In the 1980s, Funktion One's Tony Andrews had also pioneered work with Precision Devices on the development of the first widely used 21" (6" voice-coil) loudspeaker. This provided the low end for his highly regarded Flashlight system design of the time which was used on world tours by groups including Pink Floyd and Dire Straits. "In 2006, with F1s access to advanced materials and Andrews' heightened understanding of loudspeaker and enclosure tuning, his original 21" concept was due for a revisit. This work has resulted in a new product with dramatically increased performance," say the company.
Furthermore, by substituting Neodymium for Ceramic, the magnet weight has been reduced from 28.5kg to 11.5kg which opened up the possibility of a two by 21" enclosure. This resulting F221 is an extremely convincing bass enclosure combining real depth, upper bass speed and high efficiency.
It can be used in a multitude of system applications ranging from use with Resolution 2s, 4s and 5s through to use in Dance Stack systems. Eight of these F221s were debuted on the Origins stage at the Glade Festival in July to widespread acclaim and will be formally launched at the PLASA exhibition in London in September where there will also be an opportunity to experience them in action in Funktion One's demo room. The F221s are also provided in a self powered option fitted with the excellent A6 amplifier module developed in conjunction with XTA and an F121 single version will also be available.
Funktion One - stand BB5.
(Lee Baldock)