testimonials
Darren Holmes - Whatsap
Vaughan! My word these speakers are big! and HEAVY! The look stunning though - Man these speakers are good. Shit. Night and from my Paradigms.
Stuart Warden - Whatsap
I am so happy that I met you! I replaced my Klipsch R51M bookshelf speakers with a set of Bentley FR100 and WOW! Just WOW!
Its like a whole new system, no more harsch screaming treble, but controlled and smooth. I still cant believe speakers this size can perform the way they do, house/pop/rock whatever you listen to they just sound amazing!
Quintindebruyn - Instagram
I can write a review that is deeper than any love letter I've ever written. You can't imagine the sound if you haven't heard it. Just go and listen, you WILL walk away with a system !!!
ANDRE DU TOIT
Hi all. Newbie here. So I was in the market for an audio setup after my old system got lightning damaged (mind you this was only an old Sony 5.1 dvd system, nothing great at all).
So trusty insurance pays out and I am shopping. Looking at going for decent speakers for the first time in my life (even though at my budget these are second hand previously loved ones). I have never heard about Bentleys until I joined this forum. After a couple of messages I arrange a meeting with Vaughan Bentley. Upon showing up at his place, I am amazed at the amount and variaty of sound equipment available. Vaughan plays me some expensive brands out there and then his own branded sets. I can immediately see he knows his stuff.
I was interested in a second hand set of fs120's, a fc100 centre and fr80 rears he had advertised. After giving me the full tour and finally getting down to price, we realise he had sold the set 2 days before....
So now what? Do I go home empty handed? Hell no, not if Vaughan Bentley can help it. He gives me a brand new boxed set in my prefered colour at the very same price!!!!!! What a deal right? Vaughan asks me if I have an amp to accompany the speakers he just offered me. I am out of budget I reply. Does it stop there? Hell no, again Vaughan steps up, adjusts his prices once again and I get a well loved Marantz 7.1 thrown into the deal.
Vaughan Bentley you beauty. I must say I am impressed with your quality, your kindness and your business ethics. I got a great set of speakers and amp at price most of you would not believe. Thanks once again.
I have set up at home and with some telephonic assistance from Vaughan, yet again, got it tuned just right. Thanks for your help and your great sounding product. I would definately recommend Bentley Acoustics and an afternoon spent with Vaughan so that you can hear for yourself his slogan is not just an empty promise.....
https://www.avforums.co.za/index.php/topic,80181.0.html
Herman Claasens
I purchased a pair of Bentley Acoustics FS120 main speakers and a FC150 centre speaker to replace my existing Wharfedale Diamond 10.6 and Wharfedale 10CS centre. I have an Atmos 5.1.2 setup using an Integra 30.6 receiver.
Out of the box, built quality is very good with good craftsmanship all around. The units are very heavy therefore care needs to be taken moving them into position. I played various scenes ranging the T-Rex scene in Jurassic Park, Speeder Chase scene in Star Wars – Return of the Jedi to music ranging from Piano guys to Def Leppard and it is as if a whole new world opened with all these tracks. Very fine details were clear and identifiable, and all the sound elements had a very realistic, real life feel to them. The bass was clear and detailed without being overwhelming. Even at higher sound levels the instrumental and dialogue quality remained true and sounded real life without distortion. Before purchasing any other brand of high end speakers, I honestly suggest one must audition a set of Bentley Acoustic speakers with your favourite tracks as they offer very good sound quality and I believe it to be a worthwhile investment if you are serious about getting value for money.
Rajhan Govindasami, Verulam, KZN
Having bought the FR100 and FC150 first, I couldn’t believe the sound that these speakers produced, outstanding quality with amazing accuracy, crisp high notes and clear vocals. These speakers alone matched many high end full home theatre systems. When the FS120 arrived, nothing could have prepared me. No need for subs! .Amazing.... certainly well worth it and with that price point unbelievable. Thank you Vaughan and Bentley Acoustics for great advice and quality products.
Alex Singo
The ethos at Bentley Acoustics is simple, build an audiophile quality speaker at an accessible price point. Finished in sleek wood, the Bentley Acoustics build quality is what you'd encounter with speakers at a much higher price point.
