MartinLogan Motion & Motion XT Home Theater Speaker Overview

Brand & Product Overview

Our friends at MartinLogan have just released an incredible update to their line of Motion Series loudspeakers. Completely reimagined with a fresh attitude and sleek design, the series includes four new tower models, two bookshelf speaker pairs, two center channels, and a very cool new multipurpose speaker. These are broken down into two series within the Motion line - the Motion and Motion XT.

The Motion Series was introduced many years ago to deliver an effortless electrostatic sound without the cost associated with true electrostatic speakers. One big secret to their success was the MartinLogan Folded Motion Tweeter, which delivers the open sound people associate with electrostatics in a more conventional design. 

These latest additions are the fourth generation of the Motion Series. Audio Advice is one of the largest MartinLogan dealers in the world, which gives us access to their engineers to get the inside scoop on some of the new tech, including some prototypes to test out for this video. Neat huh?  

When MartinLogan said, all-new, they meant it - updated drivers, cabinets, and cosmetics. MartinLogan insiders told us the goal was to improve sensitivity, lower distortion, provide higher output, and get even closer to a flat frequency response. We love all of those characteristics at Audio Advice. In our opinion, they have certainly pulled it all off. They also succeeded in changing the look of the new models quite nicely.

First, we’ll cover the tech they all share, and then get into each specific speaker in the series and outline some possible use cases. 

First and foremost, the new models are a complete redo of the MartinLogan signature folded motion tweeter. For those of you unfamiliar with this tech, it is lightning-fast and totally effortless. You also get a far larger surface area than a typical one-inch dome tweeter would have, in terms of soundstage. 

The folded motion tweeter creates sound by moving air similar to how an accordion operates. The super thin film-folded diaphragm squeezes the air and requires almost 90% less excursion than a dome tweeter which drastically reduces distortion. You get a wide, yet very controlled dispersion pattern with this driver which gives you an amazing sound stage.

The Gen 2 version has an even higher magnetic field strength and more internal air volume. As MartinLogan started testing the changes, they found it had higher output, lower distortion, and was even smoother - all characteristics you want in a tweeter. 

MartinLogan wanted to extract just a little more dispersion from their improved tweeter to help accommodate more open floor plan spaces. To do this, they have added a wave guide on the front of the speaker cabinet. This improved both horizontal and vertical dispersion by at least 10 degrees, giving it more controlled directivity in a wider range of listening positions. This design also allowed them more freedom in flattening the response. 

All of the new Motion models have this new Gen2 Obsidian Folded Motion XT Tweeter with the XT series getting a bigger version of the same tech.

The crossovers for every single model share some great features. They all have custom air-core coils and low DCR steel laminate inductors with polyester film capacitors and low DF electrolytic capacitors. Every tweeter has built-in thermal protection. While you never really see these parts, it is great MartinLogan realizes the importance of a speakers crossover and uses technology from their more expensive models to make these special. 

Another thing all of the speakers share is a sleek cabinet design with three finish options - gloss black, satin white, and walnut. The design takes a departure from conventional speakers, as there is no full-sized speaker grill. Each individual midrange and/or bass driver gets its own round grill that snaps on with a hidden clamping system. The motion tweeter is fully exposed in all models and gets a new black color to blend better with the cabinet face.

Internally, MartinLogan took bracing to a whole new level. There is far more bracing than before and in the models with separate woofers, the midrange driver is in its own solid and sealed cabinet inside the speaker. 

All of the models get very nice rear binding posts too, with most of them offering biwiring capability. We really like the new outriggers you will find for all of the towers. These were easy to attach with either a rubber tip for hard floors or a spike tip for carpet. Adjusting these for perfect level is very simple with the adjustment being easy to access on top.

MartinLogan Motion & Motion XT Speaker Models

The Motion series gets a new midrange made from a woven fiberglass. Every single model has a 5.5” version. This means, with the exact same tweeter and midrange, you are assured of an incredibly well-matched home theater configuration with panning effects sounding exactly the same as they move from speaker to speaker. The only thing that did not change in the Motion line was the woofer material in the floor-standing models. The aluminum cone MartinLogan developed is still an amazing performer. Even though the material is the same as prior generations, these are all new designs with a smooth unibody look that eliminated the need for the prominent dust caps seen in prior generations.

MartinLogan Motion B10 Bookshelf Speakers

First up is the new Motion B10 bookshelf speaker. This one uses the 5.5” woven fiberglass midrange with the new Gen 2 Folded Motion Tweeter. This model has a rear-firing port and is set up for single wiring. They have an impedance of 4 ohms with a sensitivity of 92db, which is very high for a speaker of this size.

The B10 is a relatively compact speaker designed to be used in a small to medium sized room. We found them to produce a very wide and three-dimensional sound stage and like every one of these, with a stupendous top end. The highs are lighting fast but very smooth. You can listen to these for hours without any sense of fatigue. They had the best balance of bass in our testing about 1 foot off a back wall, but in reality, they still do not go very low with a rating of 56Hz.

  1. MartinLogan Motion XT B10  Bookshelf Speaker in walnut, angled view without grilles on white background MartinLogan Motion B10 Bookshelf Speaker
    Final Price $599.99

 These will make a great main surround speaker or if you pair them with one of the fast Dynamo MartinLogan subwoofers. They can throw out a huge soundstage with the subwoofer adding in that missing last octave. We would, however, not recommend them as a full-range speaker in a larger size room as you will probably find the bass lacking.

MartinLogan Motion F10 Floorstanding Speakers

The F10 Tower Speaker is the first tower speaker, but with a very compact footprint. You’ll get the 5.5” woven fiberglass driver here used for midrange only, complemented with two 5.5” aluminum cone woofers. The impedance and sensitivity are the same as the B10 at 4 ohms and 92db. These do reach down far lower with a 3 db down point of 38Hz and can be biwired.

With its very narrow front face, these give you as good an image as the B10, but with far more bass reach. Having that better foundation makes the lower midrange sound a lot better to us. We felt, across the board, the F10 just sounded more musical to us than the bookshelf. The bottom-firing bass port also makes their placement very flexible as you do not have to worry about it firing into the rear wall. You can put these close to a rear wall with no boominess, although we still felt they sounded best, like all towers do, a bit out into the room.

  1. MartinLogan Motion XT F10  Floorstanding Speaker in black, angled view without grilles on white background MartinLogan Motion F10 Floorstanding Speaker
    Final Price $1,249.99

MartinLogan Motion F20 Floorstanding Speakers

The Motion F20 is the top-of-the-line tower in this series, with a change to dual 6.5” aluminum bass drivers paired with the 5.5” woven fiberglass midrange and Gen 2 Motion tweeter. While on paper these only get down 3hz more in bass with a rating at 35 Hz and the same great 92db sensitivity of the F10, they just sounded more powerful and dynamic to us. There is also a slight difference in how these crossover compared to the F10 and B10, which we felt made the lower midrange sound more realistic.

If you have a larger room, you will appreciate their extra dynamics, but with the F10 being 40% less in cost, those are probably the best value tower in this series.

  1. MartinLogan Motion XT F20  Floorstanding Speaker in walnut, angled view without grilles on white background MartinLogan Motion F20 Floorstanding Speaker
    Final Price $1,749.99

MartinLogan Motion C10 Center Channel Speaker

To round out this series, you get the C10 center channel speaker with two of the 5.5” woven fiberglass drivers and the Gen 2 Motion Obsidian Folded Motion tweeter. These are actually a 2 ½ way 'anti-lobing' design with the crossover points at 1000 and 2000 Hz. They are the most sensitive in the line at 93db and the same 4 ohm impedance.

The cabinet on the C10 is tapered on one side, which means it can either sit flat on a shelf or, if you flip it over, it aims the face of the cabinet up a small angle enabling you to position it based on its height below your screen. With its rear-firing port, we do recommend it not be put inside a cabinet unless you just have to. If you must put it that way, you should check out our video on how to fine tune your center channel speaker

  1. MartinLogan Motion C10  Bookshelf Speaker in walnut front angled view without grilles on white background MartinLogan Motion C10 Center Channel Speaker
    Final Price $999.99

Dialog sounded great with the C10, but its best characteristic is its high sensitivity. Explosions that were mixed more to the center really came to life and having such a high sensitivity means you can more easily hear the tiny changes in the volume levels of people's voices when they are expressing subtle emotional cues, drawing you more into the film.

