Fried Triplet Speaker System Review

The Fried Beta is a small, moderate-priced speaker that can be used either in a conventional stereo installation or in combination with a Fried subwoofer to form a three-piece Triplet system. The Beta is a two-way speaker with a 6-1/2-inch polypropylene-cone woofer crossing over at 2,000 Hz to a 2 1/2-inch “cone-dome” tweeter (the dome is at the center of a conventional cone). A series-configuration crossover network is claimed to provide proper phasing for the system along with 12-dB-per-octave crossover slopes. The drive levels are set internally, and there are no external adjustments.

The Fried Beta is neither an acoustic-suspension system nor a vented system but a hybrid of the two design approaches. The cabinet is effectively closed insofar as acoustic radiation from the rear of the woofer cone is concerned, but there are two 1/2-inch-diameter holes on the speakerboard described as a “pressure release.” Backed with foam damping material, these holes are intended to reduce the internal pressures normally created in a small sealed box and to approximate a nonresonant (aperiodic) system. A pair of five-way binding-post input connectors and a reset button for the speaker’s protective circuit breaker are recessed into the rear of the cabinet.

The cabinet measures 13-1/2 inches high, 8 inches wide, and 8 inches deep, and it is finished in simulated-walnut-grain vinyl with a snap-on black cloth grille. Each speaker weighs 11-1/2 pounds. The Beta’s specifications include 8 ohms nominal impedance, a sensitivity of 89-dB sound-pressure level (SPL) at 1 meter with a 1-watt input, and a frequency response of 60 to 16,000 Hz ±3 dB. Fried recommends an amplifier power of 25 to 100 watts per channel.

The Fried Duo subwoofer supplied to us with the Betas was designed primarily as a bass extender for Fried’s Beta and Q/3 speakers. Although the subwoofer can be used with other small speakers, differences in speaker impedance characteristics can affect the overall system performance.

The subwoofer’s single, front-facing driver is a 10-inch polypropylene-cone woofer with separate voice-coil windings for the left- and right-channel stereo inputs. Although the channels are summed at low-bass frequencies, the subwoofer normally operates only below about 100 Hz, so stereo separation is unaffected. If a separate subwoofer is used for each channel, the voice coils of each unit are connected in parallel. Fried’s literature describes the subwoofer as “heavily braced, damped with free-flow filters, and loaded by a ‘line tunnel’ that provides an auxiliary source of time-accurate very low bass.” The only visible opening in the cabinet is a foam-filled strip half an inch high across its bottom front. The cabinet’s finish matches that of the companion Fried speakers, and it measures 24 inches high, 15 inches wide, and 12 inches deep. Weight is about 45 pounds.

The crossover network built into the Fried subwoofer uses the same series configuration featured in the Beta system, with a nominal crossover frequency of 110 Hz. There are no adjustments since its efficiency and crossover characteristics are designed to be compatible with the Fried Beta and Q/3 speakers. Each channel’s input is protected by a 2.5-ampere fuse. Two fuse holders, two sets of five-way binding posts for the amplifier inputs, and two sets of speaker outputs (for the left and right satellites) are recessed into the rear of the cabinet. A diagram and instructions are supplied for internal rewiring of the subwoofer for biamplified operation, which may be necessary for use with other manufacturers’ satellites but is not recommended for use with the Fried speakers. The rated frequency response of the subwoofer extends down to 32 Hz, within a few decibels, and it has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms.

Suggested retail price for the Fried Triplet system is $625, which includes $300 per pair for the Beta satellites and $325 for one Fried Duo subwoofer.

Lab Tests

We measured the frequency response and other characteristics of the Fried Beta and subwoofer as a system as well as separately. Following the manufacturer’s recommendations, we mounted the Betas about 8 feet apart on stands that were about 25 inches high and equally far from the rear wall. We tried the subwoofer in two locations: behind one of the speakers and in the recommended placement, midway between and slightly in front of the satellites.

The measured sensitivity of the Beta system was 86 dB at 1 meter with 2.83 volts of pink noise in a one-octave bandwidth centered at 1,000 Hz. Its impedance was about 6 ohms at 20 Hz and rose to 18 ohms at its bass resonance of 80 Hz, then fell to its minimum of 5.3 ohms at 150 to 200 Hz. The impedance rose again to about 22 ohms at 1,800 Hz and remained above 11 ohms from there to 20,000 Hz. These measurements indicate that the Beta’s nominal impedance should be rated as 5 or 6 ohms rather than 8 ohms. The subwoofer’s bass resonance was at 39 Hz, where its impedance was about 14 ohms. Its minimum impedance was about 4 ohms at 150 Hz, above which it rose smoothly to more than 1,000 ohms at 15,000 Hz. The combined impedance of the Beta and the subwoofer was much like the Beta alone above 150 Hz and like the subwoofer alone below that frequency. The minimum combined impedance was 3.8 ohms at 250 to 300 Hz.

