In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by MartinLogan. MartinLogan Foundation B1 is a Bookshelf speaker whereas the Foundation F1 is a Floor-standing speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of MartinLogan Foundation B1 and MartinLogan Foundation F1 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | MartinLogan Foundation B1 | MartinLogan Foundation F1 |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" Folded Motion Ribbon | 1" Folded Motion Ribbon |
|---|
| Midrange | — | 5.5" |
|---|
| Woofer | 5-1/2" Aluminum | 3 x 5.5" Aluminum |
|---|
| Frequency response | 48-23k Hz | 41-23k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 89 dB | 92 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 5 ohms | 4 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | up to 100 watts | up to 200 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 5.23kg / 11.5lbs | 21.14kg / 46.5lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 13-5/8" x 7-1/4" x 9-1/2"
347.0 x 185.0 x 242.0mm | 41-7/16" x 8-3/8" x 14-7/16"
1053.0 x 213.0 x 367.0mm |
|---|
Foundation B1 and Foundation F1 are members of MartinLogan's Foundation series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
MartinLogan Foundation Series
History
What size room are the MartinLogan Foundation B1 and MartinLogan Foundation F1 speakers good for?
The size of the room in which you are planning to use these loudspeakers is an important decision
factor. Here we have compared their suitability to various sizes of environments considering their size
and max power parameters:
| Listening Environment* |
MartinLogan Foundation B1 |
MartinLogan Foundation F1 |
| Near-field |
Average |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Good |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Good |
| Large Room |
Poor |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Bad |
Poor |
(* Approximate Room sizes: Small < 100sq. ft / 9 m2,
Mid-size: 100-220 sq. ft / 9-20 m2, Large 220-400 sq. ft / 20-36 m2, Very Large: >
400 sq. ft / 36 m2.
Average Floor Height: 9" / 2.7m. Typical room sizes differ from country to country, and the actual
listening experience changes depending on floor height, room shape, surface materials, listening
position, speaker locations, etc.)
The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.
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Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Foundation B1 is a 2-way design whereas the Foundation F1 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.
MartinLogan Foundation B1MartinLogan Foundation F1
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
MartinLogan Foundation B1 |
MartinLogan Foundation F1 |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
1 x 5.5-inch |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 5-1/2-inch
|
3 x 5.5-inch
|
Foundation B1 features a 1" Gen2 Obsidian Folded Motion Ribbon Tweeter and 1 x 5-1/2" Aluminum Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 3400Hz. On the other hand, the Foundation F1 features a 1" Gen2 Obsidian Folded Motion Ribbon Tweeter, a 5.5" Midrange and 3 x 5.5" Aluminum Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 240 Hz - 3700 Hz.
Frequency Response
Foundation B1 has a frequency range of 48-23k Hz whereas Foundation F1 has a frequency range of 41-23k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 41Hz, the Foundation F1 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Foundation B1's min frequency of 48Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Bookshelf class in our database.
Low Frequency
Bookshelf 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
Foundation B1 is a 5 ohms speaker compared to the Foundation F1 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 Foundation F1 can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Foundation B1 sensitivity is rated at 89 dB and the Foundation F1's is rated at 92 dB. This 3 dB difference makes the MartinLogan Foundation F1 a more sensitive speaker compared to MartinLogan Foundation B1, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Bookshelf 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.
Foundation F1 can handle a max power of 200 watts RMS, whereas Foundation B1 has a max power handling value of 100 watts RMS, 100 watts less than the Foundation F1.
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.
MartinLogan Foundation B1
MartinLogan Foundation F1
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Foundation B1 features Binding post type posts and Foundation F1 has a Binding post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
MartinLogan Foundation B1's Binding post terminals
MartinLogan Foundation F1's Binding post terminals
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both Foundation B1 and Foundation F1 have rear firing ports. Rear ported speakers generally need more room between the backside of the speaker and the wall compared to sealed and front/bottom ported speakers. Placing the speakers too close to the walls may cause the bass to sound boomy.
If you are limited in space and can't get the speakers away from the backwall, check our Speakers with Front Firing Ports page.
New
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 MartinLogan Foundation B1's and MartinLogan Foundation F1's external dimensions. MartinLogan Foundation B1 has external dimensions of 347.0 x 185.0 x 242.0mm (13-5/8inch x 7-1/4inch x 9-1/2inch) whereas MartinLogan Foundation F1 has external dimensions of 1053.0 x 213.0 x 367.0mm (41-7/16inch x 8-3/8inch x 14-7/16inch).
MartinLogan Foundation F1 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 28mm wider, 706mm taller and 125mm deeper than MartinLogan Foundation B1.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of MartinLogan Foundation B1 and MartinLogan Foundation F1 in scale.
Comparison image of MartinLogan Foundation B1 and MartinLogan Foundation F1 Size and External Dimensions
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 MartinLogan Foundation B1 is approximately 447.7cm2 / 69.4inch2 and base area of the MartinLogan Foundation F1 is approximately 781.7cm2 / 121.2inch2. The Foundation B1 requires 43% less surface area than the Foundation F1 which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.