MartinLogan Motion MP10 Multi-Purpose Speaker

The final speaker in this part of the Motion series is the MP10 Multi-Purpose Speaker, which in our opinion, is one stylish design. As you might have guessed, they have the 5 ½” woven fiberglass driver, but they have a very neat tapered rear-firing port that allows you to mount them on the wall. The cabinet is angled giving you three possible ways to set them up. They could just be on a stand firing straight out and used as either a surround or a main left and right where space was a premium. Or, they flip over and can be mounted to the wall at ear level firing straight out as well. The cool part is — you can flip them back and mount them up high and angled down. This makes them very flexible for surround and height speaker options. Like the others, they are high sensitivity at 92db for great dynamics.

  1. MartinLogan Motion XT MP10 on-wall Speaker in black, front view without grilles on white background MartinLogan Motion MP10 Multi-Purpose Speaker
    Rating:
    100% of 100
    Final Price $499.99

F20 F10 C10 B10 MP10
Application Floorstanding Floorstanding Center Channel Bookshelf Multi-Purpose
Frequency Response 35 Hz - 25kHz 38 Hz - 25 kHz 63 Hz - 25 kHz 56 Hz - 25 kHz 81 Hz - 25kHz
Folded Motion® Waveguide Enhanced Tweeter Dispersion (VxH) 90° x 90° 90° x 90° 90° x 90° 90° x 90° 90° x 90°
Sensitivity (2.83 volts/meter) 92 dB 92 dB 93 dB 92 dB 92 dB
Impedance 4 ohms 4 ohms 4 ohms 5 ohms 5 ohms
Compatible with 4, 6, or 8 Ohm rated amplifiers
Crossover Frequency 230 Hz, 2,600 Hz (3-way) 280 Hz, 3,000 Hz (3-way) 1000 Hz, 2,000 Hz (2.5-way) 2,370 Hz (2-way) 2,100 Hz (2-way)
High Frequency Driver 1” x 1.4” (2.6 x 3.6cm) Gen2 Obsidian Folded Motion® Tweeter with 9.2 in² (59.4 cm²) diaphragm 1” x 1.4” (2.6 x 3.6cm) Gen2 Obsidian Folded Motion® Tweeter with 9.2 in² (59.4 cm²) diaphragm 1” x 1.4” (2.6 x 3.6cm) Gen2 Obsidian Folded Motion® Tweeter with 9.2 in² (59.4 cm²) diaphragm 1” x 1.4” (2.6 x 3.6cm) Gen2 Obsidian Folded Motion® Tweeter with 9.2 in² (59.4 cm²) diaphragm 1” x 1.4” (2.6 x 3.6cm) Gen2 Obsidian Folded Motion® Tweeter with 9.2 in² (59.4 cm²) diaphragm
Mid Frequency Driver 5.5” (14cm) Woven Fiberglass cone with cast polymer basket. Non- resonant sealed chamber format. Unibody cone construction. 5.5” (14cm) Woven Fiberglass cone with cast polymer basket. Non- resonant sealed chamber format. Unibody cone construction. 2x 5.5” (14cm) Woven Fiberglass cones with cast polymer baskets. Non- resonant sealed chamber format. Unibody cone construction. Anti-lobing 2.5-way crossover design. 5.5” (14cm) Woven Fiberglass cone with cast polymer basket. Unibody cone construction. 5.5” (14cm) Woven Fiberglass cone with cast polymer basket. Unibody cone construction.
Low Frequency Drivers 2x 6.5” (16.5cm) aluminum cones with cast polymer baskets. Non-resonant asymmetrical chamber format. Unibody cone construction. 2x 5.5” (14cm) aluminum cones with cast polymer baskets. Non-resonant asymmetrical chamber format. Unibody cone construction.
Cabinet Bottom Ported Bottom Ported Rear Ported Rear Ported Stealth Rear Ported
Recommended Amp Power 20 - 300 watts 20 - 250 watts 20 - 200 watts 20 - 200 watts 20 - 200 watts
Binding Post Inputs Custom bi-amp/bi-wire capable 5-way binding posts Custom bi-amp/bi-wire capable 5-way binding posts Custom 5-way binding posts Custom 5-way binding posts Custom 5-way binding posts
Weight 60lbs / 27.2kg 50.5lbs / 22.9kg 23.5lbs / 10.7kg 14.5lbs / 6.6kg 9.7lbs / 4.4kg
Dimensions (HxWxD) Floorstanding model dimensions include the feet. Depth for all models include the binding posts 44-3/4” x 11-3/4” x 14-1/4” 112.7cm x 29.8cm x 36.2cm 38-1/4” x 11-1/4” x 13-1/4” 97.1cm x 28.6cm x 33.6cm 7-1/4” x 19” x 11-1/2” 18.4cm x 48.3cm x 29.3cm 12-1/2” x 7” x 9-3/4” 31.8cm x 17.8cm x 24.8cm 14” x 8” x 5” 35.6cm x 20.3cm x 12.7cm
Finish Gloss Black, Walnut, and Satin White Gloss Black, Walnut, and Satin White Gloss Black, Walnut, and Satin White Gloss Black, Walnut, and Satin White Gloss Black, Walnut, and Satin White