The room response of the Beta was quite uniform and smooth. Except for a moderate peak and dip in the 300- to 500-Hz range, evidently the result of a floor reflection, the response varied only about 7 dB overall from 70 to 17,000 Hz. The tweeter’s dispersion was excellent for a radiator of its dimensions. The close-miked woofer frequency response was maximum at 100 Hz, falling the expected 12 dB per octave at lower frequencies and dropping gently at higher frequencies to about — 9 dB between 1,000 and 2,000 Hz. Although the output measured at the “pressure release” holes had about the same response shape as the cone’s output, it was 10 to 15 dB lower in level (more like 30 dB lower when corrected for the sizes of the two sources) and therefore contributed nothing significant to the total acoustic output of the Beta system.

The results above 100 Hz were very similar when we paired the Betas with the subwoofer, although because of room resonances the output below 100 Hz was both higher in level and less regular than that of the unaided Beta. The close-miked response of the subwoofer peaked at 50 Hz, falling off at 18 dB per octave below that frequency and more gradually from 50 to 140 Hz, where it was down 6 dB, and then at 18 dB per octave from 140 to 300 Hz. The electrical crossover frequency (the — 3-dB point) between the subwoofer and the Beta satellites was 170 Hz, but the actual acoustic crossover was considerably lower, apparently around 100 Hz.

Our usual practice of splicing a woofer’s response curve to the room response of the other drivers to derive a composite frequency-response curve is less meaningful for a three-piece system like this one since the remote placement of the subwoofer makes its actual acoustic performance somewhat unpredictable and largely independent of the bass output of the satellites. All we can say about the complete Fried Triplet system is that its bass extends to the vicinity of 30 Hz.

The subwoofer’s distortion at a constant 4.5 volts input (equivalent to a 90-dB SPL from the Beta at 1,000 Hz) was quite low, varying between 0.6 and 2 percent from 100 to 35 Hz. At the same drive level, the small woofer of the Beta generated distortion levels from 1.7 to 3 percent at frequencies of 100 to 60 Hz, rising to 7.7 percent distortion at 40 Hz. Of course, when the Beta is used with the subwoofer, frequencies below 100 Hz never reach its woofer, so its distortion remains negligible.

Our FFT measurements on the system confirmed the key characteristics of its room response. The group delay was excellent, varying about 0.4 millisecond overall through most of the audio range, with occasional excursions to 0.8 millisecond below about 4,000 Hz.

Our peak-power tests of the system confirmed Fried’s claims of an exceptional dynamic range for speakers of this size and price. At 100 Hz the subwoofer did not rattle or otherwise distort with a 1- or 2-cycle tone burst until the power input reached 360 watts into 5 ohms. At the same frequency, the woofer of the Beta, operated without the subwoofer, reached its excursion limits and generated a highly audible rasping sound at 120 watts into 8.5 ohms, which is still a very creditable performance for a 6-1/2-inch cone driver. At 1,000 Hz the Beta took the full output of the amplifier, which clipped at 255 watts into the Beta’s 15-ohm impedance. Finally, at 10,000 Hz, the amplifier clipped at 327 watts into 11 ohms without any signs of distress from the Beta’s 2-1/2-inch tweeter.

Comments

Despite the claims of aperiodicity made for the Fried Beta, and implied for the Fried subwoofer, both speakers had the expected low-frequency resonances. It was not evident from external measurements or the audible sound of the system that the “pressure release” holes on the Beta, or their equivalent on the subwoofer, contributed to any special performance characteristics. Beyond this minor quibble, our overall reactions to the Fried Triplet system were unquestionably positive.

We listened to the Betas alone for some time, but after adding the subwoofer we preferred the Triplet system. The overall sound quality was not much different—nor should it have been, since the Betas were radiating almost all of the audible sound from the system. But it was instructive to disconnect the satellites and listen only to the output of the subwoofer. There is very little musical or vocal content below 100 Hz, and all that could be heard was a formless, low-level rumbling. Added to the output of the Beta system, however, this almost subliminal floor of low bass transformed a pair of rather good small speakers into a system where the full audio range was very much “all there.” The combined system is able to compete on even terms with many larger and more costly systems.

Even without the subwoofer, the Beta was still a very easy speaker to live with. Its sound quality was very well balanced and did not convey any of the sense of “smallness” or “thinness” that afflicts so many small speakers. The Beta was also free of most of the common problems of inexpensive speakers, such as the edginess and mid-bass coloration that often result from the peaked bass response of a small woofer. Although the system exhibited a slightly soft quality, its output was smooth and covered a wide frequency range. The sound stage was as wide as the speaker spacing allowed, without any of the artificial effects that appeal to some listeners. The speakers were just plain good to listen to.

Fried calls the Betas “mini monitors,” which implies an ability to handle high-level program peaks without dynamic compression or damage. Our peak-power tests certainly confirmed that ability.

The bottom line is that the Fried Beta is one of the best speakers of its size and a strong contender in its price class, where the competition is severe. And the combination of the Beta with the Fried subwoofer is one of the most potent three-piece systems you can find at a list price around $625, very inexpensive for this type of system.

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