Fluance Reference High Performance 3-Way Floorstanding Loudspeakers with Down-firing 8" Subwoofers for 2-Channel Stereo Listening or Home Theater System - Black Ash/Pair (XL8F)

Let me begin by saying that I am not an audiophile, so this review is not written from that perspective. I needed to replace the speakers I was using for my home stereo system. One would probably characterize my equipment as “entry level,” but the specs are somewhat impressive (bearing in mind the prices I paid). I love listening to music (of varying genres) so I want my system to deliver the best possible sound quality for what I can afford to pay. In my search for my perfect speakers, I did a lot of research and listened to countless speaker demonstrations. I finally decided on these Fluance floor standing speakers; but I was leery of how well they would survive shipping – I figured that speakers of this size and weight might be a little too fragile to survive the rough handling that most packages receive during transit. After reading and considering all the reviews that mentioned shipping and how well these speakers were packaged, I decided it was worth taking a chance; so, I went ahead and ordered them. When the speakers arrived (less than a week after ordering), the outer boxes were quite badly beat up. Right away I expected the worst. When I opened the outer boxes, I saw that the inner boxes also showed damage, albeit slight. I must say, though, the speakers themselves were VERY well protected, and when all the packaging was removed, they stood in what appeared to my eyes to be perfect condition. However, ultimately their true condition would depend on the quality of the sound they produced. As I hooked them up, I kept my fingers crossed. When I first heard these speakers perform, I was totally blown away. The highs came through crisp and as clear as a bell; and I could actually feel the bass! All in all, it turns out that these speakers are one of the best (if not THE best) audio purchases I have ever made. I am truly impressed. I even route the sound through these speakers when watching television. I waited a couple of weeks to post this review because I wanted to ensure of the accuracy of what I was saying. The bottom line is this: I have absolutely no problem at all recommending these speakers to anyone who, like me, is living on a budget yet wants outstanding sound quality. I’m really glad I got these speakers.

I won't get into fine details with this and keep it simple. I have them paired with a yamaha RX-V4A, a reference centre channel and two fluance bipolar rears. Doesn't matter if you are running analog signals from records or digital from a television the output is amazing (to me anyway). For a moderate room, the down firing subs in these towers are more than enough to get those deep lows you are looking for. You can get better by paying more, but I personally don't think you will find better at this price point. Also, I smile everytime I see that Canadian flag attached to the rear of them. Love them.

I was running a pair of JBL ES80 speakers for about 10 years. They were OK—better than what they replaced in many ways—but always seemed a bit harsh in the high end, leading to early listener fatigue. Also, the rear bass ports created a lot of room resonance where I had to place the speakers, which I was only partly able to remediate with foam bass traps. Since I've been super happy with my Fluance RT85 turntable, I took a chance "sight unseen" on these speakers based on reviews, size (my living room isn't that big) and aesthetics. I use them for regular old stereo (mostly ~electronic, well-produced indie rock, and some classic Boomer rock) through a Marantz PM8004 amp, and also for TV viewing, and I basically couldn't be happier (unless I'd bought them on sale). Super smooth high end, more than sufficient bass, and they look great. Great definition, wide sound stage…just a joy to listen to. Best result: I can listen for hours without my ears tiring, so the stereo's on far more than it used to be. The down-firing bass is fantastic—so much less resonance than JBLs I was able to retire the bass traps. And I can feel the bass coming through the sofa even at reasonable volumes, which is cool. I've heard a little bit of cabinet resonance on one rather bass-heavy track (I think it was by Burial), but that's it, so I'd give the speakers 4.5 stars if that was an option. If there are better speakers out there for the same price, I'd be pretty surprised. (On a pragmatic final note, these come very well packaged (dual boxes) and were in perfect shape upon arrival.)

Au sujet des hauts parleurs FLUANCE. Je suis très impressionné du son de ces magnifiques hauts parleurs et je suis très content de les avoir acheté . La performance dépasse mon imagination pour le prix que j'ai payé . Tout est impeccable et la livraison a été rapide. L'emballage était très sécuritaire.

J'aui reçu mes enceintes Fluance xl8 mardi dernier. Livré rapidement! J'ai aussi en ma possession la version précédente soit xl7. Je dois dire que la nouvelle version xl8 est une belle amélioration de la précédente version. Tous les hauts parleurs ont été changés ainsi que le crossovers. L'étagement entre les trois voix est mieux construit que sur la version xl7 donc une très bonne balance entre grave, medium et aigus. Après les avoir fait jouer pendant 12 heures le son s'est ouvert avec une réponse bien équilibrée. Une autre belle amélioration est la présence de deux évents à l'arrière qui permettent aux basses fréquences de descendre jusqu'à 35 herz. Après avoir fait des tests avec plusieurs styles de musique je suis très satisfait de mon achat. Très bon rapport qualité prix. Je les recommande sans hésitation.