The tweeter used in the range of Bentley Acoustics speakers provides a natural non fatiguing sound without losing any of the detail. Allowing for hours of listening pleasure.
The beefy midrange drivers and woofers are full bodied but are also accurate and fast due to the special material used in the cone. This provides a balanced speaker which reproduces instruments and vocals as the were recorded. The range toping 3 way fs150 floorstanders will have you doubting the necessity to add a sub woofer.
Whether you are looking for a full surround home theatre system with atmos, a small stereo system for your office or are somewhere in between, Bentley Acoustics has the speakers for you.
Nic Pretorius
These speakers are in one word - AWESOME!
They have the ability to produce base strong enough to make your couch vibrate in explosion scenes in action movies, then at same time provide crystal clear high tones for the orchestral sound tracks in the same scene. The combination of these sounds are so distinctive that every sound is heard individually but also act perfectly together as a combination, not even coming close to distorting.
Whatever you throw at these speakers are just produced into perfect deep robust base joined together by a more than willing midrange rounded of by the crispness of the tweeter. The very responsive bass reflex system provide added base and the only reason why you will not play these speakers at full blast is your conscious telling you that you might need to replace some window putty in the window frames soon.
Candice Harris
My husband and I see ourselves as a bit more than just your average music lovers. We enjoy music from Jazz right through to modern Pop and good old Rock.
We've had many brands, Kef, B&W, Klipsch to name a few, but none of them compares to the Bentley FS150's we currently enjoy!
Natural smoothness while being absolutely neutral provides a detailed sound experience which none of the other brands offer at this price class.
Absolutely amazing!
Jozi
Guys - if you in the market for a new set of speakers - or if you curious to find out how they sound - go listen to them - you will probably go home with a set in your car...that's how good they are.
And because they are locally made - their prices are very affordable against stuff imported from overseas.
5 stars!!
Unanimous
Dit het 3 skuiwe in die vertrek gekos voordat ons die gunstigste posisie vir die knape kon kry, maar man, toe hulle eers daar land, toe sing hulle dat die biesies bewe. Ek wens jy kon toe die glimlagte op ons gesigte sien! Hierdie luidsprekers is dan nog eers nie ingeloop nie, en die vertrek ook vêr van die ideaal af! Tog, wat maak dit alles saak as dit reeds so goed vir ons klink, hier in ons eie woning? Toe, op die ingewing van die oomblik, ontkoppel ons die FR-100 van die eerste versterker-stel, en koppel dit aan 'n veteraan SET buis-stel. Dit is net hier waar die FR-100 alle moontlike vooroordele wat ons miskien nog kon gekoester het, oortuigend uit die weg ruim. Die klankbeeld is 'n droom! Ryk, wyd en alles tussenin. Ons is vol vreugde hieroor. Vir ons smaak, werk die FR-100 net beter met die buiskomponente!
Felix aka Curlycat (AVForums Moderator) https://www.avforums.co.za/index.php/topic,83848.0.html
If you know what I know, you would get a set of Bentley FR100 bookshelf speakers.
I wanted to wait until I have spent more time with my set, but I cannot contain myself anymore. I have had many speakers, large and small, but these make me feel compelled to get the word out. They are fabulous speakers! I am sure a legend in the making. I am used to listening to a big pair of open baffles with 2 x 12" and 1 x 15" per side.
These Bentley FR100's are amazing! The soundstage is HUGE. Let me say again, HUGE. Imaging is pinpoint and very good. Bass, I am sure there is a sub hiding inside there somewhere. The mids are warm, lifelike and inviting. Vocals come to life like I have not heard in any other bookshelf speaker before, come to mind, not many speakers actually. In my setup, the highs are slightly bright. This blends stunningly with the warm mids and amazing bass to give you a bookshelf speaker that is awesome.
@Rudi - Hats off to you sir, you have designed a beaut!
@Vaughan - Hats off to you sir, you brought a gem to the SA market!
Stereosane (AVForums) https://www.avforums.co.za/index.php/topic,83754.0.html
So after my Demo of the Bentley Fr100 I just had to get a pair, thanks to Audio Gears special I was able to get a pair at a great price. The service from Pierre was excellent, I can highly recommend his services.
