My new Rosso Fiesole’s
As promised, here is my review of the Rosso Fiesole’s I picked up about a week before Christmas. A couple of things before I get started: 1) I’m no audiophile and 2) I’m no reviewer. So, you’ve been warned.
I first heard the Fiesole at LSAF a couple of years ago, but I think those were the first version of these fine speakers (someone please correct me on this point if I’m mistaken). The AudioThesis room had a curtain set up behind the system to divide the room. I will never forget noticing the curtain moving on a song with fairly heavy bass. I first thought the AC had come on in the room and was blowing the curtain, but I soon realized it was this little stand mount speaker that was moving enough air to move the curtain some 3 feet behind them. Crazy!
As impressed as I was, I prefer floorstanders, so I’ve never really considered the Fiesole as a speaker I’d like to own...even though I knew they were outstanding speakers. That is until Saturday, December 19. I went to AudiThesis with every intention of buying the Elba 2, an outstanding floorstander. As great as the Elba 2 looked and sounded, once we hooked up the Fiesole my mind immediately began figuring up how I could afford to spend the extra money on the Fiesole. I went back and forth several times and finally decided I had to get the Fiesole or I would regret my decision.
So now to the Fiesole in my room with my equipment. Source: Vincent SV-236 integrated. CD/Streamer: Marantz SA8005
Speaker Cables: Wireworld Equinox. IC’s: MIT Shotgun S2 Stands: Sanus SF-30 (these stands really shouldn’t be holding these speakers, but they’re all I’ve got for now).
The main thing that stands out to me about these speakers is the bass. Not that they just pound, but how much they pound for their size. I already mentioned the moving curtain, but here’s another example of the amount of bass these speakers put out: my son’s bathroom shares a wall with my music room. About the third night I had the speakers, he was showering while I was doing some listening at a decent volume. One of the songs I played was “Legend of Drum Mountain.” Later that evening my son commented that he “thought the house was being bombed” while he was in the shower🤣🤣
The next things that stands out to me is something that I’m not sure how to explain, but I’ll give it a shot. The strumming/plucking of a guitar seems so realistic. It’s just so rich, thick, and full sounding, especially on acoustic recordings. I love this about these speakers!!! A great example of this can be found on Sister Hazel: Before the Amplifiers “All for You.”
Next is the imaging, which is very, very good. Instruments are easy to place and vocals are clearly centered. I always think Pink Floyd when testing for imaging and I was not disappointed in any of the tracks I listened to. “Wish You Were Here” may be my go-to track though.
The soundstage is tall, deep, and wide. On Roger Waters “Too Much Rope” the horse carriage that passes through early in the song seems to begin and end about 5 feet past my speakers.
Vocals, especially female vocals, are simply sublime. I mentioned this in another thread, but Norah Jones “Come Away With Me” is beautiful. Another great vocal is Leonard Cohen “It Seemed A Better Way.” Not at all beautiful, but instead haunting.
Another great track that shows off the capabilities of the Fiesole is Penatonix “Hallelujah.” On my! The vocals are crazy good, the bass is way more that it should be, and the dynamics are unreal. A fantastic track that I highly recommend you try in your system.
I could go on and on, but I’ve bored you enough if you’ve taken the time to fight through this entire review. All in all, this was probably the best audio purchase I’ve ever made. They are just on another level from anything else I have ever owned (and if you’ve read other threads of mine, you know how much I loved my MD2’s). I absolutely couldn’t be happier with my purchase.
Bottom line: if you’re in the market for new speakers in the $7-8k range, you should give these a listen...even if, like me, you prefer floorstanders. I think you will be impressed with what you hear.
Added note: my wife is generally not too involved in this crazy hobby of mine, but she okayed the purchase and they are actually my Christmas gift from her. That being the case, I thought she needed to hear what she bought me. I played her about 5 of my favorites and she seemed somewhat impressed, but to be honest, I was a little disappointed in her reaction. Well, at Christmas she told my son and daughter that they “needed” to go listen to the new speakers. That may not seem like much, but she’s never told my kids that they needed to go listen to anything I’ve ever bought. It was nice to share my little hobby with them all.
I first heard the Fiesole at LSAF a couple of years ago, but I think those were the first version of these fine speakers (someone please correct me on this point if I’m mistaken). The AudioThesis room had a curtain set up behind the system to divide the room. I will never forget noticing the curtain moving on a song with fairly heavy bass. I first thought the AC had come on in the room and was blowing the curtain, but I soon realized it was this little stand mount speaker that was moving enough air to move the curtain some 3 feet behind them. Crazy!
