Fluance Ai41

At $249, the Fluance Ai41 speakers produce the same rich, balanced stereo sound as the company's Ai61 ($299) but are smaller and more affordable. They're a good option if you want to keep size and price in check, though you'll want to consider a subwoofer to help with some deeper sub-bass notes. Audioengine's A5+ Wireless speakers remain our Editors' Choice winners, but at $499, they are twice the price and significantly larger, making the Ai41 a more budget- and desk-friendly alternative.

Design: Simple, But Effective

The Fluance Ai41 is a subtle and elegant pair of bookshelf speakers. You can get them with either a black or white front panel and choose from black ash, dark walnut, or light bamboo wood grain veneer enclosures. Each speaker measures 10.9 by 6.5 by 7.6 inches (HWD), which is just large enough to contain a 5-inch woofer, a 1-inch tweeter, a bass reflex port on the rear panel, and an internal class D amplifier. The right speaker houses the electronics and weighs 8.5 pounds, and the left speaker is passive and lighter at 7.5 pounds. The speakers sit on small rubber feet at each corner, which keep them in place and dampen vibrations. For comparison, the Ai61 speakers are bigger at 13.1 by 7.8 by 9.2 inches thanks to 6.5-inch woofers.

(Credit: Mark Knapp)

The woofers and tweeters are exposed, allowing you to see the glass fiber composite and the neodymium silk dome. The speakers have a frequency range of 35Hz to 20kHz and produce a total of 90 watts.

There is a decent selection of connections, all of which are housed on the right speaker. For starters, you get Bluetooth 5.0 with multipoint and support for the AAC codec. This means the speakers will work fine with iPhones and iPads but less so with Android devices. Fluance says the speakers can pair via Bluetooth with Amazon Alexa, Apple TV, and Google Home devices, but Wi-Fi is not on board and services like Spotify Connect aren't supported.

Analog RCA and digital optical wired inputs are on the rear panel, though you have to provide your own cables. You’ll find an RCA subwoofer output as well, with an 80Hz low-pass frequency cutoff. There’s a power switch on the back and a button for activating Bluetooth pairing. It would have been nice to see a USB port—something available on the Ai61. The speakers connect to one another via five-way binding posts and standard speaker wire, and Fluance includes an 8-foot wire for the job. The speakers do not include angled stands for desktop use or a headphone jack.

(Credit: Mark Knapp)

Around the front, there’s a small sensor for the included remote and a rotating dial with an indicator light next to it. The rotating volume knob on the speaker is digital. You have to spin it to the left quite a few times to mute the speaker. The indicator light will flash red when you've fully silenced it. Pressing the dial switches between inputs; the indicator light will show blue for Bluetooth, green for RCA, and white for optical. The indicator light also shows details for various settings. For example, it blinks red when the treble or bass have reached their limit and blinks twice when they’re set to their midpoints.

(Credit: Mark Knapp)

The remote offers some extra functionality beyond what’s available directly on the speaker. It includes a simple EQ with the ability to adjust bass and treble. You can control playback over Bluetooth, dim or disable the indicator light, and use a mute and power button. Fluance does not offer a companion app for the speakers.

Sound: Balanced, But Lacking Sub-Bass

In general, the speakers sound great, though you’ll need to pair them with a subwoofer to get the most from your music. The woofers attenuate considerably when they reach the bottom end of their frequency response range, leaving a gap of uncovered notes that the speakers alone can’t adequately reproduce.

For example, most of the sub-bass at the 34-second mark of Kendrick Lamar’s “Loyalty.” is absent. Hitting one out of every few notes in the sub-bass results in a sudden bark that, rather than sounding like part of the bassline, feels more like a hiccup. We noticed similar performance from the Fluance Ai61. The speakers perform admirably for the rest of the track, with appreciable treble and a strong balance.

(Credit: Mark Knapp)

The Knife’s “Silent Shout” fits much better into the audio profile of these speakers. From the opening hit, the woofer brings notable energy. When the sub-bass quarter notes burst into the track, the speakers deliver them with proper force. The synth lines are bright and punchy but retain adequate nuance to provide a dynamic range. This helps make the song feel like the journey it should be rather than a flat ride from beginning to end. 

Bill Callahan’s “Drover” is an excellent showcase for the speakers and highlights their effective stereo separation. Callahan’s baritone vocals are full and well rendered in the phantom center, but supporting instruments like the fiddle and electric guitar ring out from the sides clearly, adding essential breadth to the song. The bass comes through clearly without any unnatural boosting, and the whole song swells powerfully for the outro.

(Credit: Mark Knapp)

The clean, balanced sound is particularly suited to orchestral works, like John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary. The vocals are pronounced while the many instruments fill in nicely in the background. The speakers do great work with “Lazarus Rises From the Dead,” swelling from subtle to a bold roar with instruments and voices sweeping through both intensely and quietly. Though they rely on digital signal processing (DSP), it’s not squashing the dynamics. The speakers can generate extreme volume levels without exhibiting distortion. The lack of sub-bass is still notable. This track produces very low tones that are a big part of its buildup, and the speakers can't fully reproduce them all. You can remedy the sub-bass performance by adding a subwoofer, though at an additional expense.

The speakers work well for casual listening to other content, such as videos and podcasts. However, it's best to use a wired connection for video, as the Bluetooth connection has a noticeable delay. Like the Fluance Ai61, the speakers also tend to clip the beginning of playback over Bluetooth.

Verdict: Quality Stereo Speakers for a Reasonable Price

The Fluance Ai41 speakers offer a lot for your money, thanks to a reasonable selection of inputs and a potent range of amplification. They provide rich, detailed audio and deliver it cleanly without distortion. Though bass tones are mostly present, the speakers fall a little short when it comes to deeper sub-bass notes, so you'll want to consider a subwoofer. Bluetooth connectivity is a nice bonus despite the limited codec support and the latency we experienced. If price and size are your top parameters, Fluance balances both here while producing pleasing sound. If you have more room and cost is less of a concern, Audioengine's A5+ Wireless remains our Editors' Choice winner.