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6moons review of FAB Audio Model 1 speaker

Fellow Audiogoners,
Have you ever read a review of a component you own and end up shaking your head in disbelief at what you've just read? This is the situation I find myself in after reading a Steve Marsh review on 6moons of the FAB Audio Model 1 high efficiency speaker (http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/fabaudio/model1.html).

It's probably natural to feel defensive about a product you own which got a mixed or bad review but in this case there are some serious doubts about the reviewer's attitude, equipment and room challenges. Here are my beefs thus far:

* It seems to me that the author didn't get along very well with Jim Fabian, FAB's owner, and as such had a proponderence to be critical rather than neutral in his review. His negativity is illustrated by the fact that he felt compelled to tell the readers about Jim's reluctance to answer some questions that would reveal proprietary info (would he have asked the same questions to DALI or Focal-JM Labs company owners?) and then mentioned that Jim did answer the question but so quietly as if to keep the reviewer from hearing Jim's answer, he mentioned Jim's desire to quickly leave, and that Jim made a 'parting shot' about suggesting he upgrade his NAD CDP which made him feel embarassed.
* If the reviewer is a credible audiophile, then why did he seem to rely heavily upon his audiophile friends for their opinions?
* He spend a disproportionate amount of text space writing
about the negative attributes of the speaker rather than
equal time with its positive traits. He also spend a
disproportionate amount of time listening to the 'upstairs'
system of no-name components rather than equal time with
the 'downstairs' higher-end system.
* If the speakers are room placement sensitive and as
revealing as we owners of them know them to be, then the fact that there were some sound issues is more a statement about Steve's room and system shortcomings; The speakers are a window into his room and upstream components, which isn't a speaker shortcoming. He obviously didn't see it that way prefering the sound of his vintage JBL speakers that mask the shortcomings.
* What is a serious reviewer doing using Radio Shack speaker cables and a NAD CD player for reviewing top quality gear? I even found out that one of the speaker connections on his amp was corroded! These facts should speak volumes about the lack of credible equipment used by the reviewer and his testing approach.

The speakers natural sound, when connected to proper gear, and set up properly in a decent room, astonishes and sucks the listener into the soundstage. I'm afraid Steve Marsh missed the boat on this review. Hind sight what it is, I'd guess that Jim might have pulled his speakers from the review process once he got to Steve's home and saw the home brew of assorted old components and home made speaker cables etc.

Thanks for your efforts Steve Marsh but I don't share your negative review of the FAB Audio Model 1 speaker. To each his own . . .
kevinzoe
kevinzoe OP
163 posts
 
Thanks everyone for your viewpoints, all very interesting.
Shiva - you raise a very valid point about how a bad review could sink resale value - good thing I'm planning on keeping my Model 1s.
Opalchip - you raise too many good points to single out individually.
Miklorsmith - yes, it is refreshing to see that a negative review can and will be published which helps preserve our "trust" in the reviewers.

I don't mean to sound like a poor sport because frankly the review doesn't impact me at all and I have no vested interest in FAB AUDIO aside from being a customer. And as some of you have said, as long as the speakers work for me then who cares . . .!? While it does come across that the reviewer did everything he could to fix the problem - so cudos to him for spending the energy & time with what he had at his disposal - it just doesn't seem fair to use gear that is in a very different league than the speakers are to judge the speakers and then perscibe the sound problem as being speaker related. Taking an extreme example to make my point, would you use an Apple iPod as a sound source to judge very expensive speakers like the Wilson Audio Grand Slam or MAXX speakers? Of course not; most people's systems have components which are all fairly close to being at the same quality level (however you define quality). So if Jim from FAB Audio had brought along an amp and cables and CDP etc. and if the reviewer let him insert it then the outcome might have been very different. Chances are though that the reviewer wouldn't be familiar with Jim's equipment so most likely would have rejected the notion of using it.

Lets do the audio industry justice by providing a fair review to its readers by using upstream components/cables that are of the same quality of the component being evaluated.
gliderguider's avatar
gliderguider
293 posts
 
Anyone who has read a few of my posts knows my opinion about the Fab Model 1. I think Marsh came up short in the "serious reviewer" sweepstakes with this one. Unlike others in this thread I sm convinced that upstream components make a big difference to the final outcome, especially when placed behind ultra-transparent speakers like these. Here's a portion of a letter I sent to 6moons on the subject:
On my previous speakers (also 97dB sensitive dynamic speakers from another manufacturer) my favourite speaker cables were TG Audio HSR. These sounded warm and full, with quite good transparency. In contrast, a pair of Argent Audio Pursang S which I also own were very transparent and detailed, but a touch lean and tipped-up sounding. Two silver cables but with somewhat different sounds.

