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FLUANCE AI61 POWERED BOOKSHELF SPEAKER REVIEW

Taps DasJanuary 17, 2022Bookshelf Speakers

Home
ReviewsSpeaker ReviewsBookshelf Speakers

Up NextTAD ME1 Stand-Mount Speaker Review
Well, Fluance did it with their Ai61 Powered Bookshelf Speaker, they’ve updated
a great product and made it better. And have now got me wanting to upgrade.







Highlights


FLUANCE AI61 POWERED BOOKSHELF SPEAKER

 * 120 Watts Class D
 * USB-C input
 * Bass Reflex Port (Yes!!!!!)
 * Bluetooth 5.0



Introduction

To say that I was looking forward to this review is an understatement. Fluance
has updated their Ai Series Powered Bookshelf Speakers, the Ai41, and Ai61. I
got to review the larger of the two, the Ai61. I looked forward to it as I own
the original Ai60 which sits pretty on the media unit at our cottage. Fluance
hailed it as the best speaker for any occasion and this statement holds true. I
own the original Ai60 and keep it at our cottage so we can have great sound
there. Our cottage is awkwardly shaped and there isn’t a great place to have a
two-channel setup. But the Ai60 works well in our space. Being an active
speaker, the Ai60 negates the need for an outboard amp and keeps the TV area
relatively clutter-free. I sometimes bring them upstairs and place them on
opposite ends of our kitchen counter. It’s served us well having great sound at
the cottage as my family has gotten quite used to having better sound for music,
TV, and movies at home. There are a good variety of powered speakers on the
market and Fluance has managed to enter the segment at a much lower cost than
the competition but with a whole lot of speaker.







This being an audiophile-centric readership. It bears mentioning that I wouldn’t
class this as a “purists reference speaker”. It’s a great speaker mind you, but
it’s an all-rounder. The type that you can set up and forget and just enjoy
whatever it is that you’re listening to.

Fluance Ai61 Powered Bookshelf Speaker SPECIFICATIONS

ENCLOSURE:

Tuned Rear Port Bass Reflex Design Dampened

SPEAKER CONFIGURATION:

2 Way – 2 Driver Bookshelf Speaker System with Integrated Amplifier (Pair)

TWEETER:

1 inch Silk Soft Dome Neodymium Ferrofluid Cooled

WOOFER:

6.5 inch Woven, Glass Fiber Composite Drivers with Butyl Rubber Surrounds

AMPLIFIER POWER:

Class D 120 Watts Continuous

AVERAGE OUTPUT:

60 watts RMS per channel

FREQUENCY RESPONSE:

32Hz – 20kHz (DSP Enhanced)

CROSSOVER FREQUENCY:

2,800Hz Phase Coherent 12dB/Oct – PCB Mounted Circuitry

INPUTS:

RCA L/R, Bluetooth & Optical, Toslink USB Type-C

SUB OUT:

80Hz Low-pass Frequency Cutoff

CASTING:

Pairs via Bluetooth with Google Home, Amazon Echo, and Apple TV

BLUETOOTH:

BT 5.0

TOTAL HARMONIC DISTORTION (HTC):

<0.3% (THD+N 1%)

DIMENSIONS:

13.1 x 7.8 x 9.2 inches (HxWxD)

SPEAKER WEIGHT:

Active Speaker – 14.03lbs, Passive Speaker – 13.14lbs

FLUANCE AI61 POWERED BOOKSHELF SPEAKER PRICE:

$299.99/pair

WEBSITE:

Company Site

COMPANY:

Fluance

SECRETS TAGS:

2022 Bookshelf Speaker Review, fluance, ai60, powered speakers, bookshelf
speakers, stand-mount speakers

Linkbacks
 * Fluance XL8 Home Theater System Review
 * Fluance RT80 Classic Turntable

Design





The Ai61 is driven by an integrated 120-Watt Class D amplifier (up from 100 in
the Ai60). The industrial design of the Ai series is largely unchanged. From the
front, everything looks just as it did on the originals. It’s only when you look
around back that you notice something different. Like the previous version, the
right speaker is the control speaker where all of the connections are made. The
port configuration has changed. Notably, there is now a power switch (to turn
off the speaker entirely), and a USB-C input for playback of audio. Returning
from the previous generation are the optical and RCA inputs, as well as the
wireless Bluetooth subwoofer output. It has gained a much-appreciated 80Hz
low-pass frequency cutoff making the connection to a subwoofer much easier. I
used it in conjunction with my B&W 610 which is a 10″ sealed box type.



