PS Audio Aspen FR10 Speakers (Pair)

The PS Audio Aspen FR10 Speakers are the most compact and affordable speakers in the FR series. This reference speaker has a 200-watt power handling capability and a remarkable frequency range of 32Hz to 20 kHz. Moreover, all of the drivers in the PS Audio FR10 Speakers are designed from scratch. The treble and bass drivers are planar ribbons while the bass is provided by two 6.5” woofers. There are also three 6” x 9” passive radiators for stunning low-frequency performance.

Ribbon tweeter and midrange

The Tweeter and midrange units in the PS Audio FR10 Speakers are both planar ribbon-based. They have up to 56 magnets with a teonex diaphragm. The tweeter is a 2.5” unit with a metalized polyester film diaphragm. Unusually the midrange unit is also an 8” ribbon-based unit. This provides a very agile and accurate midrange.

Why, ribbon tweeters?

Tweeters do not need as much power as low-frequency speakers as they need to move less air, however, they need to be very agile. That is they need to be able to move fast enough to generate high-frequency, short-wavelength, sounds without distortion. Most tweeters have a dome structure for rigidity and ease of manufacture. However, they are relatively heavy, with a high mass, compared to ribbon tweeters.

On the other hand ribbon tweeters are made of a thin sheet of aluminium or metalized polymer film. They can weigh less than a tenth of the weight of a conventional tweeter dome, so can have a very fast response. Moreover, ribbon tweeters can reproduce much higher frequencies such as those provided by Hi-res audio formats such as SACD.

Passive radiator bass system

Two passive radiators are mounted at the back of the PS Audio FR10 Speakers. Notably, they have a carbon fibre diaphragm. Moreover, The bass driver also has a carbon fibre cone and a long excursion motor system, that moves a lot of air. Passive radiators are used instead of a port to enhance bass response. As a result, there is no port noise or “chuffing”. Passive radiators are tuned to a particular frequency and use the internal air pressure in a speaker to produce sound.

Cabinet design

The enclosure is super-rigid with no visible mounting screws. Additionally, the new spiked stainless steel feet can be removed. The feet also have soft rubber pads so the speakers can be placed on tile or softwood floors. Magnetic grills are provided that attach with hidden magnets on the baffle.

Crossover design

The large crossover uses high-quality film capacitors and air core inductors. The PS Audio FR10 Speakers are a three-way design and need a more complex crossover. Crossovers are used to split the audio signal into bands. This then feeds the correct frequency range to each driver. Moreover, high-quality capacitors are used that will not drift in value or fail with age. Some older designs featured electrolytic capacitors that can dry up and fail relatively quickly.

ech Specs

- Color Options- Satin White, Satin Black- Enclosure Type- Passive radiator (three 6x9” oval rear-firing)- High Frequency Transducer- 2.5” planar magnetic with Teonex diaphragm- Mid Frequency Transducer- 8” planar magnetic with Teonex diaphragm- Low Frequency Transducer- 2 x 6.5” woofers, cast frame, non-woven carbon fiber PMI foam sandwich cone, advanced magnet structure- Crossover Frequency- 550 Hz, 1750 Hz - Linkwitz-Riley 4th order acoustic- Sensitivity (2.83V @ 1M)- 86.5 dB- Nominal Impedance- 4 ohm (3.3 ohm minimum impedance)- Recommended Amplifier Power- 50-125W- Frequency Response- 32 Hz-20 kHz (-6dB) half space, 25 Hz (-6 dB) in-room- Dimensions (HxWxD)- - 41.5” x 11.75” x 16.25” with base (8” width not including base)- Net Weight- 75 lbs (34.1 kg)