The Cadillac (Fleetwood) of Loudspeakers?

beaur

Fleetwood Sound
Oct 12, 2011
459
165
950
60
Brooklyn
I've been absent from these pages for quite some time. Not really on purpose just a lack of anything significant to say. Well, I am now breaking my own quarantine for a recent listening experience.

Without taking a poll I am pretty sure the last few months have been driving a few of us a bit stir crazy. The last couple of weeks here in Brooklyn have seen a bit more openness, and I have taken advantage by actually eating at a couple of restaurants and visiting with friends. I expanded that universe to include a listening session with the new Fleetwood Dound Deville loudspeakers at the OMA showroom in Brooklyn.

My first introduction to the Deville's was at Capital Audiofest in 2019. I was very impressed with the speaker and was looking forward to listening to it in a home setting. The pandemic put a crimp in those plans but the opportunity resurfaced when Jonathan contacted me and said he had a pair in his DUMBO space ready for audition. It took a few weeks to sync our schedules but I finally visited yesterday afternoon.

All the particulars/technical details about the speaker can be found here; www.fleetwoodsound.com. The system backing the speakers was all OMA with the Black Knight amp and the new turntable OMA will be releasing soon. Schroder tonearm and Lyra cartridge (not sure which one) rounded out the system.

After a quick nip of some excellent Connemara peated Irish Whisky I sat down to listen to the Devilles. As you will see from the accompanying photo. The Deville's were set up in the middle of the space with the large (very) OMA Imperia horns behind them, and we were about 10 feet from the front of the Devilles.

When the first notes of the Bolden soundtrack hit the speakers, I jokingly asked Jonathan if we were listening to the Imperias. Even in a very large acoustic space, the Devilles filled the room with a coherent sound field that wasn't strained at all. The image size was right and spacially the music was laid out in front of me across the stage. I know whenever the word horn is used with speakers it can be polarizing. I am on the "yes" side of the horn debate. I acknowledge their "shortcomings" but those attributes are a plus for me. Well the Deville's have a horn-loaded tweeter and let's just say you will be hard-pressed to ID these as a horn. A speaker with an 8in woofer shouldn't be able to fill a space like that with sound that seemed effortless. Son House (Chad's reissue) was let's just say we only lifted the needle when the side was over. To round out the evening I changed it up and we played Valgeir Sigurosson's Architecture of Loss. I play this LP quite often and Deville's did not let me down. I thoroughly enjoyed my time listening to the Devilles and I will be back again for more. If the possibility of having a two-way speaker that punches well above it's weight appeals, you should make an effort to hear them.
 

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spiritofmusic

Well-Known Member
Jun 13, 2013
14,601
5,411
1,278
E. England
Beaur, it's always a joy to hear a small speaker sound big. I wonder if that's a function of having a horn driver, providing greater dynamics and wider spread of sound.

Can you reveal anything about this new tt? That platter looks intriguing.
 

beaur

Fleetwood Sound
Oct 12, 2011
459
165
950
60
Brooklyn
I think the tweeter is a big part of why it sounds so good. The interesting thing is that they aren't directional. Yes you lose something but the essentu=ial character remains even a pretty good distance off-axis.

Don't think the TT is any big secret. The picture was bad as I snapped it on the way out as a throwaway and the lighting was horrible.

It's made from cast iron and the platter is going to be either coated or made from a ceramic composite. I know Frank S. is designing a custom arm specific to the 'table but it wasn't there yet. Didn't get into too many details as it's going to be way out of my bracket and I'll geek out when the final version is out.

Beau
 

Addicted to hifi

VIP/Donor
Sep 8, 2020
4,610
2,039
265
52
Australia
I've been absent from these pages for quite some time. Not really on purpose just a lack of anything significant to say. Well, I am now breaking my own quarantine for a recent listening experience.

Without taking a poll I am pretty sure the last few months have been driving a few of us a bit stir crazy. The last couple of weeks here in Brooklyn have seen a bit more openness, and I have taken advantage by actually eating at a couple of restaurants and visiting with friends. I expanded that universe to include a listening session with the new Fleetwood Dound Deville loudspeakers at the OMA showroom in Brooklyn.

My first introduction to the Deville's was at Capital Audiofest in 2019. I was very impressed with the speaker and was looking forward to listening to it in a home setting. The pandemic put a crimp in those plans but the opportunity resurfaced when Jonathan contacted me and said he had a pair in his DUMBO space ready for audition. It took a few weeks to sync our schedules but I finally visited yesterday afternoon.

All the particulars/technical details about the speaker can be found here; www.fleetwoodsound.com. The system backing the speakers was all OMA with the Black Knight amp and the new turntable OMA will be releasing soon. Schroder tonearm and Lyra cartridge (not sure which one) rounded out the system.

After a quick nip of some excellent Connemara peated Irish Whisky I sat down to listen to the Devilles. As you will see from the accompanying photo. The Deville's were set up in the middle of the space with the large (very) OMA Imperia horns behind them, and we were about 10 feet from the front of the Devilles.

When the first notes of the Bolden soundtrack hit the speakers, I jokingly asked Jonathan if we were listening to the Imperias. Even in a very large acoustic space, the Devilles filled the room with a coherent sound field that wasn't strained at all. The image size was right and spacially the music was laid out in front of me across the stage. I know whenever the word horn is used with speakers it can be polarizing. I am on the "yes" side of the horn debate. I acknowledge their "shortcomings" but those attributes are a plus for me. Well the Deville's have a horn-loaded tweeter and let's just say you will be hard-pressed to ID these as a horn. A speaker with an 8in woofer shouldn't be able to fill a space like that with sound that seemed effortless. Son House (Chad's reissue) was let's just say we only lifted the needle when the side was over. To round out the evening I changed it up and we played Valgeir Sigurosson's Architecture of Loss. I play this LP quite often and Deville's did not let me down. I thoroughly enjoyed my time listening to the Devilles and I will be back again for more. If the possibility of having a two-way speaker that punches well above it's weight appeals, you should make an effort to hear them.
Beautiful small speakers
 
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