To get right down to it, the Fyne F502S sound like more than $3499/pair. Shockingly so.
[Note: this is a revised version of my original review]
How much more is anyone’s guess and it’s a game I don’t enjoy playing because the price is the price. I’m more interested in getting on with the all-important task of listening to music where cost concerns dissolve, replaced by questions of connection. That said, my reviewer’s cap snapped back into place more than usual when listening through the Fyne F502S as if my enjoyment meters have a price threshold above which the things responsible for making them jump typically cost more than $3499 a pair.
The F502S are the second pair of speakers from Fyne Audio to spend review time in the Barn—the Vintage Classic XII were here in 2024 and I recommend reading that review because one interesting aspect of the company’s approach is they use the same essential ingredients in many of their speakers albeit in very different cabinet designs. These ingredients include Fyne’s IsoFlare point source drivers, the FyneFlute fluted rubber surrounds on both the IsoFlare and bass drivers which eliminates “mis-termination effects and reduces colouration, providing greater musical accuracy” according to the company, and a down-firing port with a Tractrix profile diffuser which is included in the F500 Series on up.
For the 2 1/2 way F502S we’re looking at a 8″ IsoFlare mid/bass driver with a 25mm magnesium dome compression tweeter smack dab in the middle paired with a Fyne 8″ bass driver. Frequency response is rated at 30Hz – 34kHz (-6dB typical in room) which is fairly full-range from what is a modestly-sized floorstanding speaker measuring under 12” across.
The vents for the Basstrax system are on the bottom of each side of the speaker—front, sides, and back. 360°. Around back we find dual binding posts and a Presence Control toggle switch allowing for +/- 3dB adjustment covering 2.5 – 5.0kHz. This came in handy as I found that the center +3dB setting worked wonders, bringing a better balanced presentation on the Barn’s B-Side. Of course your room, system, and preferences may find happiness in another position, which is the beauty of a 3-position switch.
There is cause for more excitement on the specs front namely the F502S have an 8 Ohm nominal impedance and 91dB sensitivity. The company recommends using amplifiers with output power between 30 and 150 Watts (RMS) and as you’ll soon read the 28 or so Watts on tap from the Barn resident Leben CS600x was plenty of power even for the 21’ x 35’ x 12’ B-Side. I say excitement because I love, love, speakers that offer the flexibility of using relatively low power amps (or not). Choice is good.
Fyne’s product line is extensive with 14 Series that include speakers, subwoofers, center channels, and supertweeters. I have the Fyne S-Trax (more info) and SuperTrax (more info) supertweeters in for review which will get a review of their own paired with the F502S which the flagship sepaerk in the F500 Series. It’s worth noting that the company built a new 50,000 square foot factory in Glasgow, Scotland in 2024 to bring “UK R&D, development, engineering and production process under one roof.” In terms of manufacturing, building the finished products, the F1 and all Vintage Series speakers are made in the Glasgow facility while final assembly for the less expensive lines are sourced globally. The review pair of F502S were made in Indonesia.
The F502S cabinets are made from high-rigidity MDF with internal bracing to ensure rigidity and come covered in black oak or natural walnut real wood veneers as well as piano gloss black for a more modern look. In terms of visual appeal, the review pair are slim and handsome dressed in natural walnut and I prefer to go without the included magnetic grills as the drivers themselves add to the form as function appeal. Build quality is above reproach and the entire package looks the part of a very well made loudspeaker with no corners cut which is impressive given the asking price.
The F502S lived their 8-week Barn stay on the B-Side paired with the recently reviewed Enleum AMP-54R (review), the in for review Devialet Astra (more info), and the Barn resident Leben CS600x. I planned to have another integrated amp of the tube variety in for review for use with the Fyne’s but timing was not on my side as there were manufacturing delays. In terms of system building in the real world, all of these amplifiers are kinda overkill considering the F502S price but the Leben is to my mind a very good choice and there are countless less expensive options out there. I wish, oh how I wish, I had an Aurorasound HFSA-01 (review) or Audia Flight Three S on hand (review) to try with the Fyne as they are more price commiserate but perhaps contrary to popular belief we do not get to keep everything we review and like. Front end duties came courtesy of the Barn resident HoloAudio Red (review)/totaldac d1-unity (review) combo all tied together with cables from AudioQuest (see full Barn and system details).
A note on break-in. Back in grade school (c.1970s) there was a kid, Pete B, who would break in your new Levi’s for a small fee typically paid in joints. New Levi’s needed break-in as they were stiff as new Levi’s which formed to your body and softened over time. You can still buy “shrink-to-fit” or “rigid” 501s, something I do, and our daughters got a real kick seeing me wear them into a tub filled with warm water.
I bring this up because just like rigid Levi’s 501s, loudspeakers require break-in, some more than others due to specifics related to materials and design. Some manufacturers perform this task before sending their wares out into the wild and it is common practice to send reviewers speakers (and electronics) that have gone through the “Pete B.” process (minus the weed). However there are times when this isn’t possible which was the case with the F502S and when I first had them playing music in Barn I thought there was something wrong. Check that—I was hoping something was wrong, something simple like some kind of device stuffed into a port for shipping. I remember thinking out loud, “What the hell?”
As sure as Levi’s 501s mold to your body over time, the Fyne speakers came into their own after about a week of 24/7 playtime and if you were to have judged their performance before that you’d have no idea how they actually sound. No idea as the difference was that dramatic and if you want to argue that break-in is a myth you’re swimming upstream against the strong currents of materials science.
