Fluance ES1 Surround and Center Channel Conclusion
The Fluance ES1 center channel and surround speakers function very well
for home theater when coupled with a high quality subwoofer. They are very capable of loud playback levels
without strain. The exterior fit and
finish are excellent at this price point.
Coupled with the ES1 pillar loudspeaker, the center channel and
surrounds provide a visually seamless 5-channel home theater system at an
attractive price. The build quality is
on the very high side for this price point.
The cabinets can easily be wall mounted and are pretty compact.
While the ES1 center and surrounds work for music, their strength is definitely home theater. The center channel is capable of clear dialog reproduction despite the high mid-woofer to tweeter crossover point of 13kHz. With a subwoofer the ES1 center channel and surround speakers provide a very good movie watching experience without breaking the bank.
Fluance ES1 Surround and Center Channel Review
MSRP: $220/pair surround & $120 center
For more information, check out the Fluance ES Loudspeaker Product Page.
The Score Card
The scoring below is based on each piece of equipment doing the duty it is designed for. The numbers are weighed heavily with respect to the individual cost of each unit, thus giving a rating roughly equal to:
Performance × Price Factor/Value = Rating
Audioholics.com note: The ratings indicated below are based on subjective listening and objective testing of the product in question. The rating scale is based on performance/value ratio. If you notice better performing products in future reviews that have lower numbers in certain areas, be aware that the value factor is most likely the culprit. Other Audioholics reviewers may rate products solely based on performance, and each reviewer has his/her own system for ratings.
Audioholics Rating Scale
— Excellent
- — Very Good
- — Good
- — Fair
- — Poor
| Metric | Rating |
|---|---|
| Build Quality | |
| Appearance | |
| Treble Extension | |
| Treble Smoothness | |
| Midrange Accuracy | |
| Bass Extension | |
| Bass Accuracy | |
| Dynamic Range | |
| Performance |  |
| Value | |
About the author:
Joel Foust's experience in quality control, product certifications and do-it-yourself loudspeaker design bode well for the consistent application and development of in-depth loudspeaker testing. Joel is committed to providing accurate results that are comparable for each loudspeaker tested.
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Recent Forum Posts:
Pruis, post: 989301
Thanks for posting this review of the ES1 center and surrounds. I'm considering the 5.0 ES1 setup for HT, so this review is of particular interest.
The posted SPL versus frequency plot appears to be identical to the ES1 towers, and I suspect this is incorrect. The center speaker sensitivity was noted to be 84.6dB between 300 and 3kHz, but the provided graph indicates the sensitivity stays above 85dB over nearly the entirety of the suggested frequency band.
Great catch on the Frequency Response graph. I just fixed it but give it about 20 min for the page to cache out. Thanks!
The posted SPL versus frequency plot appears to be identical to the ES1 towers, and I suspect this is incorrect. The center speaker sensitivity was noted to be 84.6dB between 300 and 3kHz, but the provided graph indicates the sensitivity stays above 85dB over nearly the entirety of the suggested frequency band.
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