the listener with less vertical dispersion to interact with the floor and ceiling, thus reducing reflections. Furthermore, this moderate 'beaming' results in a reduced power requirement for the same perceived SPL at listening height, thus reducing distortion from both the drivers and from the lower power required from the amplifier.
Matching & Setup
In a way, positioning with all the F&F speakers is about maximising the capability of the slate cabinets. Taking time for small progressive movements of position and toe-in to get it just right, brings spectacular rewards. Then the speakers are just so transparent and the imaging so out-of-the-box that the 'being there' illusion is near perfect.
These '170s can be thought of as extended '70s. They don't need any more space and there character is very similar. The difference being more bottom-end drive and presence. Amplifier requirements are about the same – 60W solid state or 40W valves with a 4 Ohm tap is probably a sensible minimum.