I’ve been obsessing of late, even more than usual with a capital “O”, over a few records including Telescope from Olivia O, released last year. Quirky may be a good entry point to the sounds of Telescope, a kind of care free clumsy home recording vibe that is not at all care free or clumsy. Studied clumsiness? Anyhow, you need to listen through all 47-minutes to get the full scope and believe you me I’ve done that nearly too many times over the past few weeks after stumbling on Telescope for the first time.
Songs with harmonies sweet and awkward, acoustic and electric guitar, piano, electronics and layers of sounds mainly featuring Olivia Osby rely on intricacies and fragile moments and the F502S are very astute relayers of the micro with speed and delicacy that meets these demands without question. These Fyne speakers are fast and light on their feet, a sound I associate with high(er) efficiency speakers in a general sense as they wake up with very little power and this sense of the free flow of music makes for easy entry into relaxed and prolonged listening. There was never a moment during my time with the Fyne’s that their sound or character steered my choice in music as their positive qualities served whatever I was in the mood to play.
Here on Telescope with the Leben CS600x providing the power there was a brilliance to and highly resolving sense of each element with Olivia O’s voice very finely articulated in space making her presence captivating. There was a time, many years ago, where I explored and owned a number of single-driver speakers and that kind of point source immediacy came to mind when listening through the Fyne. Nice.
Another recent record that’s captured my attention is from guitarist Mary Halvorson and pianist Sylvie Courvoisier titled Bone Bells released on Pyroclastic Records in March of 2025. While I’ve enjoyed Halvorson’s mind-bending guitar work both solo and otherwise, I remained at a distance but for some reason Bone Bells has drawn me in deeper. Maybe because this music teeters very nicely between improvised jazz and ‘modern composition’ but in any event things like time and timing are key ingredients here and the Fyne’s seem designed to deliver every nuance both great and small with a natural ease and flow. Snappy when called for, silky when asked.
This music hits me mainly in an intellectual way, a nice heady intoxication as opposed to the earthiness of our previous selection but I would say quirky fits this record just as well. The F502S also proved up to the task of reproducing piano with a nice sense of body and texture but I think the demands of the B-Side’s 730+ sq ft of space was asking a bit much as they sound a tad light weight but for people with smaller rooms to fill I imagine the F502S will do nicely.
While the movie Peaky Blinders – The Immortal Man seemed like one long trailer (or a cologne commercial), the soundtrack from Antony Genn and Martin Slattery features a number of stone cold winners from Fontaines D.C. frontman Grian Chatten, a blazingly badass track from Amy Taylor of Amyl & The Sniffers, Nick Cave’s reworking of his in concert classic “Red Right Hand”, and a lovely sorrowful dirge from Dublin’s Lankum. And the F502S can do badass to a point, again taking my large space into account as pushing the Fyne’s hard into the 90dB+ range highlighted their lighter weight sound, granted compared to the more expensive speakers that typically hang out here.
To be clear I’m not talking about some shortcoming in terms of sound quality because these Fyne’s deliver much more than their price might suggest, but there’s no getting around the fact that they come up a bit short when it came to fully energizing my space with hard driving music pushed to live-like levels. Taking a step back and all things considered, I’m not surprised.
As Sinatra sorta sang, “Comparisons, I’ve had a few / But then again, too few to mention.” I admittedly have no meaningful comparisons to offer anywhere near the F502S’ asking price. Of course I knew this going into this review and there was discussion with my contact at Harmonia Distribution about moving up to a more expensive model but ultimately I was interested in hearing what a sub $4k/pair of Fyne speakers had to offer. And the bottom line here is much more than I expected. Shockingly so because they get so many important things right.
As well all know there are countless options in around this price point from other manufacturers including B&W, Focal, and KEF to name a few big players but the Fyne’s strengths combined with their relatively easy to drive load make them stand out from the many.
According to my listening and thinking, the Fyne F502S are a clear cut hifi bargain offering point source immediacy, superb speed and agile dynamics coupled with an easy to drive load that can run hard and fast on as little as 28 (good) Watts. The only caveat I have to offer is just don’t ask them to fill a large space with really loud music which is something subwoofers and bigger Fynes are made for. Highly recommended with a big gold star for exceptional value.
Fyne Audio F502S Floorstanding Loudspeakers
Price: $3499/pair
Company Website: Fyne Audio
US Distributor Website: Harmonia Distribution
Specifications
System Type: 2 ½ way, downwards firing port, with BassTraxTMTractrix diffuser.
Recommended amplifier power (Watt RMS): 30 – 180
Continuous power handling (Watt RMS): 90
Sensitivity (2.83 Volt @ 1m): 91dB
Nominal impedance: 8 Ohm
Frequency response (-6dB typical in room): 30Hz – 34kHz
Drive unit complement: 1 x 200mm IsoFlareTM, bass / mid with 25mm magnesium dome compression tweeter. 1 x 200mm bass.
Crossover frequency: 250Hz & 1.7kHz
Crossover type: 2nd order low pass, 1st order high pass
System adjustments Presence control: +/- 3dB (2.5 – 5.0kHz)
Dimensions: HxWxD 1112 x 300 x 382mm (43.8 x 11.8 x 15.0″)
Net Weight: – Each 28.5kg (62.8lbs)
Finishes: Black Oak, Natural Walnut, Piano Gloss Black
Cabinet Construction: High-rigidity MDF with extensive internal bracing
S-Trax Position (from cabinet front edge): 61mm (2.4″)
SuperTrax Position (from cabinet front edge): 37mm (1.5″)