Speaker design philosophy of Fyne Audio's Dr. Paul Mills: Aiming for both precision and enjoyment in audio systems.
Dr. Paul Mills Leads Fyne Audio's High-End Speaker Development
Dr. Paul Mills, the Technical Director at Fyne Audio, brings over four decades of experience in the hi-fi industry to the table. His journey began in his early teens, where he developed a passion for speaker technology that would eventually lead him to pursue a Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) degree.
Before joining Fyne Audio, Dr. Mills spent three decades at Tannoy, where he made significant contributions to the company's speaker designs. While specific details about his first major design impact at Tannoy are not readily available, his work is known to have been instrumental in the research and innovation of dual concentric driver technology and crossover improvements.
At Fyne Audio, Dr. Mills is responsible for the development and engineering of the company's speakers. The flagship Fyne Audio F1-12 speaker features a curved and birch ply cabinet design, a SuperTrax super tweeter, and adheres to the 'point source' principle, where the acoustic centers of the tweeter and mid/bass are in the same place. This principle leads to greater tonal accuracy and a wider listening sweet spot compared to conventional discrete speakers.
The test room for high-end products at Fyne Audio uses Accuphase's 50-watt E700S Class A integrated amplifier and DP-770 CD player. For more affordable products, Fyne Audio relies on the Rega Aethos amplifier.
Dr. Mills believes that speaker technology is generally mature, but new materials and manufacturing techniques can still be explored with caution. He prefers birch ply as the ideal speaker enclosure material due to its density and less homogeneous nature. Fyne Audio is committed to using new materials carefully, ensuring they produce musically satisfying results and do not compromise the sound quality.
The engineering philosophy at Fyne Audio is to design speakers that are enjoyable to listen to, aiming for accuracy but also entertainment. The speakers are tested with a variety of music, including Daft Punk's Random Access Memories, Annette Askvik's Liberty album, Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays' music, and the Works compilation album by ECM record label.
Dr. Mills' academic background is reflected in his thesis title, 'Active Loudspeaker Systems with Transconductance Amplification'. After his degree, he worked in a different industry but later joined the Audio Research and Engineering PHD course at Essex University. His dedication to the field of speaker technology is evident in his current role at Fyne Audio, where he continues to push the boundaries of what is possible in audio design.
In a speculative note, Dr. Mills muses that in 30 years, people might be listening to music through brain implants instead of speakers. For now, however, he is focused on making the best speakers possible, ensuring that Fyne Audio remains at the forefront of the hi-fi industry.
- Dr. Mills, the Technical Director at Fyne Audio, is working on developing high-end speakers, having spent over four decades in the audio industry.
- At Fyne Audio, the flagship speaker, the F1-12, features a SuperTrax super tweeter and adheres to the 'point source' principle for greater tonal accuracy.
- The Accuphase 50-watt E700S Class A integrated amplifier and DP-770 CD player are used in the test room for high-end products at Fyne Audio.
- Dr. Mills believes that while speaker technology may be mature, new materials and manufacturing techniques can still be explored with caution.
- Fyne Audio designers aim to create speakers that are both accurate and entertaining, tested with a variety of music like Daft Punk's Random Access Memories.
- Dr. Mills' academic background includes a thesis on Active Loudspeaker Systems with Transconductance Amplification, and further study in Audio Research and Engineering at Essex University.
- In anticipation of the future, Dr. Mills speculates that people might be listening to music through brain implants rather than speakers, but for now, he remains focused on making the best speakers possible for Fyne Audio.
