Fyne Audio Classic VIII walnut (pack of 2)
Overview
The Classic VIII is built in a rectangular cabinet with walnut-veneered panels and a black baffle, featuring anodized gold accents. This compact floorstander combines a 1970s-inspired design with contemporary acoustic technologies developed by the team led by Dr. Paul Mills. Every design element is engineered to meet precise performance criteria.
Sophisticated engineering in classic attire
At the heart of this speaker is a 200 mm IsoFlare driver combining a multifiber cone with FyneFlute surround and a compression tweeter featuring a 25 mm magnesium dome. This coaxial configuration, where the mid/bass and treble units share the same acoustic center, forms the technical foundation of the Classic VIII.
Fyne Audio’s IsoFlare system is a point-source transducer in which the mid/bass driver shares a common center with the high-frequency unit. This configuration ensures isotropic energy dispersion with constant directivity, with sound produced as if emanating from a single point in space. This approach delivers particularly remarkable temporal and spatial coherence, eliminating the phase issues often encountered with traditional multi-way configurations.
The FyneFlute peripheral surround deserves special attention. This proprietary surround uses computer-designed variable flute geometry to perfectly dissipate cone energy at the outer edge. This technical innovation minimizes coloration while optimizing control of the diaphragm’s motion, thereby contributing to transparency and precision in reproduction.
The BassTrax system: innovative low-frequency management
The lower cavity of the speakers is equipped with the proprietary BassTrax technology. It directs the speakers’ bass-reflex port onto a Tractrix-type diffuser cone to optimize bass phase, radiating evenly over 360 degrees.
Air exits the enclosure against a cone that smoothly channels airflow from a vertical axis to a horizontal axis, ensuring the air leaving the cabinet has a constant fixed boundary, which should simplify placement. This technical approach allows for easier integration in various listening setups, with the speakers being less sensitive to their position relative to walls.
The Classic VIII conceals the opening of this system beneath a fabric band that wraps around the lower part of the cabinet, thus preserving the clean aesthetic while ensuring optimal bass diffusion.
Construction and materials: a commitment to detail
The cabinet is built from high-density fiber panels that are far stiffer than materials of the past, with an internally braced system calculated by software. This modern construction approach guarantees exemplary cabinet rigidity, eliminating parasitic resonances that could degrade signal purity.
The cabinet’s shape, wider than it is deep, is more than a nostalgic aesthetic choice. This configuration allows for an expansive presentation afforded by the width of the front baffle, creating something that fills the listening space without ever overwhelming it. This particular geometry helps create a particularly wide and stable soundstage.
The crossover is purpose-designed for the task and combines old-school practices—component spacing and mounting on a vibration-damped board—with fully modern computer modeling. The crossover point is set at 1.8 kHz, with second-order low-pass and first-order high-pass filtering. The speaker features bi-wireable binding posts with high-quality jumpers supplied for single-wiring use.
Customizable tuning for optimal adaptation
At the base of the cabinet are two knobs for adjusting “Energy” and “Presence.” The former offers a +/- 3 dB adjustment of tweeter output while the latter allows the same adjustment in the 2.5–5 kHz range. These controls enable fine-tuning of the speaker’s response to room acoustics and the listener’s personal preferences.
This system is continuously variable as it was originally. This flexibility offers a level of customization rarely available on speakers at this price point, allowing for optimal integration in varied acoustic environments.
Sound performance: between tradition and modernity
The Classic VIII has rather singular strengths, best described as “effortlessness.” It brings to life the old adage “there’s no replacement for displacement.” This ease translates into an ability to reproduce music with natural poise, without apparent strain, even on complex passages.
The Classic VIII is a sensitive speaker; the quoted 91 dB/W figure actually seems a little pessimistic in use, lending the speaker a beneficial immediacy to practically everything you play. This high sensitivity allows compatibility with a wide range of amplifiers, from low-power tube models to more muscular solid-state amps.
