Why? Because it is an entirely different breed of single driver speakers. The Fc8 BTW is the bottom-line model of their line-up, but there's nothing introductory about its sonic abilities. It stands apart from the rest of the singled-driver world in this quality:
For single drivers, frequency extension is the Achilles heel. For the Fc8 it is its STRENGTH. In my upstairs room my ears tell me that 25Hz-20kHz is covered, and the bass and highs are just as clear, defined, and holographic as the midrange. In my downstairs room I have amplifier that extends higher, and it covers in excess of my hearing range (20+kHz) with absolute precision, utmost clarity ENERGY and FOCUS, something that I have heard only from large fromat compression drivers, and no other technology. Typical berylium tweeters while have the extension, but they sound lacking substance and spatial definition of the extension to my hearing. The resolving power of the Fc8 for the 18+kHz region is NOTHING LESS THAN STELLAR.
Stellar is also the description of the bass: for HIGH QUALITY bass you need these 3 key things (could list more, just adding a 3rd to the most well-known two): 1. extension 2. level 3. HARMONIC INTEGRITY. You can have any descriptors of bass performance ON POINT, if the bass is NOT ALIGNED PERFECTLY with the UPPER HARMONIC SPECTRUM IN THE MIDRANGE AND HIGHS, then it's always staying as mediocre to so-so bass (in my experience). Sure, you can get punch and Judy without harmonic structure, but that ain't music folks (not for my brains.. YMMV) Want emotional connection? It stems from the music being WHOLE, hearing instruments that have harmonic INTEGRITY instead of DISJOINTED FREQUENCY BANDS. And that's why the Fc8 is a CHAMPION OF LOW FREQUENCY EXTENSION. It is no just stellar for a single driver, it is STELLAR FOR ANY TECHNOLOGY AT ANY LEVEL. Stellar for REALISTIC, NATURAL MUSIC REPRODUCTION IN YOUR NORMAL ROOM AT NORMAL LISTENING LEVELS. (Sure, if you want a 120dB concert in a cafeteria that's a different issue... the Fc8 is specifically suitable for a room in your HOME, for everyday listening, that's the application I'm rating it for and giving advice on.)
A few of my observations on this review that has sound samples and Terry's and Peter's opinions / overview / review. I do not think I've seen Terry ever chiming in with reviews, so that's a very STRONG indicator that she found the sound very engaging. Considering that Peter does this professionally / for a living (that's my impression from his videos), she had the experience to hear the most exclusive systems, and she decided to comment on this one tells it all. Her description as: "I was mesmerized, was almost like a meditation" fits exactly as my female listeners describe their listening experiences with my Fc8. So, I am extrapolating from this experience (different CA driver in different cabinet with different system and different room) that the Cube Audio drivers do have this general tendency to be extraordinarily good at creating a super-involving, realistic atmosphere.
What I noticed while listening to the sound through my headphones is that the bass sounded loosing control below 50Hz and becoming flabby. I have observed such behavior from the microphone that I'm using to make my own sound samples: when there's 30Hz or lower material, these simple microphones do not do a good job, and instead of recording the 30Hz and lower content, the 30+Hz low bass content gets messed up.
Another observation: the experience of the atmosphere and immersion DOES NOT COME THROUGH RECORDINGS AT ALL for a normal system. You will only experience it from this and other such recordings when your system EXCELS at creating ambience and atmosphere.
More observation: the sound samples have a lot of box colorations. However, when you listen to their voices sharing the review, they are also very colored and boxy!! I think it's his microphone setup that does that transformation towards boxy / plastick-y tone.
This is how they described the sound:
full range, full blown, anchored foundation
mesmerizing, effervescent, super detailed
being on a holodeck
"we have been listening to the system for 12 days and it's stunningly hyper-realistic... " "..not the take-off your ears way"
accurate and detailed yet so much warmth
delicate and hyper-realistic... will not punch your guts, but does everything else in a most balanced way.
could live with this system on a desert island for the rest of my days
I agree with all their description, with one exception: the island not being so deserted.... can find people here in Hawaii... yet, the island and the rest of the days: checked. The Fc8 stays in the Voigt pipe cabinet, as permanent main speaker of my upstairs room that has been elevated to "Recital Hall" status. It gives me the exact aural equivalent of live recitals, how a guitarist, a lutist, or a harp player sounds when they perform at a smaller venue (smaller than a symphonic concert hall), such as the Castle Grassalkovics's ballroom (Gödöllő, Hungary - the Castle of Queen Sissy) or the Mystical Rose Oratory of the Chaminade University (Honolulu).