Your opinion? FaitalPro 3fe22 V.S. 4fe32

Similar thread I started a while back.
Anyone try the Faital Pro 4FE32 or 3FE22?

The 4FE32 will have more beaming. If you plan to use it in a FAST/WAW, the 3FE22 is better as there is no need to go below 300Hz where it makes a difference if you have the 4FE32. I do recall Buildmesomething measured the 4FE35 in a Nautaloss and it had a strange 8kHz peak. Certainly, the Nautaloss could not have been the cause of that.

416034d1398946535-nautaloss-ref-monitor-nautaloss_spl-jpg


The Nautaloss Ref Monitor

If the 4FE32 is anything like the 35, watch out for that 8kHz peak. The 3FE22 and 3FE25 are quite flat and sound great. I like both. I have not personally tried any of the 4FExx's yet.
 
Thank you XRK971

In fact I have on hand both, a 4fe22 4ohms and a 3fe22 16 ohms but no enclosure yet to test them...

Free air, I already noticed the differences we can see on paper, but nothing to make a clear decision. They're both capable of high output, they're both able to sustain moderate EQ torture below 300hz and they cost about the same...

And yes, there is a nasty peak at 8khz. I measured it as well.

Out-of-the-box, the 3fe22 sounds good. But once EQ'd... not sure which is better (free air). So I guess it's all about the in-box performances?
 
I used both drivers and for me there is no doubt...4fe32 is way bettter. 3fe22 gets terrible treble with higher volumes, while 4” stays stable. And the 8k peak is only noticable with 0 deg,,,moving 5 deg off axis driver is flat.
 
I have tried both. If you need to do bass work, 4FE32 will be better of course being bigger and more excursion. If you are going to supplement it with bass driver, high pass the 3fe22 above 200Hz or so depending on your expected power handling and steepness of your slope. The 3FE22 has a superior mids and treble, more sparkle. The 4FE32 is also a bit more harsh. But you would need a baffle step filter of sorts.

I find coating the 3fe22 with a single coat of visaton speaker coat LTS50 improves it further.

Oon


Oon
 
Faital Array

Coming from the PRV thread here:

PRV 5MR450-NDY for FAST/WAW applications

These units represent great value in the US, but here in the UK, to import it doubles in cost. Faital cheap & available in UK.

I was using in FAST application with 4 drivers/side in a mini array, which, TBH, is a waste. The power handling on the PRV's is so great, 2/side will suffice.

An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.


With a mini-array in mind, I decided to test the Faital 3FE25 (16ohm) and 4FE32 (8 Ohm). The Ohms were chosen as they appeared smoothest on paper. Huge selection of these drivers which are available in Ferrite/Neo configurations as well as 4/8/16ohms.

Starting with the 3FE25's I was pretty amazed. Frequency across the range was smoother and more even out of the box than the nicely settled in PRV's. The highs were more evident, and there was no lack of midrange. They didnt sound thin or tinny vs the PRV. I played some material that was slightly edgy with the PRVs & these sailed through. They seemed to produce a more focused and precise soundstage. Amazing for what they cost.

Then I put my volume test track on, Man-machine Live (Kraftwerk) and I got a burning smell, so I backed off. It may be because these were 16 ohm units arranged in parallel....not sure.....I'm not into electronics or maths.

I then switched over to the 4FE32 arrays. This is really easy for me to do, BTW, as the arrays just hang from the recess between chassis & magnet.
These also sounded amazing....maybe a little less air than the 3's and slightly fuller sounding. It could be a volume thing as I needed to adjust the bass to match.

These passed the Kraftwerk test!

Missing a bit of the 3" air, I decided to combine the arrays creating a 4 x 4 + 2 x 3 array. This is the combination I been living with for a couple of weeks and am loving them:

An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.


The sound from them is totally addictive and I cant stop listening. They seem to produce more micro-detail than the PRV's, but also maintain the dynamics which I love of the PRV's. Soundstage is deep, detailed and precise.

I decided to go for the Neo version of the 3Fe's....the 22's, just to match the 4Fe Neo array. Not sure I can detect any difference. I have certainly not been troubles by an 8khz peak and have these things pointing right at me.

An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.


I passed the 3Fe25 array onto my mate, who was also using PRV in FAST OB configuration. He is also enjoying and dont think will be returning to the PRV's anytime soon.
 
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Your speaker look so....... naked... [emoji54] what frequency do you cross at. Without a baffle I think the full rangers are probably rolling off st about 800Hz or so... I think....

Hut what think I definitely agree with you, the air for the 3fe22 is special...

Oon
 
I use a similar approach to K9vap.
Do not let the naked approach (Scaffold frame) scare you as absolutely no issues with these integrating with into a FAST approach and some decent bass drivers.
Yesterday I went back to PRV and Beyma drivers and whilst I still like what they do I missed the effortless of the Faital 3FE25, The PRV and Beyma drivers are a bit shouty in comparison and do not quite have the same level of detail.
 
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