Getting a Load of the Fluence FI7: A Fully Self-Contained Wireless Speaker Like No Other
If you've ever seen anything like this before, probably not unless you're a child of the 60s and 70s who's into some seriously freaky stuff. I'm about to go ahead and wager against that statement, but even then, I'm not sure you'd have seen something quite like the Fluence FI7. This is a fully self-contained wireless speaker that packs a punch, and we're here to take a quick look at what makes it tick.
You can probably tell just by looking at this thing that it's meant to be a full-range sound solution. And you would be right - Fluence went with a six-driver three-way design here, which is no small feat. So, let's break down the speakers up top. We have a one-inch silk dome tweeter with a neodymium magnet, which is the same tweeter that Fluence uses in all of its speakers. It's a good choice for high-frequency reproduction, and the neodymium magnet helps to provide a strong magnetic field.
Just below the tweeter, we have a 5-inch fiberglass cone with a butyl rubber surround. This will take care of most of your mid-range frequencies, and the butyl rubber surround helps to reduce resonances and provide a smoother sound. And then there are two eight-inch long-throw woofers handling the base region. I haven't seen an 8-inch driver incorporated into a three-way design in a long time, so Fluence must be really pushing the limits of what's possible here.
All of these drivers are mounted into a cabinet made of furniture-grade MDF, which is then wrapped with one of three different finishes - black ash, walnut, or bamboo laminate with a white front face. No matter which finish you choose, you'll find a slick row of touch capacitive keys on top that don't have any physical buttons to press. Instead, you just touch them and they work like magic. It's a nice touch, and it adds to the overall sense of modernity and sleekness that this speaker has.
But what about the remote control? You'll still want to keep that handy because it's where you'll find your treble and bass controls - as well as a button to turn off the display. Speaking of which, let's take a look at the display. This thing has been one of my complaints about Fluence products - it just has this 80s alarm clock feel to it. I mean, I know some people are still into AM/FM radio, but it feels like we've moved on from that by now.
That being said, the display does have a certain retro charm to it. And it's not all bad news - it does give you feedback about what time it is, what FM or AM station you're tuned into, and other useful information. It also has some more modern connections, like an optical digital input that lets you connect your Blu-ray player or TV, as well as auxiliary inputs for pretty much any kind of device.
So, how does the Fluence FI7 sound? Well, it definitely is a full-range speaker, and it gets very low in the bass - though maybe a bit too much so, depending on your taste. It's going to be great for movies, and you'll love throwing all sorts of music at it and having it fill out the low end. The top does have a slight edge to it right now, but that will probably even itself out after some break-in time.
All in all, I'm really surprised by how well-received the Fluence FI7 was when people saw it. It's not exactly polarizing - you either love it or hate it, and most people seem to be falling in love with its modern style and sound quality. If you've got the space for it, this thing is going to make a big statement in your room.
And the best part? The Fluence FI7 isn't just going to break the bank - it's actually one of the most affordable options on the market. Most people are guessing that it'll set you back around $1,500 to $2,000, which is a pretty steep price tag for a speaker of this size and quality. But let me tell you, Fluence has been making rock-solid sounding equipment at unbelievably low prices for years - they've outdone themselves with the FI7.
So, if you're in the market for a new speaker that can deliver on both sound quality and style, look no further than the Fluence FI7. It may not be perfect - it's got a few quirks here and there - but overall, it's an incredible piece of kit that's definitely worth considering.
