Ferguson Hill was founded in 2003 by former aeronautical engineer Timothy Hill, and the company arrived on the hifi and audio scene with the launch of the FHOO1 system, then promoted as the world's first-ever front-loaded horn dipole loudspeaker. Ferguson Hill then promoted the Jetstream as a complete system, and certainly a stunning transparent loudspeaker design.
Ferguson Hill represents a labour of love for founder and designer Tim Hill. The former aeronautical engineer has had a passion for audio since he started building his own loudspeakers in Camden as a teenager. Unbeknown to Tim, who thought he was simply 'recycling' to make room for the next generation, a London music studio head repeatedly collected Tim's prototypes and put them to professional use. A chance meeting between Tim and this avid fan helped reassure Tim that he was on the right path, and ultimately, Ferguson Hill was borne.
While Jetstream (and FH001 before it) occupies a price point beyond the reach of many – though not Apple co-founder the late Steve Jobs, who was (firmly) rumored to be the USA's first FH001 buyer – this is a 'side effect' of Tim's ambition to create the ultimate sound system. Ferguson Hill is by no means an elitist maker. In 2007, it launched its sub-£1,000 FH007 Mini Speaker System. The desktop sound system, designed to complement the aesthetics of the original Apple iMac and the first iPods looked great and projected the name of the company globally. With those announcements and hifi components, the independent UK company gained recognition and Ferguson Hill is now distributed to over 30 countries worldwide.
For example, the magnificent horn speakers now feature the company's own manufactured "semi-full range" drive unit, created in conjunction with Cube Audio of Poland. Improvements to the interface between the acrylic horn and the metal ring result in a more even sound wave expansion from the circular drive unit diaphragm to the oval mouth of the horn.
As Tim Hill adds, though a large portion of the new system is transparent, many of the improvements to the structure are internal - for example, the dampening structures between the metal ring and the drive unit and the internal leg dampening – and cannot be seen. But they can be heard. Some measured results are published on Ferguson Hill's website here.
Further enhancements include the bass speaker's three-part feet with internal dampening and removable spikes (for shipping in flight cases). The bass drive units received significant development, including marked improvements to the neodymium magnets. Several vibration-dampening and absorbing structures have been designed within the anodized metal ring and the brushed stainless steel legs.
The Jetstream horn drive unit now fully integrates with the large metal ring support and acrylic horn to give a smooth, stable soundwave propagation from the high impedance at the drive unit cone to the low impedance of the air in the room at the horn mouth. The new drive unit basket and magnet structure result in an unimpeded sound wave from the drive unit's rear.
The new full-range driver now features a phase plug to give it extra level and improve the frequency response in the higher range. Ferguson Hill moulds the horn from 8mm thick acrylic, resulting in extraordinarily effective damping due to the nature of the complex curves from the circular throat to the oval mouth. The horn rolls off naturally below about 140Hz due to rear wave cancellation, with the size of the horn representing a quarter of the wavelength distance at 140Hz. Below this level, the partnering Jetstream bass speakers handle the lower frequencies.
The Ferguson Hill Jetstream Bass Speakers match the Jetstream Horn Loudspeakers acoustically and visually. The bass units come as a pair of 600mm diameter clear acrylic spheres, with neodymium-powered 12" (300mm) woofers and a distributed port loading. The Jetstream Bass Amplifier controls the bass units with an internal low pass filter of 140Hz.
The Jetstream bass amplifier is a stereo 200W per channel class-D design. Ferguson Hill builds the chassis from 10mm thick CNC machined aluminum with a bead blasted and anodized finish. The company also fully damps the amp's internals, complete with a soft start and circuit protection circuitry. Its mains input is universal for 110V/240V.
The Jetstream System comprises the Ferguson Hill Jetstream Horn Loudspeakers (pair), the Ferguson Hill Jetstream Bass Speakers (pair), one Ferguson Hill Jetstream Bass Amplifier, and all cables. An optional HiFi Rose RS520 streaming amplifier is also available as an extra available direct from Ferguson Hill. Prices for such a system totals $130,000 USD (GBP £105,200.00), but all parts are available separately. Orders are accepted now.
www.fergusonhill.co.uk
