In this review, we will be comparing MartinLogan Foundation F1 and ES60, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from MartinLogan and Polk Audio.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of MartinLogan Foundation F1 and Polk ES60 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 )
Polk ES60 Key Specs
- 2-way Design
- 1" Soft-Dome Tweeter
- 3 x 6.5" Mica-reinforced polypropylene Woofer
- 32-40k Hz Frequency Response
- 90 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 8ohms
- Power Range:50-300watts
- Weight:23.60kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 1131.0" x 8-1/2" x 15-3/4"( 1131.0 x 216.0 x 401.0mm )
What size room are the MartinLogan Foundation F1 and Polk ES60 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 |
Polk ES60 |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Poor |
Average |
(* 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 Polk ES60 compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one of these loudspeakers is the better choice for you.
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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 ES60 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 |
Polk ES60 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 5.5-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
3 x 5.5-inch
|
3 x 6.5-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 ES60 features a 1" Terylene High-Res Soft-Dome Tweeter and 3 x 6.5" Mica-reinforced polypropylene Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2500Hz.
Frequency Response
MartinLogan Foundation F1 has a frequency range of 41-23k Hz whereas ES60 has a frequency range of 32-40k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 32Hz, the ES60 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the MartinLogan Foundation F1's min frequency of 41Hz.
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
High Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
MartinLogan Foundation F1
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 ES60 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 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 ES60's is rated at 90 dB. This 2 dB difference makes the MartinLogan Foundation F1 a more sensitive speaker compared to Polk ES60, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing Speakers
MartinLogan Foundation F1
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 300 watts RMS from the amp the whereas MartinLogan Foundation F1 has a max power handling value of 200 watts RMS , 100 watts less than the ES60.
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
ES60 features 5-Way post posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. MartinLogan Foundation F1 has a Binding post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
MartinLogan Foundation F1's Binding post terminals
Cabinet Type and Port Position
MartinLogan Foundation F1 has a rear firing port whereas ES60 has a bottom firing ports. Polk ES60's bottom-firing port gives more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls compared to MartinLogan Foundation F1 with its rear-firing port.
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 Polk ES60'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 Polk ES60 has external dimensions of 1131.0 x 216.0 x 401.0mm ( 44-1/2 x 8-1/2 x 15-3/4inch) .
Polk ES60 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 3mm wider, 78mm taller and 34mm deeper than MartinLogan Foundation F1.
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 Polk ES60 is approximately 866.2cm2 / 134.3inch2. The MartinLogan Foundation F1 requires 10% less surface area than the ES60 which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.