In this review, we will be comparing Ai81 and Airmotiv T1+, two Floor-standing speakers from Fluance and Emotiva. The main difference between these two speakers is that the Fluance Ai81 is a Powered speaker which means that it has a built-in amplifier inside the speaker body so you don't need an external power amp or an integrated amp whereas the Emotiva Airmotiv T1+ is a Passive speaker so has to be matched with an amplifier to get any sound from it.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Fluance Ai81 and Emotiva Airmotiv T1+ first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Fluance Ai81 | Emotiva Airmotiv T1+ |
|---|
| Brand | Fluance
Canada · founded 1999 | Emotiva
United States · founded 2003 |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Built-in amplifier | 150-watt RMS | — |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" Soft Dome | 25×32 mm" folded ribbon |
|---|
| Midrange | — | 5.25" |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 6.5" Woven, Glass Fiber Composite | 2 x 6" woven fiber cone |
|---|
| Frequency response | 30-20k Hz | 37 Hz – 28 kHz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | — | 88 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | — | 4 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | up to 150 watts | Up to 150 watts |
|---|
| Max depth / sample rate | 16-bit / 48 kHz | — |
|---|
| Bluetooth | Built-in 5.0 | — |
|---|
| Weight | 13.88kg / 30.5lbs | 18.20kg / 40lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 37.8" x 8.5" x 10.24"
96 x 21.6 x 26 cm | 39-1/2" x 8-3/8" x 11-5/8"
1004.0 x 213.0 x 296.0mm |
|---|
The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Ai81 is a 2-way design whereas the Airmotiv T1+ 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.
Fluance Ai81Emotiva Airmotiv T1+
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
Fluance Ai81 |
Emotiva Airmotiv T1+ |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
25×32 mm-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
1 x 5.25-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
2 x 6-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 Airmotiv T1+ features a 25×32 mm" folded ribbon Tweeter, a 5.25" Midrange and 2 x 6" woven fiber cone Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 275 Hz and 2700Hz.
Frequency Response
Ai81 has a frequency range of 30-20k Hz whereas Airmotiv T1+ has a frequency range of 37 Hz – 28 kHz. With a minimum frequency of 30Hz, the Ai81 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Airmotiv T1+'s min frequency of 37Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
Neither pair reaches down to 20Hz, the usual definition of full-range, which is normal for speakers of this size. If you want the bottom octave for movies or bass-heavy music, add a subwoofer to whichever you choose. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Power Range
Power
range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. Staying
within that range gives nominal performance; driving the speaker beyond its maximum wattage can damage it.
Both handle the same maximum of 150 watts RMS, though Ai81 is rated up to 150 watts and Airmotiv T1+ Up to 150 watts.
Note that higher power handling does not make a speaker louder: that depends mainly on
sensitivity and impedance. The calculator below shows how loud each of these actually plays
on a real amplifier.
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Ai81 has a bottom firing port whereas Airmotiv T1+ has a rear firing ports. Fluance Ai81's bottom-firing port gives more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls compared to Emotiva Airmotiv T1+ with its rear-firing port.
Emotiva Airmotiv T1+ Port
Physical Specs
The size of a speaker can sometimes be 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 Emotiva Airmotiv T1+'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 Emotiva Airmotiv T1+ has external dimensions of 1004.0 x 213.0 x 296.0mm (39-1/2 x 8-3/8 x 11-5/8inch).
Fluance Ai81 is 44mm shorter and 36mm less deeper than Emotiva Airmotiv T1+ but it is also 3mm wider.
Size, drawn to scale
Both speakers and both views share one scale, so everything here is directly comparable. Hover a box for its dimensions.
One scale for both, standing on the same surface and pushed back to the same wall, so the deeper one visibly sticks out further.
Emotiva Airmotiv T1+ needs about 12% more floor or shelf area. Emotiva Airmotiv T1+ is 36mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. Emotiva Airmotiv T1+ is 44mm taller.
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 Emotiva Airmotiv T1+ is approximately 630.5cm2 / 97.7inch2. The Ai81 requires 11% less surface area than the Airmotiv T1+ which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.
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 Control
- 1x CR2032 Battery
- 6ft Power Cable
- 8ft 18 Gauge Speaker Wire
- Quick Start Guide
- Fluance Catalog
- Lifetime Customer Support
- 2 Year Manufacturer’s Warranty