In this review, we will be comparing Foundation F1 and Prime Tower, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from MartinLogan and SVS.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of MartinLogan Foundation F1 and SVS Prime Tower first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | MartinLogan Foundation F1 | SVS Prime Tower |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" Folded Motion Ribbon | 1" dome |
|---|
| Midrange | 5.5" | 4.5" |
|---|
| Woofer | 3 x 5.5" Aluminum | 2 x 6.5" Polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 41-23k Hz | 30-25k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 92 dB | 87 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 4 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | up to 200 watts | 20-250 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 21.14kg / 46.5lbs | 18.23kg / 40.1lbs |
|---|
| 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 | 36-5/8" x 8" x 11-11/16"
931.0 x 204.0 x 297.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the MartinLogan Foundation F1 and SVS Prime Tower 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 |
SVS Prime Tower |
| 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.)
The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.
**This post contains affiliate links, and we will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking
through our links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Drivers
Both Foundation F1 and Prime Tower are 3-way speakers.
MartinLogan Foundation F1SVS Prime Tower
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 |
SVS Prime Tower |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 5.5-inch |
1 x 4.5-inch |
|
Woofer
|
3 x 5.5-inch
|
2 x 6.5-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 Prime Tower features a 1" aluminum dome Tweeter, a 4.5" Midrange and 2 x 6.5" Polypropylene Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 350Hz and 2100Hz.
Frequency Response
Foundation F1 has a frequency range of 41-23k Hz whereas Prime Tower has a frequency range of 30-25k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 30Hz, the Prime Tower 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 Prime Tower 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 Prime Tower's is rated at 87 dB. This 5 dB difference makes the MartinLogan Foundation F1 a more sensitive speaker compared to SVS Prime Tower, 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.
Prime Tower can handle a max power of 250 watts RMS, whereas Foundation F1 has a max power handling value of 200 watts RMS, 50 watts less than the Prime Tower.
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
Foundation F1 features 5-Way post type posts and Prime Tower has a 5-Way post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
MartinLogan Foundation F1's Binding post terminals
SVS Prime Tower's 5-Way post terminals
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both Foundation F1 and Prime Tower 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 F1's and SVS Prime Tower'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 SVS Prime Tower has external dimensions of 931.0 x 204.0 x 297.0mm (36-5/8 x 8 x 11-11/16inch).
MartinLogan Foundation F1 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 9mm wider, 122mm taller and 70mm deeper than SVS Prime Tower.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of MartinLogan Foundation F1 and SVS Prime Tower in scale.
Comparison image of MartinLogan Foundation F1 and SVS Prime Tower 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 SVS Prime Tower is approximately 605.9cm2 / 93.9inch2. The Foundation F1 requires 29% more surface area than the Prime Tower which gives it a small disadvantage 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 SVS Prime Tower weighs 18.23kg / 40.1lbs. This makes the Foundation F1 16% heavier than the Prime Tower.
Here is a comparison of how Foundation F1 and Prime Tower'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 SVS Prime Tower?
Here are the items that come with the Prime Tower:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Grille (pre-installed)
- 4 Elastomer isolation feet (pre-installed)
- 4 Spike feet
- 4 Nuts
- 4 Protective discs
- Owners Manual
- SVS brochure
- Online Product Registration Card
 Sensitivity |
92 dB
vs
87 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Number of Woofers |
3
vs
2
|
More woofers |
 Max Input Power |
250 watts
vs
200 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
4 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
|
Woofer Size |
6.5 inches
vs
5.5 inches
|
Larger woofer |
|
Low Frequency Response |
30 Hz
vs
41 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
25k Hz
vs
23k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Height |
931mm
vs
1053mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
605cm2
vs
781cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
1400USD
vs
1499USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
MartinLogan Foundation F1 |
SVS Prime Tower |
| Brand |
MartinLogan |
SVS |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
up to 200 watts |
20-250 watts |
| Sensitivity |
92 dB |
87 dB |
| Impedance |
4 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
41-23k Hz |
30-25k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
3 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
5.5" |
6.5" |
| Woofer Composition |
Aluminum |
Polypropylene |
| Woofer Surround Material |
n/a |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
Folded Motion Ribbon |
dome |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
5.5" |
4.5" |
| Crossover Frequency |
240 Hz - 3700 Hz |
350Hz and 2100Hz |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1053.0mm (41.5") |
931.0mm (36.7") |
| Width |
213.0mm (8.4") |
204.0mm (8") |
| Depth |
367.0mm (14.4") |
297.0mm (11.7") |
| Weight |
21.14kg (46.5lbs) |
18.23kg (40.1lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
n/a |
MDF/Wood-grain vinyl |
| Available Colors |
Walnut,Black,Satin White |
Black |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
No |
No |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
5 years |
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
5 years |
5 Years |
A generation apart: MartinLogan Foundation F1 is the newer design, against a 2015 model. Newer is not automatically better, but the older one is more likely to be discounted or near run-out.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass |
B |
SVS Prime Tower digs deeper - 30Hz against 41Hz. |
| Amplifier needs |
A |
MartinLogan Foundation F1 is more sensitive (92dB vs 87dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Amplifier match |
B |
SVS Prime Tower is the easier load at 8 ohms; the other is 4 ohms and wants an amplifier rated for it. |
| Headroom |
B |
SVS Prime Tower takes more power (250W vs 200W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size |
depends |
SVS Prime Tower is easier to place; MartinLogan Foundation F1 is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Price |
evenly matched |
Much the same money ($1,499 vs $1,400 a pair). |
A MartinLogan Foundation F1
B SVS Prime Tower
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?
SVS Prime Tower 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. Match it to your room: we rate MartinLogan Foundation F1 the better fit for a mid-size room, and SVS Prime Tower for a very large room.
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.