best placement for martin logan motion fx

#BEST PLACEMENT FOR MARTIN LOGAN MOTION FX FULL#

MartinLogan offers matching subwoofers, and has just started shipping a 5.1 configuration based on 4 of their smaller motion 2i speakers, a Motion 6i center channel and their Dynamo 400 subwoofer. A speaker this good needs a subwoofer to truly sound complete. I wouldn’t consider them for a main system in a large room, but in a bedroom, an office or similar smaller space they offer wide dispersion, a clean non-congested sound, fine high frequencies from the folded motion tweeter design, and contemporary looks with a shiny, piano black enclosure. At this price range, the MartinLogan Motion 4i bookshelf speakers are a fine value. There’s no deep bass here, but even the KEFs need a subwoofer. What was remarkable was how well they did. I didn’t expect these speakers to outperform higher cost speakers like my KEFs, and they didn’t.

A package price with included subwoofer for a 2.1 system.

I used Emotiva UPA-500 amps, and a Denon AVR-S640H receiver with good results. The speakers are fairly easy to drive, but you want a high quality amplifier or receiver. But as I always listen with a subwoofer, the differences don’t make much practical difference to me. Without the subwoofer attached, the KEFs did better in the low end, offering useful frequency response down to 45-50 Hz, a good deal lower than the MartinLogan speakers. Having said that, the sound from the MartinLogans was smooth (except where it was slightly depressed in the midrange). The MartinLogan Motion 4i speakers were very good. Switching back and forth, the KEFs were stunning. The KEFs also benefit from the same Klipsch Subwoofer, so the most differentiation between the two very differently priced speakers was in the midrange, where the KEFs were smoother and slightly more detailed and forward. They are triple the cost of the MartinLogan speakers, and I was surprised how well the MartinLogans compared. My permanent speakers are KEF LS50’s, which I consider near state-of-the-art. Listening to a variety of material in my master bedroom where I have a stereo setup was most interesting.

Without the subwoofer running, the speakers delivered a nice low end for their size, and for non-critical listening I was happy with the overall balance.

MartinLogan offers subwoofers for these speakers, but none were provided for the review and my Klipsch R10SWI wireless subwoofer added quite a bit to the overall sound. With a test disc with low frequency sweeps I heard hardly anything below 70 Hz, but that’s not a surprise given the size and price of these speakers. The speakers really don’t produce much bass. Invented in the 1970s by Oskar Heil, originally marketed by ESS speakers, the tweeter now appears in several variations from a variety of manufacturers. The ‘motion’ in the title comes from the tweeter, the much lauded Folded Motion transducer.

#BEST PLACEMENT FOR MARTIN LOGAN MOTION FX FULL#

Now, the company has a full line of electrostatic speakers and about 15 years ago started looking at lower cost systems and got much praise with an earlier version of the speaker we’re reviewing here, which was called the Motion 4 Speaker. They were interested in producing a high-end, reliable electrostatic speaker system, and by the 1980s their signature speaker, the Monolith was meeting with excellent reviews. MartinLogan began in the late 1970s when Gayle Martin Sanders and Ron Logan Sutherland met in Kansas. Requires moderate to high amplifier power to sound their best.Nicely finished with glossy piano black exterior.Exceptional high frequency reproduction and wide dispersion.

Best placement for martin logan motion fx