Fluid Audio
fluidaudio.com
Launched with a Fluid Partnership: After 20 years of developing and designing speakers for companies like JBL, Cerwin-Vega and M-Audio, guitarist and engineer Kevin Zuccaro felt constrained by corporate oversight and decided to launch his own independent company. Securing the trademark for Fluid Audio in 2010, he partnered with Norway-based Kenneth Rustad, a former colleague at M-Audio. They shipped their first products in 2013: The Fader Series F4 and F5. Before launching U.S. distribution, Fluid Audio laid a strong foundation as an indie audio force in the home studio market throughout Europe and Asia. Their first official product was the affordable 2-way, 5” F5 studio monitor. “Besides innovation, the design philosophy behind the company has always been optimization,” Zuccaro says. “We’re proud of our individual products, but our enduring success has been studio monitors with realistic imaging that makes mixing easier and more translatable for engineers.”
New Condenser Mic and Headphones: In 2022, Fluid Audio launched two new products: The Axis condenser microphone and Focus Headphone Mixing & Playback System. With a gold-sputtered, large 34mm diaphragm and cardioid polar pattern, the Axis is great for vocals, guitar, percussion or any audio source where high clarity and detail are essential. Discrete Class-A FET electronics ensure low noise. It ships with a professional shock mount. The Fluid Audio Focus headphone mixing and playback system synergizes the company’s expertise with audio hardware and dSONIQ Realphones expertise with audio playback software. The headphones have a semi-closed back, over-ear sleek design for studio tracking, mixing, mastering and casual listening. The Realphones software provides a suite of virtual mixing rooms and several pro monitor choices—including Fluid’s own FX series monitors and a variety of EQ and sonic adjustment options.
Image 2 Studio Monitor: The Image 2, Fluid Audio’s first product launch in 2023, marks what Zuccaro calls the company’s “initial foray into high-end gear.” It’s a three-way, quad amped monitor with DSP and an AMT (Air Motion Transformer) tweeter that delivers precise, detailed response, expansive headroom and low distortion. The aluminum cone mid-range driver utilizes a shorting ring within its motor structure to substantially reduce harmonic distortion. The side-firing woofers are mounted in a unique way, joined inside the cabinet via a technology known as the “Vibracer” which functions like a brace in the middle of the cabinet. Users can toggle between two EQs, a full-range default EQ and “Mixcube mode,” which allows Engineers to audition what their mix would sound like on a bandwidth limited system. The Image 2 has support for Sonarworks SoundID Reference calibration file import, so the room correction files can be stored right on the monitor’s DSP. SoundID gives users the ability to correct your monitors for room anomalies, but Fluid Audio allows you to apply it universally, as it applies the correction to any sounds played through the Image 2. Available worldwide in mid-February.
Find Fluid Audio at your favorite e-tailer, or contact them directly at:
