Review Details

Ai60 High Performance Powered 6.5” Bookshelf Speakers

Product Rating:

Product Review (submitted on July 10, 2020):

My new Zoom crew demands that I work out of my kitchen nook, as it has the most neutral-looking wall space behind me. Read lots of online reviews before landing on the A140 and A160 BT speakers for above my kitchen cabinets. At about $200 for A160 refurbs (about the price of the A140's new), the 6" Fluances were exactly the price point I needed to replace my Samson BT3's which were fine, until you cranked them a bit louder then, it was distortion for days....I gave them to my gf for her bedroom, which is a win-win for us both.When they arrived direct from the factory, they sat on my butcher block facing me for a few days as I worked filling the room with clear mids and solid tight bass. They sound like my digital stereo and just about as good as my 12" Cerwin Vegas at about a 6-8 foot distance from my seat, which was a BIG surprise. There is a definite difference in the RCA jack connected sound in the highs vs. bluetooth from my laptop esp. in the highs, where the cymbals seem a bit less defined, but not really muddled, but just a little. I expected this as Bluetooth 5.0 spec really doesn't have the quality yet of wired. Where it DOES have the quality is in the pre-amp and power amp stages where there is little audible hiss, even when cranked high.I let the speakers "burn in" with Weather Report's Black Market album on FLAC for a few days before moving them off the counter and nearer to the ceiling, but honestly liked the presence and frequency response better when on axis. But it's that bass, you just can't ignore it, even when playing at lower volumes. It comes off as natural and effortless will definitely make you think differently about the smaller woofer sizes for a sealed enclosure.The remote is a nice addition to my pile of black remotes all claiming +Vol- <x (mute) and other sound changing controls, but it works well and feels good in the hand.No complaints at all, even the pairing process was pretty seamless. Well done, Fluance!