Motion XT Model Features

Now let’s move to the XT line of Motion models. There are two major differences with these and the standard Motion models we just covered. First, the folded motion tweeter is over twice as large physically, meaning it can move even less to achieve the same output. The midrange driver is completely different. All of these use a 6.5” driver for either just the midrange or midrange/bass. The material moves up to a woven Kevlar woofer. We started seeing Kevlar many years ago in midrange drivers, but what is new is how MartinLogan uses constrained layer damping. They found a material called Nomex, which has pretty much the exact opposite resonance characteristics as Kevlar. They bond a very thin layer of this to the back of the Kevlar driver, which totally deadens it.

MartinLogan Motion XT B100 Bookshelf Speakers

The bookshelf model in the XT line is called the XT B100. You get the 6.5” Nomex Reinforced Kevlar driver paired with the much larger XT motion tweeter. Sensitivity goes up to 93db and the low end is much deeper than the B10 with a spec of 45 Hz. We compared the B10 and XT B100 side by side and we felt the XT model completely blew away the B10. The bass went far deeper, but that added bass along with the better driver made voices and instruments in the midrange just sound far more accurate. If you are looking for a bookshelf stand-alone speaker, spend the extra 20% and get the XT B100, you will not regret it. We also tested it in a really large space and it had no problem putting out a big sound that was very fulfilling. This model is one heck of a good value.

  1. MartinLogan Motion XT B100  Bookshelf Speaker in black, angled view without grilles on white background MartinLogan Motion XT B100 Bookshelf Speaker
    Rating:
    100% of 100
    Final Price $799.99

MartinLogan Motion XT F100 & Motion XT F200 Floorstanding Speakers

For the two tower XT models, they all use 3 aluminum cone bass drivers coupled with that great Nomex Reinforced Kevlar midrange and the larger XT tweeter. The big difference between the XT F100 and XT F200 is the XT F100 uses 3 6.5” drivers while the XT F200 uses 3 8” versions. The bigger woofers get you about 4 Hz more extension down to 27Hz compared to 31Hz, but like the other series, the bigger ones to our ears just had far more slam even though they have the same great sensitivity rating of 92db.

