Fell Audio

Fell Amp Integrated Amplifier

£599 RRP

“As a family of music fans,” Luke Tyson tells me, “we've always aspired to create our own range of hi-fi – something we could be proud of and that both ourselves and our customers would buy. Over time, we've become a little disillusioned with the direction of affordable British hi-fi – production is moving overseas, and iconic brands are being bought out by larger companies. So through some great partnerships, several years of hard work, and ultimately taking the risk to start a new brand, we'd like to think we've achieved something special…”

Fell Audio is said to take inspiration from the lakes and mountains of the Cumbrian landscape. Luke says, “And we're using our half-century of audio knowledge to deliver amazing designs with a commitment to value. We believe it appeals to several different types of buyer… It's for hi-fi enthusiasts who want sensibly priced, British-built gear to upgrade or expand their systems, for newcomers to hi-fi looking for an accessible entry point, and also for younger buyers who are perhaps starting to buy vinyl. Maybe they have inherited some classic speakers or just appreciate affordable, quality products.”

The new company is proudly British. Luke says that his family's long-established, specialist hi-fi dealership in Carlisle – Peter Tyson hi-fi – has always loved UK-made gear. “It has been a big part of our family, and three generations of us have cherished various great and iconic systems. They have offered amazing build, sound, and value. For us, it wasn't just important to carry on that tradition – it was non-negotiable. Manufacturing overseas was never an option; it just didn't align with our vision.”

In other words, they did it the hard way. Many specialist hi-fi companies from all around the world now get their designs made in Shenzhen, China by a so-called OEM (original equipment manufacturer). Fell Audio, on the other hand, set out to find a price-competitive company to make it here. Luke says, “it is made without cutting corners – no compromises on build quality, sound, or our commitment to UK manufacturing. When we say, “made in the UK,” we mean everything from design work to component selection, engineering our own parts, hand assembly, even the packaging. To achieve this and keep an accessible price was incredibly challenging, and required out-of-the-box thinking.”

And so it was that three years ago, Project Leader Luke Tyson and his Managing Director uncle, Matthew Tyson, decided to begin this “passion project”. He continues: “With our family hi-fi retail business, we've had the advantage of auditioning a wide range of brands and models over the years, giving us the opportunity to learn from some of the best equipment out there. We also have a direct connection to our customers, so we understand what's important to them and the features they want. Fell Audio is made for them.”

UP CLOSE

The idea behind the Fell Amp is simple. It's aimed at newcomers to separates hi-fi and/or those returning to it who want a good quality, low cost, fuss-free product. It is one of three new products, including the Fell Disc CD player and Fell Stream network music player, the former already on sale and the latter arriving in early 2025. The industrial design of the range is visually distinctive, clean and enjoyably retro without trying too hard. To my eyes, I can see shades of Dieter Rams' Braun products in this integrated, allied to a whiff of vintage Naim Audio 'chrome bumper'.

Feature-wise, everything the Fell Amp has is useful in one way or another, yet it doesn't cross the line into superfluities. You get a moving magnet phono input, Bluetooth 5.0, plus two digital and three analogue line inputs. All sources are switched by capacitive-touch buttons, which don't feel 'cheap and nasty' like some budget amp switchgear. They are labelled in plain English – i.e. 'Stream', 'Vinyl' and 'Bluetooth' – reflecting the market that the amp is aimed at; no 'uPnP' here, then. The volume control goes up to 11, paying homage to Rob Reiner's genius Spinal Tap movie. Connectivity includes handy preamp and subwoofer outputs, plus an old-school 'quarter inch' 6.35mm headphone out.

The Fell Amp offers a claimed 2x 49W RMS per channel into 8 ohms, and 78W RMS per side into half that load from its STMicroelectronics Class D power module. This has very low distortion, says the manufacturer, and relatively little expensive heatsinking is needed thanks to its energy-efficient mode of operation. The UK-sourced 170VA toroidal power transformer is modestly sized, but still an expensive item for a budget amplifier such as this. According to Luke Tyson, it does much to improve the amplifier's sound, which is why a cheaper switching-type supply was rejected. Highly specified smoothing capacitors are used. Its purpose-made printed circuit boards are designed, populated and finished in the UK.

The moving magnet phono stage uses close-tolerance polypropylene capacitors, and input loading is industry-standard 47k ohms and 100pf for wide cartridge compatibility. Sealed non-spark relays are used for input switching, with silver-plated gold alloy contacts for a purer sound and longer life. The backlit capacitive touch pads on the fascia are claimed to have “zero wear”, according to the manufacturer. The built-in ESS Sabre ES9018K2M DAC gets its own filtered power supply and is also used for the Bluetooth input, of course. The op-amps have been carefully selected, involving “many hundreds of listening hours”, says the company. The Japanese-made volume control is a microprocessor-controlled analogue type and has a crisp action.

The company makes much about its packaging. Unnecessary plastic wrappings have been dropped in favour of a Fell Audio tote bag made from recycled cotton. Meanwhile, the internal packing foam and cardboard outer box are recyclable. More importantly, from an environmental point of view, so much of the amplifier is locally sourced and hasn't been shipped halfway around the globe. To my eyes, the packaging somewhat resembles that of a new pair of walking boots, underlining its Cumbrian heritage.

