No single best speaker here - they are built to different priorities, and the right one depends on your room, your sources and what you listen to.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | A | Fluance Ri71 digs deeper - 46Hz against 55Hz. A subwoofer would even that out. |
| Built-in power | evenly matched | Similar onboard amplification (120W vs 100W RMS). |
| Connections | B | Onkyo Creator Series GX-30ARC adds phono and digital inputs. |
| Size | depends | Onkyo Creator Series GX-30ARC is easier to place; Fluance Ri71 is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Expandability | depends | Fluance Ri71: a sub output; Onkyo Creator Series GX-30ARC: a sub output. Fluance Ri71 sits in a wider range (5 models), so a matched surround system is easier later. |
| Price | B | Onkyo Creator Series GX-30ARC is cheaper - $349 against $500, about 30% less. |
A Fluance Ri71 B Onkyo Creator Series GX-30ARC
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system or how you will use them. Only specs published for both speakers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.
Which should you choose?
Neither runs away with it - they trade advantages. Let the "depends" rows and your own room settle it. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 55Hz anyway, which makes the cheaper Onkyo Creator Series GX-30ARC much easier to justify. Think about the whole system, not just the speakers: the roughly $151 saved by taking the cheaper pair would buy a subwoofer or a better amplifier, and either usually does more for the sound than the difference between these two.
And remember what a spec sheet cannot show: how each looks in your room and whether the finish suits it, what dealer support and warranty are like where you live, and how they actually sound to you. If you can hear them first - ideally with your own music - that will tell you more than any number above.