"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enget a load of this thing I mean really take a second and soak it all in have you ever seen anything like this before I'm going to go ahead and wager against and say probably not unless of course you're a child of the 60s and 70s and into some seriously freaky stuff and even then I'm not sure you saw something quite like this so what is it this is the fluence fi7 the fully self-contained wireless speaker and quite a bit more let's take a quick look at what makes this thing tick you can probably tell just by looking that this is meant to be a full range sound solution and you would be right fluence went with a six driver three-way design here so here's what we've got in terms of speakers up top we have a one inch silk dome tweeter with a neodymium magnet this is the same tweeter that fluence uses in all of its speakers and then just below that we have a 5 inch fiberglass we've cone here with a butyl rubber surround that's going to take care of most of your mid-range and just a tad of the midbass down below handling the base region are two eight inch long throw woofers now I haven't seen an 8 inch driver incorporated into a 3 Way design in a long time I think that's because flaunts really wants to get as much base impact as they possibly can out of this thing all of those drivers are then mounted into a cabinet made of furniture grade MDF which is then wrapped with your choice of one of three different finishes they have black ash with the black front face as you see here they've also got a walnut with a black front face but the one I really like the one I kind of wish we had here has a bamboo laminate with a white front face I think that looks really slick and modern no matter which finish you get up top you'll find a really slick row of touch capacitive keys you don't feel anything there you just touch them and they work like that think you'll still want to keep the remote that it comes with handy though because this is where you're going to find your treble and bass controls and also up top there's a button to turn off the display speaking of the display here it is and this has been one of my complaints about fluence products is this display just has this 80s alarm clock feel to it I like the fact that you can easily turn it off but you you need to have it because it gives you feedback about what time it is what FM or AM station you're tuned into that kind of thing that's right I said AM FM radio I know seems a little bit retro but hey some people are still listening to it but it does have some more modern connections as well you'll find an optical digital input which you could connect to your blu-ray player or television if you want an auxilary input for connecting pretty much any sort of device and then down below is a USB charging port now such a big speaker I expected to be extremely polarizing you either really love it or you hate it but I was really surprised everybody who came through the office and saw it it was overwhelmingly a positive response that I got so maybe it's not so polarizing at all if you've got the space for it it's going to make a big statement in your room now how about the most important part how does it sound well it definitely is a full-range speaker and it does get very low in the bass in fact it might have a little bit too much going on down there but it gets nice and deep so you think it's going to be great for movies and of course any type of music you might want to throw at it it'll fill out the low end the top is a little bit on the aggressive side for me right now but then again we haven't given it much of a chance to break in yet I would say that it does indeed have a full range sound but right now it seems to be missing something in the lower mid-range I'm not quite sure what it is I'm gonna have to drill down deeper to it I will say though that it has a very respectable sound and it does get extremely loud so how much does this beast of a speaker go for well most of the people around here we're guessing around 1,500 to 2,000 dollars and I think that makes sense given its size and its power it's a really big sounding speaker but you might be surprised to find out that it actually goes for just $500 and that's because that's what fluence does they make rock solid sounding equipment at unbelievably low prices and they have certainly outdone themselves in that regard with the FI 70get a load of this thing I mean really take a second and soak it all in have you ever seen anything like this before I'm going to go ahead and wager against and say probably not unless of course you're a child of the 60s and 70s and into some seriously freaky stuff and even then I'm not sure you saw something quite like this so what is it this is the fluence fi7 the fully self-contained wireless speaker and quite a bit more let's take a quick look at what makes this thing tick you can probably tell just by looking that this is meant to be a full range sound solution and you would be right fluence went with a six driver three-way design here so here's what we've got in terms of speakers up top we have a one inch silk dome tweeter with a neodymium magnet this is the same tweeter that fluence uses in all of its speakers and then just below that we have a 5 inch fiberglass we've cone here with a butyl rubber surround that's going to take care of most of your mid-range and just a tad of the midbass down below handling the base region are two eight inch long throw woofers now I haven't seen an 8 inch driver incorporated into a 3 Way design in a long time I think that's because flaunts really wants to get as much base impact as they possibly can out of this thing all of those drivers are then mounted into a cabinet made of furniture grade MDF which is then wrapped with your choice of one of three different finishes they have black ash with the black front face as you see here they've also got a walnut with a black front face but the one I really like the one I kind of wish we had here has a bamboo laminate with a white front face I think that looks really slick and modern no matter which finish you get up top you'll find a really slick row of touch capacitive keys you don't feel anything there you just touch them and they work like that think you'll still want to keep the remote that it comes with handy though because this is where you're going to find your treble and bass controls and also up top there's a button to turn off the display speaking of the display here it is and this has been one of my complaints about fluence products is this display just has this 80s alarm clock feel to it I like the fact that you can easily turn it off but you you need to have it because it gives you feedback about what time it is what FM or AM station you're tuned into that kind of thing that's right I said AM FM radio I know seems a little bit retro but hey some people are still listening to it but it does have some more modern connections as well you'll find an optical digital input which you could connect to your blu-ray player or television if you want an auxilary input for connecting pretty much any sort of device and then down below is a USB charging port now such a big speaker I expected to be extremely polarizing you either really love it or you hate it but I was really surprised everybody who came through the office and saw it it was overwhelmingly a positive response that I got so maybe it's not so polarizing at all if you've got the space for it it's going to make a big statement in your room now how about the most important part how does it sound well it definitely is a full-range speaker and it does get very low in the bass in fact it might have a little bit too much going on down there but it gets nice and deep so you think it's going to be great for movies and of course any type of music you might want to throw at it it'll fill out the low end the top is a little bit on the aggressive side for me right now but then again we haven't given it much of a chance to break in yet I would say that it does indeed have a full range sound but right now it seems to be missing something in the lower mid-range I'm not quite sure what it is I'm gonna have to drill down deeper to it I will say though that it has a very respectable sound and it does get extremely loud so how much does this beast of a speaker go for well most of the people around here we're guessing around 1,500 to 2,000 dollars and I think that makes sense given its size and its power it's a really big sounding speaker but you might be surprised to find out that it actually goes for just $500 and that's because that's what fluence does they make rock solid sounding equipment at unbelievably low prices and they have certainly outdone themselves in that regard with the FI 70\n"
