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.
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.
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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 . With a minimum frequency of Hz, the Navis ARF-51 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Ai81's min frequency of 30Hz.
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
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.
Weight Comparison The weight of a loudspeaker can become an important factor if you need to move and reposition the unit often. Weight of a speaker can also "sometimes" be an indicator of the rigidity of the enclosure and the quality of the internal components used. The Fluance Ai81 weighs 13.16kg / 29lbs and the ELAC Navis ARF-51 weighs 21.00kg / 46.2lbs. This makes the Navis ARF-51 60% heavier than the Ai81.
Here is a comparison of how Ai81 and Navis ARF-51's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Powered Floor-standing class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
What's in the Box of Fluance Ai81?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of Ai81:
Ai81 Powered Tower Speakers (pair)Remote Control1x CR2032 Battery6ft Power Cable8ft 18 Gauge Speaker WireQuick Start GuideFluance CatalogLifetime Customer Support2 Year Manufacturer’s Warranty
What's in the Box of ELAC Navis ARF-51?
Here are the items that come with the Navis ARF-51:
Powered floorstanding loudspeaker8-feet AC power cordBase plate4 Spikes4 Isolation pucks4 ScrewsOperating Instructions
 Woofer Size |
6.5 inches
vs
5.25 inches
|
Larger woofer |
| Number of Woofers |
2
vs
1
|
More woofers |
 High Frequency Response |
20k Hz
vs
k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Handheld Remote |
Yes
vs
No
|
Control the speaker by the included RC |
 Height |
960mm
vs
1070mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
561cm2 (216x260mm)
vs
726cm2 (247x294mm)
|
Takes less floor space |
 Digital Input |
Optical
vs
No
|
Connect digital inputs directly |
 Subwoofer Output |
Wired
vs
No
|
Pair your speakers with external subwoofer |
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
| Low Frequency Response |
Hz
vs
30 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 RCA Connection |
Yes
vs
No
|
Connection via RCA input |
 XLR Connection |
Yes
vs
No
|
Connection via XLR input |
| General |
Fluance Ai81 Elite |
ELAC Navis ARF-51 |
| Brand |
Fluance |
ELAC |
| Speaker Type |
Powered Stereo Speakers |
Powered Stereo Speakers |
| Frequency Response |
30-20k Hz |
|
Amplifier |
|
|
| Watts RMS (Continuous) |
150-watt RMS |
300-watt RMS |
| Max Bit Depth |
16-bit |
N/A |
| Max Sample Rate |
48 kHz |
N/A |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
1 |
| Woofer Size |
6.5" |
5.25" |
| Woofer Composition |
Woven, Glass Fiber Composite |
Aluminum |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Butyl Rubber |
n/a |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
Soft Dome |
Soft-Dome |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
No |
4" |
| Firing Direction |
bottom |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
960.0mm (37.8") |
1070.0mm (42.1") |
| Width |
216.0mm (8.5") |
247.0mm (9.7") |
| Depth |
260.0mm (10.2") |
294.0mm (11.6") |
| Weight |
13.16kg (29lbs) |
21.00kg (46.2lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
MDF wood |
n/a |
| Available Colors |
Black Ash,Lucky Bamboo,White Walnut, Natural Walnut |
n/a |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Aux Inputs |
RCA |
XLR, RCA |
| USB Port |
No |
No |
| Phone Input |
No |
No |
| Subwoofer Output |
Wired |
No |
| Digital Input |
Optical |
No |
| HDMI Input |
No |
No |
| Headphone Jack |
No |
No |
| Ethernet Port |
No |
No |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
|
3 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
|
3 Years |