The Founder 80F is the slimmest floorstander in the range and is sold as a pair: a reflex-loaded two-and-a-half-way design with four drive units, namely an AL-MAC tweeter, an AL-MAG mid/bass unit and two 152 mm Carbon-X woofers.
Founder 80F: the design
The two-and-a-half-way layout shares the work like this: the 152 mm AL-MAG mid/bass unit covers bass and midrange up to 1.8 kHz, where the tweeter takes over, while the two woofers of the same diameter join in only below 500 Hz to add weight to the low end. The woofers use a one-piece Carbon-X cone, strong at high levels and low in mass, with a third-generation ART surround; the mid/bass unit carries the perforated PPA lens ahead of its diaphragm, which aligns output in phase and makes it more predictable at a distance. All three cones are fixed to the baffle by the Shock-Mount system, which isolates them from the cabinet.
Treble comes from a tweeter with a 25 mm AL-MAC dome (aluminium, magnesium and ceramic), ferrofluid damped and set in the OSW waveguide. The waveguide steers high frequencies towards the listener and progressively lowers their level to the sides, which helps in large, open rooms with plenty of reflective surfaces. The faceted cabinet with Cascade-Fusion braces stands on Shock-Mount feet that decouple it from the floor twice over: they are adjusted from the top, without tilting the speaker, and come with fittings for both carpet and hard floors.
The quoted figures: on-axis response from 50 Hz to 23 kHz within ±2 dB, bass reaching down to 28 Hz (DIN), sensitivity of 93 dB in room and 90 dB anechoic. Impedance is 8 ohm compatible and the recommended amplifier is 15 to 220 W, with 180 W as the maximum power input. Like the other Founder models it accepts bi-wiring and bi-amping, and it is designed and built in Canada, just outside Toronto. It stands 97.1 cm tall and weighs 23.6 kg.
Specifications
- Type: 2.5-way floorstander with 4 drive units, reflex-loaded
- Tweeter: 25 mm AL-MAC dome, OSW waveguide, PPA lens, ferrofluid
- Mid/bass unit: 152 mm AL-MAG cone, PPA lens, Gen3 ART surround, Shock-Mount
- Woofers: 2 x 152 mm one-piece Carbon-X cones, Gen3 ART surround, Shock-Mount
- Crossover: second order at 1.8 kHz (tweeter) and 500 Hz (woofers)
- On-axis response: 50 Hz - 23 kHz within ±2 dB
- Response 30° off axis: 50 Hz - 20 kHz within ±2 dB
- Bass extension: 28 Hz (DIN)
- Sensitivity: 93 dB in room, 90 dB anechoic
- Impedance: 8 ohm compatible
- Recommended amplifier: 15 to 220 W
- Maximum power input: 180 W
- Connection: bi-wire and bi-amp ready
- Feet: Shock-Mount, top-adjustable, fittings for carpet and hard floors
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 97.1 x 29.8 x 35.6 cm
- Weight: 23.6 kg per speaker
- Supplied: sold as a pair
- Finishes: gloss black, black walnut, cherry, walnut
