In this review, we will be comparing Foundation F2 and Prime Pinnacle, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from MartinLogan and SVS.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of MartinLogan Foundation F2 and SVS Prime Pinnacle first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | MartinLogan Foundation F2 | SVS Prime Pinnacle |
|---|
| Brand | MartinLogan
United States · founded 1982 | SVS
United States · founded 1998 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" Folded Motion Ribbon | 1" dome |
|---|
| Midrange | 5.5" | 5.25" |
|---|
| Woofer | 3 x 6.5" Aluminum | 3 x 6.5" Polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 36-23k Hz | 29-25k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 92 dB | 88 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 4 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | up to 200 watts | 20-300 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 23.86kg / 52.5lbs | 25.95kg / 57.1lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 44-7/16" x 8-3/4" x 16"
1129.0 x 223.0 x 407.0mm | 41" x 8" x 13-15/16"
1042.0 x 204.0 x 355.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the MartinLogan Foundation F2 and SVS Prime Pinnacle 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 F2 |
SVS Prime Pinnacle |
| 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.
Drivers
Both Foundation F2 and Prime Pinnacle are 3-way speakers.
MartinLogan Foundation F2SVS Prime Pinnacle
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 F2 |
SVS Prime Pinnacle |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 5.5-inch |
1 x 5.25-inch |
|
Woofer
|
3 x 6.5-inch
|
3 x 6.5-inch
|
Foundation F2 features a 1" Gen2 Obsidian Folded Motion Ribbon Tweeter, a 5.5" Midrange and 3 x 6.5" Aluminum Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 330 Hz - 3600 Hz. On the other hand, the Prime Pinnacle features a 1" aluminum dome Tweeter, a 5.25" Midrange and 3 x 6.5" Polypropylene Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 300Hz and 2100Hz.
Frequency Response
Foundation F2 has a frequency range of 36-23k Hz whereas Prime Pinnacle has a frequency range of 29-25k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 29Hz, the Prime Pinnacle can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Foundation F2's min frequency of 36Hz.
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 F2 is a 4 ohms speaker compared to the Prime Pinnacle 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 F2 can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Foundation F2 sensitivity is rated at 92 dB and the Prime Pinnacle's is rated at 88 dB. This 4 dB difference makes the MartinLogan Foundation F2 a more sensitive speaker compared to SVS Prime Pinnacle, 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 Pinnacle can handle a max power of 300 watts RMS, whereas Foundation F2 has a max power handling value of 200 watts RMS, 100 watts less than the Prime Pinnacle.
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 F2
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Foundation F2 features 5-Way post type posts and Prime Pinnacle has a 5-Way post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
MartinLogan Foundation F2's Binding post terminals
SVS Prime Pinnacle's 5-Way post terminals
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both Foundation F2 and Prime Pinnacle 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
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 F2's and SVS Prime Pinnacle's external dimensions. MartinLogan Foundation F2 has external dimensions of 1129.0 x 223.0 x 407.0mm (44-7/16inch x 8-3/4inch x 16inch) whereas SVS Prime Pinnacle has external dimensions of 1042.0 x 204.0 x 355.0mm (41 x 8 x 13-15/16inch).
MartinLogan Foundation F2 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 19mm wider, 87mm taller and 52mm deeper than SVS Prime Pinnacle.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of MartinLogan Foundation F2 and SVS Prime Pinnacle in scale.
Comparison image of MartinLogan Foundation F2 and SVS Prime Pinnacle 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 F2 is approximately 907.6cm2 / 140.7inch2 and base area of the SVS Prime Pinnacle is approximately 724.2cm2 / 112.3inch2. The Foundation F2 requires 25% more surface area than the Prime Pinnacle 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 F2 weighs 23.86kg / 52.5lbs and the SVS Prime Pinnacle weighs 25.95kg / 57.1lbs. This makes the Prime Pinnacle 9% heavier than the Foundation F2.
Here is a comparison of how Foundation F2 and Prime Pinnacle's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
MartinLogan Foundation F2
What's in the Box of SVS Prime Pinnacle?
Here are the items that come with the Prime Pinnacle:
- 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
88 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Price per pair* |
1999USD
vs
2000USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
 Max Input Power |
300 watts
vs
200 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
4 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
 Low Frequency Response |
29 Hz
vs
36 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
25k Hz
vs
23k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Height |
1042mm
vs
1129mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
724cm2
vs
907cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
| General |
MartinLogan Foundation F2 |
SVS Prime Pinnacle |
| Brand |
MartinLogan |
SVS |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
up to 200 watts |
20-300 watts |
| Sensitivity |
92 dB |
88 dB |
| Impedance |
4 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
36-23k Hz |
29-25k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
3 |
3 |
| Woofer Size |
6.5" |
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" |
5.25" |
| Crossover Frequency |
330 Hz - 3600 Hz |
300Hz and 2100Hz |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1129.0mm (44.4") |
1042.0mm (41") |
| Width |
223.0mm (8.8") |
204.0mm (8") |
| Depth |
407.0mm (16") |
355.0mm (14") |
| Weight |
23.86kg (52.5lbs) |
25.95kg (57.1lbs) |
| 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 F2 is the newer design, against a 2018 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 Pinnacle digs deeper - 29Hz against 36Hz. A subwoofer would even that out. |
| Amplifier needs | A | MartinLogan Foundation F2 is more sensitive (92dB vs 88dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Amplifier match | B | SVS Prime Pinnacle is the easier load at 8 ohms; the other is 4 ohms and wants an amplifier rated for it. |
| Headroom | B | SVS Prime Pinnacle takes more power (300W vs 200W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | SVS Prime Pinnacle is easier to place; MartinLogan Foundation F2 is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Price | evenly matched | Much the same money ($1,999 vs $2,000 a pair). |
A MartinLogan Foundation F2 B SVS Prime Pinnacle
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system 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 Pinnacle 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 36Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. Match it to your room: we rate MartinLogan Foundation F2 the better fit for a mid-size room, and SVS Prime Pinnacle 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.