B&W CWM7.3 S2 vs MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR Comparison

Speaker to replace

Change

B&W CWM7.3 S2

Passive In-wall | 48-28kHz

Check price atAmazon›

Change

MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR

Passive In-wall | 61-25kHz

Check price atAmazon›

B&W CWM7.3 S2

Check price atAmazon›

MartinLogan Motion X...

Check price atAmazon›

B&W CWM7.3 S2

See at AMAZON

MartinLogan Motion X...

See at AMAZON

B&W CWM7.3 S2 vs MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR Speaker Comparison

In this review, we will be comparing CWM7.3 S2 and Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR, two Passive In-wall speakers from Bowers Wilkins and MartinLogan.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of B&W CWM7.3 S2 and MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR first before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Key Specs	B&W CWM7.3 S2	MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR
Brand	Bowers Wilkins United Kingdom · founded 1966	MartinLogan United States · founded 1982
Design	3-way	2-way
Tweeter	1" Soft-Dome	1.27 x 2.4" Folded Motion Ribbon
Midrange	4"	—
Woofer	2 x 6" Aerofoil	2 x 5.25" Kevlar
Frequency response	48-28kHz	61-25kHz
Sensitivity	90 dB	92 dB
Impedance	8 ohms	8 ohms
Power range	25-200 watts	50-125 watts
Weight	12.43kg / 27.3lbs	—
Dimensions (H x W x D)	28.0000" x 9.9375" x 4.0625" 712.0 x 253.0 x 104.0mm	6.5000" x 14.5000" x 3.3125" 166.0 x 369.0 x 85.0mm

What size room are the B&W CWM7.3 S2 and MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR 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*	B&W CWM7.3 S2	MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR
Near-field	Poor	Poor
Small Room	Average	Average
Mid-size Room	Good	Good
Large Room	Average	Average
Very Large Room	Poor	Poor

(* 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.

Drivers

One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that CWM7.3 S2 is a 3-way design whereas the Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR is a 2-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.

B&W CWM7.3 S2

MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR

TweeterMidrangeWoofer

Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.

Driver	B&W CWM7.3 S2	MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR
Driver Setup	3-way	2-way
Tweeter	1-inch	1.27 x 2.4-inch
Midrange	1 x 4-inch	-
Woofer	2 x 6-inch	2 x 5.25-inch

CWM7.3 S2 features a 1" Soft-Dome Tweeter, a 4" Midrange and 2 x 6" Aerofoil Woofer. On the other hand, the Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR features a 1.27 x 2.4" Folded Motion Ribbon Tweeter and 2 x 5.25" Kevlar Woofer.

Frequency Response

CWM7.3 S2 has a frequency range of 48-28kHz whereas Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR has a frequency range of 61-25kHz. With a minimum frequency of 48Hz, the CWM7.3 S2 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR's min frequency of 61Hz.

The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the In-wall class in our database.

Low Frequency

In-wall Speakers

CWM7.3 S2

Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR

Min

Average

Median

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

CWM7.3 S2 and Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. CWM7.3 S2 sensitivity is rated at 90 dB and the Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR's is at 92 dB. This 2 dB difference makes the MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR a more sensitive speaker compared to B&W CWM7.3 S2, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.

Sensitivity

In-wall Speakers

CWM7.3 S2

Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR

Min

Average

Median

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.

CWM7.3 S2 can handle a max power of 200 watts RMS, whereas Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR has a max power handling value of 125 watts RMS, 75 watts less than the CWM7.3 S2.

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.

Which plays louder on your amplifier?

Starting with a popular amplifier - change it to the one you own, or any you are considering, and watch both numbers move.

Amplifier - change this

Distance

Playing as

B&W CWM7.3 S2

MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR

Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring

CWM7.3 S2 features Spring post type posts and Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR has a Spring post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/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 B&W CWM7.3 S2's and MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR's external dimensions. B&W CWM7.3 S2 has external dimensions of 712.0 x 253.0 x 104.0mm (28.0000-inch x 9.9375-inch x 4.0625-inch) whereas MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR has external dimensions of 166.0 x 369.0 x 85.0mm (6.5000-inch x 14.5000-inch x 3.3125-inch).

MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR is 546mm shorter and 19mm less deeper than B&W CWM7.3 S2 but it is also 116mm wider.

What's in the Box of B&W CWM7.3 S2?

