Welcome to the Fulton Musical Industries site, dedicated to Robert W. Fulton and FMI...

Robert W. Fulton and his company Fulton Musical Industries (FMI) entered the audio scene in the mid-seventies with fresh ideas, earning respect while stirring controversy. After only a relatively short time in the industry before his death in 1988, Fulton left enduring changes in what we expect in the proper reproduction of music.

Fulton was most famous for his range of natural sounding loudspeakers. But he was also the first to seriously explore the audible contributions of cables and interconnects in the audio chain. His music recordings, though limited in number, are among the most life-like ever produced. His involvement in the audio chain extended from microphones, tape recorders, record production, turntables, cartridges and arms, amplifiers and cables to speakers. Few audio pioneers have ever been as involved in the complete audio reproduction chain as Fulton was. Few had the uncompromising “ear” for musical sounds that he did. He left an indelible impression on many people and was described as a “teacher” by many in the audio community.

Fulton was not always understood and was sometimes derided. He was an enigmatic mixture of engineer, salesman and guru. Pioneers with such a fearless, intense and uncompromising focus on a singular goal - the naturalness of musical reproduction in this case - have often been met with misunderstanding. Fulton was not as skilled a businessman as he was as an audio designer. His company died with him. Very little has been documented about Robert W. Fulton and FMI. This website is therefore devoted to providing information about Fulton the man, his company, and its products.

Major contributors: Brian Beck, webmaster (referred to in the first person or as "author"); Tom Moore, Lloyde Dees, Jeff Medwin, Neil Levenson, Mike Hazel, Tom Layman and Frank Van Alstine. Special thanks to the Fulton family, wife Marilyn and sons Richard and James, for their invaluable contributions. We welcome further information and contributions from readers: images, anecdotes and product information. Please email them to the address below. Thanks to all for sharing.