So the unpacking, I was very impressed with the packaging small attention to things other companies don't do. The protection around the binding posts is a first, not even Sonus Faber do that!
First thing that sticks out is the balance of sound, nothing sticks out immediately, the frequency response graph is pretty smooth and flat and it seems to reflect on the sound character.
The tweeter is nicely detailed without sounding bright at all, it's smooth end extended enough to not sound rolled off. It adds enough detail and sparkle yet holds back enough to not make those poor recordings ear bleeding.
The Bass is very very nice, full sounding without a perceived bass bump, drums and percussion have good punch and sound tight, it seems to excel on bass in acoustic and jazz music, pop music at times excited the port a little, but in all fairness I was pushing it to see what it can do I'm battling to replicate the Bass in my main room compared to the pair I demoed in Pe, but that's more than likely a room issue, so I moved them to my smaller room to test and the Bass was there. The amount of Bass for such a small speaker is impressive and you don't get the feeling they trying hard to reproduce it, actually it flows with ease, whereas a lot of speakers in this price bracket suffer from compression when pushed hard and sound strained. My room is 40sq meters so it's not an easy space to fill and the Bentleys never broke a sweat.
Now the midrange... It sounds beautiful. It's not forward or recessed, but a balance between the two, Female vocal sounds good but there is a hint of roughness when the higher notes are hit, but it's a small complaint again at the price point. There an ease to the midrange delivery that's nice, it's musical and never sounds forward or exaggerated, with nice subtle details coming through.
To sum it up as a whole, this speaker plays the balancing act better than most, where most manufacturers will concentrate on Bass or lots of detail the Bentleys make sure you get the right amount of all 3 but maybe they've added just a little more to the midrange where the magic lies, it's musical and not analytical, but it doesn't throw away the Bass and Treble at the expense of the midrange.
Something that really impressed me most was the level of transparency and resolution, at the price I truly think it's on another level.
Music Lover - https://www.avforums.co.za/index.php/topic,83848.30.html
I have a real affinity for bookshelf speakers and modest ancillaries that perform beyond expectations. I find nothing brings a smile to my face more than budget hi-fi that sounds way better than the price tag suggests.
I collected a pair of FR100s in white yesterday afternoon and partnered it with an AVA Media Maestro-50, Avantree Oasis Bluetooth receiver, and a Squeezebox Touch playing songs from Tidal. This is a very refined speaker that sounds much more grown-up than the price tag would suggest. Open, airy, spacious, big soundstage which belies its tiny size. I had always hankered for one due to my penchant for small bookshelf speakers and even more so when Rudi said it was one of his favourites in the range.
I also partnered it with an SVS SB12-NSD via the sub out on the AVA Media Maestro-50 and it integrated really well.
I'm glad I didn't miss out on the Xmas special.
Thank you Morne, Vaughan and Rudi.
Heine - aka Drifter https://www.avforums.co.za/index.php/topic,82712.0.html
I have a decent stereo system and music is my first love.
But dang I also love movies.
So long story short, I read a lot of positive things about Bentley and decided to take a chance. In came a set of FS120, two sets of FR100 and a FC150 courtesy of great service from BiZKiT. After a tough Friday afternoon of unpacking and connecting (packaging is exemplary), I fired up the amps and took the Bentley's through their paces. From the get go the speakers sounded big, bold and commanding. After about 2 hours of non stop use the drivers started to loosen up and the bass became more solid, focused and authoritative. The FS120 remind me a lot of the B&W CM10's I had a few years ago in the way that they can take any bass tune and just seem to lock onto it. The four FR100 are probably overkill in their surround duties but look cool none the less. It is however the FC150 that has really stolen the show for me. It is neutral sounding but with a touch of warmth that gives voices a life like tone. It is a handsome bugger that will be a centre piece of any equipment rack/tv stand.
The set is still playing in but so far colour me impressed. Build quality is great and looks are neat and clean with enough muscularity to warn users that they will not take a back seat when the volume is cranked. On the pics I have seen I had my reservations about the copper coloured driver as they looked too Klipsch for my tastes but in real life they are mild salmon colour that should blend in well in any cave/cinema/extreme brothel.