Here are the items that are included inside the box of CWM7.3 S2:

In-wall loudspeaker
Mounting frame
Grille
Baffle box
2 Mounting plates (1 pre-installed)
Paint shield
Two-piece foam port plug
8 Screws
2 Wing-nuts
Hex-wrench
Cutout Template
Installation Instructions
Warranty Information

What's in the Box of MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR?

Here are the items that come with the Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR:

In-wall LCR loudspeaker
Grille
T20 torx-bit
User-feets Manual
Cutout Template

Reasons to choose Bowers & Wilkins Reference Series CWM7.3 S2 over MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR

Max Input Power	200 watts vs 125 watts	Handle more power from your amplifier
Driver Setup	3-way vs 2-way	Have a dedicated mid-range driver
Woofer Size	6 inches vs 5.25 inches	Larger woofer
Low Frequency Response	48 Hz vs 61 Hz	Generates deeper bass
High Frequency Response	28k Hz vs 25k Hz	Generates higher frequency
Base Surface Area	263cm² vs 313cm²	Takes less floor space

Reasons to choose MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR over Bowers & Wilkins Reference Series CWM7.3 S2

Sensitivity	92 dB vs 90 dB	Play louder with same amount of amplification power
Height	166mm vs 712mm	Easier to fit in smaller spaces
Price per pair*	2200USD vs 4200USD	costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time)

B&W CWM7.3 S2 vs MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Bowers & Wilkins Reference Series CWM7.3 S2	MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR
Brand	Bowers Wilkins	MartinLogan
Speaker Type	Passive In-wall Speaker	Passive In-wall Speaker
Power Range	25-200 watts	50-125 watts
Sensitivity	90 dB	92 dB
Impedance	8 ohms	8 ohms
Frequency Response	48-28kHz	61-25kHz
Drivers
Woofer Quantity	2	2
Woofer Size	6"	5.25"
Woofer Composition	Aerofoil	Kevlar
Woofer Surround Material	Rubber	Rubber
Tweeter Size	1"	1.27 x 2.4"
Tweeter Type	Soft-Dome	Folded Motion Ribbon
Aimable Tweeter	No	Yes
Midrange Driver	4"	No
Physical Specs
Height	712.0mm (28")	166.0mm (6.5")
Width	253.0mm (10")	369.0mm (14.5")
Depth	104.0mm (4.1")	85.0mm (3.3")
Weight	12.43kg (27.3lbs)	n/a
Enclosure	In-wall	In-wall
Moisture Resistancy	No	No
Connections
Biamp Inputs	No	No
Other
Parts Warranty	5 Years	5 Years
Labor Warranty	5 Years	5 Years

Verdict

These sit in different price classes - B&W CWM7.3 S2 costs roughly 1.9x what MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR does. Expect it to lead on paper; the question is whether the gap is audible enough in your room to be worth it.

Area	Better	Why
Bass	A	B&W CWM7.3 S2 digs deeper - 48Hz against 61Hz.
Amplifier needs	B	MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR is more sensitive (92dB vs 90dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier.
Headroom	A	B&W CWM7.3 S2 takes more power (200W vs 125W) - more in hand in a big room.
Size	depends	MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR is easier to place; B&W CWM7.3 S2 is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides.
Expandability	depends	Neither adds bi-amping, a sub output or height drivers. MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR sits in a wider range (7 models), so a matched surround system is easier later.
Price	B	MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR is cheaper - $2,200 against $4,200, about 48% less; arguably a different class.

A B&W CWM7.3 S2 B MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system or how you will use them. Only specs published for both speakers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.

Which should you choose?

B&W CWM7.3 S2 is ahead, but only on 1 of the measured areas, and it costs about 91% more. That is a lot of money for a narrow margin on paper - MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR looks like the sensible buy unless something else about the B&W CWM7.3 S2 appeals to you. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 61Hz anyway, which makes the cheaper MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR much easier to justify. In a large or open-plan room, B&W CWM7.3 S2 has the cabinet volume to fill it more easily; in a small room, near a wall or at desk distance, MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR is the easier speaker to get right.

And remember what a spec sheet cannot show: how each looks in your room and whether the finish suits it, what dealer support and warranty are like where you live, and how they actually sound to you. If you can hear them first - ideally with your own music - that will tell you more than any number above.