fritz loudspeakers

When I bought my first set amplifier (Viva Solista LT) I immediately thought of trying one of those "single-driver" speakers, just to see what it was all about. I happened to see Fritz's stuff on A'gon and I really liked the simplicity of the design and the relatively low cost. My main speakers were the Opera Callas Monitors, which really sounded beautiful with the Viva, but I figured I would fool around with the single-driver speakers for a bit and put the Operas back.

I ordered a pair of the FR-6s in mahogany and I was very pleased with the quick shipping and quality of the workmanship. I put them up and listened for a couple of weeks. They sounded pretty good right out of the box, but they loosened up over the weeks. I live in an apartment and I listen at fairly low volumes, so it's important that the stuff I buy sound good when played softly. That's what I like about the Viva and Operas. I also favor simple music - guitar/bass, piano/bass, Bill Evans Trio, James Taylor, etc.

So I'm enjoying the Fritzs and after a month I decide I've fooled around enough and I put the Operas back up. I put on a solo guitar record and I am very surprised at the loss of inner detail and note-to-note dynamics the Fritzs had. I think the high-efficiency speakers are much more revealing of the note dynamics, which, once you get used to hearing, you really miss when they're not there. In any case, I now understand what the single-driver thing is about. Yes, you are giving up some tonal weight, but the dynamic shifts really do a lot in capturing the essence of a live performance.

Anyway - enough is enough. I really think the Fritzs are very well-made and sound excellent when used within their limitations. With the right ancillary gear, they can really open your ears to the nuances less efficient speakers can miss. Definitely not for everyone, but if you want to get your feet wet with this stuff, I think they're an excellent choice.

PS - my experience with the FR6 has piqued my curiosity enough to order a pair of FR4.5, with the 4-1/2" Fostex driver. The fanatics say that the 4.5" driver have even more midrange purity and their own set of virtues.

I own a pair of Fritzspeakers Fostex6 Full Range loudspeakers and I would highly recommend Fritzspeakers. I found www.fritzspeakers.com when I was researching for a new pair of high-efficiency single-driver speakers for a 300B SET amp that I built. I knew exactly what I wanted and Fritz had them at a very fair price, so I placed an order. I was surprised when I heard back from Fritz after placing my order, to ask me questions about my music interests, my listening room, and what kind of amplifier I was planning to use the speakers with. Rather than just accepting my order, Fritz wanted to make sure I knew what I was doing and that I was going to be happy with my purchase. I was impressed! The speakers arrived in short order from Fritzspeakers, very well protected for shipment, and beautifully built. These are great little speakers at a very good price, exactly what I was looking for. I was surprised again when Fritz took the time to call me after the speakers arrived and made sure I was happy with them. If I’m ever in the market to purchase another set of speakers, I’ll definitely check out Fritzspeakers again. This was one of the best purchasing experiences I’ve ever had. It would be a wonderful thing if everyone took that care that Fritzspeakers does to ensure their customers are satisfied. Fantastic!

Hey Guzziguy,

Just got an email from Fritz today and I haven't even ordered speakers yet, asking some of the same questions that you mentioned. It does seem like Fritz wants to make sure that people who order, or even interested in his speakers, know what to expect of his speakers, and that they are happy their purchase. You got to admit, the man does seem to want to go the "extra mile" to make sure his customers are satisfied. And I think that's a good thing.

I switched to Fritzspeaks - sold my Paradigms and haven't had a single regret. It goes to show that the megabuck companies, with all their research, analysis, and testing, really have to push advertising to sell their over-priced products. Fritz on the other hand can add me to his list of supporters - without reservation. I found out about him through Audiogon and I checked him out thoroughly before buying. In my home theater system were a pair of Paradigm Studio 20s v4 and a CC center 590 v4 and they were replaced with a pair of Fritz's 261 MTMs. These are truly a substantial speaker with high quality drivers. I opted for the 1" ring radiator with dual concentric diaphragm with wave-guide center plug tweeter - sweet! I continued to use the CC 590 and it did sound great but lacked the same timbre as the 261 MTMs. So, again I chatted with Fritz (he likes to pump you about your system and likes/dislikes) and he then created for me a center channel 261 MTM in black ash to match the furniture. It came already affixed with a semi-transparent protective laminate on the bottom to protect the finishes of both speaker and furniture - nice touch. Now I have a matching front wall that sounds fantastic. I can only echo what others have said about his attention to detail, "over packing" (not a bad thing) and follow-up calls and emails to see how things are going. He likes to receive this type of feedback a few months after the sale once the speaks have loosened-up. My newest quest was to re-build an analog system in my home office and I went with a Jolida 801RC tube integrated and a Jolida tube CD player. Once I had these items I called Fritz to discuss my next set of boxes. Since the room was small and the amp plenty powerful I decided to buy a pair of Fritz Monitor X's in natural cherry as well. These pups arrived well-packed as usual and have still not quite loosened up - due to light use. Tight or not they sound crisp and tight and the bass response is respectable without a sub. I've about pushed the WAF to the limit so I have to hold off on any further purchases, but I do want Fritz to build me one more pair, but bigger - maybe I can sway him one day. The one thing I'd like to see Fritz do to add some finesse to his systems is some sort of name or brand plate identifying his speakers as an "Original Fritz" product. Fritz is highly recommended - nothing but praise for his products.

has anyone tried his slimmer floorstanders?