As impressed as I was, I prefer floorstanders, so I’ve never really considered the Fiesole as a speaker I’d like to own...even though I knew they were outstanding speakers. That is until Saturday, December 19. I went to AudiThesis with every intention of buying the Elba 2, an outstanding floorstander. As great as the Elba 2 looked and sounded, once we hooked up the Fiesole my mind immediately began figuring up how I could afford to spend the extra money on the Fiesole. I went back and forth several times and finally decided I had to get the Fiesole or I would regret my decision.
So now to the Fiesole in my room with my equipment. Source: Vincent SV-236 integrated. CD/Streamer: Marantz SA8005
Speaker Cables: Wireworld Equinox. IC’s: MIT Shotgun S2 Stands: Sanus SF-30 (these stands really shouldn’t be holding these speakers, but they’re all I’ve got for now).
The main thing that stands out to me about these speakers is the bass. Not that they just pound, but how much they pound for their size. I already mentioned the moving curtain, but here’s another example of the amount of bass these speakers put out: my son’s bathroom shares a wall with my music room. About the third night I had the speakers, he was showering while I was doing some listening at a decent volume. One of the songs I played was “Legend of Drum Mountain.” Later that evening my son commented that he “thought the house was being bombed” while he was in the shower🤣🤣
The next things that stands out to me is something that I’m not sure how to explain, but I’ll give it a shot. The strumming/plucking of a guitar seems so realistic. It’s just so rich, thick, and full sounding, especially on acoustic recordings. I love this about these speakers!!! A great example of this can be found on Sister Hazel: Before the Amplifiers “All for You.”
Next is the imaging, which is very, very good. Instruments are easy to place and vocals are clearly centered. I always think Pink Floyd when testing for imaging and I was not disappointed in any of the tracks I listened to. “Wish You Were Here” may be my go-to track though.
The soundstage is tall, deep, and wide. On Roger Waters “Too Much Rope” the horse carriage that passes through early in the song seems to begin and end about 5 feet past my speakers.
Vocals, especially female vocals, are simply sublime. I mentioned this in another thread, but Norah Jones “Come Away With Me” is beautiful. Another great vocal is Leonard Cohen “It Seemed A Better Way.” Not at all beautiful, but instead haunting.
Another great track that shows off the capabilities of the Fiesole is Penatonix “Hallelujah.” On my! The vocals are crazy good, the bass is way more that it should be, and the dynamics are unreal. A fantastic track that I highly recommend you try in your system.
I could go on and on, but I’ve bored you enough if you’ve taken the time to fight through this entire review. All in all, this was probably the best audio purchase I’ve ever made. They are just on another level from anything else I have ever owned (and if you’ve read other threads of mine, you know how much I loved my MD2’s). I absolutely couldn’t be happier with my purchase.
Bottom line: if you’re in the market for new speakers in the $7-8k range, you should give these a listen...even if, like me, you prefer floorstanders. I think you will be impressed with what you hear.
Added note: my wife is generally not too involved in this crazy hobby of mine, but she okayed the purchase and they are actually my Christmas gift from her. That being the case, I thought she needed to hear what she bought me. I played her about 5 of my favorites and she seemed somewhat impressed, but to be honest, I was a little disappointed in her reaction. Well, at Christmas she told my son and daughter that they “needed” to go listen to the new speakers. That may not seem like much, but she’s never told my kids that they needed to go listen to anything I’ve ever bought. It was nice to share my little hobby with them all.
Things work out best for those who make the best of the way things work out.-John Wooden
Post edited by PSOVLSK on
Comments
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Things work out best for those who make the best of the way things work out.-John Wooden -
Congratulations! Very good write up as well
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@PSOVLSK, I thoroughly enjoyed reading your review. Felt like I was hearing them, too.
Worked out perfectly for you.
🤣🤣 Glad your son was impressed."Sometimes you have to look to the past to understand where you are going in the future"Anger is just anger. It isn’t good. It isn’t bad. It just is. What you do with it is what matters.