The obvious highlight here is the value for money equation which is simply stellar. Show me another brand of speakers in this same price range that offer as much as the Bentleys.
Charles Warren-Hanson
Charles decided to upgrade his stereo speakers to a set of Bentley FS-250s, he felt that he just needed something better and thouht about trading in his Bentley FS150's for a set of FS250s, but when decision time came it proved too difficult to let his Bentley FS-150s go, so instead he traded his brand new 2019 Model B&W 603's... Cant blame him!
Good decision Mr Warren-Hanson!
Hi Vaughan, all I say is wow, wow, wow!
My lounge is approximately 200 sqms, so it is very big with poor acoustics, BUT the result is unbelievable.
I am no audiophile but gee whizz these sounds amazing. I know you probably do not want to hear this but mine sounds better than at your house :)
Not sure why.....
Some pics attached. Welcome to my lounge :)
Nirvana
So I was invited over to Tobes's place for some lekker Lasagne and lovely Raka vino last night.
For the first time I got to hear the Fr100's more formally, in a good acoustic space.
Anyone who is shown pics of 5 different speakers, and then made to listen blindfolded, will NOT guess that the sound comes from these little buggers!
And even though the music played was mostly flac files, clear differences in albums were audible, suggesting that these little marvels should respond very well to upstream upgrades!
The Bamboo finish looks even better in real 'flesh', one would never guess this kind of price from looking OR listening to them!
I really look forward to reading more on other members experience with pairs higher up in the range, being interested in the 200 range myself.
Whoever buys these will no doubt spread the growing hype around this over performer - fantastic achievement by Rudi, Vaughsn and their team!!
Happy customer
Hi Vaughan, hope you are well. I unboxed those FR100's and connected them to a Cambridge Audio SR20 Topaz 100w stereo amp. Used XT40 Qed wire with termination. Then connected computer with Dagmagic I got from you.
Gee whizz, result is very good. Sound is warm and smooth which takes iTunes to a entirely different level. Start playing a 24bit, 192khz daft punk flac and the result is unbelievable. I have always been impressed with your floorstanders but these bookshelf speakers really surprised me on Sunday in that they are so versatile, capable and perform so well for such a small package.
Just shows that one can get away with bookshelf speakers, get very high quality sound and it is more than adequate. I get that they do not have the bass response of the fs150's or fs120's but that is okay as the addition of a sub would easily solve that. Such great value for money and your fit and finish is superb. Well done Vaughan. Cheers
https://www.avforums.co.za/index.php/topic,92712.0.html
AVFORUMS SA
Sorry, this is a long post, just had to share my experience of getting them.
TLDR; Simply the best speakers I’ve heard in their price range, period. Go and demo them and hear for yourself.
I've been wanting upgrade my modded Mission MV-8Es for a little while now, https://www.avforums.co.za/index.php/topic,86302.msg985778.html#msg985778 they've been great, but they lack the punch I've been wanting for HT. They're decent speakers, but the small 6" drivers don't really have the drive to bring movies to life. I'm gonna use them for a stereo setup once we move the HT upstairs.
I've heard the Polk RTi-10/RTi-A7s a few times and really like the sound they produce for HT, especially when driven by a decent power amp. My centre is a Polk CSi-A6 and the surrounds are Polk Monitor 30s, so getting Polk fronts was a no brainer. I had my heart set on getting a pair of RTI-10s or A7s, knowing that I'll also have to fork out for a power amp to get the best from them. Once my mind is made up, I can be a stubborn bas#%*d, nobody's gonna change my mind easily.
I’ve read many posts on the forum that the Bentleys are really good and that anyone considering getting new speakers should at least give them a listen. None of my friends or family have Bentleys so I’ve never had the chance to listen to them or ever really bothered to give them a chance. I bought my Monitor 30s from @Reef a couple of months ago, he had just been to @BiZKiT ’s place to pick up a Bentley sub and on the way, dropped off the Monitor 30s for me. Reef mentioned just how good the Bentleys were and should seriously consider listening to them.