  1. MartinLogan Motion XT F100  Floorstanding Speaker in black, angled view without grilles on white background MartinLogan Motion XT F100 Floorstanding Speaker
    Rating:
    87% of 100
    Final Price $2,249.99

  1. MartinLogan Motion XT F200  Floorstanding Speaker in black, angled view without grilles MartinLogan Motion XT F200 Floorstanding Speaker
    Rating:
    100% of 100
    Final Price $2,749.99

MartinLogan Motion XT C100 Center Channel Speaker

The XT C100 center channel speaker with its 2.5 way anti-lobing design using the same Nomex Reinforced Kevlar driver as the others was equally as good as the XT bookshelf. It has the same cabinet design as the other offering two positions. The new XT tweeter with this midrange driver gives this center channel speaker the ability to let you hear deep into the performer's emotions. We also love how sensitive it is, which makes it very dynamic.

  1. MartinLogan XT C100 center channel speaker front angle view in black without grilles MartinLogan Motion XT C100 Center Channel Speaker
    Rating:
    100% of 100
    Final Price $1,499.99

F200 F100 C100 B100
Application Floorstanding Floorstanding Center Channel Bookshelf
Frequency Response 27 Hz - 25k Hz 31 Hz - 25 kHz 42 Hz - 25 kHz 45 Hz - 25 kHz
Folded Motion® Waveguide Enhanced Tweeter Dispersion (VxH) 45° x 90° 45° x 90° 45° x 90° 45° x 90°
Sensitivity (2.83 volts/meter) 92 dB 92 dB 93 dB 93 dB
Impedance 4 ohms 4 ohms 5 ohms 4 ohms
Compatible with 4, 6, or 8 Ohm rated amplifiers
Crossover Frequency 300Hz, 2600Hz (3-way) 280 Hz, 2600 Hz (3-way) 1,300 Hz, 2,500 Hz (2.5-way) 2,600 Hz (2-way)
High Frequency Driver 1.25” x 2.4” (3.2 x 6.1cm) Gen2 Obsidian Folded Motion XT® Tweeter with 12.4 in² (79.8 cm²) diaphragm 1.25” x 2.4” (3.2 x 6.1cm) Gen2 Obsidian Folded Motion XT® Tweeter with 12.4 in² (79.8 cm²) diaphragm 1.25” x 2.4” (3.2 x 6.1cm) Gen2 Obsidian Folded Motion XT® Tweeter with 12.4 in² (79.8 cm²) diaphragm 1.25” x 2.4” (3.2 x 6.1cm) Gen2 Obsidian Folded Motion XT® Tweeter with 12.4 in² (79.8 cm²) diaphragm
Mid Frequency Driver 6.5” (16.5cm) Nomex Reinforced Kevlar® cone with cast aluminum basket. Non-resonant sealed chamber format. Unibody cone construction. 6.5” (16.5cm) Nomex Reinforced Kevlar® cone with cast aluminum basket. Non-resonant sealed chamber format. Unibody cone construction. 2x 6.5” (16.5cm) Nomex Reinforced Kevlar® cones with cast aluminum baskets. Non-resonant asymmetrical chamber format. Unibody cone construction. Anti-lobing 2.5-way crossover design. 6.5” (16.5cm) Nomex Reinforced Kevlar® cone with cast aluminum basket. Non-resonant asymmetrical chamber format. Unibody cone construction.
Low Frequency Drivers 3x 8” (20.3cm)aluminum cones with cast aluminum baskets. Non-resonant asymmetrical chamber format. Unibody cone construction 3x 6.5” (16.5cm)aluminum cones with cast aluminum baskets. Non-resonant asymmetrical chamber format. Unibody cone construction.
Cabinet Bottom Ported Bottom Ported Rear Ported Rear Ported
Recommended Amp Power 20 - 600 watts 20 - 450 watts 20 - 300 watts 20 - 250 watts
Binding Post Inputs Custom bi-amp/bi-wire capable 5-way binding posts Custom bi-amp/bi-wire capable 5-way binding posts Custom bi-amp/bi-wire capable 5-way binding posts Custom bi-amp/bi-wire capable 5-way binding posts
Weight 86lbs / 39kg 76lbs / 34.5kg 34lbs / 15.4kg 20.5lbs / 9.3kg
Dimensions (HxWxD) Floorstanding model dimensions include the feet. Depth for all models include the binding posts 50-3/4" x 13-3/4" x 16-1/2" 14.6cm x 34.9cm x 41.9cm 47-3/4” x 12-1/2” x 15” 121.3cm x 31.75cm x 38.1cm 8” x 24” x 14-1/2” 20.3cm x 61cm x 36.8cm 14-1/2” x 8” x 12-1/2” 36.8cm x 20.3cm x 31.8cm
Finish Gloss Black, Walnut, and Satin White Gloss Black, Walnut, and Satin White Gloss Black, Walnut, and Satin White Gloss Black, Walnut, and Satin White