On the Fab Audio Model 1 - in the same room, with the same Audion PX25 amp and Audio Note Level 4 digital front end - the pleasing warmth and body of the HSR morphed into an excessively warm, bloomy thickness, with a distinctly noticeable lack of transparency in the bass. In contrast, the Pursang S was revealed as quite forward sounding, with absolutely incredible detail, speed and imaging but a noticeable thinness and more than a bit of bite. While its bass was very transparent, it was obviously light.

So what have we here? Two speaker cables that both performed quite well on a lower resolution speaker, whose divergent personalities were revealed with unmistakable clarity by the Model 1. It was as though each cable had finally been allowed to express its inherent qualities to the maximum. This says to me that any fault in the Model 1 lies in its ability to make utterly explicit the effects of upstream components.

When I read Mr. Marsh's review in light of my own experience, my attention was immediately drawn to the descriptions of his speaker cables and vintage electronics. I don't know if these were the source of any of his dissatisfaction as I'm not familiar with any of them, but there is always the possibility that they were suboptimal partners to the Model 1. A follow-up review using a different room and system might be appropriate.

By the way, I subsequently purchased a pair of Kimber KS-3038 speaker cables, and the sound from the Model 1's driven through those is nothing short of stupendous. While the Model 1 require some care and feeding, like any top thoroughbred if they are fed properly they just might win the Derby.
Poor equipment synergy and room interactions are the only things I can point to to explain whey the sound that Steve Marsh heard diverged so radically from what I get in my (dedicated, symmetrical, well-treated) room. It's a shame, because this review has already discouraged at least one person I'm aware of from actually listening to Fab speakers for themselves (a decision I shall let pass without further comment).

I'll add one more thing about this tempest in a teaspoon - most of the responsibility for any insalubrious outcome rests on the manufacturer's shoulders. He was called in by the reviewer to help sort out the problems, and if the situation wasn't to his satisfaction it was his prerogative to withdraw from the review. He didn't, so presumably he felt things were good enough to proceed. Perhaps there's a lesson in there...

As others have said, if I'm happy with my speakers why should I complain? I'm not complaining that hard (especially nor for myself), but I firmly believe that reviewers have a responsibility to get at some amount of objective truth. Based on what I read and what I've heard, I'm not convinced that this review got close enough.
larry510
121 posts
 
Hi,

" for those who say enjoy what you have and who cares what a reviewer says are definately right. But on the other hand, one might also consider that a person who buys a high dollar product, might hope for a decent return when he resells it."

I think it is a mistake to buy anthing in audio with a resale price in mind. It's far less expensive to attend an audio show and audition products to your hearts content and but the one you intend to keep.

I bought some gear this year, the last time was in 1994.

Larry
herman
1,974 posts
 
Hi Larry, I think your premise is flawed. The only way to determine if a particular piece of gear is a good match for the rest of your components including your room is to do it at home. I suppose if you visit an audio show and find a room you like you could buy the entire system, but if you hope to single out the characteristics of any particular piece of gear in a system of unfamiliar components in an unfamiliar room, well, that just won't happen. Even if you bought the entire system it would sound different when you got it home.

Likewise if you don't like the sound in a particular room. Does everything in the room not suit your tastes or is it one particular piece? Audio shows might be good for familiarizing yourself with what's available and narrowing your choices, but home audition is the true test.
maxxc
177 posts
 
Herman, I agree ALMOST totally. My one caveat: equipment you really love on home audition. You can really end up disliking after the Honeymoon period is over with.

One recent example that comes to mind is the Sonic Impact amp I bought just for the fun of it. I initially was very impressed with the amp. In my kitchen system initially I thought it sounded much better then the Cambridge Audio amp I was using. Super quiet, good resolution and dead quiet background. After a few months honeymoon period, I can't stand to listen to the amp. I've tried 4 sets of speakers and 2 CDP's. My wife and myself have both grown to hate the sound.

I guess its like a new girl friend. Those characteristics you find cute and charming initially can just get on your last nerve after awhile ;)

BW Maxx

BW Maxx
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