Fell Audio Integrated Amplifier and CD Player

Introduction

I started my journey into hifi professionally 45 years ago in 1980, and as an avid audiophile by then, having owned quality equipment from the likes of Linn, Meridian, Nakamichi, Celef etc. I wanted to enthuse others. Hifi equipment was a big thing then, and a decent audio system was high on people’s agendas of must-have luxury items. Music matured from the 60s to 70s, and the 80s were a golden era. A decent starter system with a turntable, integrated amplifier and a pair of speakers would set you back about £500. Moving forward to today, the market is very different.

Music is still important to people, and you only need to look at the popularity of bands and artists to appreciate that we desire aural stimulation. However, the way we achieve this has evolved to far more of a lifestyle/convenience experience. My daughter and son-in-law love music, but it must compete with so much more now. Mobile phones and the internet have revolutionised how we access music now, and whereas I have embraced this, my daughter and son-in-law see it somewhat differently. Their idea of a hifi system is Amazon’s Alexa playing music at the command of their voices through wireless speakers around their home or being streamed from their mobiles.

Fell Audio

Fell Audio is a new brand aiming to enthuse the younger generation, as I was in my tender years. The Fell Audio integrated amplifier and CD player are the brainchild of the company, Peter Tyson, based in Carlisle. It originated as a family business in 1966 and has grown exponentially since Peter opened his first TV repair shop on West Tower Street in Carlisle. The team (across the three Peter Tyson stores and online business) comprises 50 people, many of whom are part of the family. Their products are made here in Britain, and they’re enormously proud of their exceptional build standards, leading sustainability and, of course, sound quality.

Being a Cumbrian-based company on the edge of the beautiful Lake District, Fell Audio offers a sound just as captivating, bringing their 50-year audio experience to homes everywhere. Any keen walker will be familiar with the term ‘Fell’, which is the name the Cumbrians give to the Lake District hills. If you have ever visited the Lakes, it is a stunning area to admire and drink in, and Peter Tyson wants to give their customers the same experience with the Fell Audio brand.

What is impressive about the Fell Audio brand is that the products are all made in the UK and not abroad in China. Sadly, many companies have resorted to moving manufacturing to China and other East Asian countries because of high labour costs and overheads in the West. Peter Tyson was adamant that product design, packaging design, manufacture, component procurement, metal work, painting, plastic injection moulding, PCBS, build and assembly, are all done in the UK. Designing and developing the units took three years without compromising quality, build or specification. I applaud that they have achieved this for such a competitive price. As many components as possible are sourced from the UK to reduce air miles, and products are designed to be repairable if a fault occurs.

The visual design is reminiscent of the units I sold in the 80s, but with a modern twist, clean lines, and capacitive-touch front panels. They are slimline full-width units with a very smart modern approach to ease of use and convenience. The displays are green on a black background for a good visual contrast, which I liked, but some may feel differently. The units are very well constructed and are solid, inspiring confidence. I have sold units in the past that were embarrassingly shabby by comparison, and this is testament to modern design and manufacturing techniques.

The Fell Audio Amplifier

The Fell Amp’s class D amplification stage delivers an excellent 89 W stereo performance into 8 Ohms, with a maximum current delivery of 6 Amps into a 4-Ohm load. When it was first launched, Class D amplification promised a lot but didn’t always deliver. Today, it’s a popular alternative to traditional Class A or A/B when correctly designed and very convenient and practical, especially in slim designs. There is a substantial 170VA toroidal transformer, ensuring firm control of the music and grunt.

Connection is comprehensive with analogue; digital; wireless or even your turntable. It’s a clean design which doesn’t overcomplicate use, and the supplied remote control is excellent.

There are three stereo analogue inputs catering for CD players and line-level sources, a coax and optical input expands this for any digital sources, while a Bluetooth aptX receiver provides a solution for wireless audio playback.

Hailing back to the 1970s and 80s, there is also a dedicated phono pre-amp input for moving magnet phono cartridges. It’s a high-quality, low-noise MM phono circuit with precise RIAA equalisation. Impressive for the money.

If you need to listen late at night or do not want to disturb neighbours, a useful front mounted ¼ inch headphone socket is fitted. Not all amps have this useful facility anymore.

