In this review, we will be comparing F501S and Rubikore 6, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Fyne Audio and DALI.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Fyne Audio F501S and DALI Rubikore 6 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Fyne Audio F501S | DALI Rubikore 6 |
|---|
| Brand | Fyne Audio
United Kingdom · founded 2017 | DALI
Denmark · founded 1983 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | — | 1.14" Hybrid dome + planar |
|---|
| Woofer | 6" | 2 x 6.5" Wood fibre |
|---|
| Frequency response | 36-34k Hz | 38-34k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 90 dB | 88.5 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 4 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 30 - 150 W watts | 40-200 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 18.60kg / 40.9lbs | — |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 38.7" x 9.84" x 12.5"
983.0 x 249.9 x 317.5mm | 38.98" x 7.87" x 14.96"
990 x 200 x 380 mm |
|---|
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 F501S is a 3-way design whereas the Rubikore 6 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.
Fyne Audio F501SDALI Rubikore 6
TweeterWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
Fyne Audio F501S |
DALI Rubikore 6 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
-inch
|
1.14-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
- |
|
Woofer
|
x 6-inch
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
F501S features a " Tweeter and x 6" Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 250 Hz, 1700 Hz. On the other hand, the Rubikore 6 features a 1.14" Hybrid dome + planar Tweeter and 2 x 6.5" Wood fibre Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 800 / 2600 / 14000Hz.
Frequency Response
F501S has a frequency range of 36-34k Hz whereas Rubikore 6 has a frequency range of 38-34k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 36Hz, the F501S can go slightly deeper then the Rubikore 6's min frequency of 38Hz.
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.
Impedance and Sensitivity
F501S is a 8 ohms speaker compared to the Rubikore 6 which has a nominal impedance of 4 ohms. Lower impedance speakers, especially the ones that are rated at 4 ohms may put more pressure on the amplifier unit especially when played at high volume levels, so make sure the amp you pair with the Rubikore 6 can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. F501S sensitivity is rated at 90 dB and the Rubikore 6's is rated at 88.5 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the Fyne Audio F501S a more sensitive speaker compared to DALI Rubikore 6, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing Speakers
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.
Rubikore 6 can handle a max power of 200 watts RMS, whereas F501S has a max power handling value of 150 watts RMS, 50 watts less than the Rubikore 6.
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.
Which plays louder on your amplifier?
Starting with a popular amplifier - change it to the one you own, or any you are
considering, and watch both numbers move.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Rubikore 6 features Binding post posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. F501S has a Binding post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
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 Fyne Audio F501S's and DALI Rubikore 6's external dimensions. Fyne Audio F501S has external dimensions of 983.0 x 249.9 x 317.5mm (38.7 x 9.84 x 12.5inch) whereas DALI Rubikore 6 has external dimensions of 990 x 200 x 380 mm ().
Fyne Audio F501S is 7mm shorter and 62.5mm less deeper than DALI Rubikore 6 but it is also 49.9mm 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.
Near-identical footprints. DALI Rubikore 6 is 63mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall.
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 Fyne Audio F501S is approximately 793.4cm2 / 123.0inch2 and base area of the DALI Rubikore 6 is approximately 760.0cm2 / 117.8inch2. The F501S requires 4% more surface area than the Rubikore 6 which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.