An Extraordinary Find

This is one brand I have heard good things about; over the years--but I have never heard any of them.--What were they running these with? Also, what price neighborhood are they in?

The Frieds were powered by a Audible Illusions preamp and 50 watt solid state monoblocks whose name I don't recall. One of the nice things about these speakers is how easy they are to drive. A very stable 4 ohm load and 90+db efficiency. The 50 watt monoblocks absolutely filled a huge room with sound with excellent control in the bass. A recent review in Bound for Sound recommends tubes all the way around--both because they are easy to drive and to achieve a slightly warmer tonal balance. However, these were preproduction units under review and several small changes have been made between then and the current production, which I heard. Having said that, I do agree that the tonal balance is slightly on the cool side of neutral. However this is not an analytical speaker--as I said, it is one of the most musical I have ever heard. It is just that there is none of the midbass bump many speakers posess which provides a warmer balance. In fact, if anything, there is a slight dip in the frequency response in the midbass region. What you hear in the bass is just a shade cool but with incredible power, drive and tautness. From there on up I would call the speaker very open and neutral in its presentation. And again, it sounds like live music--not hifi. This is what makes the speaker magical. I don't know if it is the first order crossovers or the tranmission line loading of the bass and midrange drivers or what but no other speaker I have heard sounds so real to my ears. In fact, the only other speaker which I have found similarly engaging is the Vandersteen 5A--at $15K! The Vandersteen has a similar musicality (also due to first order crossovers?) but with a warmer more liquid tonal balance. The Vandy doesn't have the dynamics and speed of the Fried but it is a warmer sounding speaker, which I actually prefer. Unfortunately, I can't do 15K and therefore that leads to the Fried as the best possible alternative. BTW, the Fried sells for 6.5K. Give a listen, you won't be disappointed. (Sorry to sound like a sales pitch--I have no relationship to the company whatsoever and am simply a consumer like most of us)

I first must say that I am a part of Fried...

Dodgealum, thank you for this thread! Where did you hear the speakers, if I may ask?

I have had differing experiences with the imaging, like you. I believe that the room first, and ancillary components second play a huge role in the way they will image. I have heard them not image very well, and I have heard them image in spectacular fashion. In the end, I will say that if you do wind up owning a pair, and get the other things right, you will find that they seem to image as least as well as any large floorstander has any right to.

Still, I believe a truncated pyramid is the king of imaging. No getting around physics there.

TRUE Transmission Line bass, implemented well, is surely something to behold. Deep, powerful, tuneful. Not much else to say beyond that it sounds real, and other alignments do not compare in terms of absolutes.

I have also heard the midbass sound a bit cooler than I personally prefer, but I have again found it room and system dependent. I also wonder if the superlative deep bass response that we are not usually used to makes the midbass seem not as warm as it actually is.

Not much to add to your statements on the midrange and treble, except to say that despite their musicality, the amount of detail and refinement is something that I am quite proud of. It sometimes takes a while to realize it, as I think we often get lost in the music as opposed to the tic tac toe analysis with a speaker like this.

As you mentioned, 50 watts more than powered them. Despite the specs, these are incredibly easy speakers to drive. Even at 4 ohms, my Atma Sphere M60 OTLs absolutely love them, more than any other speaker in fact. The quality versus quantity (parts count) of the first order resistive series crossover makes this a speaker that does not conform to a lot of the patterns we are used to. Please note that Frieds were Ralph Karstens long time speakers in the past, and that will explain a lot. I'm part of the low power SET and OTL tube crowd myself (Bud LOVED that - I say sarcastically).

I will pass along your comments, along with my own opinions to the company. As you mentioned, we are a company who believes in continuous improvement. Always seeking to extract the absolute maximum we can out of the product. Constantly making them better. The last point I want to make is that they were only $4995 in the recent past, and though I am happy to hear you feel them to be a good bargain at $6495, my goal is for us to always to offer the best product we can at the lowest price. I would be more comfortable at $5000, but I also cede (though kicking and screaming) to some of the realities of economics. My long term hope is twofold - to forever honor the legacy of Bud Fried and to be part of an American company that proves that we can more than compete with the best of the rest of the world.

Again, thank you very much!
Joe Trelli