The designers and engineers wanted to ensure interacting with the Fell Amp was as captivating and enjoyable as the audio performance. Instead of the usual push buttons or rotary switches a capacitive touch control panel is utilised so selecting inputs is quick and simple while prolonging the life of the product – no moving parts prone to wear and tear.

The volume control can be manually adjusted or remotely controlled. It has 11 LEDs that light up around the control as it is turned up or down, giving a very clear visual indication. The Fell Amp benefits from the excellent ESS Sabre ES9018K2M chip. Typically found in products priced in the thousands (and rarely seen at the Fell Amp’s price point), impressive and born out with the listening results.

The packaging is superb, very sustainable, allows recycling, and is very well thought out. A novel touch was that the units are enclosed in a useful Fell Audio cotton tote bag rather than the usual plastic bag. I love this approach.

Specification and Price

Performance

The system used in conjunction with the Fell Audio units was Totem Arro speakers, Thorens TD1500 and Technics SL1300G, Musical Fidelity 3.2 CR preamp, 3.2 CD player and Dr Thomas power amplifier, various cables from Audio Quest, WAY, and Missing Link. The fact the Fell Audio components worked so well is testament to their excellent value for money and I wasn’t in a hurry to go back to my reference units.

How Do the Units Sound?

The amplifier’s design nails it for me, and the electronic brains have done a sterling job

Superb!! Let me explain. British audio design has always been impressive, but when you’re on a tight budget to give value for money, it’s a tough ask. The amplifier’s design nails it for me, and the electronic brains have done a sterling job. Class D was a poor relation 20 odd years ago, but has fully matured now and really delivers. From the initial switch on, I knew this would be an enjoyable review to do. Power output in my listening room wasn’t an issue, even with my resident Totem Arro speakers, which are a 4-ohm load. I never felt the amp struggled, but I don’t thrash my system, and in my senior years, listen at lower levels through preference. A lot of concerts today are too loud, and hifi shows can be as well. Control was evident, like any well-designed product, and the music always felt at ease. I don’t mean laid back or sedate. An air of confidence in the presentation and clarity of the sound stage made listening to the system a pleasure.

I recently discovered a Dutch band called HAEVN. They’re an indie pop–ambient band from Amsterdam, Netherlands. The band was founded in 2015 by singer-songwriter Marijn van der Meer and film soundtrack composer Jorrit Kleijnen, who began writing music together in their studio in Amsterdam. The music floats in front of you, and the Fell Audio amplifier and CD player lapped up the production.

If you have ever seen an orchestra live in a concert hall setting, you can’t help but be touched emotionally and physically. The ambience of the studio on tracks like Holy Ground or live concert recordings stirs your inner soul, and on a good system, this is easily conveyed. The Fell amplifier reproduces the ambience that live music does and makes the sonic experience so believable. My wife and I saw them recently in London, so my aural memory was still fresh.

The Fell CD player is just as adept as the amplifier in impressing with its confident portrayal of any disc I loaded into the slot-loading mechanism. When these were first introduced, I was wary of the design, fearing that discs would jam in the mechanism. Nowadays, reliability doesn’t appear to be a problem, and the Fell CD player performed faultlessly. The front panel of the player is touch-sensitive like the amplifier, and the symbols are clear and obvious. It also reads the CDs quickly, and the remote, which is the same as the amplifier, works well. The CD player complements the amplifier, being a great partnership, but both can stand tall on their own with other brands.

Another current favourite artist was played. SYML is the solo venture of Seattle artist Brian Fennell. Welsh for “simple”— he makes music that taps into the instincts that drive us to places of sanctuary, whether that be a place or a person. His style is often intimate, and I don’t tire of it. He records in various venues such as churches and hangars, adding an addictive reverb to the sound. It is terrible if you have ever heard live music in a heavily damped location. SYML understands the acoustics very well and the Fell’s sympathetically responded, allowing me to simply concentrate on the music without trying to overanalyse the sound. The fact that this combination of amplifier and CD player sells for £999, saving £100 as a package, is astonishing.

Overall

I certainly fell for the Fell Audio amplifier and CD player, which is a must-listen for anyone wanting a starter system on a tight budget. A matching streamer is due to be launched soon to accommodate this now popular way of accessing and listening to music conveniently.