Fluance ATV-HB+

[FendersRule]

Well, as most of you know, I set my dad up with an Onkyo 606, along with the Fluance ATV+ 5.1 speaker setup with a new PS3. The TV room is setup in a standard sized master bedroom. The Onkyo + Fluance set easily fill the room up. In-fact, it’s somewhat overkill.



Keep in mind that there are wires everywhere, as we haven't finished the room yet. Plus, a new Panasonic plasma screen is on the way. We just wanted to hook the up, and give them a run.

I must refer everyone to this thread (https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=76442) as the speakers did come in damaged (one of the floor standing speakers had a broken tweeter). Fluance shipped out a new tweeter, but didn’t rush it or anything, so we had to enjoy this set without a tweeter in one of the floor speakers.

I want to keep the talk about the Onkyo 606 to a minimum, but after we unboxed everything, setup was really simple with the 606. At first, we weren’t getting good sound at all with the Fluance speakers. We then found out that we had to turn on Bi-amp mode on in the Onkyo, and then the speakers came to life.

We’ve been using them, watching Fantastic 4, Hankcock, and Mad Max. I only used Blu-ray disks, with Multi-channeling on. I also threw in Wild hogs, and the roaring of the bikes was impressive as they drove across the screen.

I am, to say the least, very impressed with these speakers. I must first say, that my review is very limited, because I haven’t been exposed to good setups. But simply put, this setup is the best home setup I have ever been exposed to. A lot of times during these movies, I felt that I was in an actual theater.

Let’s get specific. The bass response on the Fluance ATV’s is very good. For me at least, I think they are very sufficient without a subwoofer, especially with a setup in a mid-sized room. I’ve been exposed to a lot of bass in my life (had several cars with insane bass systems), and even played in many bands with some good bassists! I can safely say that the bass response is very good with this set. However, if you want earth shattering, house lifting bass, then a subwoofer is needed. My heart thumps quite a bit with these speakers alone though.

I haven’t tested the range too much yet, but I did turn them up very loud almost to the point of uncomfort. I must say that I didn’t notice any vibrations, rattling, buzzing, hissing, or distortion, etc. Everything just seems very solid. So from this, I would say that these speakers have a great range to them. Even at low volumes, they are very good performers.
Funny thing is, I wasn’t expecting much from Fluance after the broken tweeter. I really didn’t care what they sounded like, because I already wanted to send them back. So you could say that I was somewhat unbiased to this review. They absolutely surpassed all my expectations. I would not mind having a set in my own place. I think you cannot get much better for price/performance. My feelings are still a bit mixed about Fluance, mainly because they did not express a tweeter to me in time for Christmas. However, my feelings have been slowly turning good for them due to the solid performance.

Keep in mind, that the replacement tweeter has yet to arrive, so we have been listening it to it without a tweeter in the right speaker. I personally cannot even notice it. So it’s great to know that these speakers will sound even better than how they sound now.

So in conclusion, best home setup I have ever been in. A lot of it may be the Onkyo, but for entry-level speakers, you cannot go wrong with the Fluance set. I would really like someone with some audiophile experience to buy this set, and let me know what they sound like from a professional standpoint. This is the next step.

[aramis109]

Nice review.

Question- do you have the fronts bi-amped- ie, running one set of wires to the fronts, and one to the surround backs for each speaker? Reason I ask is that you mentioned having to switch it to the bi-amp to get a decent sound out of them.

[FendersRule]

Great question. The front speakers are Bi-wired (two sets going to each).

The Onkyo 606 doesn't recognize this automatically, so you have to turn it on in the setup. So without it turned on, we were just listening to the high range drivers.

Wiring btw is monoprice 14 gauge. Couldn't ask for better service and performance from them.

I should add, best of all, my dad is impressed. He turns to me a lot in the movies, and gives me a smile whenever you hear a bird, or a sound fly up behind us (to the rear satellites).

As I mentioned before, the next step is someone else picking up this set, and letting me know how much of this review that you agree with. In a year or so, I might be in the market for a decent set of speakers, so I would like to hear some more opinions around here!