Floorstanding loudspeakers — Brodmann F2

The F2 is the taller of two floorstanding models in the Festival series from Brodmann Acoustics, the Viennese company whose name goes back to a piano workshop founded in the city more than two centuries ago. Festival sits below the Vienna Classic and Joseph Brodmann lines, and the range also includes the F1 floorstander, a standmount and the FW wall model. Brodmann took over the loudspeaker range of Bösendorfer after Yamaha acquired that piano maker. The UK price was GBP 4,795 per pair.

Key specs that matter

Brodmann builds the F2 as a passive speaker with three drivers split into two ways. A single acrylic-coated artificial silk dome tweeter is the only unit on the front baffle, while two 125 mm bass/midrange drivers with moulded paper and carbon-fibre cones fire sideways. Brodmann makes these drivers itself. The quoted range is 36 Hz to 25,000 Hz within plus or minus 3 dB, and the maker states that 1.8 W is enough for 91 dB at 1 m. Nominal impedance is 8 ohm, nominal load is 84 W and music load 168 W. The cabinet measures 1112 mm high, 216 mm wide and 275 mm deep, and each speaker weighs 19 kg.

Engineering and use context

Brodmann does not fit a conventional reflex port here, and the F2 instead uses the horn resonator principle devised by designer Hans Deutsch, which Brodmann calls acoustic active. A slot in the enclosure works as a low-pass acoustic filter, rolling off linearly from 130 Hz at 4.5 dB per octave rather than reinforcing one tuned frequency. The electrical crossover between the side drivers and the tweeter sits at 2.15 kHz with a gentle 6 dB per octave slope, so the filter network stays simple. The cabinet contains no damping material and relies on bracing for rigidity. Festival enclosures are stiffened with eight layers of piano lacquer, gloss piano black is the standard Festival colour, and rods of dried oak stand in front of the side-firing drivers to spread their output. Because the bass/midrange units face the side walls rather than the listener, the slim front leaves only the tweeter visible.

Pairing

Since its load is benign and efficiency is high, a high-current amplifier is unnecessary for the F2, and moderate-power transistor or valve designs fall within its stated load range. A stereo amplifier of moderate output covers most domestic listening levels in a space of about 20 m2.

Alternatives

The Brodmann F1 is the other floorstanding model of the Festival series and the step below the F2 in that range.