Now before anybody starts making commercials for FM acoustics let me tell you a story:
A good friend of mine (engineer and md of a recording studio) sent his FM amplifier to switzerland to get it back with heavy dents in the chassis and same tone problem as before.(Impertinent bill included)
These amps have enclosed modules on them which obviously were the problem of the tone fault.
Kind of big opamps they don´t want anybody to open...
They´re damn expensive amps for what they are and even years ago you were better off getting a Bryston or similar.(for the price of the FM you could have got a few!)
I won´t even start talking about the choices you´ve got today.
The studio was setup by financiers (audio laymans) so you can´t blame them for getting the FM.
Nothing to recommend if you ask me.
(I´m a repair engineer myself)
A good friend of mine (engineer and md of a recording studio) sent his FM amplifier to switzerland to get it back with heavy dents in the chassis and same tone problem as before.(Impertinent bill included)
These amps have enclosed modules on them which obviously were the problem of the tone fault.
Kind of big opamps they don´t want anybody to open...
They´re damn expensive amps for what they are and even years ago you were better off getting a Bryston or similar.(for the price of the FM you could have got a few!)
I won´t even start talking about the choices you´ve got today.
The studio was setup by financiers (audio laymans) so you can´t blame them for getting the FM.
Nothing to recommend if you ask me.
(I´m a repair engineer myself)
Hi, Joensd,
While he is still here, do you want me to tell him this problem? Could you be more specific so he can remember the incident?
While he is still here, do you want me to tell him this problem? Could you be more specific so he can remember the incident?
Perhaps I should inflate the price of my modules by 50 times then deliver them myself? Pot them. Where do you live?
I'll sit down and and be genuinely interested, I promise!
Cheers,
Greg
I'll sit down and and be genuinely interested, I promise!
Cheers,
Greg
Just curious, has anyone here listened to a well set up system with FM Acoustics amplification (preamps, power amps)?
Personally, I don't begrudge him charging so much (the poor fellow has to pay for his Enzo). It's not a world I live, each nutter to his own etc.
Just wondering what it does with recorded music. Nice? Ordinary? Soulless perfection? Something completely different?
Deon
Personally, I don't begrudge him charging so much (the poor fellow has to pay for his Enzo). It's not a world I live, each nutter to his own etc.
Just wondering what it does with recorded music. Nice? Ordinary? Soulless perfection? Something completely different?
Deon
No, thanks for the offer anyway.
That story is long gone and I certainly don´t wanna warm that up
as my buddy probably wouldn´t want himself having other problems.
BTW: If he´s got a good business/service he should remember already.
Don´t get me wrong I don´t want to bash anybody´s business but looking at the price of the amp and the service we got I thought I must at least make a mention here even if it was a single "accident".
I for myself can only conclude FM are money-makers of which you´ve got enough anyway in the audio business.
How easy is it to make a 1000W amplifier and sell it for 15000€?
You just have to be a PR genius...
It does not become really clear to me what you actually wanna say.
You do work for FM and manufacture the modules?
You got a few spares? thank you very much for the service.😉
greets
PS.: the substitute amplifier which was a Bryston was easiyl as good as the FM. My buddie is using big wall-mounted Westlake monitors with the amp.
Hi, DeonG,
If he's so flamboyant, he wouldn't be excited to take pictures with those 2 Enzo's. He just like ordinary man, like you and me 😀
Hi, Joensd,
I think I got the picture of the incident. Just now he has re-trimmed 2 of the FM's 611 power amp which HAS been sent to Switzerland for upgrading. I don't know what happens. I think when they are in Switzerland, it is not handled by himself. He said he has very few crew with FM Acoustic. FM Acoustic is Manuel Huber. If one day he passes away, he won't sell the company to anyone else. FM gears will be antiques.
After talking with him : What FM is selling more likely is not power amp or preamp itself, it is more to the "sound reproduction". Making amps is actually a "way" to deliver what he sells.
I asked why FM gears seldom got publication like in
Stereophile. One interesting thing, that many of FM gears are used in recording studios, by musicians themselves. Many of FM's customer are not "like to be published" persons. Besides that, FM's production capacity is limited. Component picking is the major rule.
He has very good ears, exceptionally good. He has the opportunity to know live music from childhood, play music himself, opportunity to know all the important concert halls all around the world, opportunity to know (and make) best recording studios worldwide, make friends with best recording Engineers. His strong point is in acoustic, sound engineering. He shared how to make a good listening room from any room condition.
