In this review, we will be comparing Foundation F1 and Bronze 500, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from MartinLogan and Monitor Audio.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of MartinLogan Foundation F1 and Monitor Audio Bronze 500 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | MartinLogan Foundation F1 | Monitor Audio Bronze 500 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" Folded Motion Ribbon | 1" gold dome C-CAM with uniform dispersion (UD) waveguide |
|---|
| Midrange | 5.5" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 3 x 5.5" Aluminum | 2 x 8" C-CAM |
|---|
| Frequency response | 41-23k Hz | 32-30k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 92 dB | 90 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 4 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | up to 200 watts | 60-200 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 21.14kg / 46.5lbs | 18.05kg / 39.7lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 41-7/16" x 8-3/8" x 14-7/16"
1053.0 x 213.0 x 367.0mm | 38-7/16" x 11-9/16" x 14-3/8"
977.0 x 294.0 x 366.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the MartinLogan Foundation F1 and Monitor Audio Bronze 500 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 |
Monitor Audio Bronze 500 |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Good |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Poor |
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 F1 is a 3-way design whereas the Bronze 500 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.
MartinLogan Foundation F1Monitor Audio Bronze 500
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 F1 |
Monitor Audio Bronze 500 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 5.5-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
3 x 5.5-inch
|
2 x 8-inch
|
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 Bronze 500 features a 1" gold dome C-CAM with uniform dispersion (UD) waveguide Tweeter and 2 x 8" C-CAM Woofer.
Frequency Response
Foundation F1 has a frequency range of 41-23k Hz whereas Bronze 500 has a frequency range of 32-30k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 32Hz, the Bronze 500 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Foundation F1's min frequency of 41Hz.
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
Foundation F1 is a 4 ohms speaker compared to the Bronze 500 which has a nominal impedance of 8 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 F1 sensitivity is rated at 92 dB and the Bronze 500's is rated at 90 dB. This 2 dB difference makes the MartinLogan Foundation F1 a more sensitive speaker compared to Monitor Audio Bronze 500, 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.
Both handle the same maximum of 200 watts RMS, though Foundation F1 is rated up to 200 watts and Bronze 500 60-200 watts.
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 F1
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Bronze 500 features Binding post posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. Foundation F1 has a Binding post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
MartinLogan Foundation F1's Binding post terminals
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 F1's and Monitor Audio Bronze 500'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 Monitor Audio Bronze 500 has external dimensions of 977.0 x 294.0 x 366.0mm (38-7/16 x 11-9/16 x 14-3/8inch).
Monitor Audio Bronze 500 is 76mm shorter and 1mm less deeper than MartinLogan Foundation F1 but it is also 81mm wider.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of MartinLogan Foundation F1 and Monitor Audio Bronze 500 in scale.
Comparison image of MartinLogan Foundation F1 and Monitor Audio Bronze 500 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 F1 is approximately 781.7cm2 / 121.2inch2 and base area of the Monitor Audio Bronze 500 is approximately 1076.0cm2 / 166.8inch2. The Foundation F1 requires 27% less surface area than the Bronze 500 which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.
Weight Comparison The weight of a loudspeaker can become an important factor if you need to move and reposition the unit often. Weight of a speaker can also "sometimes" be an indicator of the rigidity of the enclosure and the quality of the internal components used. The MartinLogan Foundation F1 weighs 21.14kg / 46.5lbs and the Monitor Audio Bronze 500 weighs 18.05kg / 39.7lbs. This makes the Foundation F1 17% heavier than the Bronze 500.
Here is a comparison of how Foundation F1 and Bronze 500's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
MartinLogan Foundation F1
What's in the Box of Monitor Audio Bronze 500?
Here are the items that come with the Bronze 500:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Grille
- 4 Outrigger feet (w/ 4 adjustment dials and locking-nuts)
- 4 Spikes (pre-installed on outrigger feet)
- 4 Rubber feet
- 4 Large course-thread screws
- 4 Small machine screws
- 2 Terminal-jumpers (pre-installed)
- 2 Foam port plugs
- Hex-key
- Quick Start Guide
- Important Safety Instructions
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Sensitivity |
92 dB
vs
90 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Number of Woofers |
3
vs
2
|
More woofers |
 Base Surface Area |
781cm2
vs
1076cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
4 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
|
Woofer Size |
8 inches
vs
5.5 inches
|
Larger woofer |
|
Low Frequency Response |
32 Hz
vs
41 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
30k Hz
vs
23k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Bi-Amping and Bi-Wiring |
Yes
vs
No
|
Allows bi-amping and bi-wiring connections |
 Dolby Atmos Drivers |
Optional
vs
No
|
Dolby Atmos Compatibility |
 Height |
977mm
vs
1053mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Price per pair* |
1496USD
vs
1499USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
MartinLogan Foundation F1 |
Monitor Audio Bronze 500 |
| Brand |
MartinLogan |
Monitor Audio |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
up to 200 watts |
60-200 watts |
| Sensitivity |
92 dB |
90 dB |
| Impedance |
4 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
41-23k Hz |
32-30k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
3 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
5.5" |
8" |
| Woofer Composition |
Aluminum |
C-CAM |
| Woofer Surround Material |
n/a |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
Folded Motion Ribbon |
gold dome C-CAM with uniform dispersion (UD) waveguide |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
5.5" |
No |
| Crossover Frequency |
240 Hz - 3700 Hz |
n/a |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
n/a |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1053.0mm (41.5") |
977.0mm (38.5") |
| Width |
213.0mm (8.4") |
294.0mm (11.6") |
| Depth |
367.0mm (14.4") |
366.0mm (14.4") |
| Weight |
21.14kg (46.5lbs) |
18.05kg (39.7lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
n/a |
MDF/Vinyl |
| Available Colors |
Walnut,Black,Satin White |
Black |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
No |
Yes |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
5 years |
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
5 years |
5 Years |
No single best speaker here - they are built to different priorities, and the right one depends on your room, your amplifier and what you listen to.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass |
B |
Monitor Audio Bronze 500 digs deeper - 32Hz against 41Hz. A subwoofer would even that out. |
| Amplifier needs |
A |
MartinLogan Foundation F1 is more sensitive (92dB vs 90dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Amplifier match |
B |
Monitor Audio Bronze 500 is the easier load at 8 ohms; the other is 4 ohms and wants an amplifier rated for it. |
| Headroom |
evenly matched |
Similar power handling (200W vs 200W). |
| Size |
depends |
MartinLogan Foundation F1 is easier to place; Monitor Audio Bronze 500 is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Expandability |
B |
Monitor Audio Bronze 500: bi-amping and Atmos drivers. Monitor Audio Bronze 500 sits in a wider range (11 models), so a matched surround system is easier later. |
| Price |
evenly matched |
Much the same money ($1,499 vs $1,496 a pair). |
A MartinLogan Foundation F1
B Monitor Audio Bronze 500
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, placement 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?
Monitor Audio Bronze 500 has the edge on paper, though the margin is not large. The rows marked "depends" may matter more to you than the score does. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 41Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. If your amplifier is modest, vintage or valve-based, MartinLogan Foundation F1 is the safer partner - the other will want more current or more watts to sound its best.
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.