In this review, we will be comparing SCM20PSLT and Motion XT F200, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from ATC and MartinLogan.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of ATC SCM20PSLT and MartinLogan Motion XT F200 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | ATC SCM20PSLT | MartinLogan Motion XT F200 |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | — | 1.25 x 2.4" Folded Motion XT |
|---|
| Midrange | — | 6.5" |
|---|
| Woofer | — | 3 x 8" Aluminum |
|---|
| Frequency response | 55-25k Hz | 27-25k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 85 dB | 92 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | — | 4 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 75W-300W watts | 20-600 watts |
|---|
| Weight | — | 39.00kg / 85.8lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | — | 50-3/4" x 13-3/4" x 16-1/2"
1289 x 349 x 419mm |
|---|
What size room are the ATC SCM20PSLT and MartinLogan Motion XT F200 speakers good for?
The size of the room in which you are planning to use these loudspeakers is an important decision
factor. Here we have compared their suitability to various sizes of environments considering their size
and max power parameters:
| Listening Environment* |
ATC SCM20PSLT |
MartinLogan Motion XT F200 |
| Near-field |
Poor |
Are you nuts? |
| Small Room |
Average |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Average |
| Large Room |
Average |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Poor |
Good |
(* Approximate Room sizes: Small < 100sq. ft / 9 m2,
Mid-size: 100-220 sq. ft / 9-20 m2, Large 220-400 sq. ft / 20-36 m2, Very Large: >
400 sq. ft / 36 m2.
Average Floor Height: 9" / 2.7m. Typical room sizes differ from country to country, and the actual
listening experience changes depending on floor height, room shape, surface materials, listening
position, speaker locations, etc.)
The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.
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Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that SCM20PSLT is a 2-way design whereas the Motion XT F200 is a 3-way speaker. 3-way designs utilize a midrange driver in addition to the tweeter and woofer on 2-way designs. Designing a crossover for a 3-way speaker is a complicated process and generally increases the overall cost of the speaker.
| Driver |
ATC SCM20PSLT |
MartinLogan Motion XT F200 |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
-inch
|
1.25 x 2.4-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
1 x 6.5-inch |
|
Woofer
|
1 x -inch
|
3 x 8-inch
|
SCM20PSLT features a " Tweeter and 1 x " Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2.2kHz. On the other hand, the Motion XT F200 features a 1.25 x 2.4" Folded Motion XT Tweeter, a 6.5" Midrange and 3 x 8" Aluminum Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 300Hz and 2600Hz.
Frequency Response
SCM20PSLT has a frequency range of 55-25k Hz whereas Motion XT F200 has a frequency range of 27-25k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 27Hz, the Motion XT F200 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the SCM20PSLT's min frequency of 55Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
Neither pair reaches down to 20Hz, the usual definition of full-range, which is normal for speakers of this size. If you want the bottom octave for movies or bass-heavy music, add a subwoofer to whichever you choose. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
SCM20PSLT is a ohms speaker compared to the Motion XT F200 which has a nominal impedance of 4 ohms. Lower impedance speakers, especially the ones that are rated at 4 ohms may put more pressure on the amplifier unit especially when played at high volume levels, so make sure the amp you pair with the SCM20PSLT can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. SCM20PSLT sensitivity is rated at 85 dB and the Motion XT F200's is rated at 92 dB. This 7 dB difference makes the MartinLogan Motion XT F200 a more sensitive speaker compared to ATC SCM20PSLT, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing Speakers
Power Range
Power
range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. Staying
within that range gives nominal performance; driving the speaker beyond its maximum wattage can damage it.
Motion XT F200 can handle a max power of 600 watts RMS, whereas SCM20PSLT has a max power handling value of watts RMS, 600 watts less than the Motion XT F200.
Note that higher power handling does not make a speaker louder: that depends mainly on
sensitivity and impedance. The calculator below shows how loud each of these actually plays
on a real amplifier.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Motion XT F200 features Custom 5-way bi-wire tool-less binding posts posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. SCM20PSLT has a 1 x Rear Panel Mounted Female XLR, pin 2 hot which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
MartinLogan Motion XT F200's Custom 5-way bi-wire tool-less binding posts terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Physical Specs
The size of a speaker can sometimes be an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare ATC SCM20PSLT's and MartinLogan Motion XT F200's external dimensions. ATC SCM20PSLT has external dimensions of () whereas MartinLogan Motion XT F200 has external dimensions of 1289 x 349 x 419mm (50-3/4inch x 13-3/4inch x 16-1/2inch).
MartinLogan Motion XT F200 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 349mm wider, 1289mm taller and 419mm deeper than ATC SCM20PSLT.