He's smart. Everything in Hi-End has its physical explenation like in high school. No hocus pocus in sound reproduction.
Interesting guy. A friend of mine offers him a blank cheque (which he can fill himself) for him to make the best audio system for his sound room. He refuses this offer, and tell something very logical. He said to finish his sound room first, collect the musical material he likes, and then they talk later. The most expensive gears are not necessarily the best fit, he said.
The same with electronic designing. His start point is his ears, not cct's. Textbook is important but sometimes ccts there cannot fit his requirements. He knows what he needs, why and how to achieve that. He admits that part of FM's cct is not in any textbooks. He got explenations.
Learn so much form one Manuel Huber.
Actually those Enzo's are not Manual Huber's. They are my friend's. Manuel Huber is low profile. Not a single expensive gear he uses (clothes, shoes, watch, travel bag). Quite surprising for a man who sells something with FM's price tag.
If he's so flamboyant, he wouldn't be excited to take pictures with those 2 Enzo's. He just like ordinary man, like you and me 😀
Hi, Joensd,
I think I got the picture of the incident. Just now he has re-trimmed 2 of the FM's 611 power amp which HAS been sent to Switzerland for upgrading. I don't know what happens. I think when they are in Switzerland, it is not handled by himself. He said he has very few crew with FM Acoustic. FM Acoustic is Manuel Huber. If one day he passes away, he won't sell the company to anyone else. FM gears will be antiques.
After talking with him : What FM is selling more likely is not power amp or preamp itself, it is more to the "sound reproduction". Making amps is actually a "way" to deliver what he sells.
I asked why FM gears seldom got publication like in
Stereophile. One interesting thing, that many of FM gears are used in recording studios, by musicians themselves. Many of FM's customer are not "like to be published" persons. Besides that, FM's production capacity is limited. Component picking is the major rule.
He has very good ears, exceptionally good. He has the opportunity to know live music from childhood, play music himself, opportunity to know all the important concert halls all around the world, opportunity to know (and make) best recording studios worldwide, make friends with best recording Engineers. His strong point is in acoustic, sound engineering. He shared how to make a good listening room from any room condition.
He's smart. Everything in Hi-End has its physical explenation like in high school. No hocus pocus in sound reproduction.
Interesting guy. A friend of mine offers him a blank cheque (which he can fill himself) for him to make the best audio system for his sound room. He refuses this offer, and tell something very logical. He said to finish his sound room first, collect the musical material he likes, and then they talk later. The most expensive gears are not necessarily the best fit, he said.
The same with electronic designing. His start point is his ears, not cct's. Textbook is important but sometimes ccts there cannot fit his requirements. He knows what he needs, why and how to achieve that. He admits that part of FM's cct is not in any textbooks. He got explenations.
Learn so much form one Manuel Huber.
lumanauw,
He sounds like a fine and sensible fellow. There is so much BS in audio one has to be careful. I was serious when I said I don't hold it against him for charging so much, each to his own. Luxury items have their place in audio too.
However, I still curious about the FM Acoustics "sound reproduction". I'd like to hear it for myself. Every designer has his own take on sound reproduction, their own philosophies, approach, sound flavour if you like.
Have you heard the FM A "sound reporduction"? Could you or anyone else on this forum tell me a bit about it? A bit like the Halcro sound? OR more like the Audio Note UK sound?
Honestly, I am curious. I missed the demo up in Paris but hope to catch the next one anywhere near Nice (France).
Cheers
Deon
He sounds like a fine and sensible fellow. There is so much BS in audio one has to be careful. I was serious when I said I don't hold it against him for charging so much, each to his own. Luxury items have their place in audio too.
However, I still curious about the FM Acoustics "sound reproduction". I'd like to hear it for myself. Every designer has his own take on sound reproduction, their own philosophies, approach, sound flavour if you like.
Have you heard the FM A "sound reporduction"? Could you or anyone else on this forum tell me a bit about it? A bit like the Halcro sound? OR more like the Audio Note UK sound?
Honestly, I am curious. I missed the demo up in Paris but hope to catch the next one anywhere near Nice (France).
Cheers
Deon
Hi, DeonG,
I also wondered where the money goes to? Why FM Acoustic is so expensive. After talking so much with him, there is a technical reason why. They traced every single transistor used (yes, every single one) to the curve they wanted. It is very time (and money offcourse) consuming.