The Fell Amp is built by an established British-based OEM manufacturer, and the overall fit and finish of the casework and fascia are excellent, considering the price. The controls feel classy to operate, and even the supplied remote is decent. Visually, it ticks boxes for veteran separates hi-fi fans such as myself, as well as looking 'cool' and fresh to younger eyes. It is – all things considered – a great first attempt stylistically and ergonomically, but how does it sound?

THE LISTENING

The Fell Amp is an object lesson in how to do great-sounding budget hi-fi. It's a country mile away from being the best integrated amplifier in the world, and yes, you can do better by spending several hundred pounds more. Yet for the money, this is really hard to argue with – not least because it has a civilised yet cheerful character that lets you relax and enjoy the music. Also, importantly for an entry-level integrated, it has no obvious rough edges – it works very well with a wide variety of sources and loudspeakers and never gives away its humble (in price terms) origins.

This breezy character is key to its charm. Without sounding forensically incisive, it digs deep into the recording and tells you what's going in a surprisingly insightful way. Unlike many entry-level amps, it doesn't build a wall between you and the music. Instead, it always does its best to get into the groove. Very much the 'happy warrior', the Fell Amp sounds like it's having at least as much fun as the musicians, whatever you play.

The way it carries the eighties classic Head Over Heals by Tears for Fears, for example, is quite a thing to hear. This is a heavily processed pop song and not a great recording, either. Yet this little integrated instantly centres on the singer's vocal phrasing and how it syncopates with the synth keyboard backing. This, tied into the rhythm section, makes for a real foot-tapper of a listen. By the time the chorus arrives, the song has become quite transfixing, and you're left wanting to stomp your feet in solidarity.

The high level of detail for a budget amp, plus the expert way it knits all of it together, makes for lots of fun. This integrated isn't especially powerful, and so cannot rely on sheer grunt to muscle its way through a recording. Instead, its natural agility helps it prevail. Its bottom end, for example, is especially capable. You don't get tree-stump pulling torque from the Fell Amp, but you do get a taut, tight, lithe kind of sound that is unexpected from an inexpensive Class D product. In my experience, this type of amplification often sounds dispassionate and ponderous in the bass, yet there's no sign of this here.

Take Niteclub by The Specials, for example. It's a great late nineteen seventies 'new wave ska' song with low production values, but oodles of energy and attitude. The bass guitar work is brilliant – almost Chic-like – and pushes the song along with aplomb. The Fell Amp catches this unexpectedly well – deftly conveying the low end's melodic, almost James Jamerson-style bass line. The bassist's pops and slaps are wonderfully percussive, making the song sound joyously spontaneous, lyrical, and alive.

This amplifier's fine rhythmic qualities are echoed by its handling of dynamics – at least to an extent. Rather like a small-engined 'hot hatchback' car, it can really get a shift on – but only up to a point. It's great with low-level 'microdynamic' accents that make music sound vibrant, but it cannot mete out vast tracts of power when cranked up playing electronic music such as LFO by LFO. This classic house track from the early nineties has woofer-destroying synth bass – “low-frequency oscillation”, geddit? – and the Fell Amp has a valiant stab at reproducing it but doesn't quite convince. In fairness though, no other amp of this price is really any better. That's why, for best results, stick with reasonably sensitive speakers – the Cambridge Audio Aero 6 floorstanders I used for the review have a sensitivity of 90dB/1W/1m and proved a great match.

I found that the Fell Amp sounded best playing music via a line input from my reference Chord Hugo TT2 DAC – as you would expect because it's over six times its price. Yet its built-in number cruncher is very convincing for a budget integrated and unlikely to make you want to buy a standalone DAC in a hurry. It makes a fine job of the latest Beatles remasters; Here Comes the Sun from Abbey Road proves a pleasure. This amplifier's relatively clear and direct sound, allied to its fleetness of foot, really brings the best out of rock recordings. Vocals are a particular strength, and George Harrison's voice sounds immediate and authentic.

In soundstaging terms, again the Fell Amp does great for its price. Hooking up a Rega Planar 3 with Ortofon OM10 going into the MM phono input (marked 'vinyl' on the fascia), and spinning Donna Summer's epic cover of McArthur Park is an ear-opener. This integrated gives a surprisingly expansive sound that's a tad less upfront than the DAC input, offering up a different flavour that's still fun to experience. Its key virtues – musicality, detail, fluidity – all remain intact, suggesting that the phono stage is more than just a box-ticking exercise.

The Fell Amp's sins are those of omission. Ideally, it would have more power, gutsier bass and a subtly more organic tonality – it can sound ever so slightly processed on classical programme material such as Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony, especially with massed strings. Yet it never does anything to offend, and is a positively charming listening partner when not over-extended. Sonically, it's on a par with the class of the budget field, Rega's Brio – which is no small feat. It's a little less sweet sounding, perhaps, but no less fun.

THE VERDICT

Competition is super-tough at this end of the market, but the new Fell Audio Fell Amp is good enough to hold its head up as high as Scafell Pike. It offers the very desirable combination of a musical sound, elegant design, plus fine ergonomics and functionality – at a low price for a British specialist hi-fi product. These days, you don't see this very often – it's almost in a gang of one, so to speak. In the words of Luke Tyson, “we're proud to offer a fresh take”, and so he has.

Visit Fell Audio for more information