With its expansive presentation afforded by the wide front baffle, you get something that fills the listening space without ever overpowering it. The soundstage is remarkably three-dimensional, with imaging precision and depth that defy expectations for a speaker of this size.
It takes about ten minutes with the Fyne to appreciate that it possesses rather singular skills. The speaker gradually reveals its qualities, notably exemplary tonal coherence across the entire spectrum and an ability to maintain that coherence regardless of listening level.
Technical Specifications
System Configuration
- 2-way system with downward-firing bass reflex port
- Dual-chamber architecture
- BassTrax Tractrix waveguide
Electrical Specifications
- Recommended power (RMS): 30 – 200 W
- Maximum power: 400 W
- Continuous power (RMS): 100 W
- Nominal impedance: 8 Ω
Acoustic Response
- Sensitivity (2.83 V @ 1 m): 91 dB
- Frequency response (-6 dB typical in-room): 30 Hz – 34 kHz
Transducers
- Bass/midrange driver: 200 mm IsoFlare point source
- Multi-fiber cone
- FyneFlute surround
- Tweeter: 25 mm magnesium dome
- Ferrite magnet system
- Cryo-Lite treatment
Crossover
- Crossover frequency: 1.8 kHz
- Type: low-loss passive bi-wiring filter
- 2nd-order low-pass
- 1st-order high-pass
Acoustic Adjustments
- High-frequency energy (1.8 – 34 kHz): ± 3 dB
- Presence (2.5 – 5 kHz): ± 3 dB
Dimensions and Weight
- Dimensions: 873 × 380 × 300 mm (H × W × D)
- Net weight: 29.1 kg
Construction and Finish
- Finish: walnut
- Enclosure: high-density MDF with extensive internal bracing
Waveguide Positioning
- S-Trax position: 74 mm from the front edge of the enclosure
- SuperTrax position: 50 mm from the front edge of the enclosure
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between the Classic VIII and the Classic VIII SM?
The Classic VIII is an elegant floorstander that builds on the SM version with a larger tower cabinet for a richer, fuller, more engaging sound. The SM version is a compact bookshelf model requiring stands, while the Classic VIII is a standalone floorstander offering greater low-frequency extension thanks to its larger internal volume and floor-optimized configuration.
What amplifier power is recommended?
The specifications indicate a recommended power of 30 to 200 watts RMS, with a continuous power handling of 100 watts. The 91 dB sensitivity allows use with moderately powered amplifiers. The quoted 91 dB/W figure actually seems a little pessimistic in practice, suggesting the speaker is even easier to drive than the specs imply.
How do you optimize placement of the Classic VIII?
The speakers should be placed about 1.5 to 4.5 m apart, ideally not closer than 0.5 m from the rear wall and less than 1 m from side walls. The BassTrax system facilitates placement by reducing wall interactions. The adjustment knobs then allow you to fine-tune the response according to the room’s acoustics.
Are bi-wiring or bi-amping possible?
Yes, the speaker features dual binding posts allowing bi-wiring or bi-amping. For bi-wire operation, ensure the linking bars are not installed and connect them with two sets of cables or a dedicated bi-wire cable. High-quality jumpers are supplied for standard single-wiring use.
What kind of technology does the tweeter use?
The tweeter is a compression model using a 25 mm magnesium dome with a ferrite magnet system and Cryo-Lite treatment. This configuration offers an extended response up to 34 kHz with controlled dispersion thanks to the waveguide integrated into the IsoFlare coaxial design.
Are the grilles removable?
Yes, the Vintage Classic woven-fabric grilles are removable and attach magnetically to the baffle. The grilles attach with hidden magnets on the baffle and on the back of the cabinet for storage during critical listening sessions. The fabric is inspired by traditional Scottish kilt patterns.
What is the real in-room frequency response?
The specified frequency response is 30 Hz to 34 kHz (-6 dB typical in-room). Fyne’s 30 Hz at -6 dB figure is definitely at the upper end of that roll-off, but the speed and sheer coherence on offer more than make up for it. Bass quality takes precedence over absolute extension.
- Eco-contribution included in the sale price.