MartinLogan Motion XT Speakers 4th Gen Boast BIG Performance Upgrades!

MartinLogan Motion XT

Thename MartinLogan is synonymous with electrostatic speakers, but for the lastdozen years or so, one of the company's most popular offerings has been theMotion Series loudspeakers (and later, the Motion XT Series), which ditch the panels for a moretraditional cones-in-a-box design. Key to the success of these speakers is theFolded Motion tweeter,MartinLogan's version of an Air Motion Transformer (AMT). The AMT is nothingnew, of course, having first been used in the 1970s by ESS. But in theintervening decades, a number of brands have adopted the AMT and put their owntwists on the technology. Elac embraced the AMT in the early 1990s with thecompany's now-famous JET tweeters, and Legacy Audio uses AMTs not only fortweeters, but also for midrange drivers. The patents for the original design —developed by physicist Oskar Heil — expired in 2004, and the floodgates opened.Soon AMTs started showing up in everything from Emotiva'sinexpensive home theater speakers to Monitor Audio's five-figure PlatinumSeries flagships. In 2010, Sandy Gross launched Goldenear Technology to takeadvatanage of what he described as "the second-best tweeter" ever made (withthe top spot going to the impressive but impractical plasma tweeter used by LanscheAudio). Andit was also in 2009 that MartinLogan launched the original Motion Series, whichsucceeded largely because the Folded Motion tweeter delivered much of the speed andtransparency that MartinLogan's electrostatic designs are famous for, but insmaller, less expensive packages that appealed to a whole new demographic ofmusic-lovers.

And it's not hard to see why the Motion Series took off. UnlikeMartinLogan's hybrid electrostats (which combine curved electrostatic panelswith powered cone woofers), these new speakers didn't need to be placed severalfeet out from the wall behind them, and they didn't have to be plugged into anelectrical outlet. They were also much easier to drive. The ever-popular"bookshelf" speaker form-factor was pretty much impossible to pull off as anelectrostat, but the Motion Series offered both small stand-mounts and slimtowers that could easily blend into a room. And crucially, they were moreaffordable by a significant margin than most of MartinLogan's electrostats. Nowthe company has announced the thoroughly-updated 4th-generation Motion Seriesand Motion XT Series — two distinct lineups that share a lot of common DNA.MartinLogan says that this "premium collection of loudspeakers has beencompletely reimagined with a fresh attitude, sleek design, and advanced audiotechnology for the ultimate listening experience," and that the rigorousdevelopment process included a combination of anechoic chamber measurements,blind listening tests, and in-room measurements. There are nine new models intotal — five in the entry-level Motion Series, and four in the step-up Motion XT Series.

TheMotion Series includes two floorstanders, one center-channel speaker, onebookshelf speaker, and a highly versatile "multi-purpose" speaker perfect forhome theater surround channels and/or height channels:

TheMotion XT Series includes two floorstanders, one center-channel speaker, and one bookshelf speaker:

*Note that MartinLogan lists prices per speaker, not per pair.

Wewanted to provide the team at ML the opportunity to define the future directionof the brand with a truly clean slate design. The result is a collection ofloudspeakers that are not just an upgrade of its predecessor, but a whole newlevel of quality and excellence.

—John Bagby, Managing Director, MartinLogan

Whenthe Motion Series launched in 2010, we had no idea how much of a following thetechnology would generate. This 4th-generation product is truly a game-changerfor our brand. Our team has truly outdone themselves with the performance, craftsmanship,and level of attention that went into creating these new models.

—Allan Tarrant,Senior Vice President,MartinLogan

MartinLoganmade several technological advancements during the ambitious R&D process,and many of these have come to fruition in both the Motion Series and Motion XTSeries. Chief among these are newly-developed tweeter waveguides, which help every new speakerdiscussed here to achieve a sensitivity rating of either 92 or 93 dB. We expectthese speakers to really deliver on dynamics — something that electrostats canstruggle with. MartinLogan's Gen2 Obsidian Folded Motion Tweeter, found in theMotion Series, has been upgraded with new larger magnet structures, improvingperformance with lower distortion and higher output, according to the company.MartinLogan says the result is "effortless performance that brings yourfavorite content to life with the highest levels of detail and accuracy." TheMotion XT series employs the Gen2 Obsidian Folded Motion XT Tweeter, whichoffers a roughly 40% increase in surface area over the standard version.MartinLogan says that this highest-performance variant offers "the most effortless and detailedsound in the Motion range." Both versions now enjoy waveguide-enhanced tweeterdispersion, thanks to the proprietary Folded Motion Waveguides. MartinLogansays that the geometries of these guides were selected "after reviewing nearly50 design iterations to enhance the consistency, dispersion, and output" oftheir tweeters. The waveguides reportedly ensure consistent performance acrossa wide range of listening positions, while minimizing unwanted roomreflections. The Motion Series waveguide is a 90° x 90° design, while the Motion XT waveguide is a 45° x 90° (vertical x horizontal) design.

