In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by Fluance. Fluance Ri91 is a Floor-standing speaker whereas the Ri71 is a Bookshelf speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Fluance Ri91 and Fluance Ri71 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Fluance Ri91 | Fluance Ri71 |
|---|
| Brand | Fluance
Canada · founded 1999 | Fluance
Canada · founded 1999 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Built-in amplifier | 150-watt RMS | 120-watt RMS |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.1" AMT | 1.1" AMT |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 6.5" Glass fibre | 5.25" Glass fibre |
|---|
| Frequency response | 40-30k Hz | 46-30k Hz |
|---|
| Power range | up to 150 watts | up to 120 watts |
|---|
| Max depth / sample rate | 24-bit / 192 kHz | 24-bit / 192 kHz |
|---|
| Bluetooth | Built-in 5.0 | Built-in 5.0 |
|---|
| Weight | 19.00kg / 41.8lbs | 6.40kg / 14.1lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 41-3/4" x 8-1/2" x 10-1/4"
1060.0 x 216.0 x 260.0mm | 12-3/16" x 7-5/16" x 7-13/16"
310.0 x 185.0 x 199.0mm |
|---|
Ri91 and Ri71 are members of Fluance's Reference series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
Fluance Reference Series
History
|
Model |
Body |
Frequency |
Watts RMS | Max Depth / Sample Rate | Woofer |
 |
Fluance Ri71
|
Bookshelf |
46-30k Hz |
120-watt | 24-bit/192 kHzΩ |
1 x 5.25"
|
 |
Fluance Ri91
|
Floor-standing |
40-30k Hz |
150-watt | 24-bit/192 kHzΩ |
2 x 6.5"
|
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 Ri91 is a 3-way design whereas the Ri71 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 Ri91Fluance Ri71
TweeterWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
Fluance Ri91 |
Fluance Ri71 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.1-inch
|
1.1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
1 x 5.25-inch
|
Ri91 features a 1.1" Air Motion Transformer AMT Tweeter and 2 x 6.5" Glass fibre Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2700Hz. On the other hand, the Ri71 features a 1.1" Air Motion Transformer AMT Tweeter and 1 x 5.25" Glass fibre Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2700Hz.
Frequency Response
Ri91 has a frequency range of 40-30k Hz whereas Ri71 has a frequency range of 46-30k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 40Hz, the Ri91 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Ri71's min frequency of 46Hz.
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.
Ri91 can handle a max power of 150 watts RMS, whereas Ri71 has a max power handling value of 120 watts RMS, 30 watts less than the Ri91.
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
Both Ri91 and Ri71 have front firing ports. front ported speakers offers more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls&surfaces compared to rear ported speakers.
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 Ri91's and Fluance Ri71's external dimensions. Fluance Ri91 has external dimensions of 1060.0 x 216.0 x 260.0mm (41-3/4 x 8-1/2 x 10-1/4inch) whereas Fluance Ri71 has external dimensions of 310.0 x 185.0 x 199.0mm (12-3/16 x 7-5/16 x 7-13/16inch).
Fluance Ri91 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 31mm wider, 750mm taller and 61mm deeper than Fluance Ri71.
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 Ri91 needs about 53% more floor or shelf area. Fluance Ri91 is 61mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. Fluance Ri91 is 750mm 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 Ri91 is approximately 561.6cm2 / 87.0inch2 and base area of the Fluance Ri71 is approximately 368.2cm2 / 57.1inch2. The Ri91 requires 53% more surface area than the Ri71 which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.