I am starting this thread to invite new owners of the Aspen FR5 to share their early impressions. My FR5’s arrived on August 2 well packed in a single carton. I am replacing a pair of ELAC Carina BS243.4 bookshelf speakers. This is an Andrew Jones design – folded ribbon tweeter and ported woofer/midrange driver. Cost was around $1500 with stands. I loved these speakers!
I am using the FR5’s in a typical mixed brand system: PC-based server to Microrendu to Denafrips DCC to Directstream Mk1 to tube-based Schiit Audio Freya+ preamp to Hypex Nalai Class D 250W per channel power amp. Midrange cost cables. Parallel power filtering with Shunyata Venom. I listen to folk/rock of the 60’s/70’s, classical chamber, symphonic, opera and all forms of jazz.
Initial listening on the day of arrival led me to think “what’s the big deal?” There was very little difference to the ELACs. However, extended listening over the past three days has started to reveal a very special speaker. Don’t jump to early conclusions – this speaker needs break-in!
The qualities I listen for are innate rhythm, resolved performance space and instrumental texture. The FR5 is delivering in all these dimensions. Innate rhythm points to the body’s natural response to the timing of the material being played; you tap your foot, bob your head or play air guitar as an unconscious response to the music. Some components have it, some don’t. There is a forward drive to the best recorded material that is really starting to come through on the FR5’s. Resolved performance space is present in spades! I am hearing subtle ambient cues that reveal the recording studio or the concert hall. I still have work to do in speaker placement to attain a holographic sound stage, or maybe further break-in will reveal this. Finally, the way the FR5’s are beginning to reveal instrumental texture is sometimes startling. I play guitars and I know the sound of a Martin D-28 and these speakers are already remarkable in revealing this unique tonal texture.
My listening area is small and to get good separation from the side walls I have had to place the FR5’s about 7 feet apart so I am getting great upper bass coupling. The speakers are 4 to 5 feet out from the front wall and I had trouble finding a good seating position to dial in the wonderful lower bass. It just takes time to get it right. Wondering if further break-in will better reveal the famous Aspen bass signature? It’s early and we’ll see.
I will likely report back in a couple of weeks as they continue to settle in and reveal their secrets. So far, I am thrilled. Hope others chime in with their first impressions.
Photos of your system and set-up are most appreciated. A fine initial review.
Welcome!
Welcome Indeed and many thanks for this first impressions review. Enjoy your new treasures!
Looking forward to your follow up and hopefully of other FR5 owners!
Thanks for one of the first user reviews on the internet. I’m glad you are enjoying them so far as they break in a bit.
While I haven’t heard that particular elac speaker, they appear to measure quite neutral and look well done (as do most if not all of the Andrew Jones designs).
That being said, the FR5 is somewhat larger and has a 6.5” woofer. A 5.25” like in the Elac has about 40% less cone area and likely a good amount less excursion than the unit we’re using so you should notice the bass and midbass be substantially cleaner when pushed on the FR5.
You might try experimenting with placement closer to your front wall (behind the speakers) to get an optimal balance of low bass vs midbass and lower midrange. I usually start quite close (maybe 18” away from the back of the speaker and inch them out while listening to tracks with bass and male vocals) until getting them to a place where the tonal balance seems the most neutral and bass locks in a bit.
OK I too received a pair of the FR5s on Friday. I have a pair of KEF R1 Metas and although they have definitely met my needs over the past 2 years I don’t believe my smaller listen space though open (see attached photos), is allowing the KEFs to live up to their full potential which is why I wanted to give the FR5s a try. I believe the FR5s on a 28inch high stand would allow me to place them almost 8ft apart and easily 18+ inches from the front wall. Once the FR5s arrived and in place it was clear to me that their foot print not only worked better in my space but the placement of the speakers 7+ feet apart would provide an optimal presentation as designed for the speakers.
Crazy to think it’d even be worth the time and effort to compare a $3500 FR5s to the $9K KEF R1s yet with PS Audios 30-day trial option I didn’t want to regret not giving the FR5s a try. My friends also thought I was crazy and that there’s no way the FR5s are going to be a better option for my listening space especially in the low-end register of the music. With this in mind I ordered/received a KEF KC62 sub to pair with the FR5s. Although the sub did add a bit more low-end to the presentation I believe the sub actually muddied up the presentation especially the low-end.
With this in mind I’m here to tell you that now on my 3rd day of listening and after having an audiophile buddy come over for a 2+ hour listening session I am definitely keeping the FR5s and returning the KC62 sub to Amazon. The soundstage, the naturalness & separation of instruments, the vocals are just how they should sound and low and behold there’s plenty of low-end! The presentation is not only natural sounding but there’s no coloration to the sound and no matter what style of music I play every instrument including vocals are clearly articulated without one frequency overpowering the other where as the KEFs now don’t sound as articulat and the low-end of fullness of the speaker can seem out of balance of the midrange and/or treble frequencies of the recording. The FR5s are disapearing too plus the soundstage is massive.