(FoldedMotion Tweeters)use a folded diaphragm to compress and expand air, creating a large surfacearea that delivers fast, accurate, and detailed high-frequency reproduction.With Folded Motion Tweeters, you'll experience high efficiency, low distortion,and wide, yet controlled dispersion, ensuring that every note and every detailis captured in stunning clarity. Plus, the wide frequency response of ourFolded Motion Tweeters means you'll hear a greater range of sound than everbefore. …The Folded Motion Waveguide profile was meticulously chosen toharmoniously align the tweeters output with the dispersion of the midrangedrivers, enhancing the performance of our already incredible Gen2 Folded MotionTweeters. The Folded Motion Waveguide helps blanket the listening area withevenly distributed detail and precision, ensuring an optimal experience foreveryone. The waveguide also enhances the Controlled Dispersion output of thetweeter, offering generous coverage while minimizing unwanted roomreflections.

—MartinLogan

Boththe Motion Series and Motion XT Series also benefit from all new cone materialsfor their midrange/mid-woofer drivers. The Motion Series uses "lightweight androbust" woven fiberglass cones, which offer seamless timbre matching withMartinLogan's Motion range of in-wall/in-ceiling custom installation speakers.This woven fiberglass is"perfectly suited for keeping pace with Motion's Gen2 FMT, providing crystalclear dialogue, vocals, and lifelike instrumentals," according to the company.Meanwhile, the Motion XTseries employs Nomex Reinforced Kevlar cones in its midrange and mid-wooferdrivers, offering a "perfect balance of light weight, strength, anti-resonance,and anti-ringing properties for unparalleled sound quality," according toMartinLogan. The floorstanders add revised aluminum woofers for the lowfrequencies. They also benefit from MartinLogan's new F.A.S.T. Foot, a fullyadjustable, tool-free anti-vibrationfoot that reportedly offers fast height adjustments on any type of flooringwithout having to lift the speaker. Another feature common to all of the newmodels is MartinLogan's Secure Lock Grilles,which use "stealth" mounting tabs that allow the user to cover the cone driverswith individual fabric grilles (or leave them bare) without sacrificingaesthetics. All Motion and Motion XT speakers employ MartinLogan's McCracken-VojtkoCrossovers, which represent "the culmination of combining extensive anechoicmeasurements, in-room measurements, and blind listening tests with the lowdistortion philosophy of MartinLogan's signature Vojtko Crossover. Through thisprocess, each speaker was refined to achieve the best performance for itsapplication."

MartinLogan Motion XT Series Loudspeakers Interview & Design Details

Everymodel in the Motion Series uses a 1-inch by 1.4-inch Gen2 Obsidian FoldedMotion Tweeter, with a total diaphragm area of 9.2 square inches. The midrangeand/or mid-woofer drivers use 5.5-inch woven fiberglass conesfeaturing "unibody cone construction" and cast polymer baskets. The 3-wayfloorstanders add a pair of 5.5-inch or 6.5-inch (depending on the model)unibody aluminum coneswith cast polymer baskets and non-resonant, asymmetrical chambers within thecabinet. The tower speakers are bottom-ported via MartinLogan's "Cannon Bass Ports," which are said to improve placementflexibility and allow the towers to be positioned fairly close to the wallbehind them. The remaining speakers are rear-ported.

TheB10 bookshelf speaker ($600 each) and the wall-mountable MP10 "multi-purpose" speaker($500 each) use a single 5.5-inch mid-woofer. The compact F10 floorstander($1,250 each) stands just over 38 inches tall, weighs 50.5 pounds, and uses one5.5-inch midrange driver and two 5.5-inch woofers. The larger F20 floorstander($1,750 each) uses one 5.5-inch midrange driver and a pair of 6.5-inch woofers.It stands nearly 45 inches tall, weighs 60 pounds, and promises bass extensiondown to the mid-30s. The C10 center-channel speaker ($1,000) uses a pair of5.5-inch mid-woofers flanking the tweeter, each in a non-resonant sealedchamber. The C10 features a unique "flippable" cabinet that allows the user tochoose whether the drivers fire straight forward or up at an angle. The latteris preferable when the speaker is mounted below ear level (underneath a TV, forexample) and the sound needs to be directed upwards for better sound clarityand immersion. Either way, the speaker takes advantage of an "anti-lobing"2.5-way crossover design. Two-way center-channel speakers with a horizontal MTM(mid tweeter mid) layout can suffer from lobing — interference of the soundwaves leading to an irregular off-axis response with peaks at some frequenciesand troughs at others, depending on the angles involved. MartinLogan says thatthe C10's 2.5-way crossover design "minimizes these harmful effects, resultingin clearer dialogue and higher accuracy for a more immersive experience." TheMP10 multi-purpose speaker seems be destined for surround-channel duty, thoughMartinLogan says it's just as comfortable playing the lead in a discreet2-channel system.