You can use it to build or to destroy. You just have to make the choice. Jim Butcher
Harry / Marietta GA -
Nice review. I listened to the same songs on my system and was pleasantly surprised that it sounded even better than yours 🤣🤣. Just kidding. Those speakers are cool.George / NJ
Polk 7B main speakers, std. mods+ (1979, orig owner)
Martin Logan Dynamo sub w/6ft 14awg Power Cord
Onkyo A-8017 integrated
Logitech Squeezebox Touch Streamer w/EDO applet
iFi nano iDSD DAC
iPurifier3
iDefender w/ iPower PS
Custom Steve Wilson 1m UPOCC Interconnect
iFi Mercury 0.5m OFHC continuous cast copper USB cable
Custom Ribbon Speaker Cables, 5ft long, 4N Copper, 14awg, ultra low inductance
Custom Vibration Isolation Speaker Stands and Sub Platform -
Great review, enjoy your new speakers.Yamaha RX-A2070, Musical Fidelity M6si integrated amp, Benchmark Dac1, Bluesound NODE 2i, Audiolab 6000CDT CD Transport, Parasound Zphono USB Phono Preamp, Fluance RT85, Ortofon 2M Bronze, Polk L600's, L400, L900's, RC80i's, SVS 3000 Micro, Audioquest Interconnects and Digital Cables, Nordost Silver Shadow Digital Cable, Cullen Gold and Crossover Series Power Cables, Douglas Connection Alpha 12AWG OCC Speaker Cables, Douglas Connection Alpha Analog Interconnect Cables, Douglas Connection Alpha 11 OCC Custom Power Cable, Signal Power Cable, Furman PL-8C 15 Power Conditioner, Sony 65" 900F, Sony UBP-X700, Fios, Apple TV 4K, Audioquest Chocolate HDMI Cables.
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Great review! Some of life’s best things come in small packages and here’s one of those things! Enjoy those babies ! They have a cool look too!"if it's not fun, it's not worth it & remember folks, "It's All About The Music"!!
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That's what happened to me, I was looking for a pair of speakers for my second system but when I got the Fiesoles home they were so impressive compared to my main system Md2's at the time that within that week I called Skip to see how much it would cost to move up to the Volterra and out went the Md2's.
The vocals are to die for, the drivers blend together seamlessly, highs are sweet and airy.
Welcome to the family along with Willy with a word of warning, when Skip's name shows on your phone, don't answer.
Amplifiers: Norma IPA 140, MasterSound Compact 845, Ayre v6xe, Consonance Cyber 800
Preamp: deHavilland Ultraverve 3
Dac: Sonnet Morpheus 2, Musical Paradise mp-d2 mkIII
Transport: Jay's Audio CDT2 mk2, Lumin U1 mini
Speakers: Rosso Fiorentino Volterra II
Speaker Cables: Crystal Clear Magnum Opus 2, Organic Audio Organic Reference 2
Interconnects: Crystal Clear Magnum Opus 2, Argento Organic Reference 2, Argento Organic 2
Power Cables: Argento Organic Reference, Synergistic Research Foundation 10 and 12 ga.
Digital cables: Crystal Clear Magnum Opus 2 bnc, Tellurium Q aes, Silnote Audio Poseidon Signature 2 bnc
Puritan PSM156 -
Very enjoyable, well written review. Congrats on the new speakers.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
Welcome to the family along with Willy with a word of warning, when Skip's name shows on your phone, don't answer.
I'm surprised it took you this long to figure that out. He just sends me a text now, with details, and I can't escape it.
Enjoy guys! Post edited by tratliff on2 Channel Rosso Fiorentino Volterra II, 2 REL Carbon Limited, Norma Revo IPA-140B, Lumin U2 Mini, VPI Prime w/SoundSmith Zephyr MIMC, Modwright PH 150, Denon DP-59l w/Denon DL-301MKII, WAY Silver 3 Ana+ Speaker Cables, WAY Silver 4+ Interconnect Cables, AudioQuest Niagara 7000 w/Dragon and Hurricane Power Cables -
Congrats!! I have heard the Fiesole a few times. They are a great sounding speaker.Klipsch The Nines, Audioquest Thunderbird Interconnect, Innuos Zen MK3 W4S recovery, Revolution Audio Labs USB & Ethernet, Border Patrol SE-I, Audioquest Niagara 5000 & Thunder, Cullen Crossover II PC's.
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Nice write-up. Interesting that you mention this song...
I've listened to the album quite often and one day this song came up on a random spin. I'd changed out a few things and thought holy **** when the carriage came through. Not as much for soundstage, my setup has always been encompassing, but the detail and realism struck me like at no other time. It's a track I can rely on for pinpointing subtle changes now that I've had that auditory moment.The soundstage is tall, deep, and wide. On Roger Waters “Too Much Rope” the horse carriage that passes through early in the song seems to begin and end about 5 feet past my speakers.