Up front not much has changed. It’s a good thing as I like the look of the Ai60.
The multifunction knob is still there. It’s a rotary knob that allows source
selection by a single press or adjusting the volume by turning it. Beside it is
an infrared receiver lens to take controls from the remote. Fluance has great
little remotes. They are small yet functional. You can control volume, mute,
source, treble, and bass (+/- 5 clicks), pair Bluetooth, play, pause, skip
forward or backward, and adjust the LED indicator on the front.



The tweeter is a familiar 1-inch silk dome with a 6.5-inch woofer. The crossover
is at 2.8kHz. Fluance still claims a frequency range of 32Hz to 20kHz. Output is
rated at 92dB with a 104dB Signal to Noise and <0.3% (THD+N 1%) distortion. The
DSP handles EQ and helps with the speaker's overall output. It's a great-looking
product. My review sample arrived in all black, it is pretty, but not my
favorite colorway of the bunch. Lucky Bamboo stole my heart last time around and
I still have a soft spot for it. When I do buy one, I'll be grabbing that
colorway. Yeah, spoiler alert, I like these. I do wonder if Fluance will ever go
the KEF route and introduce a colored face to these speakers. Hmmm.

I just have one nitpick and it’s specific to me and my family. The Ai61’s don’t
come with a grill or anything to protect the drivers. My 3-year-old Milo loves
to push in drivers. I have to keep a watchful eye on him and actively put the
speakers up somewhere high so that he doesn’t get to them. And if he does, I
have to gently vacuum out the drivers. Ugh.







But as I mentioned in my preview, what I was most excited about is the tuned
bass port on the back of the speakers. Much hoopla was made when Fluance first
released the Ai Series, specifically about the Ai60 and how they reach down to
35Hz. And while they do reach low it’s at the cost of the overall soundstage and
output. Like, when I’m playing some drum and bass fairly loud and the bass kicks
in, the overall volume drops down rather noticeably. It makes sense as the
built-in DSP is protecting the drivers, but a port on the speaker would no doubt
alleviate that. And adding a sub to the mix will only make for a more seriously
engaging proposition.

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In Use

I won’t bother comparing them to anything other than the previous generation
Ai60’s. The Ai61’s are not passive bookshelf killers. If you are looking for a
high-end audiophile wireless speaker upgrade, then look elsewhere. But if you’re
looking for a do-it-all workhorse that doesn’t break the bank, this is that
speaker. Fluance does specify a run-in time of at least ten hours to make sure
the butyl rubber surrounds are nice and warmed in to handle the musical
onslaught that comes next. That’s fine by me. I like a good podcast while I
work. Joe Rogan’s podcasts are about three hours long so three of them over the
course of a week should suffice. Comparing these to the previous Ai60’s there is
a marked bump in audio quality. The soundstage feels a bit more expansive. And
there is good separation in the mix. The bass goes deep without the aid of a
subwoofer.

It’s all about the drop. Well in this instance, the lack of one. In the previous
generation when the bass kicked in the entire soundstage would just scale back.
It was strange. But it forced me to not listen to a lot of Drum & Bass or
bass-heavy music in general. This isn’t the case with the Ai61 because now when
the bass drops, the volume does not.

PHOTEK – Basically everything

I love Photek. And like a lot of his die-hard old school fans, it’s the earlier
collection that warms your heart. Of note: Ni Ten Ichi Ryu, The End Remix, UFO,
The Bleeps Tune/Something Else, Exocet, Special Forces, Aleph 1, and Single. I
mean there’s more, but those are ones I always end up going back to. Photek’s
productions are always top-notch and perfect for running through a new speaker
when trying to gauge how it sounds; mainly because I know these songs so well
and have heard them on everything from the smallest boombox (yep, those things)
to deafening club systems. The Ai61’s do not disappoint. The soundstage is full,
and the bottom end goes deep. The precision Photek-ness drum edits are clean and
have lots of impact.

Continuing the trend of Drum and Bass…



Ordinarily, I use my Yamaha HS8 Studio Monitors as general listening monitors
while working. Aside from being way too big for my space, I find them fatiguing
to listen for hours on end. So, I took a shot at subbing in the Ai61’s in place
of the HS8’s for my everyday work tasks for a while connecting them via USB-C.
It turned out to be a great solution. While they aren’t near field per se, I
wasn’t using them to mix so I was less concerned with being able to nitpick the
accuracy of the presentation, but rather just enjoy it. On my desk, there was no
need for a sub at all.