Either way, it has an interesting trick up its sleeve: theStealth Bass Port. This design "allows it to achieve comparable bass output tothat of traditional bookshelf speakers… at half the depth," according toMartinLogan. The unique shape of the MP10's cabinet allows the speaker to bemounted parallel to the wall surface or angled downwards into the room. Theincluded bracket doesn't interfere with the Stealth Bass Port in eitherorientation.

TheMotion XT Series uses a larger 1.25-inch by 2.4-inch Gen2 Obsidian FoldedMotion XT Tweeterwith a diaphragmarea of 12.4 square inches. The midrange and mid-woofer drivers have 6.5-inchNomex Reinforced Kevlar cones with unibody cone construction, stronger castaluminum baskets, and non-resonant sealed chambers within the speaker cabinets.The three-way towers add a trio of 6.5-inch or 8-inch (depending on the model)unibody aluminum woofers with cast aluminum baskets, non-resonant asymmetricalchambers, and downward-firing Cannon Bass Ports.Again, the bookshelf and center-channel models are rear-ported.

TheB100 bookshelf speaker ($800 each) is a 2-way design featuring a single6.5-inch mid-woofer. At 14.5 inches tall, it's 2 inches taller than the Motion B10,and promises bass down to 45 Hz. The F100 floorstander ($2,250 each) uses one6.5-inch midrange driver and three 6.5-inch woofers. Standing just under 48inches tall, it weighs 76 pounds and promises to dig down to 31 Hz. The top-dogF200 floorstander ($2,750 each) uses 8-inch woofers in a larger cabinet thatstands a statuesque 51 inches tall and weighs 86 pounds.

The F200 goes down to27 Hz, according to MartinLogan. (Unfortunately, the company does not specifywhether these specs are ± 3dB, ±6dB, etc.)

Finally, the C100 center speaker($1,500 each) uses a pair of 6.5-inch mid-woofers in non-resonant sealedchambers. It also features a flippable cabinet and an anti-lobing 2.5-waycrossover design, as seen on the smaller C10.

Allof the speakers in both the Motion Series and Motion XT Series are available inthree finishes: Piano Black, Walnut, and Satin White. All are rated at either 4or 5 ohms nominal impedance, but MartinLogan promises that they are "compatiblewith 4, 6, or 8 Ohm rated amplifiers." Considering their high efficiency, theyshould be driven nicely by most better-than-average AVRs. MartinLogan offers adedicated stand called the STAND25, which costs $200 each and works with bothbookshelf models. In a nice touch, the stand includes three interchangeableaccent pieces to coordinate with the trim colors of the Motion and Motion XTspeakers.

MartinLogan Motion XT F100 Floorstanding Speakers Listening Impressions

MartinLogan launched the new Motion Series and Motion XT Series speakers at anexclusive event hosted by our friends at Audio Advice in Raleigh, NC. The event took place on Saturday,February 11th, 2023 from noon to 4pm EST and we were happy to cover it!

AudioAdvice is one of the longest-running family members with the MartinLogan brand.Their passion, beautiful showrooms, and expert staff make it the perfectlocation for the world premiere of this new Motion range.

—Allan Tarrant, Senior Vice President of MartinLogan

Weare honored to partner with MartinLogan for the new Motion series launch.MartinLogan has taken their already outstanding Motion series speakers to a newlevel for 2023. New drivers, crossovers, and cabinets all contribute to moretransparency and lower distortion than the previous series bringing these evencloser in sound to their electrostatic panel models. We're confident that ourcustomers will love using the updated line in their home theater setups andlistening rooms.

—Leon Shaw, Founder of Audio Advice

Thosewho attended the event were able to see and hear these exciting new speakersand learn about them directly from members of the MartinLogan team. Attendees also had the opportunity to meet Audioholics founder Gene DellaSala, who was there in person to celebrate the launch and conduct a livestream,giving Audioholics fans the inside scoop on everything he learns about theMotion Series and Motion XT Series speakers.

Moreinformation: MartinLoganMotion

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.

Jacob is a music-lover and audiophile who enjoys convincing his friends to buy audio gear that they can't afford. He's also a freelance writer and editor based in Los Angeles.

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