In this review, we will be comparing Ai81 and Navis ARF-51, two Powered Floor-standing speakers from Fluance and ELAC. Being Powered speakers, they both have built-in amplifiers so you don't need an external power amp or an integrated amp to power them.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Fluance Ai81 and ELAC Navis ARF-51 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
Fluance Ai81 Key Specs
- 2-way Design
- 150-watt RMS Integrated Amplifier
- 1" Soft Dome Tweeter
- 2 x 6.5" Woven, Glass Fiber Composite Woofer
- 30-20k Hz Frequency Response
- Power Range:up to 150watts
- 16-bit Max Depth / 48 kHz Max Sample Rate
- Built-in 5.0 Bluetooth
- Weight:13.16kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 960.0" x 8.5" x 10.24"( 96 x 21.6 x 26 cm )
ELAC Navis ARF-51 Key Specs
- 3-way Design
- 300-watt RMS Integrated Amplifier
- 1" Soft-Dome Tweeter
- 4" Midrange
- 5.25" Aluminum Woofer
- 4" Midrange
- 43-28k Hz Frequency Response
- N/A Max Depth / N/A Max Sample Rate
- Optional Bluetooth
- Weight:21.00kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 1070.0" x 9.6875" x 11.5625"( 1070.0 x 247.0 x 294.0mm )
In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the Fluance Ai81 and ELAC Navis ARF-51 compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one of these loudspeakers is the better choice for you.
**This post contains affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking
through my links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Ai81 is a 2-way design whereas the Navis ARF-51 is a 3-way speaker. 3-way designs utilize a midrange driver in addition to the tweeter and woofer on 2-way designs. Designing a crossover for a 3-way speaker is a complicated process and generally increases the overall cost of the speaker.
| Driver |
Fluance Ai81 |
ELAC Navis ARF-51 |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
1 x 4-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
1 x 5.25-inch
|
Ai81 features a 1" Silk Neodymium Ferrofluid Cooled Soft Dome Tweeter and 2 x 6.5" Woven, Glass Fiber Composite Woofer . On the other hand, the Navis ARF-51 features a 1" Fabric Soft-Dome Tweeter , a 4" Midrange and 1 x 5.25" Aluminum Woofer .
Frequency Response
Ai81 has a frequency range of 30-20k Hz whereas Navis ARF-51 has a frequency range of 43-28k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 30Hz, the Ai81 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Navis ARF-51's min frequency of 43Hz.
Below graphs depict how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average values of the Min and Max Frequencies of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
High Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
None of these speakers achieves full range experience which is commonly agreed as 20Hz-20kHz. In order to achieve lower lows / deeper bass, we recommend you pair these with a subwoofer. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Ai81 has a bottom firing port whereas Navis ARF-51 has a rear firing ports. Fluance Ai81's bottom-firing port gives more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls compared to ELAC Navis ARF-51 with its rear-firing port.
Physical Specs
Size of a speaker can sometimes become an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare Fluance Ai81's and ELAC Navis ARF-51's external dimensions. Fluance Ai81 has external dimensions of 96 x 21.6 x 26 cm ( 37.8 x 8.50 x 10.24 inches) whereas ELAC Navis ARF-51 has external dimensions of 1070.0 x 247.0 x 294.0mm ( 42.125 x 9.6875 x 11.5625inch) .
ELAC Navis ARF-51 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 31mm wider, 110mm taller and 34mm deeper than Fluance Ai81.
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the Fluance Ai81 is approximately 561.0cm2 / 87.0inch2 and base area of the ELAC Navis ARF-51 is approximately 726.2cm2 / 112.6inch2. The Ai81 requires 23% less surface area than the Navis ARF-51 which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.