Frankenspiel FS-1
Just Tested
Phono amps
Cambridge Audio 651P
Fine sense of timing and plenty of excitement makes this a fine buy
Read
Blu-ray players
Samsung BD-F6500
As a low-cost option, the Samsung isn’t a bad shout – not the best in class but still competitive
Read
Headphones
Parrot Zik
These high-tech headphones deliver decent performance, and put a smile on your face if you’re a fashion-conscious feature-fiend
Read
In this month's mag
August 2013
GROUP TEST: Floorstanding speakers from £440-£500
GROUP TEST: TV Titans – 55in tellies from £2300-£2500
ULTIMATE GUIDE: DACs from £180-£4995
© 2013 Haymarket Publishing
Comments
Hi,
Can anyone confirm FS are compatible with Windows 7 and do not require similarly to model QSB reconnecting USB cable every time the computer is switched off/ log off?
Thanks
40 Watts from USB power? According to the standards, even USB can only supply 5V at an absolute peak current of 5A, that equates to 25W with lots of distortion, if my school-boy physics still holds true, or do they have a very neat trick hidden in those tiny boxes?
According to the SoundScience website, the speakers do indeed use clever technology; this from the company website blurb on the sister QSB speakers:
"Power over USB is limited to 500mA at 5V.
Even assuming no losses, this only translates into a maximum continuous power of 2.5W.
So: how do we achieve a peak output power claim of 30W?
Well, audio does not have a continuous power profile. Audio peaks are high power, but transitory. The average of audio content, and therefore output power, is at a much lower level.
This new efficient amp is capable of outputting instantaneous peaks of 15W/channel, and burst power of 7.5W/channel so cleanly reproducing the audio peaks, when required; as well as sustaining the lower average output power required for the rest of the audio content.
Think of the system as something close to how KERS technology works in an F1 car- or as a reservoir, storing energy from the USB supply in capacitors; ready to release that energy only when the audio signal actually requires it. Plus the amp and the BMR driver are designed to match each other perfectly.
In this way, the system adapts to the audio content and the USB supply constraint to reproduce your music in a truly efficient way. Energy wastage is minimized, there are no delays and the amp delivers power to the driver only when needed - always resulting in clean audio with no distortions, even at maximum volume."
I'm sure SoundScience would love Apple to stock them in store, but I know they've had the devil's own job just getting them sold online.
I have been really excited for these speakers to appear on the market, and then equally crestfallen to learn that they would be exclusively available through the Apple Store. What a terrible move/decision/strategy on the part of SoundScience. The Frankenspiels are listed as being avaliable "in stock" online but NOT in the Apple Store.
These are speakers which cry/scream out to be purchased on the spot as I was going to, but this was not to be the case. Apple SHOULD state for each item whether or not it is availabe for in-store purchases.
The problem is that I am flying back to the States this coming Wednesday, and if I were to order the speakers today, they would POSSIBLY arrive that day. and that just does not work.
SoundScience has not made a SOUND decision in relying on Apple to be their sales conduit. They should know by now, just by looking in the stores how heavily Apple flogs BOSE, B&W, Philips, and iHome to the detriment of other vendors.
Apple has not been helpful in the least. I spoke with Apple Store online services and was going to see if they could somehow expedite shipping, but they never got back to me. Typical of Apple. They were supposed to call and they did not.
AAARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!