In this review, we will be comparing two different type of speakers by MartinLogan. MartinLogan Foundation F1 is a Floor-standing speaker whereas the MartinLogan Foundation B1 is a Bookshelf speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of MartinLogan Foundation F1 and MartinLogan Foundation B1 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
MartinLogan Foundation F1 Key Specs
- 3-way Design
- 1" Folded Motion Ribbon Tweeter
- 5.5" Midrange
- 3 x 5.5" Aluminum Woofer
- 41-23k Hz Frequency Response
- 92 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 4ohms
- Power Range:up to 200watts
- Weight:21.14kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 1053.0" x 8-3/8" x 14-7/16"( 1053.0 x 213.0 x 367.0mm )
MartinLogan Foundation B1 Key Specs
- 2-way Design
- 1" Folded Motion Ribbon Tweeter
- 5-1/2" Aluminum Woofer
- 48-23k Hz Frequency Response
- 89 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 5ohms
- Power Range:up to 100watts
- Weight:5.23kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 347.0" x 7-1/4" x 9-1/2"( 347.0 x 185.0 x 242.0mm )
MartinLogan Foundation F1 and MartinLogan Foundation B1 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 F1 and MartinLogan Foundation B1 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 F1 |
MartinLogan Foundation B1 |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Average |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Good |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
Poor |
| Very Large Room |
Poor |
Bad |
(* 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.)
In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the MartinLogan Foundation F1 and MartinLogan Foundation B1 compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one of these loudspeakers is the better choice for you.
**This post contains affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking
through my links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that MartinLogan Foundation F1 is a 3-way design whereas the MartinLogan Foundation B1 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.
| Driver |
MartinLogan Foundation F1 |
MartinLogan Foundation B1 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 5.5-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
3 x 5.5-inch
|
1 x 5-1/2-inch
|
MartinLogan 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. On the other hand, the MartinLogan 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.
Frequency Response
MartinLogan Foundation F1 has a frequency range of 41-23k Hz whereas MartinLogan Foundation B1 has a frequency range of 48-23k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 41Hz, the MartinLogan Foundation F1 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the MartinLogan Foundation B1's min frequency of 48Hz.
Below graphs depict how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average values of the Min and Max Frequencies of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
MartinLogan Foundation F1
MartinLogan Foundation B1
High Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
MartinLogan Foundation F1
MartinLogan Foundation B1
None of these speakers achieves full range experience which is commonly agreed as 20Hz-20kHz. In order to achieve lower lows / deeper bass, we recommend you pair these with a subwoofer. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
MartinLogan Foundation F1 is a 4 ohms speaker compared to the MartinLogan Foundation B1 which has a nominal impedance of 5 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 MartinLogan Foundation F1 can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. MartinLogan Foundation F1 sensitivity is rated at 92 dB and the MartinLogan Foundation B1's is rated at 89 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
Floor-standing Speakers
MartinLogan Foundation F1
MartinLogan Foundation B1
Power Range
Power
range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. While using an amplifier within this range ensures the nominal performance , inputting a power that is higher than the max wattage can result in a damaged speaker.
MartinLogan Foundation F1 can handle a max power of 200 watts RMS from the amp the whereas MartinLogan Foundation B1 has a max power handling value of 100 watts RMS, 100 watts less than the MartinLogan Foundation F1.
Keep in mind that a higher max power handling value doesn't necessarily make that a louder speaker
compared to a lower max handling speaker. Loudness or the sound level is also impacted by parameters
such as Impedance, sensitivity and system efficiencies.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
MartinLogan Foundation F1 features Binding post type posts and MartinLogan Foundation B1 has a Binding post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
MartinLogan Foundation F1's Binding post terminals
MartinLogan Foundation B1's Binding post terminals
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both MartinLogan Foundation F1 and MartinLogan Foundation B1 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.
Physical Specs
Size of a speaker can sometimes become 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 F1's and MartinLogan Foundation B1's external dimensions. 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 ) whereas 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 ) .
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.
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 F1 is approximately 781.7cm2 / 121.2inch2 and base area of the MartinLogan Foundation B1 is approximately 447.7cm2 / 69.4inch2. The MartinLogan Foundation F1 requires 75% more surface area than the MartinLogan Foundation B1 which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.
Max Input Power 
Driver Setup 
Sensitivity 
Woofer Size 
Nominal Impedance 
Height 
Base Surface Area 
Price per pair*