For those of you looking to go for a fully immersive home theater experience, There are also several architectural models in the MartinLogan Motion XT CI Series that match up really well with these great in-room speakers. They recently revamped both the Motion and Motion XT CI Speaker series of in-wall and in-ceiling speakers with very similar drivers to what you find in the new Motion and Motion XT in-room speakers. The Motion architectural models have the same type of woven fiberglass drivers, while the XT has Kevlar.

We also love the MartinLogan Dynamo subwoofers and created a full review of them. These are very fast subwoofers that also use Anthem Room Correction for super accurate bass. Our team can help you select the right one to pair with any of these new MartinLogan Motion speakers.

Custom Home Theater Solutions

When you purchase your MartinLogan, or any speakers for that matter, from us - you get a group of passionate music lovers behind you. We have decades of experience in speaker placement and setup which means you have access to pick our brains with any questions you have on how to get the best performance in your room. Our team looks at pictures of listening rooms and home theaters every day and we love helping our customers get the best sound possible with our setup tips. 

If you are reading this and want to learn more about home theater in general, check out Home Theater Central. Here we have lots of articles on how to design your dream home theater. We even have a free 3D design tool so you can visualize how the screen and speakers should be placed for optimum performance in your room. 

If you have any questions about building a theater or choosing your speakers, give us a call at 888.899.8776, chat with us, or stop by our award-winning showrooms. We live and breathe audio and home theater and love to help our customers find the right products for their situations. Once you have your receiver in place, you can use our free guide of  the best home theater audio upgrades & optimizations to perfect your sound.

Featured Products

  1. MartinLogan Motion XT B10  Bookshelf Speaker in walnut, angled view without grilles on white background MartinLogan Motion B10 Bookshelf Speaker
    Final Price $599.99

  1. MartinLogan Motion C10  Bookshelf Speaker in walnut front angled view without grilles on white background MartinLogan Motion C10 Center Channel Speaker
    Final Price $999.99

  1. MartinLogan Motion XT F10  Floorstanding Speaker in black, angled view without grilles on white background MartinLogan Motion F10 Floorstanding Speaker
    Final Price $1,249.99

  1. MartinLogan Motion XT F20  Floorstanding Speaker in walnut, angled view without grilles on white background MartinLogan Motion F20 Floorstanding Speaker
    Final Price $1,749.99

  1. MartinLogan Motion XT MP10 on-wall Speaker in black, front view without grilles on white background MartinLogan Motion MP10 Multi-Purpose Speaker
    Rating:
    100% of 100
    Final Price $499.99

  1. MartinLogan Motion XT B100  Bookshelf Speaker in black, angled view without grilles on white background MartinLogan Motion XT B100 Bookshelf Speaker
    Rating:
    100% of 100
    Final Price $799.99

  1. MartinLogan Motion XT F100  Floorstanding Speaker in black, angled view without grilles on white background MartinLogan Motion XT F100 Floorstanding Speaker
    Rating:
    87% of 100
    Final Price $2,249.99

  1. MartinLogan Motion XT F200  Floorstanding Speaker in black, angled view without grilles MartinLogan Motion XT F200 Floorstanding Speaker
    Rating:
    100% of 100
    Final Price $2,749.99

  1. MartinLogan XT C100 center channel speaker front angle view in black without grilles MartinLogan Motion XT C100 Center Channel Speaker
    Rating:
    100% of 100
    Final Price $1,499.99

MORE VIDEOS & REVIEWS

Wishlist
Copyright © 2024 Audio Advice. All rights reserved.