If you've read any of my reviews you'll see I'm a huge Roger Waters fan for the production/mixing of his work. Also, I'm probably in the minority but, add Pink Floyd The Final Cut for the same reasons. If you don't have the CD I'd recommend the remastered version. Has a song that was not on the original 80's release and, IMO, the production wasn't screwed up with the rework.
Congrats on the new speakers and continued enjoyment with them.
➀Speakers: Polk1.2tl's (Uber Mods) ➁Pre/Amp/DAC: PS Audio BHK Signature & 250, DirectStream ➂Cables/IC's: MIT S1Bi-Wire/S1 Balanced +Avel Lindberg 1000VA "Dreadnought" ➃Power Conditioner: PS Audio P15 Power Plant ➄Power Cords: Core Power Technologies Gold, DH Labs Power Plus DIY w/Neotech NC-P301 & P311ends ➅Streaming: Roon ROCK on wifi'd NUC, TP-Link WAP, & Uptone EtherREGEN, AfterDark, Emperor Double Crown Clock, Black Modernize LPS, PS Audio AirLens⟿Ω☯☥☮⟿🔊♩♪♫♬♩♪♫♬♩♪♫♬ -
It's a great album. That's a great review when you learn about new music and new equipment. Perfect Sense, Pt. 1 made me feel like Godzilla was just outside my house, with seismic bass you can feel. The carriage in Too Much Rope was well off to the sides of my speakers, even without SDA.George / NJ
Polk 7B main speakers, std. mods+ (1979, orig owner)
Martin Logan Dynamo sub w/6ft 14awg Power Cord
Onkyo A-8017 integrated
Logitech Squeezebox Touch Streamer w/EDO applet
iFi nano iDSD DAC
iPurifier3
iDefender w/ iPower PS
Custom Steve Wilson 1m UPOCC Interconnect
iFi Mercury 0.5m OFHC continuous cast copper USB cable
Custom Ribbon Speaker Cables, 5ft long, 4N Copper, 14awg, ultra low inductance
Custom Vibration Isolation Speaker Stands and Sub Platform -
. . . at Christmas she told my son and daughter that they “needed” to go listen to the new speakers. That may not seem like much, but she’s never told my kids that they needed to go listen to anything I’ve ever bought. It was nice to share my little hobby with them all . . .
that speaks volumes. Congrats!
. . Someday I’ll get my ears on ‘em ....AC Regenerator PS Audio PerfectWave Power Plant 10
Source Lumin U1 Mini into Lampizator Baltic 4 DAC
Pre Cary SLP-05
Power Rogue M180 Dark monos
Mains Salk HT2-TL
Rythmik F12 -
Welcome to the Rosso club. Great choice and here's to years of enjoyment!
I love my Elbas."Some people find it easier to be conceited rather than correct."
"Unwad those panties and have a good time man. We're all here to help each other, no matter how it might appear." DSkip -
Congrats on the new speakers! And nice review - they definitely sound like endgame speakers. Enjoy!
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You'll never regret going up a step in the line. I'm sure you'll love them, and now you can focus on chasing other areas of the system.
Also glad you mentioned so many tracks, I've got some playlists I need to expand now Analog: MoFi MasterTracker > MoFi UltraDeck > Sutherland 20/20
Digital: Cambridge CXC / Streaming > Cambridge CXN v2
MastersounD Dueventi > Rosso Fiorentino Certaldo or Arcam rHead > Hifiman HE4XX
Discogs -
I wish you good health and good music!
Congrats!Magico M2, JL113v2x2, EMM, ARC Ref 10 Line, ARC Ref 10 Phono, VPIx2, Lyra Etna, Airtight Opus1, Boulder, AQ Wel&Wild, SRA Scuttle Rack, BlueSound+LPS, Thorens 124DD+124SPU, Sennheiser, Metaxas R2R -
Very nice choice, Congratulations!
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Thanks for the compliments, well wishes, and suggestions of songs to listen to I am thoroughly enjoying the new speakers. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say I spent more time in my music room the past 2 weeks of 2020 than I did the first 52...and I’ve been here quite a bit to start off 2021.😁😁
I wanted to throw out a couple of other songs I like to play to test my system. I’ll try to limit these to what I would think would be less common selections, though not necessarily lesser known artists.
Def Leppard: cover of the David Essex song “Rock On” from “YEAH.” This song has nice, tight bass, sounds alternating between speakers, and at one point it seems as though the music is coming over your head. A fun track IMO.
