Fyne Audio F501

The trouble with winning an Award is that, for as long as you have it, it’ll never be safe. In this four-way battle, Fyne Audio’s grip didn’t need to be merely vice-like, the trophy effectively needed to be superglued to its hand.

In the end, though, these remain the best all-round speakers at this price. In the right system – one that avoids the temptation to knock that lively treble over the edge to make it an irritant – the F501s build on the exceptionally entertaining character of the company’s F302 floorstanders, offering a yet more spacious soundstage and plenty of extra insight for a wildly engaging performance.

An expressive quartet

The B&W 603s come close with their own exciting character, but lack a little of the dynamic subtlety, refinement and rhythmic precision of the Fynes, instead favouring a more forward presentation that might not be to everyone’s taste.

Musicality is, again, no issue for Acoustic Energy’s AE309 towers, which reveal their talents almost immediately and show good understanding of the timing and dynamics that is so core to expression. And they leave us with a pound to spare from our £1000 budget.

For the extra £200, though, there is greater space and analysis to be had in the form of the F501s, which represent a fine bargain themselves. Without ignoring the fact that that jump is a not-insignificant 20 per cent on top of the AE309S’ cost, for us that is fine value for the added insight – if your budget is able to stretch that far.

More battles to come

Neat’s Iota Alphas have their place, too, as their 2017 What Hi-fi? Award will attest, and they put up a strong fight to retain their trophy last year.

They are somewhat restricted by their size, though, unable to reach quite the volume of their opponents in this group, and unsurprisingly not quite as capable of reaching so far into the bass; though given the F501s’ preference of being played relatively loudly, they remain a go-to for those with a smaller room.

So Fyne Audio hasn’t come through this battle without a few scars, and we’d not be surprised if there’s another tussle like it before we get to Awards judging later this year.

For now, though, they remain top of our ever-lengthening list of recommendations for floorstanders at this sweet spot of the market.