Fluance Ri71 Powered Speaker System Review

It doesn't do to deal in stereotypes, but I find it hard to reconcile the fact that Fluance is a Canadian company, and that it claims to have "successfully revolutionized [sic] home audio". This isn't quite the self-effacing behaviour that Canada is traditionally known for, is it?

In all honesty, there is nothing truly revolutionary about the new Ri71 powered stereo speaker system. This company has been involved in this sector of the market for ages, and is far from alone in wanting to offer a self-contained wireless audio system in a pair of stereo speakers for a reasonable amount of money. But then again, new ground can only be broken once – and the Ri71 doesn't have to be revolutionary, it just needs to be good.

Up Close

There's nothing remarkable about the way the Ri71 is built or finished. The 310x185x199mm [HxWxD] cabinets are standard-issue square-edged designs, and if you thought you'd seen the end of black ash-effect vinyl wrap, think again. All three of the finishes in which the Fluance system is available – including white and 'walnut' wood-effect vinyl wrap – look pretty dated in a market that's more about matte lacquer in numerous different shades. To be fair, though, there's no disputing the high standard of construction evident here.

The specification of the Ri71 is a combination of 'impressive' and 'humdrum', so let's get the latter out of the way first, shall we? It's all about physical connectivity, or the relative lack thereof. The primary speaker in the set-up houses all amplification as well as wired and wireless connections. Where the former is concerned, you're looking at a line-level analogue input on a pair of RCAs and an HDMI ARC socket. Fluance has high hopes for the Ri71 as an audio-focused alternative to a soundbar – so that's fair enough – but really? One analogue and one highly specific digital input is your lot? And the fact that there's a pre-out for a subwoofer really doesn't make up for it, because it simply chucks everything below 80Hz at the connected sub.

After this, though, the Ri71 starts to look a bit more like it. Wireless connectivity is via Bluetooth 5.0 and there's compatibility with both aptX HD and aptX Low Latency codecs. Incoming digital signals are dealt with by a DAC of 24-bit/192kHz native resolution. Once everything's in the analogue domain, it's amplified by a total of 120 watts of Class D power and sent to a driver array that's far from 'humdrum'.

Towards the top of each speaker there's a 28x35mm AMT high frequency unit, sat behind a gently flared horn arrangement to further assist in opening up the driver's radiating area. Suffice to say that this isn't the sort of complex and expensive technology anyone is expecting to show up in a product as keenly priced as this one. Beneath the AMT is a 133mm mid/bass driver, mostly made of woven glass fibre, and at the bottom of the baffle is a forward-facing reflex port. It's a relatively dramatic-looking line-up, which might well explain why the Ri71 is not supplied with grilles, and it's an arrangement the company suggests is good for a frequency response of 46Hz to 30kHz.

You have a couple of options when it comes to operating the Ri71. Fluance supplies a little remote control handset that covers the basics of 'power on/off', 'volume up/down/mute', input selection, 'play/pause', 'skip forwards/backwards' and offers some bass and treble adjustment. It also features a little sticker that lets you know what the colour of the tiny LED on the primary speaker means, and gives away the fact that some other Fluance products that share this remote control also have digital optical and USB inputs.

Bass and treble tone adjustment is also available on the rear panel of the primary speaker, along with a largish rotary volume control that just about bursts above the top surface of the speaker. This speaker also has a connection for mains power of course, a 'power on/off' switch and a set of proper speaker cable binding posts via which it connects with its partnering secondary speaker.

The Listening

Does the Ri71 really reach all the way down to the manufacturer's claimed 46Hz? It seems unlikely once you hear the system in action, but nevertheless, the Fluance still digs deep and hits respectably hard. And what's more, it does so while controlling the low-end so it's able to express rhythms confidently, while freighting bass sounds with sufficient detail levels that the bottom end sounds varied rather than just thumping. The midrange is similarly informative, and the Fluance is adept enough when it comes to soundstaging that vocal performances are able to project while still remaining an integrated part of the overall presentation. Detail retrieval is such that character, as well as tone and technique, is made pretty apparent.

The handover to the high-frequency unit is smoothly achieved, but once up there, the tonal differences between the AMT and the glassfibre composite mid/bass driver below it are made apparent. There's a slight restlessness about the way the Fluance deals with high-frequency information. Treble is rather lumpy and edgy in absolute terms, and the AMT will not thank you for making full use of the 60 watts of power per channel that's available. The more volume you dial in, the more the top end sounds marginally coarse.

There is decent dynamic headroom available, so as well as revealing a lot about the vocal line in PJ Harvey's version of Who By Fire, the changes in intensity and attack are given full expression. Despite the differences in tonality through the audio band, the frequency response itself is pretty balanced and even.

As an alternative to a soundbar, the Fluance Ri71 retains all of these characteristics – but the strong emphasis on midrange in virtually every movie soundtrack plays to the system's strengths where detail retrieval and contextualisation are concerned. Its ability with soundstaging is also a big plus-point here. Despite offering a reasonable sensation of space, the Ri71 is direct and unequivocal when it comes to serving up the soundtrack to a film or a TV show. Its midrange eloquence and its overall positivity make it an unarguable and quite persuasive alternative to a soundbar for similar money.

The Verdict

You are not short of choice when it comes to powered stereo speaker systems at this sort of money, and some alternatives have greater connectivity as well as less antiquated options when it comes to finish. What few rivals can match, however, is the Ri71's sheer scale and dynamism, the visual and sonic drama of its driver array, or its articulate and revealing nature when connected to a TV via HDMI. Which means the Fluance may not be the most modern-looking system around, but its virtues are basically timeless.

For more information visit Fluance