Fleetwood Sound has a bigger box. The Lux — a larger companion to the Helios, built around a 10-inch coaxial driver in a carved solid-wood cabinet designed by David D’Imperio — debuts at Capitol Audio Fest in Washington DC this weekend, November 13–15. Orders open the following weekend, with a two-week home trial and a lifetime warranty. The price is still to be announced.
What’s New
The Lux is designed as the larger model alongside the Helios, using a 10-inch coaxial driver from the same transducer range — double the Helios’s 5-inch unit. The enclosure, designed by David D’Imperio, is a carved solid-wood construction with a pattern visible across its exterior surfaces, and a matching stand will also be available. It is the most sculptural cabinet Fleetwood has built; the carving is the first thing you notice.
Orders are expected to open from the weekend after the show, with the company’s two-week home trial, money-back guarantee and lifetime warranty — the same offer as the rest of the range. Pricing is to be confirmed, and there are no published specifications yet: no sensitivity, no frequency response, no weight. What is known is the driver, the cabinet, the stand and the terms.
The debut also marks a personnel change. Scott Hinson has joined OMA, Fleetwood Sound and PROMA full time as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Technology Officer, having worked with the companies for the past four years. He engineered the Helios, the Fundamental Subwoofer and the new Lux, as well as the acoustic and electrical designs for PROMA’s Woodstock, Scottsdale and Austin venue loudspeakers. His background is in electrical engineering — a degree from the University of Texas at Austin, work in signal processing, communications and control systems, and previous engineering involving NASA, the Stealth bomber and medical devices.
There is more at the Fleetwood table than the Lux. A new valve phonostage will also be shown, as a prototype: its circuit is based on a variation of OMA’s PD2 design, with changes to the power supply and construction intended to make it more affordable, expected from early 2027 with no final price yet. Fleetwood is also developing new solid-state amplification using Gallium Nitride FETs in a Class D configuration — a standalone GaN amplifier, and potentially an integrated amplifier incorporating the new valve phonostage. Active versions of the OMA and Fleetwood Sound loudspeakers are also targeted for next year.
Context
Fleetwood Sound is the smaller, more accessible loudspeaker line of Oswalds Mill Audio (OMA), founded in 2006 — the same workshop behind six-figure horn systems, building smaller speakers without giving up the solid hardwoods, the conical horns and the engineering-first approach. The Helios, at $4,940, put the brand on the map in 2025: solid 1-inch torrefied Pennsylvania oak, a 5-inch professional coaxial driver combining a woofer with a horn-loaded compression tweeter, up to 113 dB of clean output, 87 dB sensitivity at 8 ohms — and a review from Steve Huff that ended with the little boxes becoming his room reference. The Lux is the bigger brother of that speaker: the same transducer range, twice the driver, a carved cabinet. The compact two-way in the line, the DeVille, uses a 6-inch solid-wood conical horn at 94 dB and plays loud from as little as 10 watts.
Compared to Predecessors and Current Rivals
| Lux | Helios | DeVille | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Driver | 10″ coaxial | 5″ pro coaxial (woofer + horn tweeter) | 6″ conical horn, two-way |
| Cabinet | Carved solid wood (David D’Imperio) | Solid 1″ torrefied Pennsylvania oak | Torrefied ash |
| Sensitivity | — | 87 dB | 94 dB |
| Impedance | — | 8 Ω | — |
| Max output | — | Up to 113 dB | — |
| Stand | Matching stand available | Three stand options | Cast iron or wood stands |
| Price | TBC | $4,940 | — |
| Availability | Orders open next weekend | On sale now | On sale now |
The Lux’s price is the open question. The Helios at $4,940 sets the floor — a larger model with a bigger driver and a carved cabinet will cost more, but how much more is unknown until orders open. What is known is the offer around it: the two-week trial with a money-back guarantee and the lifetime warranty are the brand’s standard terms, and they matter more than usual here, because the Lux is being sold on a show debut rather than on measurements or reviews.
My Take (Paper Analysis)
On paper, the Lux is Fleetwood doing what it does best, bigger: a professional coaxial driver in a solid-wood cabinet, handmade in the USA, from the same workshop that built the Helios — a speaker that won over one of the toughest reviewers in the business. The carved cabinet by David D’Imperio is the visual signature; the 10-inch driver is the acoustic one. What concerns me is how little is published: no price, no sensitivity, no frequency response, no weight — just a debut and an order window. Buying on a show debut with pricing to be confirmed means trusting the brand’s track record, and the Helios is a good record to trust. The two-week trial with a money-back guarantee is the safety net, and it is a real one. The phonostage and the GaN amplifier are the longer story: Fleetwood is building out a full system around these speakers, and the active versions targeted for next year are worth watching.
Who Should Watch This
Helios owners or admirers who want more should look first: the Lux is the bigger, deeper version of the same idea. Anyone who heard the Helios at a show and wanted the same sound with more scale should watch the order window next weekend. Wait for the price before deciding anything — and use the two-week trial if you buy; a speaker this individual needs to be heard in your room.
