The Brat is the third and smallest of the fabaudio loudspeakers to have graced my listening room. Regular Audiophiliacs will know of my admiration for Jim Fabian and Michael Thompson's outstanding designs. In fact, the fab audio flagship Model 1 speaker has been the reference in my system for some time now. Both the Stonehenge and the Model 1 received Star Component Award ratings from me because of the superbly musical and refined sound they produce. Although it took a while for the Brats to come to market, I wanted to be first to bring you their particular story.

The Brats look very stylish. The fit and finish is excellent; just what audiophiles have come to expect from fine Canadian speakers (definitely in the Focus, Totem, and Tetra league). The top monitor has a time-aligned, angled baffle coupled with a lower module that increases the cabinet size and therefore extends the bass and visually acts as a stand. The topology is a dual-tuned, three-ported design which helps its prodigious bass performance. The drivers are highly-modified -- Beyma for the tweeter and Fostex for the woofer -- and the Brats use the same unique bracing/damping design of its larger siblings. The dimensions are 8 ¾" w x 11¼" d x 39 h, they weigh in at 33lbs, and have an impedance of 8 ohms. Connectors and wiring are courtesy of Vampire (they come as single wired). The crossover is said to use '...audiophile, premium grade components tuned for a smooth frequency response with minimal off axis variation and low system distortions'. My pair came in fab's satin black finish - they will look mighty fine in any listening space.

I was fortunate to have several amps at my disposal for the duration of the review. The Brats sound very fine through both push pull tube amps (Audio Research VT100 Mk. II and Raysonic's SP-120 integrated), but they really sang when coupled with KR Audio's KV340 single-ended integrated tube amp. The Brats were not gun-shy of any cables -- the essence of the speaker came through via XLO, Kimber, Cardas and Microphonic Audio. And paired with the Accustic Arts CD Player 1, they produced all types of music effortlessly (Thompson and Fabian have designed a CD player and are hoping to bring it to market - I'll try to have a listen with it in place and report back to you).

I heard a prototype at last year's Montreal Show. Harold Gallimore, another member of team fab, was playing some reggae music with very deep bass. When I walked in the room, I thought the sound was coming from the much larger Model 1s. The fab gang had a good laugh at my expense and then spilled the beans about the Brats. The bass coming from these babies was astounding. Low and clear, down to 40Hz with no problems replicating full synthesized bass lines. It was a real show. The bass qualities continued in my listening room, way down to the bootstraps and clean as a whistle. A box is a box, however. The laws of physics are immutable. So, I assume, the depth and power of the bass must have everything to do with the witchery of the 'stands' (one of the reflex ports connects the mini monitor to the stand). In any case, you'll love the fact that such a small footprint in stature can paste your face against the back wall!

But, let's not get ahead of ourselves. I don't want to characterize the Brat as a pounding rock and roller, leaving the subtlety of beautiful acoustic music to fab's more expensive speakers. Far from it. They really show off the beauty of the finest recordings, and, like my previous experiences with fab speakers, they explain in detail the lineage of the ancillary equipment. In fact, the Brats highlighted the significant differences between the three amps used nearly as well as the much larger, expensive Model 1.

The essence of Fabian and Thompson's designs highlights pure musicality. Pure in tone, pure in soundstage and clear in image. Heard at its amazing best in the Model 1s, this 'essence' is also heard easily in the Stonehenge, and now the Brat. When discussing this consistent aesthetic with Fabian, I surmised it was because of the highly modified drivers, cabinet damping, and very high efficiency (94dB for the Brat). He didn't disagree. The large soundstage, pinpoint imaging and accurate instrumental/vocal timbre are there to be heard and admired, albeit on a slightly smaller scale than fab's larger models.

The Brats' balance did great justice to orchestral music. A recent Brahms Second Symphony (LSO Records) has been a bit of a thorn in my side. The performance is fantastic, but the recording was taken live at the LSO's horrid Barbican Hall. I want to give the performance a positive review but the recording quality/hall is holding that back. The Brats, especially when coupled to the great KR amplifier, dug into the instrumental details well but left the City of London cavern in tact. Ugh!

Vocals, whether the weird and (sometimes) wonderful Holly Cole, the breathy and rich Diana Krall, or the stable, stylish and in tune Carol Welsman, sounded lucid and articulate. It was wonderful late at night to hear the singers hovering between the speakers (11 feet apart, 4 feet from the back walls).

The realism continued with all sorts of styles. The Brats remained involved when played low and never gave up when hammered (my ears or the room did first). The balance between octaves was uniform -- a rarer occurrence in high end audio than one may think. This uniformity is another tenet of fab audio speakers, one which gives it a special place among speaker manufacturers.

And that is why, my friends, fab audio will be the first manufacturer to receive Star Awards for its complete line, now including the Brat. A very special achievement even in this cynical day and age! With the Brat, the prospective buyer will get great style, outstanding design, and superb sound. It is especially fitting for audiophiles in smaller spaces and a boon for admirers of the low watt, single-ended amplifier (it will fill a big room, too, and enjoyed a brief stint with a Magnum Dynalab solid state integrated). The Brat will be making its sales debut at the 2005 Montreal Show and will be in stores shortly thereafter.

[It is with great pleasure that we award The Audiophilia Star Component Award to the fab audio Brat Loudspeaker. Congratulations! - Ed]