Depeche Mode: “Welcome to My World” from “Delta Machine.” One word: bass
Radiohead: “Paranoid Android” from “OK Computer.” This one just sounds good to me, plus I think you need a fairly revealing system to hear the voice talking in the background.
Storyville: “Good Day for the Blues” from “A Piece of Your Soul.” Nothing too special about this one, but it’s some good blues-rock from a band that many people have never heard.
Chris Cornell: “Fell on Black Days” from “Songbook.” If you don’t like Chris Cornell then skip this one, as it’s all about his voice on this acoustic version of the Soundgarden classic.
I just listened to most of these as I was typing this up. Very good stuff.Things work out best for those who make the best of the way things work out.-John Wooden -
Are these the pair that were at Axpona '19?
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Can't wait to get some of these tracks on the system while I have the house to myself tomorrow Analog: MoFi MasterTracker > MoFi UltraDeck > Sutherland 20/20
Digital: Cambridge CXC / Streaming > Cambridge CXN v2
MastersounD Dueventi > Rosso Fiorentino Certaldo or Arcam rHead > Hifiman HE4XX
Discogs -
Are these the pair that were at Axpona '19?
Not sure. If not I’m sure they’re the same: Fiesole 2.Things work out best for those who make the best of the way things work out.-John Wooden -
I'm jealous. I'm not just saying that either, I'm legitimately jealous.
afterburnt wrote: »They didn't speak a word of English, they were from South Carolina.
Village Idiot of Club Polk -
Are these the pair that were at Axpona '19?
don't remember if they were the two's but this is close enough, from Axpona 2019.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDfLCO27Lsg&t=1s Amplifiers: Norma IPA 140, MasterSound Compact 845, Ayre v6xe, Consonance Cyber 800
Preamp: deHavilland Ultraverve 3
Dac: Sonnet Morpheus 2, Musical Paradise mp-d2 mkIII
Transport: Jay's Audio CDT2 mk2, Lumin U1 mini
Speakers: Rosso Fiorentino Volterra II
Speaker Cables: Crystal Clear Magnum Opus 2, Organic Audio Organic Reference 2
Interconnects: Crystal Clear Magnum Opus 2, Argento Organic Reference 2, Argento Organic 2
Power Cables: Argento Organic Reference, Synergistic Research Foundation 10 and 12 ga.
Digital cables: Crystal Clear Magnum Opus 2 bnc, Tellurium Q aes, Silnote Audio Poseidon Signature 2 bnc
Puritan PSM156 -
Great review. Congrats on the speakers.
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I wish I had the stands being used at Axpona. Those are nice.Things work out best for those who make the best of the way things work out.-John Wooden
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how much are they?Amplifiers: Norma IPA 140, MasterSound Compact 845, Ayre v6xe, Consonance Cyber 800
Preamp: deHavilland Ultraverve 3
Dac: Sonnet Morpheus 2, Musical Paradise mp-d2 mkIII
Transport: Jay's Audio CDT2 mk2, Lumin U1 mini
Speakers: Rosso Fiorentino Volterra II
Speaker Cables: Crystal Clear Magnum Opus 2, Organic Audio Organic Reference 2
Interconnects: Crystal Clear Magnum Opus 2, Argento Organic Reference 2, Argento Organic 2
Power Cables: Argento Organic Reference, Synergistic Research Foundation 10 and 12 ga.
Digital cables: Crystal Clear Magnum Opus 2 bnc, Tellurium Q aes, Silnote Audio Poseidon Signature 2 bnc
Puritan PSM156 -
I wish I had the stands being used at Axpona. Those are nice.
Until you hear the price. IIRC they were quite pricey. -
I didn’t say I wanted to buy the stands, only that I’d like to have a pair😁. I could probably buy the Volterra by the time I paid for those stands.Things work out best for those who make the best of the way things work out.-John Wooden
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Are these the pair that were at Axpona '19?
don't remember if they were the two's but this is close enough, from Axpona 2019.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDfLCO27Lsg&t=1s
I'm 99% sure those were the 2s. I was at Skip's place a few days before while he was getting them run in and dialing in the rest of the system.Analog: MoFi MasterTracker > MoFi UltraDeck > Sutherland 20/20
Digital: Cambridge CXC / Streaming > Cambridge CXN v2
MastersounD Dueventi > Rosso Fiorentino Certaldo or Arcam rHead > Hifiman HE4XX
Discogs