He said, nowdays about 30-40% of what the transistor factory delivered, they can use. (they customized their own transistor specs. Like the output transistor, it is 90Mhz bipolars with 30A current, 46mm2 silicon area, the shape is like C5200, but with FM logo on it). The higher the FM type, the strict-er the selection is.
In the old days it is only 10 or 20% that fits to their curve tracer. Even sometimes in 50.000 transistor they buy not a single one can be used for their production.
Interesting that they don't match the HFE or VBE, they really match the whole transfer curve up until the real operating point. This makes alot of rejection. I ask why he just dont match the HFE or VBE? He answered, they want perfection.
I saw a proof of this myself. The 611 that he adjusted yesterday, one thing that he adjusted is the protection section. Before, it protects too early, like to 2ohm load. He ask me to get him 0.5ohm resistor, and you know what he do with that amp? First he short cct the outputs (+with-) with a metal wrench to make the amp protected. Then slowly he adjusted the protection section, (and he does the short cct again and again and again and again...😀) until if the load is 0.5ohm (the resistor he asked me is put between +and-), the amp shouldn't protect. With 0.25ohm or shortcircuit, it should protect.
I think he is consistent with what he said about matching every transistor he used, small or big ones. Without that, it's difficult to not brake an amp with so many short-cct while adjusting the protection section. The output is not single transtor, but many pairs of transistors. They has tobe closely matched to be able to do what I saw. The amp has quite high voltage rail, yet he dare to do that.
How does FM sounds? Hmm.....It's difficult to say/wrote this. I'm not Srajan Ebaen 😀.
In short : very fast, very dynamic, not tire-ing, seems to not have intermodulation, very controled, can reproduce full concerto LP with perfect score (if the speakers and the room is perfect too..). Not many amps can do this, especially tubes.
I also wondered where the money goes to? Why FM Acoustic is so expensive. After talking so much with him, there is a technical reason why. They traced every single transistor used (yes, every single one) to the curve they wanted. It is very time (and money offcourse) consuming.
He said, nowdays about 30-40% of what the transistor factory delivered, they can use. (they customized their own transistor specs. Like the output transistor, it is 90Mhz bipolars with 30A current, 46mm2 silicon area, the shape is like C5200, but with FM logo on it). The higher the FM type, the strict-er the selection is.
In the old days it is only 10 or 20% that fits to their curve tracer. Even sometimes in 50.000 transistor they buy not a single one can be used for their production.
Interesting that they don't match the HFE or VBE, they really match the whole transfer curve up until the real operating point. This makes alot of rejection. I ask why he just dont match the HFE or VBE? He answered, they want perfection.
I saw a proof of this myself. The 611 that he adjusted yesterday, one thing that he adjusted is the protection section. Before, it protects too early, like to 2ohm load. He ask me to get him 0.5ohm resistor, and you know what he do with that amp? First he short cct the outputs (+with-) with a metal wrench to make the amp protected. Then slowly he adjusted the protection section, (and he does the short cct again and again and again and again...😀) until if the load is 0.5ohm (the resistor he asked me is put between +and-), the amp shouldn't protect. With 0.25ohm or shortcircuit, it should protect.
I think he is consistent with what he said about matching every transistor he used, small or big ones. Without that, it's difficult to not brake an amp with so many short-cct while adjusting the protection section. The output is not single transtor, but many pairs of transistors. They has tobe closely matched to be able to do what I saw. The amp has quite high voltage rail, yet he dare to do that.
How does FM sounds? Hmm.....It's difficult to say/wrote this. I'm not Srajan Ebaen 😀.
In short : very fast, very dynamic, not tire-ing, seems to not have intermodulation, very controled, can reproduce full concerto LP with perfect score (if the speakers and the room is perfect too..). Not many amps can do this, especially tubes.
Hi
I agree with that.
Quite sometime back I have the chance to listen to a full
FM Acoustics system. Up till down the music still flow in my mind.
It makes me feel like I am in a concert hall enjoying a great
performance.
I agree with that.
Quite sometime back I have the chance to listen to a full
FM Acoustics system. Up till down the music still flow in my mind.
It makes me feel like I am in a concert hall enjoying a great
performance.
This is the strange part. There is 2 boxes accompany the speaker. It seems tobe active Xover, because it has 1ch (full range) balanced input and 2 (hi and low) balanced output.
What makes it strange, the cable speaker from the power amp(s) before entering the speaker should pass this box too.
Is there somekind of comparator inside this box?
What makes it strange, the cable speaker from the power amp(s) before entering the speaker should pass this box too.
Is there somekind of comparator inside this box?
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