Musiq – Just be Friends

Where the Ai61 has found a great home is connected to our Peloton. My wife and I
are trying to get into some semblance of a routine. On a good day, we get up
make the kids breakfast and get them off to school in time. Then we get back in
to check our emails, get a bit of work done, then take turns knocking out a
20-minute ride. On a really good day, I wake up exceptionally early, sneak
downstairs undetected, and hop onto the Peloton for a solid ride, then hit the
weights and get a nice calming stretch in. On these days I keep the Ai61’s at a
low enough level as to not wake up the kiddos.

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The Ai61’s sit on a low media stand about 20′ in front of the bike’s position.
Not ideal by any circumstance, but it gets the job done. Thanks to Alex
Touissant’s low-impact ride, I have Musiq’s classic Just be Friends in my head
on the regular. What a tune, and a great way to start the day. With the volume
fairly low, I can still get a good sense of the music. For some reason, the max
volume from the Peloton via Bluetooth to the Ai61’s isn’t party-level loud. In a
small room, this isn’t an issue as the vocal mix is much louder than the music
and the instructors talk a lot. Almost too much for my liking. I wish they
adjusted the mix so that the instructors didn’t overpower the music. Bluetooth
isn’t always constrained to a small volume parameter mind you. Non-Peloton
Bluetooth is all kinds of awesome.

My Vinyl Collection

Every so often I bring the Ai61’s over to my DJ set up and give them a listen
there. I don’t listen to vinyl for any audiophile reason. I just love mixing via
turntables. I find it cathartic. A good set is akin to meditation for me,
there’s nothing like it. If I didn’t have so many speaker options, I would be
perfectly happy with the Ai61’s as my sole speakers for my DJ Setup. It’s just
so simple and clean.

Godzilla vs Kong / Shang Chi

Sound travels quite far in our new home. We haven’t filled it with rugs in every
room just yet so when music is playing, it literally bounces around from room to
room audibly. But holy crap are these great for movies! Every crash bang and
wallop hits hard and has a serious impact. Even the contrasting quiet moments
are clear, and I don’t find myself straining to hear subtle dialogue nor do I
have to keep turning up and down the volume. With the sub in place, it’s even
better, but not always necessary. But I do enjoy the added subterranean depth. I
wonder if Fluance will ever have a three-channel wireless set-up for movies. (Or
if that’s even possible???). I don’t confess to understanding how that could
become a reality but if it does, take my money.



Conclusions






THIS IS AN EVOLUTION OVER REVOLUTION. AND EVEN MORE SO NOW. THE FLUANCE AI61 IS
A POWERED BOOKSHELF SPEAKER SYSTEM WORTHY OF YOUR AND YOUR WALLET’S ATTENTION.

Likes
 * Every possible connection
 * Big Fun Sound

Would Like To See
 * Grills to protect the drivers

I’m a big fan of this effort from Fluance. So much so, that I’m considering
getting a set for my office (in Lucky Bamboo of course). Fluance’s Latest
Refresh is a worthy upgrade to the line. If you already own a pair of the
previous generation, there are some useful upgrades to warrant another purchase
should you so desire. But, if you’re happy with what you already have I would
also agree that you could simply keep enjoying the ones you have and try not to
think about the upgrade that’s out there calling your name!

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See LatestQuad Revela 2 Floor-standing Speaker Review.


2022 Bookshelf Speaker Reviewai60Bookshelf SpeakersFeaturedFluancePowered
speakersstand-mount


Previous ArticleUrbanista Los Angeles Headphone Review

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Taps Das

Hailing from Toronto, Canada, Taps Das is an art director and designer with over
15 years of experience. He has way too many hobbies: Illustration, Music
Production, cooking, DJ-ing, and Hifi. His adolescence was spent immersed in DJ
culture in Toronto’s then-burgeoning club scene. He still buys vinyl to this day
preferring it as his medium of choice when listening to music. He is happiest
when he’s tucked inside his studio spinning vinyl on his turntables, sitting at
his desk drawing or in the kitchen cooking up a storm. Taps shares his home with
his wife, two hooligan kids, and lovable fat dog Homie.


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