New British audio brand challenges the industry heavyweights

Disruptive new British brand Fell Audio leverages a 50-year legacy to challenge industry heavyweights

11 November 2024, Carlisle, Cumbria: Cumbrian-born hi-fi tech start-up, Fell Audio, is shaking up the AV industry by taking on the world’s biggest manufacturing heavyweights with a unique proposition: first-hi-fi-system affordability plus made-in-Britain build quality.

Backed by a proven 50 years in the hi-fi industry, Fell Audio is a family-owned-and-run start-up rooted in leading UK retail giant Peter Tyson, with its half-century of audio experience, world-class website and experiential lifestyle shops in Cumbria and Newcastle.

British manufacturing at entry-level prices firmly sets Fell Audio apart from all rivals, giving the new company an extraordinarily competitive edge in terms of quality, sustainability and repairability, against a backdrop of mass-produced Far-Eastern-made devices.

Unparalleled affordability combined with great sound makes Fell Audio’s offerings compelling for newcomers to performance audio equipment, plus the products are backed by a reassuringly generous five-year warranty and a long repair window into the future.

The Fell Audio range will initially comprise the Fell Disc (£499), a premium-quality CD player that’s perfectly timed for the Gen Z-driven CD renaissance and renewed interest in physical media, plus the highly flexible DAC-equipped Fell Amp (£599), with its generous 89-watt power output; further British-made devices will be added in due course.

Fell Audio's products benefit from stunning aesthetics and neat ergonomic touches with a proudly sustainable backstory. They have been conceived to inspire the next generation of music lovers (as well as discerning audiophiles who can spot a bargain!)

Thoughtful features such as plug and play turntable connectivity, Bluetooth convenience for music streaming, plus headphone outputs for late-night/personal listening, offer real practicality.

Speaking about the launch of the new company, Fell Audio’s Managing Director Matthew Tyson said, “After working in audio all my life, it become very apparent that great-sounding hi-fi at affordable prices is no longer being made here in the UK. I wanted to change that and be able to offer people something British built that they can start their hi-fi journey with.”

Project and design lead Luke Tyson added: “Our family has always taken pride in offering great products with excellent service. We’re especially proud to support some of the UK’s best British hi-fi brands and their rich heritage. But lately, it feels like the entry-level market is losing what made British hi-fi special: good design, unique character, great sound and built in the UK.

“So Fell Audio really is our passion project. We wanted to create something we, and our customers, would genuinely want to own without spending thousands—something we can truly be proud of.”

Fell Audio notes for editors

Iconic design

Fell Audio’s retro-modern aesthetic is inspired by the ‘golden era’ vintage hi-fi of the 1970s, but with modern touches, clean lines and captive-touch front panels.

Beneath the lid, the advanced designs are built with the modern music lover in mind, with a natural, authentic sound and a solid build, just like the fells themselves.

Electronics expertise

The company’s in-house electronics, developed over three years, offer a level of specification, componentry and build that are usually found in products costing several times more.

Fell Audio products benefit from purpose-made PCBs (printed circuit boards) designed, populated and finished in house, right here in the UK.

Locally sourced

The product design, packaging design, component procurement, metal work, painting, plastic injection-moulding, PCBs, build and assembly, are all undertaken in the UK, too.

Sustainable

All packaging is proudly made from recyclable materials. Unnecessary plastic wrappings have been dropped in favour of a Fell Audio tote bag made from 100 % recycled cotton.

The internal packing foam is not only made from recycled materials, it can be recycled, too. The outer box is made from 100 % recycled cardboard, and even the ink is earth-friendly.

Carbon footprint and repairability

As many components as possible are sourced from the UK to reduce the company’s carbon footprint. The products are also designed to be repairable in the unlikely event a fix is needed.

Detailed product information

Fell Amp

The Fell Amp delivers an effortless 89 watts of state-of-the-art Class D power, enough to easily power loudspeakers large and small while maintaining a firm control of the music with standout dynamic range for musical peaks and troughs.

Whatever needs to be connected, from turntables and legacy hi-fi devices, to phones, tablets and laptops (over aptX Bluetooth), can be: the Fell Amp has been carefully designed to offer all inputs.

The amplifier can also make the listening experience a little more private, with a dedicated headphone output for late-night or personal listening.

Fell Audio’s designers and engineers chose luxurious capacitive-touch controls makes selecting inputs quick and simple while prolonging the life of the product: no moving parts to eventually fail. The amp gives a sleek visual indication of volume (going up to 11!) via LEDs, lighting and fading accordingly.

For audiophiles, the amplifier benefits from a high-quality ESS Sabre ES9018K2M DAC (digital to analogue convertor) normally found in products priced in the thousands, to enable digital devices including games consoles, set-top boxes and more, to connect digitally, instantly improving quality.

Advanced digital technologies, including 32-bit HyperStream architecture and the Time Domain Jitter Eliminator, allow the amp to deliver ultra-low noise and high dynamic range.

Key features (Fell Amp)

89 watts per channel, for detailed and powerful audio performance

Class D amplification, for dynamic and efficient speaker control

Digital inputs: optical and coaxial using an ESS Sabre ES9018 DAC

Analogue inputs: three pairs of RCA connectors

Turntable input with integrated MM phono preamp

Bluetooth aptX HD, for high-quality music streaming

Fell Disc

The Fell Disc sets the highest standards in CD playback for a budget product, delivering outstanding performance at the entry level.

A versatile CD player designed to integrate effortlessly with the Fell Amp or any other amplifier/system, the Fell Disc is simple to use, with straightforward controls.

Fell Audio's signature retro-modern style is in abundance along with classic elements like the iconic dot matrix display paired with contemporary features, including sleek capacitive-touch controls and a minimalist design.

Packed with convenient features, the Fell Disc offers track and album repeat, random play, optional CD information display, a dimmable screen, plus a user-friendly remote control.

Flexible connectivity options include stereo analogue RCA outputs, as well as optical and coaxial digital outputs, for compatibility with a wide range of devices including AV receivers, existing DACs and digital-ready devices.

Key features

Discreet slot-load CD mechanism for a fuss-free frontage

Premium quality ESS ES9018 DAC for high-resolution sound (16-24-bit/up to 96 kHz)

Compatible with CD, CD-R, and CD-RW discs for homemade mix discs

Digital optical and coaxial outputs for use with existing DACs and digital-ready devices


Price and availability

The Fell Disc (£499) and Fell Amp (£599) will be available in the UK only at launch (Europe and beyond will follow in 2025) from Peter Tyson online, in-store and via telesales, from Amazon, and also via the Fell Audio website, fellaudio.co.uk


Fell Audio contact details

fellaudio.co.uk hello@fellaudio.co.uk 01228 546756

Peter Tyson contact details

petertyson.co.uk luke@petertyson.co.uk 01228 546756
Fell Audio PR contact

Dan George dan@dangeorgecommunications.com
dangeorgecommunications.com
07899 808918