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Fishhead Audio StrEight 1.8 FS – New Two-way System

The latest solution from Fishhead Audio GmbH, the Fishhead Audio StrEight 1.8 FS, is supposed to present itself as a two-way floorstanding loudspeaker. This even establishes a completely new product line, the Fishhead Audio StrEight series.

With the new Fishhead Audio StrEight 1.8 FS, the Berlin company Fishhead Audio GmbH surprises not only by presenting a new floorstanding speaker system, but also by founding a completely new product line, the Fishhead Audio StrEight series. In the future, it will expand the product range of the small loudspeaker manufacturer with the previously available model series Fishhead Audio Resolution Series.

The most striking change compared to the Fishhead Audio Resolution Series is that the new Fishhead Audio StrEight 1.8 FS presents itself as a loudspeaker system with a wide baffle and, above all, an 8-inch low-midrange driver.

Fishhead Audio StrEight 1.8 FS – Concept of the 1980s revisited

Thus, the new Fishhead Audio StrEight 1.8 FS ultimately presents itself with a concept seemingly deviating from the design philosophy followed so far, because the systems of the Fishhead Audio Resolution series, with the models Fishhead Audio Resolution 1.6 BS as well as Fishhead Audio Resolution 2.6 FS available here so far, proved to be comparatively slim solutions designed as three-way bass reflex systems.

In doing so, they followed the trend towards particularly slim, graceful systems that has been prevalent on the market for many years, albeit not quite as distinctly as many others. Clearly, it was and is the industry’s declared goal to realise solutions that can be very easily integrated into the customer’s living environment.

The new Fishhead Audio StrEight 1.8 FS, however, takes up a concept that could clearly have come from the 1980s, and Christoph Winklmeier, founder and developer of Fishhead Audio GmbH, admits this in no uncertain terms.

“Anyone who has been dealing with loudspeakers for a long time will certainly be familiar with the concept of the 2-way speaker with a large bass-midrange driver from the ’80s. That is also the reason why the StrEight is now the second concept to be released after the Resolution. They just don’t make them like that any more. Loudspeakers have become slimmer and slimmer over the last 30 years and have correspondingly small baffles and small driver diameters. The old concept of the big bass-midrange driver may not be aesthetically mainstream, but the direct and dynamic response and the groovy pace, are just fun. Even with modern music.”

Christoph Winklmeier, founder and developer at Fishhead Audio GmbH

Classic two-way bass reflex system

While the small loudspeaker manufacturer from Berlin describes its Fishhead Audio Resolution Series as systems with particularly transparent, detailed reproduction, the new Fishhead Audio StrEight 1.8 FS emphasises above all the capabilities in the bass and midrange, which is achieved by the generous 8 inch woofer of this new floorstanding speaker system and the combination with a comparatively large AMT tweeter for a detailed and fine-dynamically responsive high-frequency resolution.

  • Foto © Fishhead Audio GmbH | Fishhead Audio StrEight 1.8 FS
  • Foto © Fishhead Audio GmbH | Fishhead Audio StrEight 1.8 FS
  • Foto © Fishhead Audio GmbH | Fishhead Audio StrEight 1.8 FS
  • Foto © Fishhead Audio GmbH | Fishhead Audio StrEight 1.8 FS
  • Foto © Fishhead Audio GmbH | Fishhead Audio StrEight 1.8 FS
  • Foto © Fishhead Audio GmbH | Fishhead Audio StrEight 1.8 FS
  • Foto © Fishhead Audio GmbH | Fishhead Audio StrEight 1.8 FS
  • Foto © Fishhead Audio GmbH | Fishhead Audio StrEight 1.8 FS

To cut to the chase, the new Fishhead Audio StrEight 1.8 FS features a 200 mm diameter low-mid driver, using an embossed paper cone and a scooped paper dustcap. The driver is driven by a powerful ferrite magnet system and an aluminium die-cast basket provides the stable base.

The tweeter is an AMT, or Air Motion Transformer, with dimensions of 34 x 62 mm and a powerful neodymium magnet system.

It is interesting to note that the bass reflex system of the new Fishhead Audio StrEight 1.8 FS is located on the underside, facing the floor, so that a very homogeneous dispersion into the room can be achieved.

The frequency range of the new Fishhead Audio StrEight 1.8 FS is given as 35 Hz up to 25 kHz, whereby the AMT already starts working at a crossover frequency of 1.3 kHz, as the manufacturer states.

The impedance is rated at 4 ohms, the power handling at 120 watts and the sensitivity at 87 dB. These are the most important technical features of the Fishhead Audio StrEight 1.8 FS in a compact form.

Solid cabinet with interesting details

The new Fishhead Audio StrEight 1.8 FS weighs in at 20.6 kg, which is quite exciting, although the dimensions of 940 mm in height, 260 mm in width and 315 mm in depth are not as opulent as this weight specification would suggest.

Once again, it can be said that the new Fishhead Audio StrEight 1.8 FS is a solution with a solid, multi-braced MDF cabinet.

In the proven manner, Fishhead Audio GmbH relies on a very reduced, yet elegant design with a matt white body, a matt black lacquered baffle and a loudspeaker grill that is also in black, but only takes up the upper half of the front when mounted with magnets.

The baffle is divided into two parts, as the drivers are located on the top side alone, which is also tilted backwards by 5°.

This reduces reflections, according to the manufacturer, who promises a more direct reproduction and even a time-of-flight adjustment between tweeter and woofer. In addition, the tilt of the cabinet can be adjusted by 3° via the screw-in depth of the spikes in the elegant aluminium stand.

Prices and availability

The new Fishhead Audio StrEight 1.8 FS is already available directly from Fishhead Audio GmbH, as described, in the matt white finish for the body in combination with matt black for the baffle.

The pair price for the new Fishhead Audio StrEight 1.8 FS is quoted by the manufacturer at € 1.499,-.

Getting to the point

A direct and dynamic response, even a groovy gait, which is supposed to offer special fun with music, is what Fishhead Audio GmbH promises for the latest loudspeaker system from Berlin, namely the new Fishhead Audio StrEight 1.8 FS. This presents itself as a two-way bass reflex system with a large woofer and AMT tweeter and establishes the new Fishhead Audio StrEight series.

PRODUCTFISHHEAD AUDIO STREIGHT 1.8 FS
Price€ 1.499,-
BrandFISHHEAD AUDIO
ManufacturerFishhead Audio GmbH
DistributionFishhead Audio GmbH
More about this manufacturer at HIFI BLOG
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Michael Holzinger

Michael Holzinger, founder and editor-in-chief of HiFi BLOG and sempre-audio.at, has been working for years as a journalist in the fields of IT, photography, telecommunications and consumer electronics.

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