I then started thinking about the Bentleys and thought, meh, perhaps I should ask on the forum and get an idea of the FS-150s vs the RTi-A7s https://www.avforums.co.za/index.php/topic,92319.0.html Bizkit kindly invited me over for a demo, he’s not far from me, so I happily accepted the offer. I arrived at Bizkit’s place thinking “Ag, well, nothing to lose, let’s see what all the fuss is about” As I walked into the first demo room, I was immediately impressed. Massive TV, FS-150s, FS-250s and some Klipschs all lined up for demos. I eyed the FS-150s straight away and realised just how big they are. I could see that they were gonna be a real threat to the RTi-A7s.
Bizkit played a few songs and demo’d a couple of movies. I was gobsmacked! The FS-150s weren’t even being driven by a power amp, just the Marantz AVR (albeit a really decent Marantz) More detailed, crisper, gobs of bass, just so much better than the RTi-A7s. The crossover is really well balanced, the frequency transitions are so effortless. They’re slightly on the warm side, just as I like it, no tweeter fatigue. Night and day difference compared to the Klipschs (sorry I can’t remember which model they were) The Klipschs had my ears hurting after 5 minutes, the horn tweeters are just way too bright.
I went home a changed man, I couldn’t believe just how good the Bentleys were, one of those WTF moments in your life. Look, I’m certainly no audiophile, I didn’t have a unicorn pee in my ears as a baby, so the more learned would probably think I’m over-reacting, but apart from speakers that cost 10x more than these, they’re the best I’ve heard by far. A few people on the forum give Bizkit and the other Bentley dealers a lot of flak for promoting the Bentleys. After my experience listening to them, I honestly cannot fathom why they do it. They are simply that good, all I can say is well done to @Dreamerm6 , @GECO , Bizkit and the rest of the team.
As it would happen, I mentioned the Bentleys to one of my clients and he said one of his mates had a pair he wanted to get rid of. My client didn’t know which ones he had but gave me his contact details to get hold of him. I spoke to the seller and said he had a pair of FS-150s and a FC-150 centre he wanted to get rid of as they were taking up too much space and that he had got a soundbar instead. He offered me a ridiculously low price for them and said I could go see them anytime. I was feeling really bad at this stage as I had told Bizkit that I was really keen on getting a pair from him. I went to check out the speakers and they were in reasonably good condition. After a close inspection, I noticed that the one grill was broken and that the one tweeter was pressed in and had a small nick in it, the seller’s kid had clearly had some fun one day. I told the seller that I wasn’t really interested due to the damage, so he knocked down the price even further to a point that I couldn’t refuse. I loaded up the speakers in my car and took them home.
Fortunately I have the CSi-A6 as my centre, so I removed the tweeter from the FC-150 centre and replaced the damaged tweeter in the tower. Hooked them up to my Onkyo AVR and couldn’t believe what a massive difference they made to my system. I no longer need the subs when listening to music, there’s just too much bass with them running as well. I contacted Bizkit and told him I’d picked up the Bentleys in a deal I couldn’t refuse and felt really bad about it. He was more than gracious about it, he offered to get a replacement tweeter and grill for me, to which I immediately accepted. Bizkit’s service and helpfulness has been exemplary, he definitely goes out of his way to please and to help. I can’t rate him high enough for what he has done.
The Gods must’ve been smiling on me for some reason, as I bought the Bentleys, @agies put up an ad for a Rotel RB-985 five channel power amp. https://www.avforums.co.za/index.php/topic,92454.0.html The money I saved in the speaker deal allowed me to buy the amp from Agies. I hooked it all up and …….. Wow!!! I was speechless. A match made in heaven. When I cranked it up, the Bentleys simply got louder, zero distortion or clipping, even to the point where my ears started hurting, they were still crystal clear. The bass was literally causing the windows and trinkets to rattle. I’m not trying to blow my own horn, I say this without ego, but the setup now simply blows any cinema’s sound to smithereens (except perhaps the better IMAXs and Premier cinemas). I can’t wait in the evenings once the kids are in bed and can slap in a Blu-Ray.
I can’t get enough of these speakers..
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