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Home » What are the Differences Between the Fluance Ai41 and Ai61 Powered Bookshelf Speakers?
Fluance Powered Bookshelf Speakers

What are the Differences Between the Fluance Ai41 and Ai61 Powered Bookshelf Speakers?

The new Fluance Powered Bookshelf Speakers look nearly identical. The Ai series of Powered Speakers share many design features and are suitable to the same applications however they do differ in a few key ways.

The differences between the Ai41 and Ai61 Powered bookshelf speakers

Physical Size Difference

The most noticeable difference is the physical size. The Ai41 Powered Speakers are 10.9 inches tall, 6.5 inches wide and 7.6 inches deep, while the Ai61 Powered Speakers are 13.1 inches tall, 7.8 inches wide and 9.2 inches deep. The larger enclosure on the Ai61 allows the speaker to move more air and produce a greater low frequency (bass) response.
 
Not only is the cabinet size different but the woofer on each speaker is different. The Ai41 feature a 5″ woven glass fiber driver, while the Ai61 have a 6.5″ woven glass fiber driver. Both speakers have the same 1″ neodymium tweeters. The larger woofer is able to more efficiently move air to reproduce lower bass frequencies.
 
The Ai41 are more compact and more conducive to setups where space is more limited such as computer desktop setup. If space allows, the Ai61 will offer better performance with an increased frequency range.
Ai41 Bookshelf Speakers
Ai41 Powered Speakers
Ai61 Powered Speakers

Audio Input Options

The Ai41 and Ai61 share nearly all the same input options (RCA, Bluetooth 5 and optical toslink) however the Ai61 include a USB Type-C input. This allows for a USB connection to a computer rather than using the analog RCA input to connect to a PC. You can still use the Ai41 for a computer setup however you would have to connect it through RCA with an RCA to aux cable, optical cable (if your computer supports that input) or connect via Bluetooth.

Amplifier Power

Another difference between the two models are the amplifier power. Both utilize an integrated ultra-low noise class D amplifier to produce a powerful signal without degrading its signal-to-noise ratio. The Ai41 have a 90 Watt continuous average output (2x45W RMS) amplifier while the Ai61 have a 120 Watt continuous average output option (2x60W RMS) amplifier. 

Specification Differences

With the difference in size and components in the two speakers there are a few implications for the performance specifications of each speaker pair. Most notably there is a difference in the frequency response in each set of speakers. The Ai41 have a frequency response of 35Hz-20kHz (DSP Enhanced), while the Ai61 measures at 32Hz-20kHz (DSP Enhanced). That difference means that the Ai61 produce more low-end bass frequencies than the Ai41. 

Enhancing the Bass with Sub-Out

If your setup is limited by space and you want to go with the Ai41 but you desire more bass you have the option to add a subwoofer with the sub-out connection. In fact both models have sub-out for the bass enthusiasts. Both models also feature an 80 Hz low-pass frequency cutoff, meaning that if you connect a subwoofer, all frequencies below 80 Hz will be cut off from the Ai speakers and sent to the subwoofer, allowing the speakers to maximize performance in the higher frequency range. 
Ai41 Powered Bookshelf Speakers
EXPLORE Ai41
Ai61 Powered Bookshelf Speakers
EXPLORE Ai61

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