In closing, yes in deed I’m definitely a PS Audio fan boy and before receiving the FR5s I was trying to convince myself to go for them no matter how they compared with the KEFs. thankfully after more listening and comparing them to the KEFs my worries are over. The FR5s are sticking around for good as I can only imagine how great they’ll sound weeks if not months down the road especially once I move the KEFs out of the way so the FR5s can take full advantage of their surroundings. Also note the current speaker stands although not the matching FR5 stands are 28in in height. Once PSA starts to sell the stands separately I’m sure I’ll order up a matching set.
Nice job Chris. Hope you like my feedback. Feel free to share this with others at PSA including Paul. Hopefully I’ll to thank you in person when I come out for my PS Audio facility tour on September 19. I have other audiophile folks coming over for multiple listening sessions so I’ll keep everyone posted on feedback I receive from others. Heck in the Northwest this might be one of the few times anyone will be able to hear a PS Audio speaker in person so my plan is to provide some listening opportunities because isn’t what we do as audiophiles who are passionate about the music and gear they use. Take care everyone and happing listening!
In closing here’s my system:
BHK Preamp
M1200 Mono Blocks
PerfectWave DAC MKw2
PerfectWave SACD Transport
AirLens
PowerPlan 15
Roon Nucleus
MoFi Electronics UltraDeck with their UltraGold MC cart
MoFi Electronics MasterPhono phono stage
AudioQuest interconnects and power cables
Nordost Blue Heaven speaker cables
IsoAcoustics zaZen isolation platforms.
Wow. Just read this. What a wonderfully energetic and thorough evaluation and comparison. Thank you for this. Love the shoot out.
Paul McGowan | CEO800-PSAUDIO
Boulder, Colorado
The bass response on the PS Audio Aspen FR5 is deep and tight, providing a solid foundation without overwhelming the mid and high frequencies. The low-end is powerful yet controlled, offering a significant upgrade from my previous setup. The bass is both impactful and precise. The speakers deliver an impressive dynamic range, effortlessly handling everything from the softest whispers to the loudest crescendos. This flexibility means they perform well across a variety of genres and media, adapting seamlessly to whatever content I’m enjoying.
The website doesn’t currently sell them separately but if you give us a buzz, we can sell just the stands no problem.
Great. I’ll call you folks soon to place the order.
Thank you very much, John
At Day 6 of listening to the FR5’s I’ve really started to marvel at the integration of the highs and midrange. There is a beautiful coherence of instruments and voices, a feeling of substance, a true reach-out-and-touch illusion. This has been evident only in the last day or two. Quite remarkable!
Thanks! I will try to get some photos up this weekend.
Nice catch. Indeed. It’s one of the speaker’s more extraordinary qualities.
It’s definitely a fun shootout. Some days I like the FR5s best and other times the KEF R1 Metas. I still believe the FR5s are a better fit for my listening space and that the KEFs would reach their full potential in a larger space. As part of the shootout I’m having multiple listening sessions with audiophile friends of mine. Their feedback will help me determine which speakers I decide to keep. Fun times to say the least.
Here’s my current playlist for auditioning and comparing the FR5s to the KEF R1 Metas. I have listened to classical music which sounds excellent on the FR5s. Enjoy!
The shoot out between the FR5s and KEF R1 Metas will continue through Sunday yet I’ve determined the FR5s are best suited for my listening space. They sound wonderful. One of my friends who has helped guide me on my re-entry into 2-channel stereo came over Thursday night for a listen. He felt that the FR5s were more revealing and had better imaging than the KEFs especially for my space. He couldn’t believe how great they sounded for only $3500! He felt the imaging was very similar to his Joseph Audio Pulsar2 Graphene speakers. His feedback basically sealed the deal for me to keep the FR5s. I just ordered the matching stands Chris Harden. After one more listening session “shoot out” on Sunday the KEFs will be boxed up ready to sell! I’ll also be able to work on speaker placement so the FR5s have the best opportunity to reach their potential in my listening space. Take care and happy listening!
Here are a few pics of my apartment listening area, plus a diagram showing distances. Note that side and front wall measurements are to the speaker’s tweeter. This setup is optimized for soundstage depth, but I am getting really good bass as well, despite the longer distance from the back wall.
Very nice, glad you are enjoying them.
Nice job prioritizing speaker and listening positions…
Cheers.
Looks good. I can imagine you’re getting great depth in that position. Is this a different spot than you had the ELACs?
Our distributor in Toronto was doing a dealer event today with a the guys at Audio Excellence Canada and everyone was commenting how good the FR5s were sounding (particularly in the bass). I’m a proud papa.