In this review, we will be comparing HFF and Ai81, two Floor-standing speakers by Fluance. 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 Fluance HFF 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 HFF and Fluance Ai81 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Fluance HFF | Fluance Ai81 |
|---|
| Brand | Fluance
Canada · founded 1999 | Fluance
Canada · founded 1999 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Built-in amplifier | — | 150-watt RMS |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" Soft-Dome | 1" Soft Dome |
|---|
| Midrange | 5" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 8" Polypropylene | 2 x 6.5" Woven, Glass Fiber Composite |
|---|
| Frequency response | 35-20k Hz | 30-20k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 89 dB | — |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | — |
|---|
| Power range | 90-200 watts | up to 150 watts |
|---|
| Max depth / sample rate | — | 16-bit / 48 kHz |
|---|
| Bluetooth | — | Built-in 5.0 |
|---|
| Weight | 28.30kg / 62.3lbs | 13.88kg / 30.5lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 47-5/16" x 10-7/8" x 15-3/8"
1201.0 x 277.0 x 391.0mm | 37.8" x 8.5" x 10.24"
96 x 21.6 x 26 cm |
|---|
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 HFF is a 3-way design whereas the Ai81 is a 2-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 HFFFluance Ai81
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 HFF |
Fluance Ai81 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 5-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 8-inch
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
HFF features a 1" Silk Soft-Dome Tweeter, a 5" Midrange and 2 x 8" Polypropylene Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 530Hz and 2600Hz. On the other hand, the Ai81 features a 1" Silk Neodymium Ferrofluid Cooled Soft Dome Tweeter and 2 x 6.5" Woven, Glass Fiber Composite Woofer.
Frequency Response
HFF has a frequency range of 35-20k Hz whereas Ai81 has a frequency range of 30-20k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 30Hz, the Ai81 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the HFF's min frequency of 35Hz.
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.
HFF can handle a max power of 200 watts RMS, whereas Ai81 has a max power handling value of 150 watts RMS, 50 watts less than the HFF.
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
HFF has a rear firing port whereas Ai81 has a bottom firing ports. Fluance Ai81's bottom-firing port gives more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls compared to Fluance HFF with its rear-firing 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 HFF's and Fluance Ai81's external dimensions. Fluance HFF has external dimensions of 1201.0 x 277.0 x 391.0mm (47-5/16 x 10-7/8 x 15-3/8inch) whereas Fluance Ai81 has external dimensions of 96 x 21.6 x 26 cm (37.8 x 8.50 x 10.24 inches).
Fluance HFF is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 61mm wider, 241mm taller and 131mm deeper than Fluance Ai81.
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.
Fluance HFF needs about 93% more floor or shelf area. Fluance HFF is 131mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. Fluance HFF is 241mm 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 HFF is approximately 1083.1cm2 / 167.9inch2 and base area of the Fluance Ai81 is approximately 561.0cm2 / 87.0inch2. The HFF requires 93% more surface area than the Ai81 which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.
What's in the Box of Fluance Ai81?
Here are the items that come with the 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