Amp/Preamp Asylum: REVIEW: Fi Fi 2A3 Monos Amplifier (Tube) by Frihed89

Model:	Fi 2A3 Monos
Category:	Amplifier (Tube)
Suggested Retail Price:	$3750
Description:	2A3 Mono Blocks (Direct Coupled)
Manufacturer URL:	Not Available
Model Picture:	View

Review by Frihed89 on October 21, 2011 at 10:32:41
IP Address: 87.53.108.41 Add Your Review
for the Fi 2A3 Monos

I don't listen for things like sound staging, balance, coherence and whatnot. I'm not even sure I know what half these terms mean, although I have been guilty of using them. My main criteria have to do with how connected I feel emotionally to what I hear and comparing this across other systems I am very familiar with.

I have the DG recording of Sibelius' 4th-7th symphonies. The first movement of the 4th is one of my favorites. Right from the first notes, the Fis connected me to the music - all the pathos and grandeur in this piece. It works the same way on all the Romantic symphonies I have of Bruckner and Sibelius. With my other favorites, Bach's unaccompanied cello suites and his violin partitas and sonatas, I also found myself hearing more of the structural insights of the score - something that has always fascinated me about some of his music - because everything was much clearer and more precise than with my other equipment.

Now the challenge. I have a recording of the Pavement Reunion tour concert at the Roskildefest in 2010. OK...it was a crappy home-made recording, but I was there. When I play this disk on my other equipment, it sounds crappy. On the Fis, it didn't sound that hot, but it didn't sound crappy. It sounded like i was at a rock concert with maybe 3,000 other people inside a tent... and I was there! It really was live.

Another thing...After about a week of listening to a combination of Symphonies, chamber music and "contemporary vocalists", I came to the conclusion that the Fis did a better job with instrumental music than with vocals. Many of the vocals sounded, well, fuzzy. Then a couple of weeks later, when I was listening to the Pavement recording, I found myself thinking how realistically crappy, but emotionally charming, Stephen Malkmus's singing voice sounded. Could it be that the Fis were revealing "real" fuzziness in the vocals I heard earlier? So, I made a test of sorts. I picked 4 voices I knew very well from live performances, Leonard Cohen, Joannie Mitchell, Bonnie Prince Billy and Melody Gardot. And it all came back to me. Joannie was as clear as a bell. Melody had a kind of fascinating, somewhat throaty, but reasonably clear voice. Will whatever-his-name-is sings from his Larynx, and Leonard's fuzzy voice as a young guy wasn't nearly as engaging as his raspy 2-note repertoire of late. So, my conclusion was that the Fis were doing a great job with vocals and I hadn't realized what "interesting" voices some of my favorite vocalists had because the other systems on which I listened to their voices were not as realistic or as capable of conveying "the charm" that made them my favorites from live performances. So, if hear fuzzy voices, now, it is because they are fuzzy, not distortion.

Which brings me to my last point. My speakers are only about 90dB sensitive, but reasonably easy to drive. It stands to reason that, on loud dynamic passages especially, I could reduce the distortion (which I can't hear because I don't know what to listen for, or else I like distortion) by getting some more sensitive speakers in the 94-96 dB range. (I have a very small listening room, with forward slopping walls (read: attic) in back of the amps and speakers). But, truth be told, I can play these speakers really loud - like the opening bars of Sibelius's 4th, 1st movement - and it sounds very loud and terribly, terribly grand.

OK. what's my best other system: An AN (UK) Meishu Silver integrated amp with WE 300B tubes and the same speakers cables and CD player. I really loved the Meishu. I really did. And as much as it helped me to connect with music I like, it wasn't nearly as real, or alive, or as sensitive, or as rough (many faced) as the Fis made things sound and feel.

So, my vote goes to Don Garber at Fi Audio for these small marvels.

Product Weakness:	Probably there is some distortion i could get rid of with more sensitive speakers.
Product Strengths:	Simply fantastic at involving me in music, or even crowd noise at a concert

Associated Equipment for this Review:

Amplifier: Fi 2A3 mono blocks
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): deHavilland UV3
Sources (CDP/Turntable): Audio Note (UK) CD4.1x
Speakers: Audio Note (UK) AN-KSpe
Cables/Interconnects: AN (UK) Vx ICs and AN SPe speaker cables
Music Used (Genre/Selections): Various Contemporary and Classical
Room Size (LxWxH): 4M x 3M x 2.25M
Room Comments/Treatments: None
Time Period/Length of Audition: A few weeks
Other (Power Conditioner etc.): No
Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner
Your System (if other than home audition): This is my system

Amplifier:	Fi 2A3 mono blocks
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	deHavilland UV3
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Audio Note (UK) CD4.1x
Speakers:	Audio Note (UK) AN-KSpe
Cables/Interconnects:	AN (UK) Vx ICs and AN SPe speaker cables
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Various Contemporary and Classical
Room Size (LxWxH):	4M x 3M x 2.25M
Room Comments/Treatments:	None
Time Period/Length of Audition:	A few weeks
Other (Power Conditioner etc.):	No
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner
Your System (if other than home audition):	This is my system